Post by rodericksmith on Feb 28, 2023 11:41:40 GMT 10
AFAIK the whole Eyre Hwy was dirt then, with notorious patches of bulldust. Substantial improvements were made in preparation for the 1962 Commonwealth Games, in Perth. A major section was relocated, and a lot was surfaced.
Roderick Smith
CARAVAN TOUR. Bunbury (WA) 'South Western Times' Thurs. 17 June 1954
Although Mr and Mrs Cliff Webster travelled 15,000 miles [24 000 km] in their caravan tour which began last July and ended a fortnight ago, they did not ever forget that they came from Bunbury.
Nor were the many towns they visited on their trip left in any doubt, for "Bunbury, Western Australia," was liberally painted over the multi-coloured utility in which they travelled.
...One of the most indelible impressions Mr Webster gained on his trip was the fact that Bunbury, with its great natural gifts as a tourist resort, has a lot to learn when it comes to facilities for visiting caravan tourists.
He told of the caravan park at Strathalbyn in South Australia, where visitors were provided with free parking facilities, and such compliments as honorary membership of sporting bodies were made to them.
He said that at several of the caravan parks he visited in the eastern states the weekly rental was 30/- [~$60 today].
For this visitors were provided with parking space, could plug into electric light, and were provided with hot and cold water, proper communal laundries, and proper cooking facilities.
At one camp the service even extended to washing machines.
The only additional cost was for electric light, averaging about 10/- [~$20] a week.
The crossing of the Nullarbor on the outward trip was accomplished without incident, with a nine week stopover at Ceduna, where Mr Webster obtained a deal of work, mainly car painting. This was satisfactorily done with the mobile spraying unit he carried on the back of the utility.
The couple toured extensively through South Australia and Victoria, stopping at out of the way towns for a few days, taking in the sights.
...The pair had intended to carry on as far as Queensland in their trip, taking up to another 12 months for their sightseeing. However, a family bereavement necessitated their cutting their tour short.
The return trip across the Nullarbor was the opposite of the earlier one. At one stage the couple had five tyres blow out within 50 miles [80 km].
Mr and Mrs Webster have had itchy feet even in the fortnight they have been home, and it might not be long before they are off again to see the rest of their homeland through NSW and Queensland, to Darwin, and back home down our own coast.
<https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/253294370>
Roderick Smith
CARAVAN TOUR. Bunbury (WA) 'South Western Times' Thurs. 17 June 1954
Although Mr and Mrs Cliff Webster travelled 15,000 miles [24 000 km] in their caravan tour which began last July and ended a fortnight ago, they did not ever forget that they came from Bunbury.
Nor were the many towns they visited on their trip left in any doubt, for "Bunbury, Western Australia," was liberally painted over the multi-coloured utility in which they travelled.
...One of the most indelible impressions Mr Webster gained on his trip was the fact that Bunbury, with its great natural gifts as a tourist resort, has a lot to learn when it comes to facilities for visiting caravan tourists.
He told of the caravan park at Strathalbyn in South Australia, where visitors were provided with free parking facilities, and such compliments as honorary membership of sporting bodies were made to them.
He said that at several of the caravan parks he visited in the eastern states the weekly rental was 30/- [~$60 today].
For this visitors were provided with parking space, could plug into electric light, and were provided with hot and cold water, proper communal laundries, and proper cooking facilities.
At one camp the service even extended to washing machines.
The only additional cost was for electric light, averaging about 10/- [~$20] a week.
The crossing of the Nullarbor on the outward trip was accomplished without incident, with a nine week stopover at Ceduna, where Mr Webster obtained a deal of work, mainly car painting. This was satisfactorily done with the mobile spraying unit he carried on the back of the utility.
The couple toured extensively through South Australia and Victoria, stopping at out of the way towns for a few days, taking in the sights.
...The pair had intended to carry on as far as Queensland in their trip, taking up to another 12 months for their sightseeing. However, a family bereavement necessitated their cutting their tour short.
The return trip across the Nullarbor was the opposite of the earlier one. At one stage the couple had five tyres blow out within 50 miles [80 km].
Mr and Mrs Webster have had itchy feet even in the fortnight they have been home, and it might not be long before they are off again to see the rest of their homeland through NSW and Queensland, to Darwin, and back home down our own coast.
<https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/253294370>