> 23rd June 1964
Take off, Aero Commander, Perth Airport, Course to Carnarvon, Gascoyne Jr. closed, Ht 4000, cloud at slightly less than 4,000, Raining below line of reefs along coast with white breakers. On ground at Geraldton, rang. Take off for Carnarvon, cloud. Murchison R., over Hamelin Pool, photograph of deep channel & peninsula - Exposure-metre. Carnarvon, 3K, 1B taken way in. 2B of Gascoyne Trades Trucks for Jim.
> 24th June 1964
Take off Carnarvon, low cloud and rain (light), all roads are closed north of town. Boolathana, photo of clay pans & salt lake on Quobba country flooded, ASI 140. All country here, i.e. E of large salt lake, seemed to be spinifex in flats with ironstone sand on gravel rises with sparse mulga. Claypans here seem to be oriented approx N/S a high there is no sign of the Boologooro redhills(?), must be earlier. Minilya HS large river gums along river, spinifex in between, claypans with low rise covered with sparse (?mulga) sand. Breakaways of a low range directed by eastward flagstones. Breakaways face west and streams from there to the Western lake are very short, from there backs browner they are clay streams flowing east into the claypan system to the west of the highway. Learmonth road .... length stream flowing into the northern end of the lakes system (Cardadia Creek). The breakaways must be the edge of the Cretaceous. Now in red Cainozoic (?) sands of Cape. E.W. road crosses river and scrubby range to our east. Flat bedded sediments exposed on western sides of range. River flowing through K. sediments, good exposures in bands, river flows from n-s +1 fence, +1 fence +1 fence +fence. Bullara Homestead (I must tell Glen. Excellent rubbish dump!) Sandhills trending SSW.
Rough Range. Breakaways along S.C. side of range (i.e. edge of a plateau), deep creeks with trees in gorges. Coming down to Learmonth Strip, leaving Learmonth Strip. Turned off road south of airstrip, truck just past creek crossing (concrete) marker in sandhill at post in east of area C, post 513.
92.4 Fence line, very slightly w of north
92.9 Corner fence lines approx nw
95.3 big circle
394.0 Corner near ....(?)
393.3 through fence at mill & back along Fu.... track
394.5 back at corner & turn straight on along the direction of the short fence to the mill 220*. Line of pegs at small barbed wire enclave, sign reads Corrosion testing, metal samples buried "Location F".
395.3 Red peg BB..R1 White pegs 1107 &1089, line of pegs due south & N.
95.5 last pegs for final clo.. - well defined track
96.2 Wide creek no pegs turned back.
96.5 Xroads just beyond our original turnoff. bery trig pt. 39*.
Pegs (300/8500 : 9400 :9300 342 in ascending value.
900 9100 Back at testing clearing - peg 11107 Al. disc in peg T5 - 1.
Lasts & surveys connect just. E/5.
400.0 Try P... ridge beams. Back at 225* Drive back along ridge to main track ie firebreak to main road. fr is cross road 400.9 between .... 7 concrete creek crossing (R... 401.01), 8404.2 Run through
408.2 Back at airstrip.
Decided to spend night at Learmonth to collect fossil, Lt. Col. Keith Murdoch MBE, Civil Commission, Exmouth, (A.J.) Lee Brunning, Jack Neal. Spent the whole afternoon with Lee Brunning looking for the line of pegs but no luck at all. Found the West Base Trig and tried to pick up the line of pegs but no luck. They should be metal fenceposts with aluminium discs attached to them (Commonwealth surveyor back at Learmonth informed me afterwards). They run in extremely rough limestone foothill country.
Cave paintings at Talgarno. C'wealth Surveyor Arthur Dawson, approx S-SE of Talgarno Tn.site, approx 35 miles : Circles, reptile, Included Hill- overhang with cave shelter. Dawson has accurate fix of spot in his survey notes. Write to Chief ...... Officer, Dept of Interior, 11-15 William St., Perth
> 25th June
Take off DC3 Learmonth. [K1]Coast south of Onslow flooded mud flats, creeks & mangroves. 13.15[2B] Onslow.
14.15 Back at Barrow [K - all the rest] of island. Found Dampier Archipelago coming up. ETA Hedland is 15.40. Have sent message to XW via DCA to inform them. We may catch them on the ground & save a night in Hedland [K8] of Dampier Archipelago and Kanasclen country and also[3B] of Northern Springs only. Remarkable silhouette.
15.10 Discovered that an ETA now 15.50 will just miss the party in Hedland by 10 mins. Pilot decided to put me down to try.
Arrived Hedland, Aerocommander still on strip at Xstrips, pilot pulled up & I jumped out & scrambled into A/C & off !! Now to get into Broome before dark !
Broome : people to contact : John Tapper & brother Edgar (medico), Peter Hinchley engineer,, Dr Des Kelly. Small footprinters(?) K.B. Spry, Broome, job prospects, letter to me in Perth making enquiries.
[K1] coastal .... at Talgarno. Very clear in lowering sun, old coastline also shows up very well.
Get address of Australian Natural History for John Tapper. Dr Bill Smith physician at Chest Hospital.
John Tapper described a possum with short ears, large eyes, scaley bare tail like a file which he caught in the cylinder box at Entrance point - clearly Wyulda [squamicaudata]. He let it go in his garden.
> 26th June
Photos of luggers (?) ; Dampier West etc. Went with John Tapper and Peter Hinchley to the new jetty & to Entrance Point. Saw the usual(?) scappy plst fossils at new jetty, then on to Entrance Point and took photo of general view . Bloodwoods, Banksia, Corktrees.
Taxi out to the take off for survey of Dampier (?) land. B7W with green filter x 2, colour at 25AsA. [K1] [B1], photos of Pindan 500ft just before Barred creek(?), Quondong Downs (?), Point Coulomb,
[2K] [2B]Cape Bertholet turned 90* along 236802 north, sandy, AS130K, 1443. Changed B&W in camera, tried 90*note 14.50. Camera now at B in 4, K in 23. Last photo before turning E some drifts of same etc at coast at Cape Bertholet. Pilot estimates about 15 mls.
The study of the ..... seems to be very dense for Pindan - there are flowering acacias, ? cadeppents & pandanus in the creeks - well integrated with creeks.
Coming up to Beagle Bay 1457 [1K] [1BW] of much more typical Pindan.[1K][1B] of mangroves at Beagle Bay looking E. close into Bay.
Pindan in flower[2K][1B] cutting across to Pender Bay. Pender Bay turned East up Kelk Creek 150 about halfway along creek[1K] +[1B] (mudflats & kadgetty) up here there seems much less like pindan. Roos [K1] Donkeys (Bill) been at500 ft all the way so far.1512 Turned new course for Derby for about centre of peninsula 158* [1K] pindan with white .......[K1] Creek at Disaster Bay [B1] Big boas in midst of pindan 1520 Valentine Island coming up [B2] of Derby.
Derby
Documents (a) Postmaster : explain ..... decision (b) Alan Ridge (c) McGregor fossils for Kainzoic library freelists 21c for John Tozer (d) Glen Cairns Native Welfare (e) Jim Coleman. Basil McQuade, note Cencil Lands (?).
> 27th June
Take off from Derby. Before takeoff [2K] [2B] of the Prison Tree and of the Royal Flying Doctor Service tablet.
Meda Homestead , Mt Hart strip (Clearskin(?) directly overhead, very rough & broken country. Headwaters of Barker River. There is an old strip there, looks very interesting country, rough as blazes. Synnot Range, very big tableland country, huge breakaways down into narrow valleys with good waters.[K1] just short of Gibb River, photo towards SSE [K1] Gibb R. sandy bed, altitude 7000. Gally forest in headwaters of Durack R. [K1], Durack R. further downstream [K1]. END OF FILM.
Breakaways to the SE of the Gut(?) [K1]
[2K] View of Wyndham [1B], Wyndham town [1B] Meatworks. [K1] Rayes(?) with Ord River between [B1] Kununurra.
> 28 June 1964
Parry's lagoon on the ground. Echidna collected in Saw Ranges nr Wyndham, Mark Nevill, 1963 / 4 Christmas.
Took Halls Creek Rd to Kununurra [K2] in hills near Parry's Creek : Eucalypts on hills, boabs, colewoods(?), cassias & other deciduous trees in valleys [K1] between hills. Here less eucalypts and more deciduous [K1] from range of hills near creek to across the plain to Kununurra, white tipped post in picture, white top about 10 in.[3K] Dunham River Bridge +[1K] Bandicoot Br, Ord R.
> 29 June 1964
0520 Climbed Kelly's Knob in order to check reported fossil in the Precambrian quartzite on the top. Not a fossil.
0800 left Kununurra. 0838 bus(?) take off Wyndham, course 185*, 120 knots
0857 [K1] [B1] Gorge ? King R. Looley West along Cockburn Ra. 0905 140 knots, course 180*, 8000 ft. Turkey Creek looking west [K1] [B1]end of film. Violet Valley Country [all Kodachromes to date are probably out of focus] This is very dry country, looks like sandstone savannah, so much for the myth that the Wyalda country is high rainfall country. Now b&w.
[B1] Taken looking west, sandstone savannah country typical of Violet Valley crossed main road immediately afterwards. Country here dissected by creeks with lines of trees. Very broken country wide NS Ranges across the river. All these streams seem to be headwaters of the Ord. There is a peculiar small portal of sediments in a formation 10* from Halls Creek, 10-20 m. appears to lie among Precambrian. Trends NS on opposite side of river to the main ranges. Good exposures[Check this] Well west of main road, circles Halls Creek[K1] [B1]of town & looking west [2K] at low level looking oast. 0953 Air strip.
Examined skeleton at police stn., Aboriginal (?male) caves in anthill burial. Moola Bulla Skeleton, Const. Dwyer (says burial ground nr. Mt. Burnet(?). Appleby says that there is another stn. Flora Valley.
Prospecting Company. Pickards Mather & co. Industrial. George Hanna Camp manager, Donald Perkin, geologist, Sydney. C. of PM Halls Creek, Don Ealey, Project Chief. Donald Perkin is a good one with a fine collection of pickup artifacts. They collect insects for New England.
Take off for Fitzroy Crossing by road route. Country seems to be mostly flat alluvial works with the remains of an old plateau along ... ... torn bits of breakaways looks rather like Nullagine country.
Koongie Park[Aboriginal Community] claypan country, Lamboo, May River [K1] [B1] flat burnt out country with rivers & long ranges in distance. Margaret R.[K1][B4] junction of May & Margaret [K1][B1] Louisa(?) Downs on Margaret R.[K1B1], Red Bluff & Mt Frank. Spinifex plain, gently undulating with N.s..fit... wood and small eucalypts.
1350 Red Bluff[K1B1] halfway between Red Bluff & Wolaria(?) Downs> [B3K] in gorge. Hancligan(?) Cliffs. Christmas Creek[1K]taken Cooley N. way from the station. Chestnut Bore, all of the country, green spinifex pindan(?) with small trees scattered about. Nipper Creek a gaggle of eucalypts across the plain, gigantic anthills & N..... everywhere.1420 [K2] Emanuel Ra.
> 30th June 64
John Greymark, Senior Constable, Norm Newland, Const [Inspector Gallagher Browne], Joy & Jack Sandford, Mrs Newland is a Mungton (?) girl, Bath St., Dulcie (Peg) Edgington (Cec Edgington, Hardware).
(saiwon) Wangillee (jillie) =cycles "golliwog" police native. Met Jim Clarks and Directu Liverings, Ted McLarty, Luluigui, Mac, McNamara. Jubilee Duncan Boston, Noonkan. They say that Karrabul are quite common on Luluigui and Liveringa country. Rabbits have been seen towards the end of the dry season on Jubilee by McLarty, Waciots (?) appear to be quite plentiful along the river country. Saw Jeff Rose on Quanbun and went up to Aligator Dam (now Jubilee Dam) also went to the dam futen made. There is a curious white conglomerate at Aligator Dam but not in the more northern of the dams, suspect that this is the material from which fossils obtained. Collected specimens, no bore (?) : 12804 - 12805 Geological catalogue. (Added) From examining these fossils on the occasion of their accession to the collection on 22/9/66, it appears probable that the site is the same as that visited by Douglas & Kendrick on 1/7/66 this is 12 miles by road from Fitzroy Crossing Post Office & I have endorsed the labels etc accordingly numbers are 66.884 to 66.898 GWK.
> 1 July
Drove out to exposures of Fairfield beds beyond airfield on road to Derby, collected front fossils. Take off [K2] of .... inn [K1] near trig hill [B1] at about 1000ft, climbing to make light near Alexander Island, 3000 ft triodia. The [K1]B1], long ridges of ? Fairfield beds exposed, on bearing strike 230* may be old sandhills. Jubilee Homestead [K1] on bend of river, taken looking over towards Jubilee Dam on Quanbun Downs (Aligator Tank). Ht 7000 Very broken range country over on the left i.e. south of the river i.e. Permian grant Fn of St. George's Range [K1].
Quite a lot of bare fidhill country red sand, remainder particularly to the west is sand and triodia. The bare sand is fine pattern [K1][B1], 8,200.The Bowns probably listing too far open.
Breakaways [K1][B1] capped with a hard crust of greenish more friable material beneath matches Springs.
Abeam of Mowla bluff, Edgar Ranges a very broken piece of country clear of the sandhills. Headwaters of Geegully creek[K1] [B1] Woyley slightly W. of Nack, 8000 [K1][B1]looking 150* Wapet track, vegetation the same as further east, long sandhills evenly spaced, very few chains. Study about +EW. Passing to the west of the most easterly of the salt lake chain of the extinct Tilgano river. Chain dunes seem to be very stable, vegetation in the links, almosts if the dune system is beginning to break down - in fact the chains are commonest towards the ends of the dunes. Crossing the salt lake system(most northern chain)have some of the chain dunes are beginning to blow out. There is water in the lakes and also in interclinal depressions. Change course to 230*, Ht 8000. Sandhills finish. Main channel of Talga R., sandhills start again.[K1]. Dunes now cleared to coast with fine change to sandhills clear. Sandhills finish. Open triodia plain with small isolated lumps of breakaway. Very much fire damage, whole square miles denuded. We have been flying along the outer edge of the sandhills. Low features with streams and vegetation in valleys, sandhills start again but we are only crossing the western end about a mile inland. Junction of Nullagine R., De Grey and Oakover River head. Passing east of small range of broken hills at headwaters of Calleon Creek [K1][B1] along DeGrey crossing Bamboo creek, photo in angle of range at about 250*.
Marble Bar town, Mines Office, 2000ft coming into land, looking SSW approx. Marble Bar Mr. B.H. Stubbs was the person responsible for the rabbit bandicoot. Have told him that Douglas and Butler will call.
Take off for Nullagine, course 150*. Crossed the Marble Bar hills and now on a flat spinifex plain to the west of very broken country. hills on NW of Nullagine, mostly rough country with spinifex and a few trees.[K1] tributaries of Nullagine River flowing eastwards on edge of hills less than 10 m. from Nullagine.[K1][K1][B1] Nullagine township. W illiam M. McKinnon is reputed to be mining diamonds in the conglomerate. 74 Duckland St N. Perth.
> 2nd July 1964
Nullagine takeoff course 195*. East of Bonney Downs Homestead [K1] Roy Hill beds, breakaways n. of Roy Hill to the immediate W. of the road. Good exposures 8000Ft@140K. The Fortescue here flows west along a flat plain jumped up from the breakaway to the north. Looks very much like Mulga Downs country. Roy Hill directly underneath, photo taken west [K1][K1] Mt Newman and the Ophthalmia Range looking west. Eastwards flowing Fortescue round the top of the Ophthalmia Range. Spinifex and ironstone sand country with little relief.
Booloo Downs Homestead. Headwaters of the Ashburton R. Some flat slightly rolling spinifex country with trees along creeks. [K1][B1]8000 looking west. Collier Range[K2] looking west. Abeam of 3Rivers
Homestead. Flat ironstone sand country , spinifex some mulga. At Gascoyne R flowing westwards[K1][B1] looking west. Crossing highway south of Doolgunna Homestead & just south of Robertson Range. Course changed to 210* more or less// add to east of road.
Sherwood and Yoothapina coming in to land at Meekatharra. Mulga to the north is v. patchy and seems to be very dry in the area drained by the many tributaries of the Murchison itself seems to be more dense to the west, east & south [K1][B1] Mulga is dense to the west, east & south but this may only be on deck.(Meekatharra). Take off for Leonora course 135*[K1][B1] looking south 3000ft. Passed Hillview, 7,500 (Real 6,200) Course 135* ASI. 140. Among Montague Range a very nondescript set of low breakaways down to a lower level. There is a curious little patch of (long N.S. dunes) on top of dunes?. Lake Mason : very poor exposures. A few small breakaways a mile or so from the northern bank. Lake itself has very gently sloping margin. Airstrip abeam, coming up for Leinster Downs, red soil with scattered mulga.
Lawlers. Coming up for Wildara above the main road to Leonora, largish creeks with eucalypts, remainder still seems to be gently undulating red soil with not very dense mulga and some sort of greyish low cover. Sturt Meadows Homestead [K1][B1] 4000 ft. Clover Downs & Lake Raeside in background, poor exposures, white river gums along creeks, grey foliage of shrubs? away from river must be mulga the shadows come right down to the ground[K1].
[K1][B1] of Gwalia & Leonora : Sons of Gwalia mine. Landing. Took [K&B] of mine, end of films.
Sons of Gwalia, Mr. R.A.Barden, general manager of Mine, Has first 10 folders of correspondence 1898-1904, including correspondence of Herbert Hoover 1st Agreement & between prospectus & S. of G. Mr Barden will leave here within six months.
> 3rd July 1964
Took[K] of mulga at aerodrome [B4] [new film], of mulga, grass, sticks and solanaceous plant. Up above Leonora, course 175* straight to Kalgoorlie. Dense mulga cover, Alt.6,000 looking west ; patches of ?eucalypt beginning to come in particularly along the shallow stream washes [K1][B1] looking west. Salt lakes crossed ? skyline a few poor exposures at Radd-Western? and otherwise mostly gently shelving banks even creeks flowing in have very poor banks.
Mulga / eucalypt mixture looking west [K1][B1] suggest grey mulga - darker eucalypt. More lakes, still mixed mulga eucalypt. Descent begins.
[K1][B1] 2500 alt., [K1] of spoil heaps at mine on deck, Alt. 0900ft.
In air on way to Perth[K1][B1] two kinds of eucalypt, 1 green, 1 grey, green with shiny leaves & brown stems, grey with whitish stems....
