Sierra Nevada Airstreams: Memories - Travelogues

	Ken and Jeannette Sellars
Drilling Rig

Ken and Jeannette's trip across Central Australia in May 2010

Photo gallery of the river survey

August 2, 2010

Today an eight person test drilling team is to arrive to stay in accommodation at Mango Farm and they are to drill test holes for pylons of a proposed bridge, at three locations that are the last of five options for a bridge location. The Government had previously announced that the bridge would be completed before the end of the dry season four years ago!!!, so they are not far advanced yet!!

About two months ago Gary was contacted by the contractor of the drilling to request several days exclusive occupation of the Mango Farm boat ramp to park a 100 ton crane on the turning spot to be used to place a barge in the river and load on the drilling equipment. The contractor agreed to a fee and re-instatement of any damage resulting from the activity.

My response was that I would doubt that the river bank would hold the 100 ton crane without sliding into the river! When the team boss arrived he expressed similar doubts. We learned that the main contractor believed that the aboriginal people would not allow the Crossing to be used for the purpose and that was why they chose Mango Farm boat ramp from "GOOGLE EARTH".(know as a desktop audit!)

The main contractor had also intended the drilling team would sleep in tents at the cheaper accommodation on the West side of the river, around at Perry's camping ground, which is where the fire was last Wednesday, however the drill team boss, said "no way" to the crew living in tents doing all their own cooking etc.

The contractor has since looked at Banyan Farm boat ramp as an alternative launch spot, BUT, two close sand bars, one upstream, one downstream may be a problem. The Geologist and team boss surveyed the job in a tinny (dingy) last week.

So a 100 ton barge is going to be launched from somewhere, loaded with drilling equipment, and maneuvered into at least three separate locations on the river, one of which was marked with pink surveys tape in a photo you have. The barge is 4 metres wide!!!(13 feet) 

I think the Crossing may become the launch pad, but sand-bars and submerged snags (trees) will be an issue, and as you saw when you went upstream some of the drilling team were at the Crossing discussing things. Logically accidentally slipping into the river would be a usual risk in that type of drilling operation.

August 3, 2010

They intended launching this afternoon, but the drilling team did not arrive at the Crossing, so they preparation crew packed up and the crane crew headed for Mango Farm, BUT!!! a stabilizing foot that was left on fell off on the corrugated road and as the following four tyres went over the foot all four tyres were blown out.

The driver said they are worth $2000.00 AU per tyre, but they are rare and may not be available?????? The crane is about 500km from the turnoff to Mango Farm on the Port Keats Road. So the project may be stalled indefinitely at this time, may know more tomorrow.

August 10, 2010

The actual survey has gone very well, holes complete yesterday, Geologist in Charge checking the core samples, but they did find the required thickness of rock, and no one fell overboard, so if the they had been able, they would have had a crane in late yesterday to lift the barge.

At 1400hrs today (8/10/10) the arrangement was that a crane is leaving Darwin at 0600hrs tomorrow and the Geologist in Charge estimated that the barge would be lifted out at about 1400hrs tomorrow (Wednesday).(and there is a high tide!)

At 1500hrs when we returned from Nauiyu having gone to collect the mail, the situation was that the drilling crew that had to be flown back to Perth in Western Australia had left to go to Darwin and the Darwin based drillers who thought they would get some recreational leave had been re-ordered to commence another drilling job tomorrow morning somewhere in the Northern Territory.

That meant there would not be a three person crew to load the barge?????????????????????

So the Darwin based crew are trying to catch the Perth based crew before they board a plane and send them back to Daly River to load the barge!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Geologist in Charge claims he was still a young man last week when they commenced this job, but he is looking old now!

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