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Rabbit Flat is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia about 160 kilometres (100 mi) from the Western Australia border. It lies between the Tanami Mine (45 km NW) and The Granites Mine (53 km SE) on the Tanami Road.
Contents
Roadhouse
The former Rabbit Flat Roadhouse claimed to be the most isolated roadhouse in Australia, with no other roadhouse within 100 kilometres (62 mi). It was established on 14 June 1969 by Bruce Farrands and his wife Jackie, a French national. An arrangement had been agreed between the Farrands and Ansett-Pioneer Coaches to provide overnight tent accommodation for a tourist route between Alice Springs and Darwin via Wave Hill, now known as Kalkarindji.
The location was chosen because of the availability of water at the Rabbit Flat well, on the stock route from Alice Springs to Halls Creek. By December 1969 Rabbit Flat had been selected as a weather reporting station by the Bureau of Meteorology. The roadhouse became a stop for fuel, food and souvenirs over time. An orchard of fruit trees grew nearby and jams and preservatives were produced on site.
On the morning of 6 August 1975 intense media interest was aroused when twin boys were born to the Farrands at the Rabbit Flat Roadhouse. Neither the surprised parents nor medical staff in Alice Springs were aware that more than one baby was expected. Mother Jackie and the babies were flown to Alice Springs hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia for observation, as the boys were six weeks premature. The pilot of the RFDS aircraft is reported to have quipped on arrival in Alice Springs, that "the population of Rabbit Flat doubled last night". A documentary film was produced about Rabbit Flat by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for their television series A Big Country.
Closure of the Roadhouse
After more than 41 years of service, the Farrands decided to close the roadhouse to all services except weather reporting and the sale of souvenirs and preserved goods. The change occurred on 31 December 2010.
Weather station
The roadhouse manager maintained the weather station at Rabbit Flat, the closest climatic station being at Balgo, a small Aboriginal community 212 kilometres (132 mi) to the West; the airstrip is 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) away. The climate from the weather station is in the table: