Marble Bar

Situated 303 km from Newman. The party met with the local Road Board and held a Public meeting in the evening. ‘23 men and 2 women present’ [diary]They also visited the local hospital which was conducted by the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). AIM was established in 1912 when the Rev John Flynn was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to establish a ‘mantle of safety’ to care for the health of remote and rural people. A series of hospitals and nursing posts were created. Flynn improved outback radio communication and in 1928 created the AIM Aerial Medical service, which later became The Royal Flying Doctor Service. Marble Bar is rated as the hottest town in Australia. It holds a world record for 160 days of 100 deg F (37.8 deg C) between 31st October 1923 and 7th April 1924.At the Mining Warden’s Office, the party was shown a ledger ‘one inch thick with a hole eaten right through by ants’ [diary]. The ‘book had only laid on the counter for four days’ [diary].