IBM 4381 Avbl in South Australia

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Mon Feb 21 23:19:16 2000

----- Original Message -----
From: David C. Jenner <djenner_at_halcyon.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, 22 February 2000 1:56
Subject: Re: IBM 4381 Avbl in South Australia


> Looks to me like you would have to buy the 3.9 MWatt diesel powerplant
> to run the IBM 4381 setup.

ROFL. Very likely. The power plant also ran the HUGE airconditioning
systems, not just for the computers, but the radomes and other buildings
as well. I have no idea how much power the computers would have drawn,
but I would imagine it was considerable. To run it elsewhere would require
it to be downsized somewhat I would imagine.

> In fact, this whole place looks like it could be a great buy. You could
> make it into a "Classic Computer Resort", and fly people in for vacations
> or sabbaticals.

Well, the real estate would probably be cheap, but I think it's still part
of
the Woomera Restricted Area. Crown land.

As for the rest? Interesting concept, but there's not a lot there except
desert
and the old rocket range. (Which is supposed to be being taken over to
launch
commercial satellites in conjunction with the Russians(?))
The communal canteen/restaurant at Woomera is still called the ELDO Mess.
(European Launcher Development Organisation)

45C+ in summer, -5C overnight in Winter. < 5" rain per annum. Most of that
in
summer thunderstorms, plus tropical rain depressions from collapsed cyclones
in the NW of Australia that drift down south far enough. (Happening now,
actually)
Relative humidity usually around 1%. Hang your washing on the line, by the
time
you've finished, it's ready to bring in. Bone dry & rock hard.
(Well, it's the dryest state of the dryest continent on Earth after all)
I used to live in Leigh Creek (open cut brown coal mine for the power
stations at
Port Augusta 250 miles south) about 85 miles due east of Woomera on the
other
side of Lake Torrens. (Salt pan - only a lake every few years)

> (There must be an airfield that goes with it, too?

Yes. Big sealed runway/apron.

> Maybe even a few C-5As?)

Unfortunately, no.
(some TALU acft loading gear was in the tender stuff, though it has now been
withdrawn from sale)

It WAS served by USAF C141 Starlifters. I used to work them on
VHF when I was at Leigh Creek FS. (it was our airspace, there is a tower at
Woomera
but it is only manned if the RAAF have an exercise on there. (About as often
as total
eclipses.) Airspace belongs to Adelaide now, since Leigh Creek FS closed
down.)
MAC & a 5 digit number were the callsigns.
I remember they had a pavement dispensation to land at Woomera before they
beefed
up the pavement a bit. Long strip anyway. The govt stashed it's ex-RAAF
Mirage III's
there in mothballs before they sold them to Pakistan. (Same climate as
Davis-Monthan)

> Maybe we could pool our resources and make a bid on the whole place?

It'd be interesting to see what sells for how much. Mining companies will
snap up
the power plant and much of the buildings I'd say. Doubtful about the
chiller plant,
though it would be capable of doing an entire small town if you wanted to.
(Gove in the NT is like that - central airconditioning for the whole town -
piped through
to your house for a monthly fee - works well.)
(Western Mining Corporation has a VERY big Uranium mine about 90 miles north
at a place called Roxby Downs (originally Olympic Dam). Big town now.
The rest may be hard to unload, partly because of WHERE it is.
The market for gigantic Radomes and in outback Australia would seem to be
rather small, but you never know.
The houses should go pretty well, the ones from Leigh Creek got sold and
trucked down
south. Cost a bit, but since the houses went for around $15-20k each, add
about $3-5k for
the move and you saved about $20k on the price of a new one on your site.
These will probably go for much the same price I imagine.

Cheers

Geoff Roberts
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Mark's College
Port Pirie, South Australia.
Email: geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au
           netcafe_at_pirie.mtx.net.au
ICQ #: 1970476
Received on Mon Feb 21 2000 - 23:19:16 GMT