Rabbit Flat, Northern Territory
Rabbit Flat is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia about 160 kilometres (99 mi) from the Western Australia border.
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[edit] Roadhouse
The Rabbit Flat Roadhouse is claimed to be the most isolated roadhouse in Australia, with no other roadhouses within 100 kilometres (62 mi). It is located about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tanami Road formerly known as the Tanami Track which runs from Alice Springs in central Australia northwest to Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.[1]
Rabbit Flat is between the Tanami Mine (45 km NW) and The Granites Mine (53 km SE) on the Tanami Road. It was established on 14 June 1969 by Bruce Farrands and his wife Jackie, a French national. An arrangement had been agreed between the Farrands and Ansett-Pioneer Coaches to provide overnight tent accommodation for a tourist route between Alice Springs and Darwin via Wave Hill, now known as Kalkaringi.
The location was chosen due to the availability of water at Rabbit Flat well, which was on the stock route from Alice Springs to Halls Creek. By December 1969, Rabbit Flat had been selected as a weather reporting station by the Bureau of Meteorology. The roadhouse became a stop for fuel, food and souvenirs as time progressed. An orchard of citrus trees grows nearby, as the weather conditions are suitable, so jams and preservatives are produced on site.
On the morning of 6 August 1975, intense media interest was aroused when twin boys were born to the Farrands at the Rabbit Flat Roadhouse. Neither the surprised parents nor medical staff in Alice Springs were aware that more than one baby was expected. Mother Jackie and the babies were flown to Alice Springs hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia for observation, as the boys were six weeks premature. The pilot of the RFDS aircraft is reported to have quipped on arrival in Alice Springs, "the population of Rabbit Flat doubled last night".[2] A documentary film was produced about Rabbit Flat by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for their television series A Big Country.[citation needed]
[edit] Closure of the Roadhouse
After more than 41 years of service, the Farrands decided to close the roadhouse to all services except weather reporting and the sale of souvenirs and preservatives. It was closed on 31 December 2010, however the roadhouse opened an online store selling their souvenirs and preserves in late 2011.[3]
[edit] Weather station
The roadhouse manager maintains the weather station at Rabbit Flat, the closest climatic station being at Balgo, a small Aboriginal community 212 kilometres (132 mi) to the West; the airstrip is 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) away.
[edit] References
- ^ Hema Maps (2006). Australia’s Great Desert Tracks NC Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland. ISBN 978-1-86500-163-0.
- ^ Marsh, B (2009). Outback Towns and Pubs. Australia: Harper Collins. p. 224. ISBN 978 0 7333 2452 9 (pbk.).
- ^ courtesy Farrands, B. Pers.Comm.
[edit] Map reference
- Westprint Heritage Maps.(2002) Tanami Track: Alice Springs, The Granites, Rabbit Flat, Billiluna, Halls Creek / compiled by John Deckert ; cartographic design and production by Flat Earth Mapping. 3rd ed. Scale 1:1,000,000 (E 127°20’ -- E 134°00’/S 17°25’ --S 24°00’) Nhill, Vic. : Westprint Heritage Maps. ISBN 9781875608119 also known as Westprint Heritage Maps for modern explorers.
