The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)(about) |
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Saturday 11 October 1941
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FIXING THE SA-WA BOUNDARY
By G F YOUNG
TVOW that the Defence Depart-
ment Is proceeding with our East-West road, the location of the boundary between South Australia and Western Australia is a subject of revived interest.
To Lieut. Douglas, a South Australian soldier, goes the credit of determining this line In 1867. He erected a flagstaff near
Eucla, and 3 years later John Forrest fixed a plate on tha western s.de of this pole.
The next survey was mode by surveyor Anketell in 1908 while engaged in deciding on the route of the Trans-Australian rail- way. Anketell erected a cairn-a humble affair, still to be seen 10 m les west from the town of Deakin. Within 8 chains of this pile of gibbers is a still smaller collect on heaped up into a cone. Same mystery attaches to this. It is older than Anke tell's, and has remained undisturbed for
sentimental reasons.
Railway officials and travellers often point to it and tell the audience in the
carriage "That is Forrest's determination of the boundary," and perhaps remark upon the small difference in the 2 calcu- lations made with instruments inferior to modern surveyors' appliances. But Forrest, on his second exploration trip, went 300 miles farther north, so it cer- tainly is not "Sir John Forrest's mark."
However, the official boundary mark is none of the above, but an obelisk, 6ft. Oin. high, 151n. square 'at the base, taper- ing to a little less than 12in. on top. It is securely planted in the Australian plain close to Eucla, and bears the date July 27, 1926.