Last changed 16 July 2005

Notes on 1928 railway survey

Background

Durack M.P. 1927. The Development of Northern Australia. The Pastoral Review (February 16, 1927),127- * Vol. 23, no. 1 (Jan. 15, 1913)-v. 45, no. 9 (Sept. 16, 1935) * NLA call no. N 338.1 PAS

p.128a:
Starting on the western side, I would suggest a railway running out from Broome eastward, keeping on the southern side of the Fitzroy River... passing through Gordon Downs in the Territory proper, thence on to Powell's Creek, joining a line already suggested through the Barkly Tableland somewhere in the vicinity of Anthony's Lagoon...

p.128b:
Recent investigations arising out of prospecting south and south-east of Tanami indicate that there is a large area of good pastoral country with water at shallow depths extending to the north-south telegraph line, with like possibility of rich mineral deposits.

Official records

National Archives of Australia. CRS F20, item 62, Railway Survey (Trial) to W.A. Border, North Australia Commission, Correspondence file, single number series.
NTAC 1976/232, various survey tracings.
CRS B300, Commonwealth Railways correspondence files, single number series, 1913- ; file No.CR 6998.

The 1928 railway survey line "Frews Ironstone Ponds to The W.A. Border" crossed the Murranji stock route from north-east to south-west.
316 miles 70 chains
This survey was begun in May and completed on 5 November 1928. Although estimates were prepared (9 October 1930, Commonwealth Railways to Railway Department, North Australia), nothing further came of the proposal.

Inspecting Surveyor Chas R McKellar
Surveyor AM Nash
Assnt DE Lindsay
Field-Asst GEH Suckling
Chainman Thomas Sinclair

Motor Mechanics
C James
K Kitely
AG Johnson
W Dwyer

Cook G Keen

Field Hands
ET Erskine
T McGrath
R Moon
E Bryant

[p.c. Darrell Lewis, 28/11/91:]

NT Archives
Dept Lands, Lands Admin Branch, Correspondence files.
F5 P134 Peacock, S. Tracings, Murranji.

Surveyor Scandrett made map of Murranji, Feb. 1914 -- sent to Superintendent of Railways, Melbourne -- to be copied and sent to Peacock [contractor who put in bores along stock route, 1918-24]

F5 R251 Railway plans west of Newcastle Waters.

Map of country west of Newcastle Waters, including west end of Murranji, sent to Commissioner for Railways, Melbourne, late 1927 or early 1928. ["sun prints", 1 mile to the inch]

Later

The survey line was followed south-west from the Murranji Track by the Thornycroft expedition (under Constable Murray) which recovered the bodies of Anderson and Hitchcock in 1929.

The route south-west from No. 10 Bore on the Murranji was also said to have been followed in 1955 by prospectors Sid Tennyson, Wason Byers, and Eric Emil Ostatshenco.

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URL http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/kt/1928-railway.html