My Mate Dick.

[xina]

That's the title of another book by Idriess, about the North Qld. Goldfields. He also wrote Coral Sea Calling, Isles of Despair, The Wild White man of Badu, and Drums of Mer. The last two, are novels very much based on historical fact. Lennie Wallace has another one called Nomads of the 19th century Goldfields. If you haven't found them yet, I've got some other titles on another site. Too many Spears is a good one, and I think Batesy mentioned Voice of the Wilderness by Cec. Teece. already. Cyclone by Hector Holthouse is another one.
xina.

[campdog]

I cant believe we havent seen any movies about the history of the cape.

[xina]

I'm with you there Campdog. There is a wealth of material available out there for some blockbusters on and about Cape York and the Torres Straight Islands.
xina.

[campdog]

We need someone to make a documentary ab out the Cape, and im sure they could get a few volunteers to be the film crew.
Maybe Batesy and ant could do it in there spare time.

[xina]

The Blackbirders, by Edward Wybergh Docker, The Incredible Gulf, by David Baird, Crocodiles and Other People, by Douglas Lockwood, Top End Safari by Vic McCristal. The last is of the Territory, The Lockwood one is set in NQ, The Territory, and Islands to the north of it. I can give you titles for other areas than Qld if you're interested. They are all (I find) interesting, about the early days in this country. If you prefer, I can give you Authors' names, and you can do your own research.
xina.

[batesy]

I cant believe we havent seen any movies about the history of the cape.


I got a great idea for a movie ... just gotta make it into a book first... shouldn't take any more than five years for me to complete it!!

[campdog]

I got a great idea for a movie ... just gotta make it into a book first... shouldn't take any more than five years for me to complete it!!
Go for it batesy, dont leave it any longer though, Id like to see it before I retire.

[geoffjy]

That's the title of another book by Idriess, about the North Qld. Goldfields. He also wrote Coral Sea Calling, Isles of Despair, The Wild White man of Badu, and Drums of Mer. The last two, are novels very much based on historical fact. Lennie Wallace has another one called Nomads of the 19th century Goldfields. If you haven't found them yet, I've got some other titles on another site. Too many Spears is a good one, and I think Batesy mentioned Voice of the Wilderness by Cec. Teece. already. Cyclone by Hector Holthouse is another one.
xina.

Hi Xina,

The books by Idriess are good arn't they. My father had the whole collection, all first editions and some signed.

Another good one to read if you can get your hands on it is one by Hector Holthouse. Its called "We and the Baby". Its about the first car ever to drive to Cape York. It was a baby Austin. They are very rare but i have 2 copies from my fathers collection.

Another good one by the same author is "Elephants charging my chookhouse". The title is nothing to do with what the book is really about but if you can get your hands on it, im sure you will like it.

[xina]

Welcome to the Forum geoffjy.
Lucky bugga your father. I do most of my bookbuying at Op. Shops, but I've managed to get quite a few goodies there. Been looking for "We and the Baby", for years, but have'nt found it yet. What is the "Elephants" one about?
xina.

[geoffjy]

Welcome to the Forum geoffjy.
Lucky bugga your father. I do most of my bookbuying at Op. Shops, but I've managed to get quite a few goodies there. Been looking for "We and the Baby", for years, but have'nt found it yet. What is the "Elephants" one about?
xina.

Thanks Xina,

My father passed away and i now have all his old books. There are ones by Robert Logan Jack as well that are quite good. He used to get a few old books from a store in Townsville. The best thing though was when we went to Tasmania. There were old bookstores everywhere and he picked up a lot there of Idriess.

Its a pity what happened with the baby austin after it got back from the cape.

[xina]

Hang on to them, Geoffjy, as they must be quite valuable by now. Been keeping an eye out for any of them too, but doubt I'll find any where I look.
What did happen to the "Baby" ?
Cheers,
xina.

[geoffjy]

Hang on to them, Geoffjy, as they must be quite valuable by now. Been keeping an eye out for any of them too, but doubt I'll find any where I look.
What did happen to the "Baby" ?
Cheers,
xina.


Hi Xina,

After the trip to the cape the people that owned the car gave it to a museum in Melbourne. A year later the manufacturer of the car in England wanted the car. Basically it went to court and they won and it and the car wound up going over to England and there it remains to this day.

Shame really, it was a part of Australia's pioneering history. There were no roads up here when they drove up.

Geoff

[xina]

Thanks for that Geoff. I can imagine what the roads (as far as they went ) were like back then. When I lived at Temple Bay in the mid Eighties only a fraction of the numbers of "Terrorists" went up the Cape. They were called that, because most of them were "Men only" trips, with heaps of grog, and an arsenal, with which they shot (or tried to) anything that moved.
There was no Bridge at the Wenlock,and I'd say the roads are maintained now, much more frequently than they used to be then.
Back in "Babys' " day, it would have been still mostly just bush. If ever you decide to sell your spare copy, could you let me know how much you'd want for it please?
Cheers,
xina.

[geoffjy]

Thanks for that Geoff. I can imagine what the roads (as far as they went ) were like back then. When I lived at Temple Bay in the mid Eighties only a fraction of the numbers of "Terrorists" went up the Cape. They were called that, because most of them were "Men only" trips, with heaps of grog, and an arsenal, with which they shot (or tried to) anything that moved.
There was no Bridge at the Wenlock,and I'd say the roads are maintained now, much more frequently than they used to be then.
Back in "Babys' " day, it would have been still mostly just bush. If ever you decide to sell your spare copy, could you let me know how much you'd want for it please?
Cheers,
xina.


Thats ok. I can remember what the roads were like16 years ago long before the grog laws came in. A lot of the road was deep sand up the cape and turnoff to bamaga from the weipa road was just a cattle track really through a dried up swamp bed. A trip today you i can drive from Bamaga nto Cairns in 13 hours. In "baby's" day when they came to a river, they gave gifts to the natives and then strapped bamboo alongside the car and carried it or floated it through the rivers with the help of the natives.

All my books are in storage in our house in Mossman north of Cairns but when i get back down i will see if can dig out a copy. From memory i think dad paid around $700 but will have to see.


Geoff

[xina]

Thanks anyway Geoff, but that's a bit out of my reach.
Cheers,
xina.

[plucker]

I cant believe we havent seen any movies about the history of the cape.
Interesting that you should say that as Australia in general misses a lot of important history lessons.
I would agree that a good show would be worth its weight in Palmer gold, if you know what I mean.

[dave]

I found this bit on google ,we and the baby.

The first car to travel all the way to the very top of Cape York was a small Austin owned and driven by a couple of New Zealanders, Hector MacQuarrie and Dick Matthews.

It was in 1928 and Cooktown was not joined to any place south by a road, and even getting to Cairns was an ordeal. Just to give you an idea, 10 years later there were reportedly only 230 whitemen, 33 women and the same number of children in the Peninsula north of Cooktown. Cars you could count on one hand - and the included those in Cooktown.

After getting to Cairns the intrepid two travelled to where the road ended close to Mt Molloy and from there followed horsepads to Butcher Hill Station where they met with the old wagon road which took them to Cooktown.

Such as the acclaim the duo were given a civic reception. Using the rail motor between Cooktown and Laura to get themselves back on track they travelled via Old Laura tation and Lakefield to Musgrave, crossing the 'Big Stewart' with the help of a group of Aborigines.

It was such a big day in Coen when they got there, that the school kids were given the day off!

Averaging near 6 punctures a day previously, their tally north of Coen following the OTL, was even more. Vrossing creeks was sometimes a block and tackle affair, while others demanded a corduroy line of logs that sometimes took more than a day to lay...

...they shipped the Baby Austin to Thursday Island on the meat boat from Red Island Point and it was bought by Mrs Vidgen, daughter of Frank Jardine...

...the whole trip had cost Hector and Dick just 13 pounds in petrol and oil, and that was refunded by the oil company.

SOURCE: European History

[xina]

Thanks for that Dave. Nice to see other people interested in the history of the Cape. That trip could be made into a helluva movie, for one.
Cheers,
xina.