More Australian History.

[Brian]

It wasn't until 1940, with war in the Pacific looming, that the Government felt that a road link between the East and West Australia was a necessity. So, in 2 years they built one, albeit, only a dirt track some 1500 miles long. It wasn't until the '60s and '70s that it was sealed. Before sealing, there were virtually no services along the way and you were very much on your own if anything went wrong.........and very often it did, due to the rough road. If your car broke down, very often the cost of retrieval outweighed the value of the car, so it stayed where it died. This shot is at Koonalda Homestead, which was one of the few Road Houses along the Highway. Littered in the bush are literally dozens of cars of the era that didn't make the journey.

[Ryewolf]

That's a great image Brian and an interesting piece of history.

[Clicker]

I'll second that... .it also has a strange poignancy.. 

Processing really suits too.....

How much longer are you out there  Brian ?

[Brian]

9 minutes ago, Clicker said:

I'll second that... .it also has a strange poignancy.. 

Processing really suits too.....

How much longer are you out there  Brian ?

We're home now, Polly. Thanks for the feedback; it's just a matter of trawling through a couple of thousand images now.

 

[kev7d]

I like the image.  A good subject. 

[Denis]

I more than like the image, to me that is an absolutely brilliant photograph Brian...kudos!

[JHFoto]

Great story and image, when I was in Australia one of the things that amused me the most would be a sign that read services in 200 miles. By the time I got there I had changed my mind on stopping.... 

[Brian]

31 minutes ago, JHFoto said:

Great story and image, when I was in Australia one of the things that amused me the most would be a sign that read services in 200 miles. By the time I got there I had changed my mind on stopping.... 

Yes, there can be long distances between fill ups. While we were away, we carried 2 jerry cans of diesel that gave us a range of close to 1000 kms, just to be on the safe side. There were times when we topped up the tank, more from the price of fuel being so expensive in the remotest areas. The most expensive, being at Mount Dare, where diesel was $2.17 per lit. when in Alice Springs it was about $1.40.

When were you in Oz and where were you staying.

[Ryewolf]

That's still pretty cheap, diesel in the UK is around £1.19 a litre (and £1.19 is around the cheapest, it can be a lot, lot higher), which is around $1.95 (Aus) a litre.... Even petrol here is dearer than your cheapest diesel, I've not seen petrol or diesel under a £1 ( $1.40 ) a litre for about 10 years in the UK.....

[JHFoto]

Been to Australia twice, the last time we Started in Darwin then across o Cairns. Here we picked up a hire car and went up and down the Bruce Highway stopping wherever took our fancy. On this trip we finished up in Brisbane. On our first visit, we did similar but ended up in Adelaide. Fantastic experience we went to some amazing places.

[Korky]

An excellent image and an excellent story.

Welcome back, Brian!

Korky

[Brian]

4 hours ago, Korky said:

An excellent image and an excellent story.

Welcome back, Brian!

Korky

Thanks, Cobber!