British Atomic Tests in Australia On May 16, 1956, the first of a series of two atomic tests, Operation Mosaic, detonated in Australian Territory at the Monte Bello Islands. The British Government and the Royal Air Force exploded two devices code-named Mosaic G1 and Mosaic G2 in the Monte Bello Islands, off the coast near […]
Australian General Knowledge Quiz
Westprint Outback Maps General Knowledge Quiz. How’s your Australian general knowledge? Something different in the blog this week – an Australian fun quiz. I’ve done a bit of research about what people want to see in the blog. The top answers were , trips and hints, tracks, history and trivia quizzes. Try your hand at […]
Witchelina Nature Reserve, South Australia
Places to Visit – Witchelina. Witchelina Nature Reserve, purchased in 2010 by Nature Foundation SA (NFSA) a not-for-profit environmental organisation, is working to Save, Protect, Restore and sustainably manage South Australia’s natural heritage. (They also own Hiltaba Station in the Gawler Ranges). The Westprint Oodnadatta Map will help you get there. Witchelina’s Traditional owners Witchelina […]
Anzac Day – local stories.
Do you know your family’s war stories? Or the local stories from your community? Too often we are losing our war veterans without recording their stories. To commemorate Anzac Day, this week in the blog I’m sharing a couple of local stories from WWII. One of Nhill’s local heroes Max Davey (1925-2019) flew Kittyhawks in […]
Bill Binns and the Binns Track
Bill Binns – the man and the Track. Bill Binns has spent most of his life in the Australian bush. His 32-year career with the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service from the 1960s to 1990s shows his passion for wildlife and conservation. The 2,200 kilometre track from Mt Dare to Timber Creek is the […]
What happened to Ludwig Leichhardt?
Ludwig Leichhardt was last seen on April 3, 1848. Ludwig Leichhardt, the enigmatic Prussian scientist vanished along with seven men, 20 mules, 50 bullocks, seven horses and masses of gear. Despite extensive searches and the efforts of some of the best indigenous trackers in the world, the entire expedition team vanished without trace. The Overland […]
Kimberley Dinosaurs
Australia’s Kimberley Dinosaurs have the world’s largest known footprints. News of the world’s largest dinosaur footprints, located in the Kimberley became public on this day -March 28, 2017. The gigantic sauropod footprints measuring up to 1.7 metres top the previous record of 1.06 metres found in Mongolia. Planning a trip to the Kimberley? We can […]
Australian Drovers – Pioneers of the best Stock Routes
Australian Drover – Definition: A drover is an experienced stockman who walks livestock, usually cattle or sheep but sometimes horses over long distances. Many 4WD tracks were originally stock routes. The four wheel drive tracks so many of us enjoy were first pioneered by drovers on horseback. The most well-known Australian stock routes include the […]
Disaster for the Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party
Q. What could be worse than travelling 800 kilometres at an average speed of 3 kilometres per hour? A. Having to stop every two hours to grease all the rollers on the bulldozer tow vehicle. Q. What could be even worse on the trip above? A. Losing the ration truck and everything on board. What […]
Bushrangers and criminals and the Gold Escort Route
A safe haven for bushrangers The unmarked border area between the colonies of NSW and South Australia and later Victoria was a lawless area and safe haven for bushrangers and criminals. A Gold Escort passing through the disputed country made the area even more appealing. The border looked good on paper The South Australian border […]