Monday 11 May 2015

The Stuart Highway


John McDouall Stuart was the first explorer to cross Australia from south to north and back again.  He followed roughly the route of what is now the Stuart Highway which stretches from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in Northern Territory, 2,834 km or 1,761 miles.  This map of the route was sent to me earlier this year.

It passes through and near some interesting places such as the Woomera Test Range (no stopping), Alice Springs,


I don't know if you can read the inset Danger notice, because even the larger scan doesn't show it well. It reads Danger: unmarked holes.  Don't run.  Beware deep shafts.  Don't walk backwards.

The highway gained some notoriety a few years ago because of the disappearance of an English tourist, Peter Falconio while travelling along the highway with his girlfriend.  Even though his body was never found, a man was eventually convicted of his murder.

2 comments:

  1. Love the postcard and interesting history especially with the missing man. The danger sign is funny. i will make sure not to walk backwards

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, I never walk backwards...have a hard enough time walking forward.

    ReplyDelete

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