... from the Defence Department to survey the air race route from Longreach in Queensland to Katherine in the Northern Territory, leaving supplies along the way for the competitors. Driving by Model T Ford, their 51 day, 2179km journey brought upon them the realisation that an air service was the key in linking remote outback settlements1. Fysh later wrote: "We were convinced of the important part aircraft would eventually play in transporting mail, passengers and freight over the sparsely populated and practically roadless areas of western and northern Queensland and North Australia." 2 To realise their vision, the men required financial backing. The key, they discovered, was in the wealth of the outback station owners and graziers, who knew first hand the difficulties outback land travel provided. One such grazier was Fergus McMaster. He was crossing the sandy bed of Queensland's Cloncurry River when his car broke an axle. McGinness helped recover the ...

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