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 Original 1930 Lionel 213 Orange Cattle car  US $250.00
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 1930s Lionel 213 Mojave Maroon Cattle car US $795.00
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 ANTIQUE LIONEL 213 CATTLE CAR STANDARD GAUGE RESTORED US $18.50
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 Lionel 11 30015 No 513 Standard Gauge Cattle Car US $35.00
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 Lionel 513 Cattle Car VG EX US $.99
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 Lionel Pre war 513 Cattle car Look US $39.99
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 Lionel 113 Standard Ga Cattle Car US $34.95
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 Original 1930 Lionel 213 Orange Cattle car US $295.00
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 LIONEL 13 GREEN CATTLE CAR NICE US $89.00
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 LIONEL 513 GREEN AND ORANGE CATTLE CAR US $69.00
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 Lionel Std 200 Series Cattle Car Door Runner Grab US $10.00
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 213 STANDARD G CATTLE CAR LIONEL BRASS PLATES EARLY MTH US $139.99
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 MTH Standard Gauge 213 Cattle Car US $250.00
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 LIONEL 513 OLIVE GREEN ORANGE CATTLE CAR US $69.00
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 Repro Lionel 113 Cattle car doors 1 pair brass unptd US $14.95
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 AMERICAN FLYER 4020 WIDE GAUGE CATTLE CAR RSTD NICE US $125.00
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Which of the following factors did not help make cattle drives profitable?
1.new railroads with refrierated cars
2.growing cities demanding beef
3.cattle trails
4.barbed-wire fencing
4 firstly,finishlingly 1
Car Hire: Queensland Coast Drive
Many associate Australia with the arid desertscapes familiar from much Australian iconography: Ayres Rock, outback and endless dusty cattle ranches. Queensland is different: the north-eastern reaches of Australia fall within the tropical zone.
A coastal drive from Cairns to Port Douglas is a good way of experiencing the best of what the region has to offer. From the UK it is possible to fly directly to Brisbane. From there it is easy to take a connecting flight to Cairns, the main hub in northern Queensland.
Car hire in Australia need not be expensive and although there is a train connection up to the Kuranda Nature Reserve the car affords greater freedom to explore. Cairns itself is a likeable place and there is enough here to justify at least an overnight stop. The lively Esplanade is packed with restaurants and bars and is thronged with revellers in the evenings. Otherwise there is a regional gallery exhibiting Australian art and, more unusually, there is a museum on the history of the flying doctors (the medical service, not the daytime soap). Cairns is also something of a Mecca for bungee jumpers. Those who enjoy the sensation of falling secured only by a piece of elastic are well served here: there are several operators peddling these thrills from purpose built platforms.
Once the car hire has been sorted out it is only an hour’s drive (60 miles) up the coast to Port Douglas. On the way, the Kuranda Reserve protects swathes of rain forest. There are campsites here with basic amenities. Rangers offer guided tours through the forest with good chances of seeing fresh water crocodiles,”freshies”, and turtles.
Port Douglas is an idyllic small community framed between forested slopes, endless beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. The four mile beach is a real draw of course but many come here to check out the reef either on a day cruise or through a supervised scuba dive. Most of the reef is a designated marine reserve, unique in the scale of its coral growths and richness of its sea life (innumerable species of fish, numerous sea snakes). So called “wonky holes” feed these reefs with nutrient rich fresh water which fosters the growth of the coral although pollution from agricultural run-off is a constant and growing threat.
Cheap car hire in Australia allows a certain flexibility in terms of shaping an itinerary. If time allowed, it would be quite possible to deposit a vehicle hired in Cairns back in Brisbane for those ready for a 1400 mile stretch. Spread over a few days this would convey the real vastness of Australia.
20.3.2008
About the Author
Mark Lauterwein is a UK based writer. He is currently writing articles on a variety of subjects.
