Dogs & Chains

very time our people go to South Australia, they seem to be drawn to one of many wine regions for some reason. At the risk of sounding like a tourism marketing type – not that there’s anything wrong with that, just ask the prime minister – there’s far more to it than that. Take the, filmed by John Heyer and the Shell Film Unit. This film won Australia’s first International Grand Prix Assoluto at the Venice Biennale (1954). The truck was first imported by local Outback transport operator and mail contractor Harry Ding. In 1936 Ding, at his main base in Yunta, secured the Marree-to-Birdsville mail contract, a 1,000 kilometre round trip to tiny towns and enormous cattle stations. One of his workers, the 21-year-old Tom Kruse, began the first delivery under Ding’s contract on 1 January 1936.” As said, worth a pilgrimage.