‘A Traveller’s Notes’ Indonesia
In this 2014 article Bill Dalton tells of the early years
The Founding of Moon Publications: For the Love of Travel - Moon Travel Guides
also in this interview from February 2003
Travel Writers: Bill Dalton
And … as unlikely as .. an original of Bill’s first publication did survive !
A friend (who still lives near Nimbin) purchased
A Traveller’s Notes from Bill during the Nimbin Aquarius Festival.
In the article Bill writes of ‘six pages of notes’ .. we do think Bill’s memory falters as the
Traveller’s Notes he printed after hours at the Cairns Public Library is of 5 sheets with 7 pages of notes with sketched maps (the pages are numbered), a front cover, the inside cover has introduction and ‘copywright’, the back page is blank and it’s still held together with two rusty staples in the top left corner.
Also there are two hand pencilled additions. On page 1 the exchange rate of 485 to the ‘Aus. dollar’ is upped to 575 and on page 3 next to ‘Den Pasar’ are some illegible words .. which could be ‘nightmart’ .. something, something, and then ‘cheap’.
Like many others my friend was inspired by
A Traveller’s Notes and in 1974 he set out .. and did get as far as Darwin .. but alas never to Indonesia, he says the
Notes would never have survived the rigours of the journey.
All the early Moon Publications were printed and sold in Australia and the earliest example in the National Library of Australia is a 32 page 1974 reprint of a 1973 edition.
In 1973 there were four editions, listed as:
May '73 - Nimbin ( Northern NSW)
July '73 - Glebe (Sydney, NSW)
Sept '73 - Nth Fitzroy (Melbourne, Victoria)
Dec '73 - Nth Fitzroy
The State Library of NSW has a 1973 Glebe edition with 23 pages and a 1974 Glebe edition of 32 pages.
The State Library of Victoria has a 1973 North Fitzroy edition with 32 pages.
Of the first Nimbin edition there appears to be none. The Nimbin Museum, which may have had one in its Aquarian archives, was destroyed by fire in August 2014.
It’s quite possible that my friend has the only surviving first edition and that it is of some rare value, he hopes, as he would like to sell it to fund a trip to India.
Suggestions on where to find the market for such unique oddities are welcome, discussion on the liberal contents of said publication rather to be avoided in sensitive times.
