ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Evening Star, Issue 19661, 14 September 1927, Page 11

ACROSS AUSTRALIA

ADVENTURES AND IMPRESSIONS WOMEN MOTORISTS “Sony, Rm late!” A bobbed brunette within a coach car jammed on her brakes and brought her much-autographed car to a sudden halt by a licet of sedans and coaches on the roadside at Mount Cargill yesterday afternoon. For two hours the heavy car had been speeding along “new roads” and round bends with a clever driver at tho wheel.

Tho driver was Sirs Sandford, and her companion was Miss Christie. They recently completed a four months’ tour of-Australia, covering 11,058 miles, one part of the journey being from Adelaide, through Central Australia, to Darwin iu tho Northern Territory. Both New Zealanders, they are the only women who have yet made tho trip. Their car was an Essex coach, and two remarkable features of the trip were that no spares were carried and the car arrived in Dunedin on tho same set of front tyres as when the trans-Aus-tralian journey wa,s started. The tourists were mot at Mount Cargill by a fleet of local Essex and Hudson car owners, v and escorted to Hisiop and Gibson’s garage, where they were welcomed by the mayor (Mr W. B. Taverner) and Mr William Wright (representing the Otago Motor Club). Both speakers paid a tribute to tho intrepid characters of the tourists and their accomplishments on such a daring trip, which would not bo attempted by many men, and could only bo completed in a proved car. Over a cup of tea Mrs Sandford talked brightly and lightly to a ‘ Star ’ reporter of her trip across Australia. Did tho contemplation of the journey cause her to think tho trip almost impossible? Well, answered Mrs Sandlord, she had really not given the proposed trip a great deal of consideration. They had started off from Sydney with no more equipment than that usually carried by tho motorist on a short tour of the country near his or her home. They carried only one spare (a coil), a tool box, and a soldering iron. She had had no idea of tho difficulties to he confronted, and consequently she had not worried over the preparations. From Sydney they had travelled to Adelaide, and thou across to Perth. Tho “road” was really a track for a greater part of the way. Owing to insuperable difficulties on the northward route to Broome, by which they intended to go on their way to Darwin, thev had to double back on their track to "Adelaide, and Then head to tho north. The railway ended at Oonadatta, where there was a small settlement of whites, and then followed the long journey to Darwin. The white settlements were low and far between, and then only sparsely populated. The road was what was known as a “ cattle pad.” PRIMITIVE NAVIGATION. Tho “pad” was not at all clearly defined, but they managed to keep to the route by taking directions from the sun and remembering on which side they left the transcontinental telegraph line. At times they would have to make a detour of twenty miles before again meeting tho line, which in the intervening country passed over ridges inaccessible to motor traffic. Water was one of tho problems of the trip. Signs on the route stated that a water hole or bore would bo found so many miles away, and on reaching tho water place they often found that tho hole was dry, or that the water was too brackish to drink. “Settlers iu tho district do not mind the bracldshncss, but it would drive mo mad if I had to drink the water,” exclaimed Mrs Sandford. Altar a long spell of thirst, they Had arrived at a hole which was dry, and they had to motor lor twelve hours until they wore able to quench their thirsts. Once they walked .sixteen miles to get a, drink. Water hud to he carried in the > car, and ono dish of water sufficed for a wasli for the two passengers. “ Why, wo’vo often had a. bath with one dish of water, and wo didn’t both about the blacks, who were probably lying down in the grass watching us,” said Mrs Sandford. In central Australia tho water was exceptionally scarce, and some settlers had to bore 1,500 ft before striking a. well. Tiie heat was intense. They had travelled through tho centre of the continent in the cold season. The weather was warm enough then, and who could hardly imagine the overpowering heat in mid-summer. The small house fly was a groat pest—they were as thick as locusts. On one occasion, when they were stripping tho car, the heat was tense, and the house flies covered the motorists. Her lips became parched, hut she could not wot them for many flies, which covered her lips, would have flown into her month. The flies were terribly bothersome, and when the motorists were breathing the flies moved up their nostrils. The flies also took refuge in the corner of their eyes, where they laid their eggs. Miss Christie had spent a most painful time, and had been marked near tho eye by the flies. NORTHERN TERRITORY’S FUTURE. The Northern Territory had a great future, said Mrs Sandford. Darwin was a cosmopolitan town—a replica of Singapore or Colombo. Big rivers were nearby, and by irrigating the soil, which was loamy, could be made most fertile. Those residents of Darwin who were fond of horticulture had made beautiful gardens. By the development of irrigation near the river the Northern Territory could be made a most fertile country. At Katherine she had .inspected tho garden of a German, who had developed his property by irrigation. He had grown the best pineapples and tropical fruit that she had seen iu her travels. Speaking generally of the future benefits from irrigation, Mrs Sandford said that the settler would nob bo at all surprised if he found an aligator near his melon patch one morning. “After all,” she remarked. “ What is an alligator.” That slimy amphibian seems i.i nave no'terrors for Mrs Sandford and Miss Christie, who have boen nearer death than when standing near an alligator. Treking across Central Australia their path was through grass 10ft high. All they could sco was a sea of waving yellow grass. A match dropped into tho grass would have meant tho end. On one part of their journey they had to drive for 100yds with burning grass not 10ft away, with their car loaded with 400 gallons of petrol and tiie petrol tank leaking through the improvised soap plug. “Any time wo expected to be travelling skyward.” She recalled her terrifying experience with relief that it was well past. WHITE MAN’S COUNTRY.

While Asiatics now overran the Northern Territory, she believed the country to lie destined for the whites. The Europeans living in the Territory were groac supporters of the White Australia policy. The Territory was not an unpleasant place to live in for the white, but the Chinese and halfcastos were increasing rapidly. The wealth of the Territory lay in its mineral deposits. Gold colors could be found in nearly all the rivers, a lead mine equal to Broken Hill, with great deposits of micro showing, had already been located; and a number of diamonds had been picked up. The difficulty so far had been the working ot the deposits. She had met men who had staked their claims over twenty years ago, but were still unable to work them. The Territory would bound ahead when the railway was run through from Oonadatta in the south to Darwin. Vehicular transportation was still an immense problem, and on one long section the jungle was so thick that only, lout: motor oars had

been able to get through in one .season, and it was almost impossible lor a car with its hood up to make the journey. low class of humanity was the Australian black, who, in the interior, was still in his most primitive state. J.ho natives wore no clothes, and were exlazy. r lJicy drifted üboufc with their spears, earning a meal here ■and there, but they were too lazy to build themselves homes. Their sleeping place was the grass. Mrs Sandford said that settlers on a day’s mustering always carried arms. The blacks were held to bo treacherous. Miss Christie and she also were armed, but they had no occasion to use the revolvers. In lact, the blacks veic more frightened of the tourists than the travellers were of the aborigines. The blacks Hed at sight of the white tourists. When the ear was parked lor the night the blacks were doubtless watching them from the grass only ten or Jiftecn yards away. Already an aviation service from Adelaide to Darwin was proposed. Speaking as a holder of an aero pilot’s certificate, Mrs Sandford gave it as her opinion that the service would ho a great success. There were many excellent landing places en route. She herself proposed to make the flight, and while on the motor trip had Selected “ some bonny landings.” Faith, Hope, and Charity had been the names given to Mrs Sandford, Miss Christie, and the car—Airs Sandford for her faith in the vehicle, Miss Christie for her irrepressible hope, and the car for being so charitable as to bring the tourists across great stretches of country where a breakdown would have meant starvation. Mrs Sandford related some of her experiences in an illustrated lecture at the Octagon Theatre last night, and she was booked to give talks on her trip at the afternoon and evening sessions at the. Empire Theatre 10-daj>: