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By
EWAN KENNEDY
23 June 2008
One hundred years to
the day after it was driven from Adelaide at the start of an epic
drive north to Darwin, this 1908 Talbot is to make the epic trek
again.
In
1908 the Talbot was driven by Harry Dutton and Murray Aunger and
made the outback significantly more accessible in an era when
horse-power, in the true sense of that term, and camel-power were
the normal methods of transportation. Folks were virtually
stranded in the bush for months if not years at a time, but these
two men showed that self-propelled vehicles could make life just
that little bit easier.
Unfortunately,
the Talbot is not in fit condition to do the 3000-plus kilometres
under its own power, rather it will be driven on special occasions
and trucked at other times.
The
current plan is for it to be driven from outside History Trust on
the Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide at 9.45am on Monday 30th
June. It will also be driven into and out of Alice Springs (July
25 to August 3), and finally make its way on its own wheels into
Darwin on Wednesday August 20th –100 years to the day that the
journey finished.
There's
a possibility the Talbot may be driven at other times along the
route if that’s deemed possible within the constraints of its
old body and mechanical components.
The
2008 recreation will follow the original 1908 route as closely as
possible. Along the way the specially built trailer that houses
the Talbot's travelling exhibition will visit many areas,
including stops at schools and community centres.
We
have had the honour being permitted a hands-on inspection of the
1908 Talbot 25 horsepower while it was waiting in the National
Motor Museum in Birdwood in South Australia. It needs a fair bit
of work, but the budget simply isn’t there for it to be done at
this time. The Talbot had been overhauled in 1958 for a 50th
anniversary rerun (that had to be postponed and didn’t take
place until 1959), then again in the bicentennial year of white
settlement in Australia in 1988. But was looking on the weary side
when we saw it.
It
some ways that was good because, in our opinion a historic old car
that’s in immaculate condition looks too artificial. The patina
of age, complete with dents, scratches, squeaky hinges and oil
leaks is somehow more fitting.
A
detailed timetable of the 1908 Talbot and the travelling
exhibition – titled ‘Off the Beaten track: a Journey Across
the Nation’ – that is accompanying the car is available at http://www.history.sa.gov.au/motor/exhibitions/talbot/Talbot.html/
As
a sign of how times have changed in the last 100 years, a daily
blog of the adventure can be viewed.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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