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Greetings!
This is the first Newsletter for a number of readers who have moved
from printed to electronic format.
Welcome to you all and I trust you will continue
to enjoy reading our newsletter! Hopefully I have transferred all
information correctly, however if something is not correct, please
let me know.
We will continue to mail a "hard copy" to those readers without
computer access, and a copy will be placed on our website under
"Newsletters".
Thank you for your continued interest.
Cheers..... Howard
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| Our
new vehicle...Again!! |
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All
signed up and ready to go~!
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| Desert Sky
4WD |
I couldn't miss the opportunity to show our vehicle complete with
it's new colours!
The signs were designed by Nicholas Signs - the same
people who did the signage on our bus 15 years ago!
View another pic of the vehicle and the
rear storage system
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Page |
Recent
Trips
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Since
our last newsletter, I took a specially designed "Outback" trip
with passengers from England and New South Wales. The itinerary
included Coober Pedy, The Painted Desert, Oodnadatta Track and
Central Flinders Ranges.
It is the first time I have seen the
Sturt Desert Pea growing on the sides
of the Stuart Highway between Glendambo and Coober Pedy!
We stopped to photograph the first couple of sightings but after
that it was merely a comment ...ah.. more Sturt Desert Pea!!!
Two trips to the Flinders Ranges and Arkaroola went well with
perfect weather, as did the three to Marree with plane flights over
Lake Eyre. A summary by Mary, one of our guests on the first Lake
Eyre trip can be viewed here.
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Legend of The
Birdsville Track
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Eric
Oldfield
The Marree Community and much of the Outback are saddened at the
passing of Eric Oldfield last month.
Eric was born in Marree, 12th October 1933 - the fourth child to
Claude and Dora. When he was six, he moved with his family to Mona
Downs and stayed at Cowarie until the end of 1960.
From there he moved to Mungerannie and married Val.
They had three children, Susan, Kenny and Martin - all of
whom he was very proud. He married Beverley in 1976 and together
they moved to Meadows. They lived there for two years, but Eric
could not forget his love of the Birdsville Track, and so in 1979
they purchased Marree Station.
In 1992 they bought the Marree roadhouse and later, The Drovers'
Rest Caravan Park. In 2008 they reluctantly sold
these businesses and moved to Hamilton Vic.
Eric was boss drover of the last mob that went down the
Track to the railhead at Marree before the big road trains took
over. He was also boss drover on the 2005 Great Australian Outback
Cattle Drive.
The Marree Community remember Eric with great respect and
fondness.
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Australian
National 4WD Radio Network
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4WD
Adventure Show - McCallum Park WA
I have just returned home from Perth where I was part of the
VKS-737 team at the 4WD and Adventure Show from
November 12th to 14th at McCallum Park.
VKS-737 is part of the Australian National 4WD
Radio Network, providing emergency and general radio communications
assistance services to travellers in rural and remote areas of
Australia.
I have been a "Base Operator" since March this year, with the
majority of broadcasts or "skeds" being on Charters Towers
base.
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| The VKS-737
display |
The 4WD Show was a great success, and provided opportunity to speak
to many visitors about the benefits of the VKS-737
Organisation.
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Strzelecki
Track
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Track
Upgrade
The Strzelecki Track is a 472km-unsealed road providing access to
the north-eastern portion of South Australia for mining exploration
and development, geothermal industries, pastoralists, tourism and
the community. No services are provided along the Track, making it
the longest distance between towns and services in South
Australia.
The combination of slower moving heavy vehicles (road trains) and
tourist vehicles often with drivers not experienced with long
distance travel on unsealed roads, with the variable local
conditions associated with the road surface, dust, bulldust holes,
loose gravel, floodways, vast travel distances and extreme weather
conditions raises the risks for all road users associated with
overtaking manoeuvres, general road safety,
accessibility and fatigue management.
The upgrade project will improve the Track by:
- Constructing six sealed overtaking opportunities which will be
7km long and 8m wide to allow vehicles the opportunity to overtake
slower moving vehicles without the hazards of reduced visibility
associated with dust and loose road surfaces.
- Constructing three light vehicle rest areas.
- Constructing three truck rest areas.
- Re-sheeting a total of 54km of the Track, where sheeting
material has worn away and the surface is in poor condition
- Stabilising 30 minor floodways
- Constructing three new major floodways at Frome Creek,
McDonnell Creek and Mt Curtis Creek.
The sealing of the
final two sections (between Monte Collina and Merty) is scheduled
for completion this month.
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| Personalised.
4WD trips |
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These trips are in a
Toyota Landcruiser vehicle with a maximum of 4 passengers:
2011
Flinders Ranges &
Arkaroola
(5 days) -
$1950pp
Monday September 5
Sunday September 18
Rawnsley Park, Wilpena Pound, Bunyeroo Valley, Brachina
Gorge,
Blinman, Arkaroola, Ridgetop Tour, Nooldoonooldoona
Waterhole,
Gammon Ranges, Moralana Scenic
Drive.
Flinders Ranges &
Skytrek
(4 days) -
$1400pp
Saturday August 27
Rawnsley Park, Wilpena Pound, Willow Springs
Station,
Skytrek, Arkapena
Scenic Adventure & Chace Range Spectacular,Arkapena 4WD Moralana Scenic
Drive.
Coongie L akes and The Cooper
Creek
(7 days) $2450pp
Tuesday
May 10
Sunday May 22
Sunday June
5
Old Strzelecki Track, Innamincka, Coongie Lakes,
Camp LXV, Cameron Corner, Sturt NP, Tibooburra, Broken Hill, Loch
Lilly & Quandong Stations, Burra.
 Birdsville & Innamincka
(9 days) - $3250pp
Saturday July 9
Friday August 5
Clare Valley, Leigh Creek, Marree, Mungerannie,
Birdsville,
Innamincka, Cameron Corner, Sturt National Park, Tibooburra,
Broken Hill, Old Pastoral route to Burra, Adelaide.
Back
O'Bourke
(9 days) - $3250pp
Wednesday February
16
Broken Hill, Mutawintji NP, White Cliffs, Wilcannia,Tilpa, Louth, Bourke,(accommodation Bourke Riverside
Motel), Lightning
Ridge,Gilgandra, Cobar, Balranald, Murrayville,
Pinnaroo.
Wilson's Promontory
(9 days) -
$3225pp
Tuesday March 1
Grampians NP,
Halls Gap, Penhurst, Mortlake, Colac,
Queenscliff Ferry, Sorrento, Meeniyan,
Tidal River, Waratah Bay, Walkerville, Agnes Falls,
Strzelecki Ranges, Tarra Bulga NP, Grand Ridge Road, Skenes Creek,
The Great Ocean Road, Mt Gambier, The Coorong.
Kangaroo Island
(4 days)
$1620pp
Tuesday March 15
Tuesday March 22
(Includes Sealink
ferry)
Penneshaw, Antechamber
Bay, Cape Willoughby, American River,
Kingscote, Flinders Chase National Park, Cape Borda, Admirals Arch,
Cape De Coudic, Seal Bay, Emu Bay, Stokes Bay, Snelling Beach,
Western River Cove.
Dares
Hill Circuit
(2 days) $650pp
Friday April 29
Gilbert
Valley,Terowie, Peterborough,
Franklyn, Ketchowla, Dares Hill, Mt Bryan, Clare Valley.
Tumby Bay and The Eyre Peninsula
(5 days) $1525pp
Saturday October 15
Port Germein, Arno Bay,
Port Neill,Trinity Haven Scenic Drive, Poonindie , Port Lincoln,
Sleaford Bay, Tod Reservoir, Cummins,
Mt Hope, Point Drummond, Greenly Beach, Dutton Bay, Coffin Bay,
Koppio Museum. Enjoy a Clydesdale Horse and trolley ride!
Return is via Horrock's Pass to Flinders Ranges,
Orroroo and Burra.
Limestone Coast & The Coonawarra
(5 days) $1500pp
Monday February 7
Tintinara, Mundulla,
Naracoorte Caves, Penola, Mary McKillop Centre, Kalangadoo,
Tantanoola, Pt McDonnell, Cape Nothumberland, Mt Burr, Millicent,
Robe, The Coorong.
During this trip there is oppoertunity to visit a number of
wineries, including Rymill Coonawarra, Di Giorgio, and Mt
Benson.
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of Page |
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Thanks
for your continued interest in Desert Sky Tours
Sincerely,
Howard Humby
Desert Sky Tours
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