NM/F/206 on Mount Ford, Western Australia

NM/F/206 on Mount Ford, Western Australia, July 2019 (courtesy Connor Maggots).

In 1964 Reg Ford was in charge of a field party of eleven men which included John Allen and Kevin Snell. Their task was a Theodolite/Tellurometer traverse from Halls Creek to Well 35 on the Canning Stock Route, WA, including beaconing and track making. Note that the then track called the Canning Stock Route bypassed Wells 46 and 47 and travelled direct Well 45 to Well 48. It was only in later years that a track was found so that travel could be undertaken via Wells 46 and 47. The bypass route was made by Bill Moyle and paid for by Natmap so as to ease the strain on the vehicles during the 1964 traverse work. Mount Ford was accessed from this bypass route so today Mount Ford is some 20 kilometres east of the usual vehicle route. Indications are that the unofficially named Moyle's Track is being reclaimed by nature as most Stock Route travellers now use the later well-to-well route. Mount Ford was named in honour of National Mapping's Reginald Arthur (Reg) Ford who on 1 January 1968 was awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) (BEM-(C)) for meritorious service (for his national mapping effort; particularly to the national geodetic survey). As far as the records show, after its construction in 1964, NM/F/206 was next occupied in 1972 during Aerodist line measuring operations for Blocks 19 and 21, but since then has only been visited by passing travellers. Now after some 55 years the 2019 photograph shows the rock cairn in almost pristine condition with only the black paint on the vanes being weathered. This link will take you to Mount Ford in the Great Sandy Desert in Google Maps; click the Satellite icon at the lower left of the map view to see the more detailed satellite view.

Mount Ford from Moyle's Track in 1964 (courtesy Kevin Snell).