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The Quin

Journal by janilye

Talking about Quinn's brought back a memory of a funny story. I was at a roadhouse in the Northern Territory called Threeways,just north of Tennant Creek, back in 1988 and in the bar(where else?) This bar is 24 hours and attracts tourists, truckies,miners,ringers desperados and the locals. The walls of the bar are covered in all sorts of things including car number plates notes to and from people passing through etc. and one wall has money stuck on it from all parts of the world.

In walk two aboriginal boys from a community the other side of Phillip Creek . They barely speak english and are catching the bus to see the doctor 560ks south in Alice Springs.
They see the money on the wall and pay particular attention to the Irish pound note.
They point to the picture of the queen on the colourful note and ask me, "Who That?"
I said, "That's the Queen.
"Quin?"
"Yes" I repeated
"Who Quin?"
I said, "She's the boss"
"Where quin live" they ask.
"Oh, she lives a long way away. In England"
"We can go see Quin?"
" NO no no it's too far."
"How long way?" they asked again.
"A very, very long way, on the other side of the world." I explain.
after confering together for a minute, they both said,
"Ahhhhhhh Near Kalgoorlie"
"Yes" said I. " Near Kalgoorlie."

For those of you who don't know. Kalgoorlie is in Western Australia and a short cut is down the Gun Barrell highway from Alice Springs

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by janilye Profile | Research | Contact | Subscribe | Block this user
on 2011-04-23 18:53:31

janilye - 7th generation, Convict stock. Born in New South Wales now living in Victoria, carrying, with pride 'The Birthstain'.

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Comments

by 1bobbylee on 2011-04-23 21:58:37

Jan, I can barely see you. Which one is you?

by 1bobbylee on 2011-04-23 22:15:33

I can see an arm covering a face. Is that you? This is a delightful journal. I smiled all the way through. I believe you are the one beside the person with her arm up. I'm pretty sure. Your profile picture tells me so. Right?

by janilye on 2011-04-23 22:16:01

hahaha very funny! It's a very old photo.

by wendie on 2011-04-23 23:30:32

In PNG the Queen was always referred to as Mrs Quinn by the locals. Wendie

by ngairedith on 2011-04-23 23:47:20

thanks Jan, the Gunbarel Highway sounds like the way to go and I will let our readers know a little about this 'shortcut' down Gunbarrel Highway in case they should be planning to go that way.

An excellent way to see the 'real' Australia

- it was so named because it looks like a gun barrel in some places
- going this way should only take you about 5 days

The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, and it consists of 1400km of washaways, heavy corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains.
The Gunbarrel Highway connects Victory Downs, just north of the Northern Territory/South Australia border to Carnegie Station in Western Australia (this is the direction the road was constructed).

The route passes directly into Aboriginal Reserves and it is a legal requirement for travellers to hold a valid Transit Permit at the time of travel.
Three permits are required and they are available from the Department of Indigenous Affairs. The permits are free. Some of the eastern section of the road is now named the Tjukaruru Road for the Aboriginal people that live in this area.

The track varies from stony to sandy with corrugations, ruts, washaways and sometimes mud. Its isolation require its residents be totally self-sufficient with water, food and fuel

Lets try 3 minutes of that
Gunbarrel Highway trip in a 4 wheel drive

(should this convince you to do the trip there are other short videos there to watch)


The part of the highway approximately between Warburton and Warakurna (near Giles) has now been abandoned because of the construction of a more direct route that now forms part of the Great Central Road.
This new direct route of the Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian outback highway that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory (near Uluru/Ayers Rock).

Let's try 3 minutes of that
Great Central Road trip in a Road Train


Though still recommended only for four wheel drive vehicles, the road is now graded to a standard suitable for two wheel drive vehicles and caravans.
It is on the most direct route from Perth to Uluru (Ayers Rock)


OR, if you would rather take the 'long route' about 3,000km from Alice Springs to Kalgoorlie, then go from Alice to Adelaide then across the Eyre Hughway

I know you would love to see what that trip

Lets try 3 (speeded up) minutes of the
Nullabor Plains trip


The railway line holds the record for the longest straight section of railway in the world (478 km), while the road contains the longest straight piece of tarred road surface in Australia (146.6 km).
It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, occupying an area of about 200,000 square kilometres (77,000 sq mi).
At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) from east to west between South Australia and Western Australia

That Alice to Kal trip should only take you about 2 days, all going well, (which it rarely does) and they're right, you feel like you have indeed gone to the other side of the world
(and I know, I have personally done this trip twice)

by janilye on 2011-04-24 00:00:48

I've travelled that highway many times ng. all bull dust. I'll tell you another good one from Alice Springs The Tanami track I think they call it a road now goes all the way to Yuendamu I spent a couple of lost days at the Rabit Flat roadhouse. Hell (mispent youth)

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