Talbot Crosses Australia Again 100 Years Later

This very same car will be the centrepiece of the Off the Beaten Track: A Journey Across the Nation travelling exhibition, presented by the National Motor Museum. The exhibition explores the centenary of this momentous event and its legacy, will cover the original route as closely as possible, and will leave Adelaide 100 years later to the day, on 30 June.

For a country that contains some of the most isolated communities in the world, the ability to significantly reduce travel times cannot be underestimated. The motor car was in many ways a revolutionary tool in opening up the Australian continent in a way that had never before been possible.

This crossing was important not just because it was an incredibly courageous thing to do, but more particularly because it proved that even Australia’s harsh terrain could be made accessible by the motor car – and thus it heralded great changes for the outback.

The travelling exhibition will be take place from 30 June – 20 August this year and will be contained within a purpose-built trailer which will double as an exhibition space. As a result the exhibition will be set up almost anywhere, including schools and community centres, making it accessible to everyone along the way. The exhibition will explore the dramatic original journey undertaken by Dutton and Aunger. It will also allow visitors to contemplate the land that was traversed: the wide variations in climate and geography, and also the traditional owners of these lands. Schools will be visited along the way, and education and activity packs will be provided.

The public is invited to share in this celebration by visiting the exhibition on route from Adelaide to Darwin over the fifty two day period. The Talbot is very much a celebration of the great Australian road trip and in many ways it was the pioneer of this now traditional right of passage. So if you are planning your trip through the great Australian outback, make sure you rendezvous with the 1908 Talbot and celebrate a truly remarkable Australian journey.

The exhibition will be officially welcomed at Alice Springs and later in Darwin, on 20 August. Prior to leaving, the exhibition will also be on display at the National Motor Museum from 16-22 June and then at the Torrens Parade Ground, City from 23-27 June.

The exhibition’s curator will be available for interview via satellite at any time during the trip and will be updating a dedicated web page with images and a blog at www.history.sa.gov.au.