Outback Road Builders Book Pack

Description

If delving into the history of our outback roads is your thing this pack of 3 great books will help you understand

Outback Highways – 100 Year Anniversary Edition
Len Beadell OAM, was often called the last of the true Australian explorers. As a surveyor and road builder he worked all over the outback from Arnhem Land to the Gibson Desert. This special commemorative edition of Outback Highways is being released to mark the centenary of Len Beadell’s birth. He was a much-loved author who brought outback Australians onto the page in all their vivid originality. Drawn from his best-selling books, these stories sparkle with humour and paint a fascinating picture of the hard work, the bush characters and the rollicking adventure that were all part of Len Beadell’s rich experience.

Outback Road Builders
At just sixteen years old, Gordon Wooton joined the Engineering & Water Supply Department’s road gang in Burra, South Australia. It was 1958 — the year the State Premier promised Delhi Santos that if they searched for oil and gas in South Australia, roads would be built to reach the remote Cooper Basin. What followed was an extraordinary chapter in Australia’s outback history. Gordon and the Burra Gang were tasked with carving a route up the Strzelecki Track to Innamincka and across the vast, unforgiving expanse of the Cooper Basin. From Blanchwater to Mount Hopeless, through the Cobler Sand Hills and along the Strzelecki Creek, they built the roads that would open the desert to exploration and industry. Working under blistering heat, enduring sandstorms, isolation, and hard living, these men forged a unique camaraderie and an enduring legacy. Outback Road Builders is Gordon’s firsthand account of those years—an inspiring story of grit, teamwork, and the pioneering spirit that shaped the Australian outback.
Featuring rare photographs from the time, this book captures the harsh beauty, the challenges, and the triumphs of building roads to the oil fields in the heart of nowhere.

My Memories of Pushing Goog’s Track/strong>
Goog’s Track is a 120-kilometre 4WD-only route that winds through the rugged beauty of South Australia’s Yellabinna Conservation Park. Stretching from the dog-proof fence north of Lone Oak—just 40 kilometres above Ceduna—to the Trans-Australia railway, the track crosses 363 east-west sand dunes and is often dubbed a “mini Simpson Desert crossing” by off-road adventurers.
In this engaging memoir, Jenny Denton—Goog’s widow—recounts the extraordinary story behind the making of the track. With warmth, humour, and honesty, she brings to life the trials, triumphs, and four-year journey of carving a road through the wild. Known affectionately as “Mother” by Goog, Jenny recalls their days on the farm at Lone Oak, where Goog would often sit on the veranda, gaze into the vast northern bush, and muse, “I wonder what’s out there, Mother?” Determined to find out, he blazed a trail into the unknown, completing the track in 1976. Along the way, they discovered breathtaking natural wonders that continue to attract and inspire hundreds of travellers each year. This is a story of grit, love, and the unbreakable spirit of adventure.