Lasseters Reef

[AndyG]

Furphy or is it out there waiting?

Would be a great basis for an expedition.

[gromit]

Others have tried, Lasseter died trying.

LASSETER'S REEF (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/161.htm)

Colin

[bob10]

Many have tried. I've been to Lasseters cave, a lonely old place, near a dry creek bed. Plenty of rabbits when we were there, surprisingly. Not there when he was there, obviously. Bob [ the bush tuckers mans story is probably the best of this bunch]


Lasseter's lost reef of gold - YouTube (http://youtu.be/glN4eZqVm4I)


Lasseters Cave Near Docker River - YouTube (http://youtu.be/VvTKB1pw97c)




Bush Tucker Man - Stories of Survival - Gold Fever - YouTube (http://youtu.be/I2nWlbIgm58)

[ramblingboy42]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=78045&stc=1&d=1401595000

this is a Furphy.........

[bob10]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=78045&stc=1&d=1401595000

this is a Furphy.........


And your point is? Bob [ do you think Lasseter actually found the reef, or was he barking mad?]

[ramblingboy42]

....made.
Den

[Chops]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=78045&stc=1&d=1401595000

this is a Furphy.........

Haha,, and a very nice example of one at that too :D

[bob10]

Charles Ulm thought it was too. Bob


149. LANDMARKS. "I remembered the landmarks, and we found the reef again". COOTE 27
Lasseter never produced any creditable directions or bearings to his gold (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/161.htm) reef (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/161.htm), his stated reasons being the inaccuracy of the watches when he and Harding (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/120.htm) returned to the reef in 1900, and his suspicion that Blakeley (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/30.htm) and Bailey would dispense with his services as the expeditions guide if they became aware of the location of the bonanza. During the first interview in Baileys office Lasseter was deliberately vague, placing the reef at the western end of the MacDonnell ranges and near the borders of Central and Western Australia.
Amongst other things, Central Australia is noted for its prominent and distinctive landmarks and Lasseter reassured his potential backers that, "I found it by landmarks with Harding (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/120.htm) so there's no doubt I could do it again", during the initial meeting Coote (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/60.htm) makes three references to Lasseter's certainty of relocating the reef by landmarks alone, thus making the story of the inaccurate watches quite superfluous.
It was Charles Ulm who cast the first doubt on Lasseter's navigation by pointing out that by his calculations the reef was somewhere in the Indian ocean and the lapse of thirty years since he last visited the reef would make those landmarks, "slightly hazy in the mental picture after all that time", Lasseter replied that, "if you had seen that country under the conditions I did you would never forget those landmarks".
Of course the reef and its unforgettable landmarks were entirely a figment of Lasseter's imagination, as Blakeley began to suspect three days out from Alice Springs when Lasseter began to 'recognise' his former camping places and other landmarks, one being an inaccessible cave high in a cliff, Blakeley decided to put Lasseter's veracity to the test regarding the nature of the country to Illbilla (http://www.lasseteria.com/CYCLOPEDIA/130.htm), "however Harry would not risk predicting what was ahead of us".
By 1930 Lasseter would be seeing his landmarks for the third time, the first being from the east in 1897, then from the west with Harding in 1900, those unforgettable landmarks should be very clear in Lasseter's mind. It's probably not surprising to know that Lasseter never made a map of those landmarks, he had none to make a map of.

[AndyG]

So as nutty as a fruit cake

[bob10]

So as nutty as a fruit cake


Far too much sun, they say. Wouldn't it be a pity if he did find the reef, and slipped on his marbles afterwards. We may never know. Bob

[AndyG]

Sort of person who would buy an end of life Defender

[bob10]

Sort of person who would buy an end of life Defender


Or a 2000 Discovery 2, but we luv 'em. Bob

[Saitch]

See if you can find an Ion Idress book titled "Lasseters Last Ride"
As a matter of fact all his books are a good read in my opinion. I had the privilege of my dad having a set of autographed books which I read. Unfortunately some have been misplaced over the years.
Steve

[bob10]

Just off topic a bit, when we left Lasseters cave, we continued on to Giles MET. station, across the border into W.A. . What fascinated me was, their power was supplied by a diesel engine from a WW2 U-Boat. Maybech, I think. Part of the war booty distributed after WW2. As far as I know, it's probably still going.


After serving as Charge Tiff on a Fremantle patrol boat, fitted with 2x MTU 16V538TB91 diesel engines, where each maintenance routine has it's own dedicated tool kit, and coming from an Attack class boat, with British 2x 16 YJCM turbo charged Paxman diesel engines , where you needed articulated arms to attempt maintenance , I can now appreciate the difference. Bob


German U-Boot Diesel MWM RS 34 S running smoothly at Maschinenmuseum Kiel - YouTube (http://youtu.be/cKACzhlRL6U)

[bob10]

Been found..... apparently....Bob





THE man who founded Darwin's Beer Can Regatta says he has discovered Central Australia's fabled Lasseter's Gold reef _ and is getting ready to mine it.

Darwin businessman Lutz Frankenfeld said he has known where Lasseter's reef was for years. He found the site by carefully studying accounts of Lasseter's second and fatal trip to find the gold.
"There are a lot of major landmarks to find before you can consider it the area – and we've found all of those," he said.
Mr Frankenfeld said that the reef is often hidden by sand after flooding.
He said he has had Central Land Council permission to mine the site since 1994 and is now negotiating with a mining company for a potential joint venture agreement to develop the project.
Mr Frankenfeld says he has had an exploration lease over the area for almost 25 years and has been slowly organising his plan to mine it.
He said the site was almost 500km west of Alice Springs on the border of Western Australia.
Harold Lasseter said he stumbled on a quartz gold reef seven miles long, four to seven feet high, and 12 feet wide in 1897 at the age of 17. He said it bulged with gold. Lasseter died searching for the lost reef in 1931.
Since then at least 13 major expeditions have set out to find the treasure, but all have failed.
And Lasseter's grandson Robert Lasseter jnr said just as many have claimed they have struck it lucky.
"My mum had a fellow on the phone last night from New Zealand who claimed he found it," he said.
But Bob jnr said he did believe the gold reef existed. "Some day someone will find it," he said.
Darwin historian Peter Forrest has written that he believes Lasseter made up the story about the fabulous reef.
"I haven't been given any information to make me change my mind ... but I have been wrong before," he said yesterday.

[ramblingboy42]

Lutz? Wow!

He is a gold digger in his own right.

The guy must be getting on in years now.....but finding Lassiters Reef?....yep sounds like Lutz.

I'm sorry I can't help being cynical.....

I shall ask a friend....

[Pickles2]

Just off topic a bit, when we left Lasseters cave, we continued on to Giles MET. station, across the border into W.A. . What fascinated me was, their power was supplied by a diesel engine from a WW2 U-Boat. Maybech, I think. Part of the war booty distributed after WW2. As far as I know, it's probably still going.


After serving as Charge Tiff on a Fremantle patrol boat, fitted with 2x MTU 16V538TB91 diesel engines, where each maintenance routine has it's own dedicated tool kit, and coming from an Attack class boat, with British 2x 16 YJCM turbo charged Paxman diesel engines , where you needed articulated arms to attempt maintenance , I can now appreciate the difference. Bob


German U-Boot Diesel MWM RS 34 S running smoothly at Maschinenmuseum Kiel - YouTube (http://youtu.be/cKACzhlRL6U)

Your experience in these boats would be very interesting to hear Bob.
I grew up in England, where as a boy I was familiar, with the (Packard/Merlin engined?) M.T.B.'s, the Vosper RAAF Air Sea Rescue Launch, and of course the German "E Boat", which had a fearsome reputation.
I don't have much "in depth" knowledge, so maybe you could create a separate thread about the stuff you know?
Cheers, Pickles.

[boa]

When I was working in WA as an academic baby sitter (field assistant) on a number of trips in that area we had an elder from that area as a guide and also as a person to give us permission to enter certain areas. I did raise this with him and he said it does exist but has been kept quite by the locals. Not wanting to get into an argument but they were hard done by as I saw it. These were one of the last people to be brought out of the desert there is a film about him but it is not allowed to be seen without permission If it does exist it will be found eventually. I did go to his funeral in Warburton when he was killed by two people who were never charged. But we're responsible for his safety. A sad loss.

[Hay Ewe]

So all the exploration and surveys done over this land and no one knows where it is?
Myth me thinks

Hay Ewe

[boa]

The area in question is large even companies in that time and up to recent times hid things. Company reports had there own grid reference. Back in the day's it was a step out from the true location.

[ramblingboy42]

I do believe the SA govt funded a search operation for the gold at one stage.

I remember my dad telling me with a smile on his face that the SA govt was hoping the gold could be found and that all the unemployed men would rush up to stake claims and mine it.

typical govt trying to reduce unemployment figures.....

maybe someone knows this story.....was it during the depression?...hence the employment problem....?

[DiscoMick]

I vote for the furphy. Surely the mining companies, with their sophisticated methods, would have found it a long time ago if it really existed.
This is the only furphy I think really exists:
http://www.furphys.com.au/

[bob10]

Your experience in these boats would be very interesting to hear Bob.
I grew up in England, where as a boy I was familiar, with the (Packard/Merlin engined?) M.T.B.'s, the Vosper RAAF Air Sea Rescue Launch, and of course the German "E Boat", which had a fearsome reputation.
I don't have much "in depth" knowledge, so maybe you could create a separate thread about the stuff you know?
Cheers, Pickles.


To be quite honest, I've never considered my story interesting , pretty ordinary, really. But I did see the last 21 inch torpedo fired from an Aussie destroyer......Bob

[bob10]

Lutz? Wow!

He is a gold digger in his own right.

The guy must be getting on in years now.....but finding Lassiters Reef?....yep sounds like Lutz.

I'm sorry I can't help being cynical.....

I shall ask a friend....


I believe that article is a couple of years old, from the NT news. Beer can regatta, the memories. Larakeyah Army base always had an entry, one of the biggest. They even took it across to Mandorah, after the regatta each year, weather permitting, with a safety boat of course. For those who aren't aware, Mandorah is on the opposite side of the bay to Darwin. Not a bad effort for a beer can boat, Bob

[Pickles2]

To be quite honest, I've never considered my story interesting , pretty ordinary, really. But I did see the last 21 inch torpedo fired from an Aussie destroyer......Bob
Well, I would suggest that you start a new thread, which I, with my very limited knowledge of the subject, will support.
Over to you,...you may be surprised at the response.
Pickles.