Avalook at Australia News

Issue Number 38, 15 December 2002

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ISSN 1443-0797

Editors: Eric Lindsay and Jean Weber
info@avalook.com.au

In this issue...

Simpson Desert, South Australia - 4WD country
More four-wheel-drive outback information
Eclipse reports
Progress of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway
Australian Dance Collection
Site lists Australians who served in WWII
Electric power around the world
Melbourne CityLink toll road
So what have we been up to?
Subscription information

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Simpson Desert, South Australia - 4WD country

Crossing the Simpson Desert is one of the things outback enthusiasts like to do. Here is a link to an interesting history of the road building and exploration of the area in the 1960s. http://www.simpsondesert.fl.net.au/

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More four-wheel-drive outback information

This site may be of help to anyone contemplating a 4WD trip to remote areas in Aus. At least one knowledgeable person says it's a good site.

A Guide to 4WD Trip Planning http://www.exploroz.com/Splash.asp

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Eclipse reports

A total eclipse of the sun was visible in parts of South Australia near sunset on 4 December 2002.

Comments from one person:
"There was cloud cover most of the day from the Ceduna foreshore. Only five minutes before totality did the sun come out of the clouds. It was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen."

And another:
"I was at Lyndhurst. Beautifully clear all day but blowing a gale. Saw all the eclipse until sunset. It was awesome. Would have been about 20000 people in a town of a couple of hundred. The traffic jam going south down the highway back to civilisation looked to go for miles and miles."

And a third:
"It's the first eclipse I've seen. We went to "Purple Downs", a site roughly mid way between Woomera and Roxby Downs.

With the help of "eclipse shades" which we purchased at the Woomera Visitor's Centre, we watched the slow mechanical progression of the eclipse as the moon cleaved off more and more of the sun, and we generated lots of images of it from straw hats and tried to pick up differences in the shadows cast by the eclipse.

What surprised me was how long it took for the light levels to visibly diminish. This probably only took place when the sun was about 95% obscured. I guess the sun gives out that much light that even a fraction of it still illuminates.

And then, totality itself! Wow! Pictures do not do it justice. The corona sits there and glows - it is alive, and to sit there in the sky, with the surrounding landscape around you - wow !

It was impressive, though I certainly would not travel half way around the world (as some international visitors had) to see a 30 odd second eclipse. Maybe for a 3 minute eclipse ...

Jean's comment:
We didn't go to see this eclipse, but I have seen two others, each of which lasted a bit longer than this one. I recall them very well -- especially the strange colour of the light and the dramatic drop in temperature. I'm really glad to hear that the clouds didn't interfere with the view at Ceduna.

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Progress of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway

To keep up with the progress of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway, visit the AustralAsia Railway Corporation's site, http://www.aarc.com.au/aarc/info/progress.html

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Australian Dance Collection

(This item is reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz, a newsletter published by Tara Calishain; copyright 2002. Visit her website, http://www.researchbuzz.com/.)

Australian Dance Collection, at http://www.nla.gov.au/ausdance/, is a directory of Australian dance resources in various research collections in Australia. The Directory includes lists of artistic directors, choreographers and dancers along with dance companies, dance festivals and dance productions. Each of the entries on the list features a historical note or biography and a list of items within the entry such as film items, manuscripts or photographic materials.

This site provides an extensive list of oral history interviews that are held in the National Library Australia. Each listing includes the interviewer, the date of the interview and the library's call number. Unfortunately none of the interviews are available online.

Keyword searches list results by relevance. Results include the title, a blurb, the date and the URL. The searcher also has the option of sorting the results by date and hiding the blurbs in addition to finding similar listings.

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Site lists Australians who served in WWII

(This item is reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz, a newsletter published by Tara Calishain; copyright 2002. Visit her website, http://www.researchbuzz.com/.)

The Australian War Memorial has launched a site which allows you to search for people who were enlisted in Australian services in World War II. The site, which is available at http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/, lists information on over one million people.

There are several ways to search the database, and the different forms are linked from the front page. You can search by name, service number, or place (of birth, enlistment, or residence at enlistment.)

A search for "Smythe" found 127 results. The results page includes the serviceman (or woman)'s name, number, date of birth, place of birth, and branch of service (Army, Merchant Navy, RAN, or RAAF.) Click on the serviceperson's name for additional information about their service, including dates of enlistment and discharge, rank on discharge, next of kin, rank, posting at discharge, and any honors received. Not all information is available for all soldiers but for the most part the information is very complete.

Once you've found something of interest, you can create a printable certificate of service. If you require additional information for a serviceperson, the site lists offline addresses for finding additional information on individual soldiers. Very nicely done.

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Electric power around the world

This site summarizes information on the electrical systems in use in most countries of the world. Very handy reference for travellers! http://kropla.com/electric2.htm

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Melbourne CityLink toll road

CityLink is a toll road around the western part of the Melbourne central business district. It connects the Tullamarine Freeway (the road to the airport), the West Gate and the Monash Freeways.

To pay for using CityLink when driving a rental car, buy a Day or Weekend pass from some Shell service stations, from the CityLink service centres in Essendon or Southbank, by phone from 13 26 29, or online at http://www.transurban.com.au/default.asp

Unfortunately the map on the website requires the latest version of Flash, but at least they do offer the alternative of downloading a map in PDF.

You can't pay cash when you use the road, but after using it, you do have a grace period in which to buy your pass.

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So what have we been up to?

Nothing very exciting since the last issue. Jean's been in the USA visiting her mother, and Eric's been at home supervising the installation of a new air-conditioning system in our unit. Jean is due home on December 18 (flying United, which I'm sure all of you know has filed for bankruptcy).

We expect to spend a quiet Christmas-New Year period in Airlie Beach while Jean plots next year's travels.

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© Copyright 2002 Eric Lindsay and Jean Weber. All rights reserved.

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