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Author: Western Australian Herbarium; Western Australia. Dept. of Agriculture
Call no: P581.9941
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Author: Western Australian Herbarium; Western Australia. Dept. of Agriculture; Western Australia. Dept. of Conservation and Land Management
Call no: P581.9941
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Author: Beard, J. S. (John Stanley), 1916-2011
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Author: Ride, W. D. L. (William David Lindsay), 1926-2011; Douglas, Athol M., 1915-2006; Savage, R. J. G.; Cleverly, William Harold, 1917-1997
Call no: FN203
Year: 18 - 31 July 1967
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> 18 July (Tuesday)1967
Left Perth with Landrover WAG ok trailer, all tanks full before leaving. A hell of a business getting off - Interstate Directors Conference the week before and a board meeting on Friday. Got "Guide to hands"[?] fitted the night before and last connects to m.s. at 0600 hrs ! Then spent the morning dictating last minute letters for Lyn. Will see how she copes while I am away. Have references to write & send back to her for Kalgoorlie.
Left Perth with Landrover WAG ok trailer, all tanks full before leaving. A hell of a business getting off - Interstate Directors Conference the week before and a board meeting on Friday. Got "Guide to hands"[?] fitted the night before and last connects to m.s. at 0600 hrs ! Then spent the morning dictating last minute letters for Lyn. Will see how she copes while I am away. Have references to write & send back to her for Kalgoorlie.
Seem to have forgotten very little. Sieves left behind and a groundsheet. I will also have to try to get a truck-driver's licence in Kalgoorlie. Bob Savage in excellent spirits, glad to be off at last after 3 weeks of Plaistowe around Perth while I completed my problems.
Cunderdin : topped up with 4 1/2 gallons.
Southern Cross filled up with 8 /2 gals. Athol had been through before me in the big mobile lab. the station attendant said. Coolgardie. Athol had been there about 1/2 hr., we arrived a few minutes after eight. We ate at the cafe opposite the Mines Office. Turn off down the Coolgardie Norseman Rd., Turned off road to the right to camp for night. A clear frosty night, v. cold indeed. got wireless working and tuned in at 2340 hrs.
> 19 July (Wednesday)
Must (1) See Tim Hodson re flowers & museum (2) See Bill Cleverly re sieves (3) buy groundsheet (4) fix fridge and get meat (5) See Cameron(?) at Western Mining re aircraft for recce.
Very cold night. Athol up at 3, temp 32*, 42* at dawn, up soon after. Bob had
ice in his cilico(?). Got through on Sched to Charlie at 7.30, told him to tell Kevin Ewings at Whisky Whisky Tango that we would be on our way. Drove back to Coolgardie, had breakfast & a wash at the cafe opposite the mine(?) office next to Ben Prior's garage & house. Filled up at Ba's garage. Got to Kalgoorlie at 10.00 and went straight round to Bill Clevely. He took us to see Eric Cameron at Western Mining, an ex student of Bob's of 8 years previously. Eric agreed to fix it for Western Mining to let us charter an aircraft for Warburton Mission half-way through a Western Mining Charter from Kalgoorlie to the Mission or back. This will save us the cost of a delivery charge to Warbo. Bill and I then left the other two to talk over old times and we went back to the School of Mines to deal with problems. We first over the representation of Bill on the Golden Mile Museum Committee as deputy of Sir Thomas Meagher. He agreed & I wrote to Ray George asking him to write to Hobson at the School of Mines to get permission. We then went round to see Tim Hobson, Chairman of the Golden Mile Museum, to fix it verbally with him. This was OK. I also ordered a bunch of flowers & sent a card for M. to be delivered on the 25th[?] wedding anniversary.
Athol took the lab off to get muffler seen to and to get batteries & frig connected up. Went and got torch bulbs (spares) and a good strong waist-belt. Drove up with Bill to see Charlie Prideaux at Flying Doctor Base. He and Alma seemed pleased to see me. I told him what we were doing and we are all "official" now. Went to the Police to get a new driving licence and also to get a learners B licence for the truck - failed the written 20/out of 25. Told by the policeman to go away and practise in the bush - but not on a road. I can come back in a month to try again. Had lunch with Bill Clevely - Bob had lunch with Eric and Athol with Tony Moriarty (Bill's Asst.). After lunch went
to NOESKA and arranged with them for a charter when we ask for it over Radio.
2 possibilities:
Code the WARBURTON SURVEY FLIGHT = Warburton Mission, Sutherland Range, Rason Lake, Baker Lake, Warburton Mission OR
Code name COSMO NEWBERY SURVEY FLIGHT = Cosmo N., Rason Lake, Baker Lake, Sutherland Range, Cosmo N.
When we ask for code Warbo they will check with Western Mining if the company has a two day charter laid on for Wednesday (to Warbo) Thursday (back to Kal) if so, they will ask to do our job on the Thursday and the Western Mining second leg on the Friday. They will then inform us if it is possible. NOESKA (Aviation) phone 116 Kalgoorlie.Went back to Bill's office. Saw Athol & started him off down the road to Leonora at 14.30 hrs. Sat down and wrote references & reports on Barry Wilson's and Duncan Merrylees's research applications to the Research Grants Committee and on John B. for Hodgkin. Sent them all to Lyn to have typed and forwarded. Sent in receipts for wire for sieves and torch bulbs to Rob for recomp as well as the pink halves of local produce orders 201-201 (inc.).
Left Kalgoorlie at approx.15.45 hrs., refill with 1 jerry can, met Athol. Drove into Leonora. Had meal at Pete's Cafe and refilled. Drove on in the dusk towards Laverton, fox crossed road, 1 small euro, no other animals. Stopped 27 miles short of Laverton at where we camped in mulga, a warm night, overcast, wind from the east. Pleasant change from previous night. Full moon behind thin cloud. Made wind break from mulga & map bond.
> 20th July 1967 (Thursday)
Up at 5.45, a dawn with broken cloud cover, still warm, bell birds & butcher birds trying to call. Got tea, Athol up too. Came through to Charlie asked him to check with 8WWT. [?] in tent we would be in early afternoon. Packed up camp after a good breakfast on road at 08.15. Laverton filled up 6 gals. (11/2 gals to replace some given to native party on road). Spinifex starts, emus with 18"chicks, striped.
Cosmo Newberry Clyde Cotteril, Sam Mollenbank who we met at Warbo last year. First dune, Black boys. Met Dick Hawthorn[?] on the road. Had a long and worthwhile talk with him. He says that he has found fossil wood in a hill near Yowalga no. 2 of Hunt Oil [sketch of location] Rawlinna road and good [scenery] entry vicinity of Fetherstonhaugh hill. Photographed Sturt Pea on roadside [C3701-4]. Fill up with fuel Minnie Creek, [Kangaroo Tree] Stopped & had look at 15.00 hrs, drove on at 15.45 ; Yamarna Homestead 17.00, left at dusk to look for breakaway with pebbles, drove down fence line & then along track but unable to find it in dark. Drove back to track and camped. CAMP. Drove back to fenceline. Up fence line to gate on homestead road. Yamarna homestead. Dined with Kevin & Anne, Jim [Ewings] (?) (brother), Johnathan (Wangui), Stephen, Mary and David. Back at fence, turn off. Cast around at back of fuel stut post. Find track, follow along it until turn in 60* at breakaways. Back in track being driven a bearing of approx 2408. Back at fence. Drove back to camp and picked up vehicles and drove on to the Bembergs & made permanent camp. Turned in soon after 11.00 pm, a clear night, bright full moon, slight breeze from the south, nip in air.
> 21 July (Friday)
Did not wake until 0700, a lovely morning (?). Sched at 7.30 hrs. Telegrams.
1.TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH
ARRIVED YAMARNA ANY MAIL CAN BE SENT CARE COSMO NEWBERRY COLLECTION ABOUT ONE WEEK. RIDE.
2. RIDE PHONE 862242 PERTH
ARRIVED YAMARNA GOOD TRIP ANY MAIL CAN BE SENT CARE COSMO NEWBERRY ABOUT ONE WEEK LOVE DRE.
Spent morning clearing out the mobile clad9/0 and setting it up for work. Also had a good wash and clean up, and sorted out kit. Now ready for work.
Athol said that he had hit a bat the other night (11th) just before we saw him 84 miles s. of Leonora. We had looked for it but without luck - when we were cleaning up today we find it caught in the bracing struts of his driving mirror: male Nyctophilus geoffroyi forearm 33.1 mm, ears 20, noseleaf fairly well defined. By the time we found it, it had just started to slip and one came off during our efforts to disentangle it from the driving mirror. We discussed the naming of the specs of this trip and Athol pointed out that since the information would be used by me it would be better to have all the data in my books so we have decided to give all W.R. nos. The bat becomes [WR129/N. geoffroyi male], approx 84 miles south of Leonora on Menzies/Leonora Rd. collected A.M.D. 19th July1967.
Bob Savage back. He had collected a couple of small [gelyra?], together under a stone in a rocky outcrop. Unfortunately, he has come to the conclusion that the breakaway is largely Precambrian - that the lawn beds are decomposed schists and that only the upper beds above the conglomerate (which becomes the local conglomerate of the crossbedded sandstones overlying it) are sediments. Further, he says that they have the look of marine beds. This interpretation probably means that the upper sediments are almost certainly Permian and don't class as Tertiary here at all. We also checked on the connecting like objects which Basil [Bilne?] might be Hakea (from the only specimen he brought back last time). These are certainly connections for the decomposed schists. [Sketch of geological layers]. The local conglomerate chips so that it is easy to gain the impression that it is laterally[?] equivalent to the siltstones. The schists are also so decomposed that in places these look very much like amorphous sandstones.
Location of breakaway 1 camp is approx 155508 (4 n. NW of Tobin Hill)
About 1/2 to 3/4 mile to the south is a small isolated breakaway there are dendritic(?)root marks across the surface of the siltstones, collected a few. Athol set out the traps - I helped him with the search 30. i.e. 60 shenas altogether. I set along the line of the hills. The other atriths i.e. approx west. Kevin & Johnathan came in for a few minutes.
> 22 July (Saturday)1967
Up at 06:45 a beautiful day with a keen wind. No luck with traps.
07:30 Sched. No call for no.
Left camp at 08:55 to drive back to Fandine[?] by Ron King's[?] road he showed us last night then on to Turkey Hill by the Lake Yeo Road. Hit a new road going north, turned left (i e south)way towards Yamarna Homestead. Fence line with gate. Turned south towards Yeo Lake road. Yeo Lake road at gate in Kevin's Fence, turned E by NE. Road goes off northward - presumably to Dorothy Hills. Collected Grevillea [C3705-6]& photographed it c 10ft tall. Very beautiful country, well watered with lush vegetation banded on sides with sandhills. Tracks everywhere, water alongside road at 94.9. Red kangaroo seen, emu seen with chick tracks, camel pads, fox, very small animals including one which is about rabbit sized ? bandicoot but it did not have the big hind foot (can it possibly be Chaerops) This would be a wonderful place to leave Athol for a few days. It appears to be the valley of the creek which is marked on the map as running WNW for a small lake between Dinges Table Hill and Mallee Hen Point, map ref.squ 1750. Point Sunday. Heavily lateritized sandstones probably Permian.
Collected artifacts from foot of diecling[?] : cherts, quartzite, some little vein quartz. Y junction[?] in track opposite Stony Point, took left fork of junction up to Point, right fork probably goes on towards Turkey Hill, will try this later. Drove up to Stony Point. This is where the chert and quartzite comes from. Climbed up to trig point on top E.W.3.
Awest Resealings[?] on Eastern End ie Bluff Point (209510) 158*. These centre a line round to a low couple of hills between 98* & 108* (ie Turkey Hill) then on the far horizon some 20 miles or more away there are lots of big breakaways. 1. Between 97*-85* possibly Yeo Hills 2. Between 66*-56* these letters are probably 30-40 miles away, Probably Wilkinson Range. Reached Bluff Point just driving on a bearing for Stony Point. Massive sandstones, some silicified, lateritized[?] in top, v. big breakaway. We crossed the road to get to it at 42:20 [C2707] Had luck, photographed Bluff Point with back to Stony Point. Climbed to top to get bearings and look at sediments.[C3708] Took photo from top looking North towards Stony Point. [Sketch of Bluff Point showing massive sandstones, coarse conglomerate sandstone, chert]. Walked around the point to the West, numerous dog tracks everywhere, must be pupping in among the tumbled boulders. Took photo of typical habitat [C3709]. 42:24 back at road where it descends to go to Stony Point. 42:47 Back at Water. Photo of cockatiels at tree above water [C3710].
> 23rd July 1967 (Sunday).
Spent morning up to 10.15 cleaning up doing washing cleaning up the kitchen equipment etc. Listened to Sunday Sched at 08.00. Several rain of between 20 & 50 pts around to the west and south of us Laverton had 20 pts. Drove over to the homestead for morning tea and then up to Minnie Creek north of the old homestead. Still water in the creek. Bob Savage agrees with my conclusions e the relationships of the beds here with schist overlain by noden[? murchison[?]-grit-like sediments. These are partly windblown, partly flurintile[?] & partly just debris from the slopes above the creek. Walked out one mile - no fossils. Drove on up to the place where there is water in the creek and decided to lunch[?]. Leave Athol to set mistnets and cage types and to look for morabines for Michael White. Set off with Bob to drive over to Thatcher Soak to check the Virginia Range.
Tack[?] junction north of Thatcher's, turned North. Diorite hills, turned back to Thatcher, reached Thatchers. Country round about all terribly cut up by cattle. Creek bank being broken down. They certainly make an awful mess of country, about 1 doz head visible. turned come i e back to old Yamarna to pick up Athol. Picked up Athol at old Jamarna and drove up to check his mistnets. Found that Athol had set the nets too early in the day and had lost one sin[?] a brown hawk had hit it. How silly.
Replaced it with my net and drove back to camp. Dropped into Yamarna to ask if they intended to come in to look at the Sminthopsis which Athol had got in his traps that morning. They said that they would come in about 8. At camp : Kevin and Jim Ewings dropped in for a talk. Talked about many things including what is happening out at Warbo in respect of Western Mining and the native leaseholders.
Sminthopsis does not look too good, very cold and shocked. Drove up to nets to see if anything in them, covered up nets - nothing. back at camp turned in 23:00 hrs.
Sminthopsis larapinta [W.R. 130] male with unusually large testes, collected in Sherman trap on Universal bait. Rocky pavement on top of breakaway. Mulga sand night 22/23 July. Kept alive for photography. Collected A.M.D. Died night 25/26, Skin & skull gruswt[?] carcass.
!Mite collected , fem specimen preserved in alcohol. [Detailed physical description of Sminthopsis].
> 24th July 1967 (Monday)
Up before dawn and off to Minnie Creek to pick up the mistnets and cage traps (3) set by Athol yesterday. No luck. Back at camp in time to set up for Sched. No calls for us.[WR 131] Athol got a M. musculus f., (physical description) preserved in formalin.
Picked up and worked out our loads v. satisfactory so far. Will go up to the Yamarna homestead to say good-bye to Kevin & Anne & make arrangements for mail. Left camp at breakaway. Minnie Creek turn off. Filled up both vehicles, took 1 complete 44 gal drum, left 2 full. Took Kynoo tree on way through one old capsule [C3711,2]. 169.5 miles to Galimba[?] from my last diary & 55 or 60 to Lake Throssell. Stopped for 15.45 Sched but not on the traffic list, had "lunch" at 15.55 ! Tracks marked on map not visible. Eurothuna Rock hole "breakaway" crossing the road, actually two laterite hills. Euro - dark red - running up into low quartzite hill. This is the hill of the Beegull Waterholes [Peagull?]. Very inconspicuous track on left of road, breakaway marked at approx 76.0 not visible from road. Crossing outliers of lake bed, thick saltbush flats. Country scarcely resembles the dreadful grey wastes of last summer's heat. Rounded hill to come into side of lake with the exposures of soft porous white "earth". Camped for night & listened to Elizabeth Schwartzkopf singing Schubert and Schumann safe tring in
> 25 July 1967 (Tuesday)
A beautiful morning Sched at 7.30. Telegram from Margaret RIDE 8WNX
MAY WE HAVE MANY MORE HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES LOVE MARGARET.
sent RIDE PHONE 862242 PERTH AT LAKE THROSSELL MOVING LAKE BAKER TODAY STOP REMEMBERING ANNIVERSARY MUCH LOVE DEE
Charlie tells us that there is a Sydney University Party wdn SMITH-WHITE which left Kalgoorlie yesterday for Warbos and Alice Springs. call-sign 8 NOVEMBER MIKE FOXTROT.
Heard Alex George, Herbarium call for some 120 miles S of Sandy Junction. He will call in again at 8.00 tomorrow. He is finding going tough but expects to be there in a couple of days and will then go over to Port Hedland.08.00 Smith-White reports position 60 miles N of Kalgoorlie, will report position to Charlie every couple of days.
4 youths escaped from custody at Madura 03.00 hrs and stole parts for another vehicle & set off coshends[?], Norseman police alerted.
8WHISKY ZULU ZULU Rod called asking whether we were going through, will find out where Widgilend (?) is. [C3713] photographed cap. Athol in Cap. Athol shot a white-breasted swallow & made a skin also pinned insects. Bob & I walked out the lake shore and also some small dunes out in the lake. Everything is gypsum, crystalline, fibrous or just plain amorphous where it has weathered up. This is the "diatomaceous earth" of my earlier notes of the last trip. Left for last Sched. Aerial Signpost no 12 photograph of Swage photopysly[?] it.[C3714]44.99. At bend in road just after end of lake turned back along old road towards breakaway visible to North. Will try to reach the breakaway about 5 miles away on the oute [?] shore of the lake. Followed road around but it just joined the new road where it crosses the lake - obviously not the right one. Back to start again. Start afresh North east along old road this time to see if we can hit junction. No luck, back to start point again. Start again, leave track on bearing slightly north of west. Arrived at hill on side of lake. No breakaway but covered with loose scree of solidified fine sandstone (quartzite) and topped by the remains of a quartz conglomerate. Over the other side of it (i.e. West) about 1/3 of the way down there is bedded sandstones which, in their upper levels, have cleaved across thin bedding planes - presumably this is the mapped Proterozoic and the quartzites and conglomerate, the Permian. V. much like the Bluff Point at Stoney Point junction. 13.25 hrs turned back to lab. & trailer on road.
Back at road, had lunch, left for Galinda at 14.40.
Road looks beautiful - Mulga coloured, spinifex in bloom, wildflowers numerous, budgies and other birds everywhere. Cue onto Yowalga Map Sheet. Dunes. Yowalga Rockhole on left, looks as though it has fallen in, probably u.s., did not stop.
> 27th parallel (Hunt Oil) road goes off on the right. Blew tyre. Difficult to understand, travelling slowly over corrugations at about 40 mph it suddenly went. Bob driving at the time. When we got it off we found that the tyre - a brand new Michelin had split along its inner wall from the tread right round the shoulder almost to the rim. This is serious because we now have only a single spare for the Landrover. Cannot understand what could have done it. Only possibility seems to be that it might have received a slight cut when we drove across the scree slopes of the hill to the north of L. Throssell which weakened it & the corrugations caused it to split. Replaced tyre. Ran out of petrol, filled with 1 jerrycan : we have done 177.2 on full tank. Started - killed Boobook owl with Kangaroo guard. Arrived Gahmra Rockhole. Cold night. Turned in early. The Rockhole is v. low, country round covered with bird droppings, full of feathers and green. Obviously highly nitrogenous & phosphatic. Decided not to net it.
> 26 July 1967 (Wednesday)
Temp fell to 31.5* F - 35* at dawn, lovely dawn. Sched at 0715 with Dick Huotham[?] 8 R.B. He is going through to Leonora leaving tomorrow and will be back on Monday. He can pick up a tyre for us. He has plenty of fuel & oil for us. The road to Rawlinna is not used much. He could pick up our mail from our chums at Garuda. Also spoke to Claude Cotteril 8 L.R. to ask him to put mail to us with Smith-White. He said that he would do this and give it to Charlie Prideaux who is also coming through.
Kevin Ewings also came through 8 W.W.T. He simply said that he was OK & hoped that we had had a good trip. I thanked him for his help to us.
0730 Sched to V.J.Q., we were on the traffic list : telegram for Terrell :
ALEX SUGGESTS ARCHER JOIN YOU KALGOORLIE 18TH AUGUST AS NO ROOM ABROLHOS TRIP STOP R.J.TERRELL.
Some confusion because this telegram was not addressed properly but to 8WDX FLYING DR KALGOORLIE. I got a polite rocket from JOHN (Charlie's deputy). Sent memo to Smith-White to ask him to come up on Sched at 0700 hrs tomorrow. Sent telegram to Terrell.
TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH.
URGENT SEND LANDROVER MICHELIN TYRE AND TUBE IMMEDIATELY TO HAWTHORN OF WARBURTON MISSION AT LEONORA STOP NOW WORKING LAKE BAKER STOP WILL REPLY RE ARCHER LATER STOP OUR ADDRESS IS ADRESSEE PORTABLE 8ONX KALGOORLIE. RIDE.
Heard Michael Ridpath on 8WUN asking Harry Frith to bring him three loaves of bread from Canberra !!!
Very few birds are into windhole, seems to be other water in the area. Packed up & left at 11.15fter a v. difficult search for the radiator cap of the International which Athol had misplaced - no luck.
Filled up jerricans leaving 2 in the tanks i e 2 jerricans from empty tank at miles 2619.6, we will now check possible distance across country per jerrican. Athol filled up both tanks (his mileage 21090.8) he will now run on int tank till empty. Bag-on-stake on road marking distance onto cat[?]-line on 128*, turned left onto 47*, turn right at bag-on-stake into 126*, turn right at bag-on-stake into 165*. Took 3 photos of vehicles in spinifex[C3715-7]. Surveyors peg. Then into bearing of 94*, over dip to Campsite. Drove down to Sharpe's Bluff exposure to have a look with Bob. As I thought, the wood comes from a horizon immediately below the coarse sandstone which overlies the shales and cherts. It is much altered and little structure remains - could be a silicified and much altered lignite. Bob also looked and identified an evaprte[?] down below the shales which is causing them to break up in places. It is exposed as a messy looking morplans[?] deposit in a bit of a saddle to the south of the first bluff. He is of the opinion that the deposit is a shallering[?] marine deposit. He also found a horigin[?] which he identifies as a decomposed glauconite [?]. If so it certifies the identification. Back to Camp. Turn in at 21.00 v. tired.
> 27 July (Thursday)
A good night, v. windy, approx 30 last days fell to 46* a lovely dawn temp 48*. Up for Sched with Smith-White 8NMF. Got through well and arranged to meet them at either the turn-off or at Galinda at 1400hrs. VSQ came up and asked if I had got through to Smith-White or not. I told him that I had and that I had been trying to raise 8 Roneo Bravo to tell Dick that the Sydney party would not be there until tomorrow (instead of today) so Prof Cardin[?] who is coming to Warbo via Gunbarrel could be informed. John agreed to pass the message.
John also gave me a telegram RIDE 8 WNX 24 wds. Perth 4.5 pm 26 July
TYRE AND TUBES DESPATCHED RAIL VIA KALGOORLIE 26TH TOMORROWS TRAIN LEONORA STOP CLEVERLEY. WILL ENSURE TRANSHIPMENT KALGOORLIE : BOB.
I asked John to pass this information on to Dick Hawthorn so that he can pick it up in Leonora. 0730 Sched. John passed all messages through to Dick Hooton[?]. Reception poor and I passed messages for (a) Alex George[?] Agriculture that he is 50 miles W. of Sandy Blight Junction and said he would be working Port Hedland as for this Sched (b) CSIRO soils party PWYV. 90 miles W. of Sandy Blight Junction proceeding next to Jupiter Well. Sitrep only.
Bearings for camp. 108* First Bluff, 107* Second Bluff, 98* Third Bluff.
Walked over to Sharpe's Bluff exposures and moved along them around the first, second, and 3rd Bluffs. Collected 2 polypods[?], 1 from float and the other from the shale bed immediately below the sandstone. V. poor condition. Walked across valley. Creek bottom with good exposures of "muchism cement" and shales outcropping in places. Collected artifacts in floor of valley. Bluffs on West side of valley. disappointing, great thickness of laterite from top to bottom, seems to be wholly lateritised. Walked back to camp arriving at 13.30. Drove straight over to the road. left 648.7.
1st turn 52.0 (length of strait 2.3 m.), 2nd turn 53.4 (length of strait 1.4 m.), 3rd turn 58.6 (5.2), last turn 60.6 (2.0), at road (estimate) 63.5 (3) Back at camp being picked up Spencer Smith-White and two collectors John Thompson and Jim McKay. They have a large Bedford 2 tonner, 2 wheel drive and double rear wheels. Bunks and lab inside. They got it as far as the lip of the valley o.k.
We dug out an Antstick "nest"from the Sharpe's Bluff breakaway. must be the work of an animal - consists of a mass of grass "bedding" then sticks and stones cemented with antact[?] piled over it, whole pile then covered with a loose pile of stones about 2" square mixed in with twigs and bits of wood. Small faeces about rat-sized in the pile but no really visible chambers. However, the rock behind the pile is honeycombed with fissures and holes which could provide entrances.
Set 60 shenans with Athol and 3 large traps, set 30 down in the valley in a line E-W (lots of 10 in varied locations). Set the 30 up on the lip both on top of, and beneath, the breakaways. Very strong wind and very cold. Spent rest of evening trying to open the skull of WR130 S. larapinta. This is a young male, not quite fully up, it fell to bits when Athol was prepping it, repaired it as well as possible under microscope lent by Smith-White, used P.V.A. Cloud coming up from west, looks like we are in for weather.
> 28 July 1967 (Friday)
A wet night, somewhere about 10 points fell & very cold and bitter wind from the WNW min.42*F : 44* at dawn. Spoke to Claude Cottril who says that there is mail for us at the mission. He will arrange for Charlie to pick it up and bring it out. He asked me something about a truck and I told him that the Smith-White party had reached us yesterday. Spoke to Kevin, wished him a good trip back to Ricks[?], they had had about 30 points.
Told Dick Woodly[?] that I had Smith-White with me and that Cardin[?] was coming down the Gunbarrel with a Landrover & no wireless. Asked him to hold Cardin[?] if he arrived before Smith-White would be with them today fairly early. Sched 0730: Spoke to Charlie and asked him to give me a burst at 0715 on Monday morning to let me know position so that we pick up mail. If he hears notes he will leave it on the drums[?].
Claude Cotteril came up and passed his grey auto truck through VSQ. It was , had we seen the Foden Truck which they use to carry stuff between Warbo & Cosmo. It turns out that Smith-White had seen it about 100m. W of Galinda. I passed the information over.
Will spend the day walking down the creek to the lake.
Athol got a Leggadina hermannsburgensis, fem., in a trap down in the valley. [WR132] [measurements], Taken on flat in grass near dry creek bed below Sharpes Bluff. Set off at 10.10, walked down to creek near camp - creek marked by Eucalyptus ? camaldulensis the situation seems to be pretty well uniform throughout the lake i.e.[ Sketch]
No fossils at all. Walked until 1400 hrs. Broke for lunch and then started back. Climbed isolated breakaway on southern side of valley, on way back found Hunt Oil cut line. Took bearing, cut line to lake 217*, white post where we walked along it towards Saenlenojs [?] ; left outline[?] tears[?] 277* to the 2nd Bluff which is probably Sharpes Bluff (the back bearing of this bluff to camp is 98*). This should now be straight in line with camp. Walked in test bearing and had to connect a bit to the north and arrived back at camp at 16.15 hrs after walking for 6 hrs with a 15 minute break. Collected one Amphibolurus in bed of creek in a burrow under a tussock. Also collected a Myrmecia desertorum for Athol.
Athol had loaded water and we had a good wash. Athol came in as he had moved all the 30 shermans near camp down into the Rowe Hills before the lip of the Sharpe's Bluff valley. He also set 19 break backs. A. checked traps before turning in. 1 Leggadina hermannsburgensis, male, in breakback [WR133].
> 29 July 1967 (Saturday)
[Description of [WR122] Leggadina hermannsburgensis]
A very cold night 26*F - fortunately no wind, 32* at dawn. Athol had great success with the breakbacks : 2 Leggadina and 2 Mus musculus, in live traps down in valley, 1 Leggadina + 5 mus musculus.
Left camp 4677.4 to try to find the way into the cutline. Drove behind the breakaways in a bearing of approx 130*. 4680.7 found cutline in valley on bearing of approx 213*. Left Athol alongside breakaways with good news & continued on down cutline. 4681 back at post we left yesterday when we left the cutline to go back to camp. At creek. Another mallee creek ane[?] eucalypts below the iwring[?] [C37 18/19] photos of savannah woodland. Diffuse[?] creek. Rubble outcrops[?] looking like dune runs across it in T junction bearing 298*. Run along tin[?] dunes caught Amphibolurus in flat before dune. Caught ? Egenia in spinifex in dune.Some difficulty in dunes. Got to lake at 4688.0. Went down to lake to have a look at expanse of a grey material underlying the dunes on the far side of a little bay. These are evaporates with layers of potch opal among them.
Walked along the top southwards and, to my surprise, found myself looking at a large australite - then found three more in quick succession. Two of the four are large "standard" shapes and one of them elongated & pinched in at one end. These were all found in the scattered debris along the top of the first ledge above the lake surface - but shortly after I found another (no. 5) halfway up the backing dune. It is clear that they are reaching out of the dune and are drifting down into the ledge above the lake. Took photos /b&w/ of each of the five in situ as found and also a general colour shot to give lay-out [C3720]. Bob then concentrated on the australites and found a good patch for small ones. Between us we found 14 more - a good haul for one day. One is very small button with a nearly complete flange. The two biggest weighed No. 1 14 1/2 g. No. 2 13 1/2 g.
North of the evaporates the exposures are made of fresh-water limestone. It looks as though there may be several cycles of events[?] here and all below the australite fall. The iron stone pisolites seem also to belong in the upper sands - but you would not expect to find them in the evaporites at [?]
Due to various holds up left the lake rather late, had trouble at a largish dune. When all this was over the sun had set and we had a difficult journey going back along the cut-line in the poor light. Thank goodness we had removed all the major dead branches, trees and stakes on the way in. When we turned off the cutline to go through the mulga to the camp it had got dark and Bob had to walk in front to keep in the tracks. When we got out into the spinifex it was o.k. but we had one very nasty moment when I all but chopped the vehicle into a gully some five feet deep.
Back to camp to find Athol just back himself after a walk back from the caves. He had no luck at all. The caves empty and only one Amphibolus to show for his day's work. Spent evening entering up work and photographing Leggadina caught today in live trap (b&w). very cold 46* at 2100hrs. will sleep in back of lab. tonight - later- find bed won't fit so will sleep out after all ! Specs collected that morning (ie 29th) measured next & fixed after fig. one: WR 134, WR135 ---- WR136, WR137 Leggadina --- WR 143 See 21/7/67 for this list.
> 30th July (SUNDAY)
Slept late up at 6.30 a lovely morning, was warm in bed, night temp 30*f.
Athol had a field day. 1 Leggadina alive, 6 Leggadina dead, 1 Notomys alexis ? dead, 3 mus musculus( 1 dead, 2 alive). Unfortunately, Athol does not have the sunflower seeds forgotten at the last moment will send following telegram at Sched 0900
RIDE PHONE 86 2242 PERTH PLEASE ASK BOB SEND TWO PACKETS SUNFLOWER SEEDS SOONEST CARE WARBURTON MISSION CHARTER PLANE WESTERN MINING GOES WEDNESDAYS STOP NOTOMYS ABUNDANT STOP ASK JOHN KEEP MULLEWA SPECIMENS ALIVE IF POSSIBLE FOR COMPARISON STOP HOPE ALL HAS GONE WELL WITH PENNY STOP HOW ARE TICKET SALES GOING STOP STILL WORKING LAKE BAKER MUCH LOVE ALL . DEE.
Memo for Smith-White. They met up with Carolis and Warbo and we about 70m. east. They will not go to Lake Molloy and Carolin did not come over the Gunbarrel. John tells me that Harry Butler is somewhere near Shell Lakes on the Nullarbor andthat he has a wireless 8WHISKY FOXTROT SIERRA
[WR144] Notomys,
[WR145] Notomys
[WR146] Notomys
[WR147] Mus musculus
[WR148] Mus musculus
[WR149] Mus musculus
[WR150] Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR151] Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR152] Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR153]Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR154] Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR155] Leggadina hermansbergensis
[WR156] Leggadina hermansbergensis
Drove down to Lake Baker, climbed up a tall dune close to the lake and took bearings on various parts of the lake. No doubt that our position is possible 405676. We then went SE across to the lake shore and walked around the paeaile[?] to the vehicle which is just short of creek 403678. No worthwhile equeres[?]. Collected 3 small australites including a "pulled toffee" (the largest) in a small claypan on the eastern side of the dune which gave the large collection yesterday. Went back to the Australite site at 404677 collected another 9[?]. They are very concentrated at this locality - each time one is found it can be attributed to the outlast[?] from the single dune.
Walked out exposures up the creek. There seem to be three fucies[?]
(i) The gypsum evaporites - sometimes very silicificed
(ii) a grey freshwater limestone
(iii) A reddish brown calcareous mud (much less CaCo2) with root tubes very much like the "locus" of the Ederga.
No fossils visible in any of them. Drove back leaving 16.15 and arrived back at camp just as the light went. Notomys. Their tails have a constriction at the base which would be split if the tail is to be got right. Spent the night reading and weighing mice collected earlier. Wrote letters to M.Bob Tenell, Lyn, Barry Wilson asking for maps to cover the proposed journey southwards to Rawlinna and also for more tie-on labels. Cold - windy. To bed at 10.30.
> 31 July 1967 (Monday)
A heavy dew. Night not so cold in the end 36*F. The wind dropped. Slight low cloud and ground mist in the valley. Sched with Charlie on 8 WHISKY GOLF DELTA. He should be at Galimba around lunch time & will leave me mail. VJQ very poor. They could not get their set tuned and had to go over to a battery set. Reception not good.
[Detailed descriptions of animals collected :]
[WR157] Notomys,(collected in breakback, spinifex plain near Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D. [WR158] Mus musculus (brown bellied form), near Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR159] Mus musculus (pale bellied form), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR160] Leggadina hermansbergensis, vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, coll. A.M.D.
[WR161] Leggadina hermansbergensis, vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR162] Leggadina hermansbergensis, vicinity of Sharpe's Bliff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR163] Mus musculus (pale bellied) area Sharpe's Bluff. AMD 31/7/67
[WR164] Leggadina hermansbergensis , vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR165] Mus musculus (pale bellied), breakback in spinifex plain near Sharpe's Bluff. Coll. A.M.D
[WR166] Mus musculus (dark bellied), in creek at base of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR167] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR168] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff. Coll. A.M.D.
[WR169] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff. Coll. A.M.D.
[WR170] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff. Coll. A.M.D.
[WR171] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff. Coll. A.M.D.
[WR172] Mus musculus (dark bellied) vicinity of Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
[WR173-177] Kept alive to send to Perth for Ella, among items are 2 pregnant females of Leggadina, the others seem to be 2 young males (one previously collected WR156). The other 176 is a spec. of Notomys. [WR178] Mus musculus (dark bellied), vicinity Sharpe's Bluff, Coll. A.M.D.
Measurements of specimens collected 29 July 1967, all collected A.M.D., vicinity Sharpe's Bluff:
[WR134], [WR135] Mus musculus,
[WR136] Leggadina hermansbergensis, male
[WR137]Leggadina hermansbergensis, female
[WR138] Mus musculus, female
[WR139] Mus musculus
[WR140] Mus musculus, male
[WR141] Leggadina herrmansbergensis, m.
[WR142] Mus musculus (white bellied form)
[WR143] Mus musculus (brown bellied form).
END OF LIST OF SPECS COLLECTED 29/7/67.
Left camp to go to Galimba Rockhole. Arrived Galimba. Filled up tank which is now showing completely empty but not yet run out. Spent night ...ing .....[?].
To bed at 22.15.
Met Charlie : had lunch. Drove back to camp driving carefully & taking ...ings all the way to get an accurate plot of position of camp. [17 entries] up centre of valley....
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