G'day all
Just returned from a little 3 month, 12,500 km trip per Toyota Landcruiser and 17' caravan. Left Perth (west coast of Western Australia) early march, proceeded across the big paddock (Nullarbor Plains) to Melbourne where we visited son Dean & D-in-L Anne, spent a glorious day at the Tyabb Warbirds Air Show (all 7 of Australia's flying Mustangs, a Spit. (one of only 2 in Oz), various Wirraways, Trojans, the only flying Boomerang in the world, a Vampire, Tigers, Chippies, Harvards. They put on a dog-fight against MIG's and Yaks, and Chinese Yumchar things, while the army was shooting up flak (imitation, I hope, but spectacular). The sights and sounds were marvellous. My ears are still ringing.
Then proceeded north via Echuca (trip on a historic paddle steamer with a proper Allan(?) steam engine on the Murray River), thence ever northwards through NSW, visited the Parkes Astromomy, two days traversing a locust plague, overnight at Lightning Ridge Opal fields, thence to my home town of Roma in Queensland. Couple of weeks there visiting rellies and with my brother, rediscovering a couple of sheep-station homesteads where we used to go for holidays at Surat. Couldn't find the old Tangye they used to cut firewood with, but the Boulton Paul 32 volt generator set was still there, now unused since grid power arrived.
Then to Maroochydore (the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane), then back down to Brisbane for 4 weeks with the grandkids there. While there, helped my son & D-i-L renovate their old "Queenslander" house, which involved me in exercising some of my rusty electrical installation skills.Visited the historic Ipswich Railway Workshops, then spent a day helping with research at the Queensland Energy Museum in Brisbane, also a day with the Queensland Aviation Museum at Caboolture where I was able to present them with some very old 35mm slides of a Victa Airtourer which they now have in preservation. I was taken right through the workshops and hangers behind the museum to my utter delight.
From Bris., westward to Toowoomba where I eventually located the site of the Cooby Creek Satellite Tracking Station where I worked from 1966 to 1970. Only overgrown tarmac now and a scattering of concrete foundations in the middle of the bush. Found the oil-stained concrete pads where we had the D398 Caterpillar and the 71 series V-12 GM 60-cycle alternator sets, and the power vans which contained the four Garrett Gas turbine generator sets. I plan to match the photos I took with some originals I had taken when we were in operation. Visited an old mate at Crows Nest who still rides his Army Beeser he had when we were lads, as well as an immaculate Willys Jeep. I asked him if he knew the whereabouts of some of the 80-odd 31 hp horizontal National BPAE diesels such as those I operated from 1958 to 1966 at Wandoan. He replied that he had 5 of them!
Next day he took me to visit a remarkable (retired) engineer near Dalby who has a farm-yard literally crammed with old engines of all types and sizes, mostly open crank horizontals, but including a radial Guilberson diesel which he ran. Talk about noise! It really barked out of the open stubs. He also had one of "my" Nationals complete with 20kVA Mawdsley alternator and switchboard, but not rigged up as yet. He builds little mechanical oddities, such as a constant-speed one-toothed pinion gear set, and a drive shaft assembly which reverses the direction of rotation of a shaft three times including two 90° corners, without the use of gears! Marvellous!
This chap has built a little model diesel, for which he made every part himself, including the fuel pumps and injectors. This is a "proper" diesel. How did he drill the little injector holes? He said he used the "needle-scratch" method. If interested, ask me about this - I'd better not expand this epistle over much now.
Also visited the Oakey Army Aviation Museum. I had previously been in contact with the Curator when I found out that they had the remains of the experimental aeroplane VH-SCA built by the Southern Cross factory (Toowoomba Foundry) in the 60's. I had slides of this on its test flights, which I was able to present to them. They are doing a marvellous job of restoring her.
Turned for home again, south out of Queensland, turned right in NSW, through Broken Hill, kept aiming west until we hit the Indian Ocean again.
Peter asked "Did I bring any iron home?" Well, not for the want or inclination, but was severly restricted by weight/space and in the interests of domestic equanimity, I brung home only loads of photographs and glorious memories (except for a couple of minor items not yet revealed to the glare of daylight).
Sorry for the length of this, but I don't know how to say it all more briefly.
Jack Watson