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El Questro Station.

El Questro is the station mentioned yesterday. North of the Speewah. Access is gained between the two properties by a divide we called the jumpup. You Americans would call it an open canyon perhaps. El Questro cattle would cross the jumpup and to get to better pasture on the Speewah. A costly irritation for the El Questro owners.
I purchased my first aeroplane from an El Questro part owner. A Cessna 172 for some 6K. In return I agreed to muster for them for payment of $13 per hour the same as I had previously paid for it’s hire.
El Questro had a romantic homestead on a piece of flat soft ground, maybe a couple of hundred acres. Very close by it had a cool water gorge and a great place to cool off. On the west side was the Chamberlain gorge, a windy river with high cliffs either side. Stony ground with cattle but almost too difficult to walk them out as it needed to cross the rocky river just too many times. Up on the western side was an Afghans camp. Difficult to spot as it was really just a yard for camels I suppose. A bit of history. Afghans used to transport goods from way down south, some two thousand miles away commencing about the mid 1800’s to about the 1930’s.

El Questro was owned by a syndicate of 4, all well know people from far away Victoria. They were

Tom Connor was a farm machinery manufacturer. When once we were visiting his factory son Dennis took a liking to his electric 3 wheel bike. Full of excitement Dennis asked if he could have a job in this hospitable mans factory. Sure says Mr Connor who then goes on to tell us about several country boys who came to work for him. They were to make scarifier points, hot furnace work and repetitious. Tom said they all returned to school and took up successful apprenticeships and professions.
Des Lagoon had a gold dredge near Bendigo Vic and by chance I latter got to know his son Charles.
George Lancil's ancestors developed gold in Bendigo. The name is seen around the city.
Edgar Picklewas a farmer in southern NSW. His claim to fame was his WW2 service as a squadron leader in the 4 engine Lancaster Bomber. He operated 50 flights over Europe. He was decorated.
Edgar is quoted below.

“We did 15 trips on our first tour and we were the senior crew on the squadron … We’d lost the entire squadron except for two crews. That was pretty sticky. The squadron strength was about 24, I think. So we’d probably lost 20 or 22 crews by the time I’d done 15 trips.

Edgar purchased a Beech Bonanza and had what he described as an ILS (instrument landing system) installed on his farm. That was to leave the back veranda light on and hang a lantern on the airstrip threshold fence. It was, and still is, the talk of other local aviators.
Forward to 1969. In the beer garden of the Kununurra pub, when Patsy was 9 months pregnant Edgar asked her what child she would like. A 7 and half pound boy. Edgar promised me a bottle of Haig Dimple if she delivered. She did and so did Edgar.
Now back to El Questro. When the afternoon sun shines on the Cockburn Range on the northern boundary the vision is just spectacular.
Today El Questro is a tourist resort. I called the booking agent and enquired the availability and cost. I was connected with a woman in the US. and the conversation was both difficult and awkward. The cost per couple ran from $409 to $2450 per night AUD. I’m please when I stayed at El Questro I was paid to work there. That sort of cost would empty ones bank account rather rapidly.


To the north of the Cockburn range is Home Valley. That's tomorrow.