Never before had any pastoral station on the North-West Coast had such
a visitation, and the homestead was filled to capacity with specialists
of every description. Huge telescopes and cameras, including one 40 ft
long were set up, and wireless equipment of the most modern type was
installed. Wireless was a novelty in those days, and the inconvenience
caused to the station personnel was more than made up for by the
excitement of hearing broadcasts from all over the world.
In addition to flying the regular service, Kingsford Smith & I flew
many special trips in & out of Wallal, but we had to content
ourselves with watching the eclipse from Port Hedland. It was a vaguely
disturbing sight, with the sun almost completely obscured during the
passage of the moon, and when semi-darlness occurred towards midday,
the fowls retired to roost.
After the eclipse the photographs taken at Wallal were flown to Perth
for developing & printing. Reports stated later that the results at
Wallal were equal to the best of those obtained in other parts of the
world, and in some cases, better. Such statements confirmed
Nor'Westers in their opinion that their skies were clearer, & their
horizons wider than in most other places around the world.
After the scientific equipment had been dismantled, its dispatch back
to Perth was another big job for the Airways. The surplus stres left at
Wallal enabled the station to live high for some time, and for weeks
after, whenever a pilot was late into Port Hedland, he always claimed
he was "delayed at Wallal" for some obscure reason.