The Magazine for Australian Travellers
July 2005
GREAT PLACES TO GO
Visit Mt Augustus in Western Australia, a
“sleeping giant” that is bigger than Uluru.
Not far from Mackay in Queensland is an
area known as the Pioneer Valley, where rainforest, sugar cane
and wildlife help to make a visit extra special.
These four national parks, hidden among the
ranges, are sure to leave you with fond memories.
Campsite reports
This month our campsite reporters have
found some superb places to camp in South Australia, New South
Wales, Western Australia and Victoria.
CARAVANS & MOTORHOMES
Trakmaster’s Nullarbor caravan
won’t mind being taking through the rough stuff.
GOOD GEAR & GADGETS
Walkabout
This month we’ve found some excellent
books for travellers, where to go and see koalas in the wild,
how to have a special bicycle holiday and much more.
CAMPERS’TALES
If you plan to take your trailer off the
bitumen it, and your vehicle, must be prepared. Dick Eussen
offers some practical advice to get you there and back again
safely.
2005 Australian of the Year Dr Fiona Wood
talks to On The Road about burns prevention and first aid in
the
outdoors.
outdoors.
Pat Hayes takes it easy on a journey to
Alice Springs aboard the legendary Ghan.
An expert on camp oven cooking shares some
secrets on how easy this methods of cooking can be.
JUST FOR READERS
This campground in the Northern Territory
is a pleasure to stay in and has won for a reader a pair of
fantastic daypacks from Snowgum.
GETAWAY VEHICLE
Kia has updated its
Sportage
soft-roader.
soft-roader.
CATCH A FEED
Paul B. Kidd offers advice for every owner
– and occupant – of a small boat.
REGULAR FEATURES
Readers’ letters
A reader urges others to learn what their
four-wheel-drive can and can’t do.
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The other rock
According to the Guinness Book
of Records, the world’s largest rocky outcrop
is Mt Augustus, or Burringurrah, 1100km north of
Perth and 450km east of Carnarvon. The summit is
1105 metres above sea and 850 metres above the
surrounding plain. It is often compared to Uluru
but is about two-and-a-half times its size.
Mt Augustus is a monocline, a
rock strata that dips in one direction. Mostly
covered in scrub and subtle in color change, it is
16 kilometres long and five kilometres across.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
has an association with this district – and
not flying planes. In 1924 Smithy and his mate
Keith Anderson bought a truck and set up business.
One contract was the mail run
from Carnarvon via Gasgoyne Junction, past the
Kennedy Ranges and on to the Bangemall goldfields
near Mt Augustus. He figured that with his
technical knowledge and the new-fangled technology
of motorised transport he would out-do the camel
trains and horse-drawn wagons. He believed this
would finance his dream – to be the first to
fly the Pacific.
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To our surprise there was a
cement rock cairn and picnic table on the summit.
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Save $10 and read the whole story
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