WADLATA OUTBACK CENTRE: Port Augusta in the Outback Region of South Australia
Stepping into Port Augusta's Adlata Outback Centre . . . is like stepping back in time - literally. It sets out to capture the history of the Australian outback and particularly it's strong links with Port Augusta.
From Aboriginal Dreamtime creation stories, the period when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the ice-age and when man arrived . . . It follows in the footsteps of the early explorers and pioneers - documenting their determination, heartbreak and success.
Akurra - the giant Rainbow Serpent helps to take visitors on a journey through time . . .
Stunning audio-visual displays show what much of Australia used to be like.
“You have just experienced what the outback was like about 15 million years ago when the climate was mostly warm and humid”.
It explains in simple language how the Australian continent has evolved since breaking away from the great southern land known as Gondwana.
“Earth movements caused the sea to invade from the North and cover much of Central Australia. The sea was warm and shallow and full of life. Dinosaurs roamed the land while plesiosaurs and giant molluscs inhabited the sea”.
“Erosion and weathering again worked at these blocks sculpting the Flinders Ranges as we know today”.
We experience the Ice Age and the changes that came with it . . . until we arrive at the time of man's appearance.
(something like: “Desert dunes formed and man arrived on the continent . . . [footprints appear in the sand].
From here, the Wadlata Centre Time Tunnel continues its journey through Australia's more recent history - particularly the hardship and dedication of the early explorers in the 18-hundreds.
The bravery of explorers Sturt, Giles, Stuart and Eyre are well documented. You get a real sense of their determination, hardship and disappointment - especially when you hear details of their numerous expeditions inland.
“Eyre did not, of course, find the lush green pastures of England, but instead he encountered the true outback of Australia - some of the harshest and driest land on earth”.
“Sturt and 16 men including a young John McDouall Stuart set out in 1844 in a heavily equipped expedition to the centre - even a boat was dragged along”.
“Reaching as far North as the Simpson Desert, Sturt finally admitted defeat. The return trip was in his words a journey through hell. He arrived in Adelaide in 1846 a frail and broken man.
But all was not lost. That experience was invaluable sixteen years later. In 1862 John McDouall Stuart set out to cross Australia from south to north. He succeeded - reaching the coast east of Darwin after leaving Adelaide.
After the explorers came the settlers - as more and more people resolved to conquer and exploit the new found land. Bullock teams became an essential if not slow form of moving supplies and produce . . . Horses also became indispensable - being faster and more manageable. And as the narration says - times were exciting and there was plenty of money to be made if you had the curage.
“The pastoralists took up more and more runs in the Flinders, huge numbers of sheep roamed the ranges eating the country bare. Even today there are still signs of the old shepherds huts”.
The attraction wasn't confirmed to the pastoralists . . . The discovery of copper brought the miners and the rough and tumble mining towns that followed.
“Dozens of shows were open but in the end they all failed”.
The Wadlata exhibits give a sense of just how difficult times really were. This new land was a tough and unforgiving place - the Great Drought of 1864 proved that! But for most, perseverance paid off - despite the unpredictable climate, people were able to seek out an existence closer to the coast - even if the true outback remained the victor. Port Augusta, the town created in the mid 18-hundreds to support the pastoral industry was to experience another boom less than a century later.
Wadlata leaves little doubt about Port Augusta's role as a major “railway town”. And that was certainly re-affirmed in 1917. Five years and one month after work began, and six and a half million pounds later the line from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie was completed. The Trans Australian Railway made travel from east and west a reality.
It was a monumental engineering achievement . . . and it brought a new lease of life to a town in decline as a sea port. Track gangs worked from Port Augusta, supplies went through the town, and new carriages were built in the town's workshops. Port Augusta became a major cross-road in Australia's railway system and it's links with the Trans-Australian and the equally famous Ghan remain today.
The award winning Wadlata Outback Centre is a fascinating look at the past, the present and the future. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards.sa.com.au
Wadlata Outback Centre
41 Flinders Terrace
Port Augusta, South Australia 5700Opening Hours: 9.00 - 5.30 Mon - Fri 10.00 - 4.00 Sat - Sun
Phone: (08) 8642 4511
Adult $8.95
Snrs & pensioners $7.95
Children & Students $5.50
Family Pass $19.95.
