Oasis in the outback

The vast and arid interior of central Australia is flecked with red sands, outcrops and Aboriginal art sites. And there is lots to unravel than just its starkness, solitude and splendour, says THOMAS E. KING.

BUD ABBOTT and Lou Costello, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald and Gary Cooper and Bette Davis ... classic characters of yesterday's silver screen continue to play to packed houses on select Wednesdays at the celebrated Royal Theatre in downtown Winton, Queensland. Population 1,200, Winton, in the far west of the massive Australian state, is neither a film capital of note nor a cultural mecca of consequence. Visitors, therefore, need the promise of other pursuits to persuade them to defy the tyranny of distance and venture 1,150 air kilometres northwest of Brisbane and 1,475 air km southeast of Darwin to this oasis in the outback.

Flecked with red sands and rocky outcrops and Aboriginal art sites, the vast and arid interior of central Australia is typified by starkness, solitude, splendour and a billion stars twinkling over the occasional settlement; Winton is one of these.

The inky black night sky, studded with these sparkling "jewels" is the no-maintenance-required "roof" above the old Royal Theatre. There is no other. Surrounded by just four walls, this is an open air cinema hall - one of only a few such venues still operating in Australia - where patrons can sit in canvas chair comfort while reliving the golden days of celluloid on cool weather Wednesday evenings and watch current releases on Saturday nights.

Since 1918, the few residents of Winton - and there never have been many - and visitors chancing upon this Outback outpost have been able to relax at the Royal. Until 1927 when electricity came to town the projector was turned by hand. Twelve years later the first sound film became the talk of the tiny town.

As large as the outdoor screen is at Winton's sole picture palace it pales into insignificance when compared to a spectacular "stage" elsewhere on which a real life drama once occurred.

The place is Lark Quarry, southwest of Winton, and the time, well just set the clock back 100 million years. In those days this now dry and rocky area of central Australia was the muddy, subtropical environs of a prehistoric lake.

As the millennium passed the climate changed as well as the typography and the lake was uplifted to form a low mountain range in a parched environment. This over countless years eroded leaving only isolated hills.

In the 1960s the fossilised tracks were discovered in an exposed hillside by the manager of one of the area's extensive grazing properties.

The results of excavations undertaken in the 1970s have since come under the protection of the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service. Take note. There is nothing out here but a shelter over the site so you even need to bring water.

No dinosaur bones were found at the site. If they had been and had it been permitted no doubt a specimen might well have gone into Arno's Wall back in Winton as just about everything else has from toilets to tires and motorbikes to a sewing machine.

Cemented into place along with a wealth of other items the great wall of Arno Grotjahn is an architectural achievement ... of sorts.

This ever changing oddity of the Outback can only be seen should you deviate off Elderslie, the town's main thoroughfare, and encounter it spread along Vindex Street.

In contrast, no detour is necessary to view neighbouring Longreach's most recognised tourist focalpoint, the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame. It adjoins the wide Landsborough Highway on the approach to the area's commercial hub and cannot possibly be overlooked.

Any preconceptions about dull and dusty collections are well and truly dispelled when entering this world class attraction which is a blend of museum, memorial and functional display with artefacts, 1,000 photographs and text panels and a host of electronic exhibits, some of which are interactive.

Opened in 1988, Australia's bicentennial year, by Queen Elizabeth II, the architecturally-innovative centre pays tribute to the establishment and development of Australia from the arrival of Aboriginal people and their contributions to the island continent to the use of satellite communication, a reality of life even in the most remote areas of the vast country.

While a full day, I found, can be easily devoted to an indepth exploration of the advancement of Australia as seen in this stunning museum, the population 3,000 town has more to show. The biggest centre in central west Queensland, Longreach, 189 km east of Winton, has additional claims to fame with a double connection to world aviation.

The world's first Flying Surgeon Service was established at Longreach in 1959. This air-assisted facility continues to provide specialised medical attention to hospitals in isolated communities.

Even more high profile is the QANTAS Founders' Outback Museum which tributes the award-winning airlines. (The national flag carrier of Australia, QANTAS is the oldest airline in the English speaking world and the second oldest in international aviation behind KLM.)

Located across the highway and almost opposite the Stockmen's Hall of Fame is the original QANTAS hangar which was used as the airline's first operational base from 1922-1934. It has been polished up a bit although it still has its original Outback charm.

Inside is enough aviation memorabilia to keep any enthusiast enthralled. A highlight is a replica of the first QANTAS aircraft, the AVRO 504K.

For trivia buffs, what is the only airline in the world to have ever manufactured its own aircraft for use in its own scheduled services? The answer is QANTAS. Seven DH50s, made under licence from the de Havilland Aircraft Company, were hand assembled in this hangar between 1926 and 1929.

In addition to these one-off attractions, Longreach has a further link with aviation: It is air connected with a daily flight from Brisbane. Time-tight travellers can therefore speed between the Queensland capital and Longreach to be instantly immersed in the Outback.

Or they can arrive in Longreach by road or train, for an independent exploration of inland Australia or join a multi- destination and highly informative "safari" like those offered by AAT Kings, Australia's largest operator of 4WD Outback tours, and then head west for a more leisurely exploration on Outback tracks.

(Rail buffs take note: Queensland Railways operates "The Spirit of the Outback" tourist train twice weekly between Brisbane and Longreach. The train has first class and economy sleepers as well as comfortable carriages while all public cars in use during the 24 hour journey have an Outback theme.)

The newest vehicle to conquer the harsh terrain of inland Australia is a Mercedes Benz. But it is no ordinary machine. Far from it as the 1224AF is the world's first 4WD Mercedes-Benz passenger touring vehicle. With a view to heightened competitive position among Outback and wilderness tour operators, the Melbourne-based AAT Kings liased with Mercedes-Benz Germany to design a vehicle custom made for uncustomary conditions.

The difference between this innovative road warrior and a conventional street model begins near the ground as the 5,200 kg 1224 AF chassis is the same type that was developed for an all- terrain fire fighting vehicle in Germany. On top of this is a Mercedes Benz OM 366LA turbo charged intercooled in-line six cylinder 5,958 cm3 diesel engine which produces 177kW (240 horsepower) at 2,600 revolutions per minute.

The drive is supplied through a Mercedes-Benz six-speed transmission and transfer case to the front line axle and the rear hypoid drive axle. Both of these are equipped with differential locks to assist in adverse off-road conditions.

Inside, 20 passengers and two crew travel in a fully dust sealed compartment as does the luggage. The coach body built in Melbourne by 20-year-old-specialist company, Volgren, is appointed with air conditioning, seat belts and a chemical toilet.

As to comfort ... long parabolic springs with shock absorbers and stabiliser bars to both axles provide a smooth ride, as I discovered during a road test from Brisbane to Alice Springs, on the highway as well as ultra stable off-road tracking. The latter was comforting as the highways and byways of the Outback are not all hard surfaced or wide.

Well west of Longreach and just past Winton on the Min Min Byway to Boulia, red rivergums grow even closer to the banks of seasonal waterholes, the squawk of the red parrot is the only sound to break the silence of this timeless land. Emus and kangaroos stare at the passing parade before scattering at high speed and the luxury of the dual lane road ceases. The sealed surface narrows to a width that is barely sufficient for one vehicle. It is not a significant problem because there is not much traffic anyway.

Just half a billion years ago there was none. This vast area was under water when it was a major inland sea.

That is not a tall tale either. Should you want to hear a few though stop over at the 120-year-old Middleton Hotel for a chat with the locals any Saturday night. The resident population of Middleton is an astounding ... wait for it ... 3 although on Saturday nights - when you may well first hear of "the light" the sole hotel and bar where the only petrol pump for 100+ km is located - the crowd could well swell to a dozen ... or less! No one in or around Middleton, or, still farther west at Boulia, the last settlement before entering the Northern Territory some 250 km down the dirt track and where the Min Min Light was first seen some 75 years ago, has any explanation for the most perplexing phenomena of the Outback. Infrequently seen but usually appearing as a luminous oval like a fluorescent football, sometimes moving, sometimes stationary but never coming close enough to be positively identified it remains a mystery unsolved, another compelling puzzle from back of beyond.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Nature's records
Next     : Exotic ornamental