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Post by Sir John on Sept 11, 2022 10:06:11 GMT -5
www.drive.com.au/news/celebrating-60th-anniversary-simpson-desert-crossing/Australia is as big as the '48', and I have been near but not actually on the Simpson Desert on the Oodnadatta Track. Also about 30,000 feet above it. About 400 kms of sand dunes. Also called in to Anna Creek Station, a cattle "ranch" of 30,000 SQUARE KMS. (The largest in the world). It carries ONE cow be sq km. Even today, there are only 2 sealed roads across the nation, one in the far north and the other across the Nullarbor Plain in the south. Check out the pics. SJ
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Post by Swampy on Sept 12, 2022 9:59:53 GMT -5
Sounds like fun. I understand you and your spouse have done that before?
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Post by Sir John on Sept 12, 2022 11:12:57 GMT -5
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning_Stock_Route#:~:text=The%20Canning%20Stock%20Route%20is%20a%20track%20that,the%20longest%20historic%20stock%20route%20in%20the%20world. This trip and the Canning are two of the most challenging drives on the planet, probably only matched by the Kolyma Highway in eastern Siberia. Our grandson has done both of the OZ ones on a dirt bike. As usual in a convoy of well equiped and prepared 4WD vehicles etc. We have done a few parts of the tracks but nothing like the scale of these two. Mainly the Oodnadatta track. Oodnadatta is a small settlement of maybe 150 people, and they had a couple of visitors in March 1942. Tall pipe smoking bloke with wife and young son who were NOT impressed by the thriving metropolis of Oodnadatta. The old red brick railway station is now deserted. About 500 kms south of Oodnadatta is another village called Terowi where the tall bloke first said, "I came through, and I shall return". Been there too! The Tanami Track is another one but a level below the first 2. They are campaigning for another sealed East/West road across the island, dubbed "the worlds longest short cut", about 3000+ kms. SJ
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Post by Sir John on Sept 12, 2022 15:32:23 GMT -5
...and for those of a military bent, I have observed that about 70% of this island is sand and rocks, and if our peace loving Chinese brothers ever try to take it they will almost certainly have to land on the north-west quarter of the 25,000 km coastline.
If they do, then they will see that the voyage here and the actual landing will be the easy bit, and they have in front of them about 3500 kms of those sand and rocks. In WW2 about 1000 kms of supply lines killed Rommel's plans and ambitions in the desert and this is far harder.
An anecdote which I may have related back in the olden days.
An Australian Liaison Officer attached to Big Macs HQ in Brisbane was asked, "What would you do if 50,000 Japanese troops landed in northern Australia".
His answer, "I would wait 3 months and then go out and collect the bones".
Our greatest General is GENERAL MILES!
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Post by dontom on Sept 12, 2022 19:33:44 GMT -5
www.drive.com.au/news/celebrating-60th-anniversary-simpson-desert-crossing/Australia is as big as the '48', and I have been near but not actually on the Simpson Desert on the Oodnadatta Track. Also about 30,000 feet above it. About 400 kms of sand dunes. Also called in to Anna Creek Station, a cattle "ranch" of 30,000 SQUARE KMS. (The largest in the world). It carries ONE cow be sq km. Even today, there are only 2 sealed roads across the nation, one in the far north and the other across the Nullarbor Plain in the south. Check out the pics. SJ See if you can catch an Inland Taipan out there! -Don- Reno, NV |
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Post by Sir John on Sept 12, 2022 22:22:29 GMT -5
No thanks, like most Australians, if we see a snake we automaticly assume it is venomous and act accordingly.
The great majority ARE!
Our Dr Straun Sutherland is the one that saved countless lives around the world for perfecting the snake and spider anti-venene we use today.
SJ
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Post by Sir John on Sept 12, 2022 23:17:26 GMT -5
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Post by dontom on Sept 13, 2022 0:30:09 GMT -5
No thanks, like most Australians, if we see a snake we automaticly assume it is venomous and act accordingly. The great majority ARE! Our Dr Straun Sutherland is the one that saved countless lives around the world for perfecting the snake and spider anti-venene we use today. SJ Yep, the most common snake family there in Australia is Elapidae. They are the most dangerous snakes in the world. The Inland Taipan tops the list as being the most dangerously venomous snake in the world--no others come close except for other snakes in Australia. You have the ten most venomous snakes in the world there. Here in the USA (and Canada), by far most snakes are harmless, the family is Colubridae, the average snake is harmless, unlike there. -Don- Reno, NV |
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Post by Swampy on Sept 13, 2022 2:29:13 GMT -5
I hate snakes, unless they're used to make soup or boots.
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Post by Sir John on Sept 13, 2022 15:35:15 GMT -5
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Post by Sir John on Sept 13, 2022 15:44:07 GMT -5
Don,
Things are much better now with snake bite deaths way down, and now due more to luck of location than the actual venom. I think Ambulances carry some and most if not all hospitals.
Sharks and crocs are the big ones now, and given that the sea and the coastal rivers are their back yard we should not play in them. Most croc attacks are due to human stupidity and carelessness along with often too much booze.
SJ
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Post by dontom on Sept 13, 2022 22:20:52 GMT -5
Is that supposed to be a working link to something? -Don- Reno, NV |
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Post by dontom on Sept 13, 2022 22:21:57 GMT -5
I hate snakes, unless they're used to make soup or boots. Does that mean you're afraid of snakes? -Don- Reno, NV |
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Post by Swampy on Sept 14, 2022 1:55:14 GMT -5
I hate snakes, unless they're used to make soup or boots. Does that mean you're afraid of snakes? -Don- Reno, NV My FB avatar is Indiana Jones, and he hated snakes, so ...... |
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Post by Sir John on Sept 14, 2022 15:56:07 GMT -5
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