West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Tuesday 3 July 1934, page 17


OVERLAND TO ADELAIDE.

Survey Party Returns.

KALGOORLIE, July 2.— Having completed a survey of the overland route to Adelaide in preparation for the large number of cars whierr will niakp thp t.rin

for the Melbourne Centenary celebrations, Mr. Gordon Dean, touring officer, and Mr. R. Lockwood. head patrol, of the Royal Automobile Club of W.A., arrived in Kalgoorlie on Friday night. He said that the track was in fair order, but was rough, and overlanders who were making the trip alone should be sure that they carried sufficient petrol supplies. The longest stage on the route where supplies were unavailable was between Balladonia and Eucla. a distance of 328 miles, said Mr. Dean, but motorist.s should not cut down their reserve petrol to the bare margin to carry them over other stages, the distances of which were known, because a lot of travelling had to be done in second gear, which meant a greatly increased petrol consumption. Overlanders were also advised to carry ample provisions for. although the station owners would never see a person stuck for provisions, it frequently happened that their stocks were low. as all supplies had to be carted long distances. Further, travellers should carry ample small change, because coins were a comparative rarity on the stations. On the way back to W.A. the travellers struck heavy rain from Xullabor station to Madura station, and the roads were extremely boggy, the water in places being- nearly two feet deep. It took the van 13 hours to travel 130 miles, and it was necessary to wait three days at Eucla for the roads to dry up. The longest dry stage was between Coeklebiddy and Rawlinna, a distance of 92 miles. On this road were treacherous depressions, generally about 20 yards in diameter, consisting of small shrubs. They appeared to be solid but the surface was liable to break through under the weight of a car. Motorists would be well advised to test these patches before attempting to cross them.