Indooroopilly Outback Adventure

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Indooroopilly Outback Adventure

• Birdsville September 2005

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• 4 people drove from Brisbane to Birdsville and
  back - covering over 3500km in 8 days

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Purposes of Expedition
• Service to Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), by
  helping them raise funds at Birdsville Races.
• Make contacts with RFDS, Lions and other
  community organizations.
• Spread the Scouting spirit and have fun.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 1 Brisbane to Roma 484km

Were Off
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Stayed at Roma Scout Den
• We were told that if we burnt down the den we
  could either phone the Group Leader or 000. Both
  would get the same response, except they would be
  paid if we called 000.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 2 Roma to Birdsville 1089km

Bought essential supplies in Charleville
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Food at Quilpie Pub good.
• Speeding over cattle grids, not so good.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• As the Yabbie races were the previous night, we
  saw no point in staying at Windorah, so continued
  to Birdsville.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Road kill included
• 1 stupid kangaroo that hopped off the road then
  came back
• Many small birds one went face first into the
  windscreen

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Ferris overtaking adventure to keep us awake
• The road verges were deeply rutted. As we
  overtook another car, the trailer preferred to
  follow the ruts rather than the car, and gave us
  all a shock. Luckily nothing was damaged.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 3 4 Birdsville

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Our patch of dust.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Massey Ferguson Tractor Club of WA drove across
  the desert from Perth.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure
Birdsville Racetrack
Stable
Entrance Gates
Betting Shed
Racetrack
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• On both days we manned the gates of the
  Birdsville Races. Over 5000 people attended with
  a percentage of the profits going to RFDS.
• We also did the gates for the evening events at
  the community hall.
• Over 20,000 was raised for the Flying Doctors
  over the weekend.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure
Day 4

• Surviving the Dust Storm winds up to 74km/hr
• Hold tightly onto any money, papers and hats
• Talk as little as possible to avoid swallowing
  dust
• Wear tight fitting goggles for eye-protection
• DO NOT wear the Scout scarf bank-robber style to
  make it easier to breathe as it looks ridiculous.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• And a good night was had by all at

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Except Ferri who was chasing a girl, who everyone
  else knew was already taken.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 5 Birdsville to Longreach 682km

Were off, again.
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Good time to learn how to tow a trailer on dirt
  roads.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Straight road all good.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Heading for Betoota - population of 0.
• Just a bend in the road.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• If only Id remembered the bend, rather than
  drift racing with a trailer.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• No-ones hurt. The cars fine (almost).
• So we continue.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Beautiful desert flowers

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Another sunset drive, almost hitting an owl and a
  wild boar.
• The night was just as dangerous, as a coating of
  fried bugs on the headlights reduced visibility
  to almost none.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Longreach - Return to Civilisation
• Mobile phone reception
• Giving way at roundabouts
• Air-conditioned Scout den

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 6 Longreach to Emerald 412 km

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Longreach Scout Museum

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Khaki Uniforms are already museum pieces at
  Longreach.
• All Longreach Scouts wear the new uniforms
  according to a RBT cop we met near Windorah

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Hews Grandfather was a Scout in Longreach

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Finding out about Log Cabin construction for our
  Crews shanty.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Barcaldine
• Windmill powers a pump that Simo (ex Rover of the
  crew) made.
• Tree of Knowledge 170 year old Ghost Gum under
  which shearers held their meetings during the
  Great Shearers Strike of 1891.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Drive into Emerald then follow the palms to
  Freds house

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 7 Emerald to Bundaberg 543km

Overnight at Caneboys house does that make it
Bundy moot 5½ ?
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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Day 8 Bundaberg to Brisbane 382km

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Travel Log

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Preparations
• Due to the remoteness of some of the places we
• - Took plenty of water and food in case of a
  breakdown
• - Carried a spare tyre, and tools to do
  emergency repairs.
• - Had First Aid supplies and qualifications
• - Had group members with experience in car
  maintenance and driving in the outback.
• - Took maps and other equipment necessary for
  travel in the outback.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• More preparations
• As this trip was primarily for a service project
  we tried to reduce costs to participants by
• - Arranging free accommodation at Scout Dens
  (Roma, Charleville Longreach), houses of
  friendly Rovers (Emerald, Bundaberg), and camping
  spots in town (Windorah, Birdsville)
• - Obtaining sponsorship for petrol costs
  courtesy of Birdsville
• - Having use of Scout Car trailer courtesy
  of QLD Branch

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• What we learnt from the trip
• Smoke doesnt get rid of flies, but dust storms
  do
• History of pioneers of the outback
• 4wd trailer drift-racing is a real extreme
  adrenaline sport
• Other things we gained
• Friends
• Invitations to help with other adventurous
  service projects (Charleville BS Charity Ball
  October 05), (Winton Races 2007)

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Publicity / Media Coverage
• We featured in
• - Beyond Productions Documentary
• - Queensland Branch Scout About Newsletter
• - Queensland Rovers MSN Group
• - Indooroopilly Rovers Website
  http//indooroopilly.scoutsqld.com.au/
• - Tyakunda District Website http//tyakunda.scou
  tsqld.com.au/
• - Western Times Newspaper (Charleville)
• We were also seen by the public as Rovers
  Scouts by
• - Being in Uniform at the Birdsville Races
• - Driving the Escape to Scouting car
• - Being proud to be Scouts

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure
Indooroopilly Rovers were thanked for our help at
the Birdsville Races in the Western Times
newspaper of Thursday, September 15, 2005.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Thank you to
• Collette Watson Our RA
• Alison Stickens Event organiser of Birdsville
  Races
• Michelle Omyla RFDS Fundraiser
• Birdsville for paying for petrol
• Scouts Queensland for the use of the Scout car
• John Sue Palmer and Longreach Scout Group
• Sue Wallis and Roma Scout Group
• Fred McBride of Emerald Scout Group
• Richard Caneboy Cervellin of Millbank Scout
  Group
• John Stephens, RA from Victoria
• For making this Roverings Greatest Adventure.

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Indooroopilly Rovers Outback Adventure

• Indooroopilly Rovers
• ipillyrovers_at_yahoogroups.com
• Phone Ferri 0418 468 340
• Or James 0423 216 051
• Participants
• James Hanlon
• Daniel Ferri
• Hew Elcock
• Katy Gibson