Bograt
27th Oct 2012, 10:38
Can anyone point me to a lat/long for this place please? Can't find it on Google Earth or Whereis.
Don't have a WAC of the area unfortunately.
Cheers.
Ixixly
27th Oct 2012, 11:06
So, 5 minutes on Google and Google Maps give me the name Eighty Mile Beach which was home to the "Talgarno Military Base" which was found on Wikipedia. Then taking that info and plugging it into Google Maps takes me there and very near-by on the shore line (-19.75281,120.672355) are some sort of buildings and very close to that is a set of runways (X marks the spot?) Labelled as Wallal Airport. And this all seems to agree with the map contained in ERSA.
Bograt
27th Oct 2012, 11:14
Thanks. I found the Eighty Mile Beach ref OK. Didn't think to try Wikipedia for Talgarno.
Regards.
emeritus
27th Oct 2012, 13:03
As I recall there was no establishment associated with the Woomera Rocket Range located at Wallal. I flew into Wallal in Sept of 61.
The Talgarno Base was located just to the NE of the Anna Plains airfield and apparently operated as a self contained base/town.
Emeritus.
Ex FSO GRIFFO
28th Oct 2012, 02:41
I used to do the 'mail run' out of Hedland to the 'Northern Stations' in 1970, taking in PD - Wallal, Mandora, 'Talgarno', which was by then the strip for Anna Plains, then down to Oakover R., Yarrie and Muccan, back to PD.
From one of my old WACs, 'Talgarno' Strip - 19 16S, 121 31E.
That must be about right, as 'someone' always met the aircraft and we swapped the mail bags etc....for Anna Plains.
For Talgarno, read 'Anna Plains'.....14nm S of Cape Missiessy...or 88nm S of Broome along the coast.
Why 'they' drew the line there escapes me. From about 70nm N of PD along the coast, you are remote as its gunna get, and you can be flying only on to Broome, as a tourist anyway...no 'resorts' in de middle.
The original Talgarno was built by the poms as the 'top end' of the Woomera rocket range, but I don't think any of the rockets actually got that far 'up range'...could be corrected...but....T'wasn't nuthin there then either (1970), except the name which is still retained on the Guvmint books for some reason....time they caught up oi reckon.
The houses had a particular style, and were eventually bought by the C'wealth Guvmint, and transported to other 'salubrious' locations to be used as staff accomodation...e.g. we had a few of them in Derby as FSO type accomodation, and the houses were always referred to as a 'Talgarno', as distinct from other locally designed / built houses.
They were pre-fabricated, elevated, square, asbestos (SHOCK HORROR) sheets over a metal frame and 'compact' as I recall, but I never lived in one.
Cheers:ok:
Bograt
28th Oct 2012, 07:27
Thanks for your replies all.
Cheers