Talk about winding down and I forgot last nights blog and we had planned to still be out tonight!
Yesterday morning started with a rock climb. We had been there on the way north first time on our way to Kalgoorlie but it was good to be back at the rock. This rock on the eastern edge of Merredin is huge both in height and in area so the climb used up a bit of energy. Around the beginning of the last century some clever people built a wall around the perimeter of the rock. Then they built a channel to put the water thus accumulated into a dam that they built. All very clever, mind you copying an aboriginal idea, and the water was used to supply the town and the growing railway.
Then westward we went past the Hines and Baandee lake systems which spread over quite a large area. Then on to Meckering, famous for earthquakes many years ago, where the local shire has provided a free camp in town, a very small town, next to a memorial rose garden. They also have a dump point and a potable water tap which is very nice and all for a donation.
Today we took off to zigzag along looking for wildflowers and expecting to stay the night somewhere near Bindoon. We looked at Jennacubbin including the nicely restored tavern but were miles too early for lunch. Then to the Julimar Conservation Forest where we did see a few wildflowers but not as many as we expected. The net result was that after stopping in Bindoon for some bread we headed home.
Tonight and a lot more tonights we will be camping at home. Over the next couple of days I will summarise the trip.
Sunday 11 October 2015
Friday 9 October 2015
Ok we are in wind down mode and due to be home in a couple of days. We would have stayed put in what was a very nice spot except that the flies had total control of the area. So clean up, tidy up and off we went west on Great Eastern Highway. First stop was Yellowdine Roadhouse which had the cheapest diesel on the highway. It turns out there is a new owner, just a week old, and he is putting some effort into attracting new customers. He is a nice guy and it will be a good set up when he is finished. The road is very busy with traffic going both ways and the relatively small number of accidents is amazing considering the way drivers behave. We saw at least 5 potential disasters today, fortunately nothing adverse happened.
We stopped for lunch at a place called Walgoolan where the locals had set up a little gazebo with the areas history. This included the original land holders and their successors, maps of the area and lots of photos which was very interesting.
Then we arrived at Merredin where we are camped at the free camp near the old railway dam and the rock which provides a good lookout view over the town
We stopped for lunch at a place called Walgoolan where the locals had set up a little gazebo with the areas history. This included the original land holders and their successors, maps of the area and lots of photos which was very interesting.
Then we arrived at Merredin where we are camped at the free camp near the old railway dam and the rock which provides a good lookout view over the town
Thursday 8 October 2015
Today we weren't in a hurry and there was water available so, wonder of wonders, we had a shower for the second day in a row. Not that we are dirty as we wash every day and shower every second or third day. So showers then a minor repair as one of the hose clamps had came undone then dump and water and off we went.
First a little cruise around town, I had done a little bit of exploring before breakfast and wanted to show Elaine what I found. This is only a small town but appears quite active. There was a very nice modern looking school run by one of the Christian groups call CAPS (Christian Aboriginal Parent-Directed School) with very nice buildings including a really nice old convent building. Next to the convent was what I beleive to be a very old tin Schule, I will follow up when we get home. There are in fact a lot of nice well preserved old buildings here. Then off to the cemetery where with information from the visitor centre and the shire office we were able to locate the grave of one of my ancestors. Mums grandparents came here at the end on the 19th century, during the goldrush as something to do with the courts, I think. As was not uncommon in those days they had a daughter who died at 3 days old with typhoid. We located the grave, wrote on the headstone and said the mourners prayer for her.
Then back into town where we met up with a couple whom we met on our way north earlier this year. We spent a pleasant hour or so catching up then we went west and they went east. On our way we stopped at a memorial to the 3 truckies who died in a bushfire at Bodallin about 8 years ago. It was very nice and included a lot of detail.
Tonight we are camped at the Bodallin 24 hr rest area which is a nice big area in the bush and we have about 7 neighbours.
First a little cruise around town, I had done a little bit of exploring before breakfast and wanted to show Elaine what I found. This is only a small town but appears quite active. There was a very nice modern looking school run by one of the Christian groups call CAPS (Christian Aboriginal Parent-Directed School) with very nice buildings including a really nice old convent building. Next to the convent was what I beleive to be a very old tin Schule, I will follow up when we get home. There are in fact a lot of nice well preserved old buildings here. Then off to the cemetery where with information from the visitor centre and the shire office we were able to locate the grave of one of my ancestors. Mums grandparents came here at the end on the 19th century, during the goldrush as something to do with the courts, I think. As was not uncommon in those days they had a daughter who died at 3 days old with typhoid. We located the grave, wrote on the headstone and said the mourners prayer for her.
Then back into town where we met up with a couple whom we met on our way north earlier this year. We spent a pleasant hour or so catching up then we went west and they went east. On our way we stopped at a memorial to the 3 truckies who died in a bushfire at Bodallin about 8 years ago. It was very nice and included a lot of detail.
Tonight we are camped at the Bodallin 24 hr rest area which is a nice big area in the bush and we have about 7 neighbours.
Wednesday 7 October 2015
How does the song go 'On the road again........' , but we are nearly home now and that comes with mixed feelings, excitement at seeing our family and the grandchildren again and sadness that the trip is over. Until next year that is!
Late departure today as we both had a shower. According to the Optus coverage map we should have had coverage on iinet all the way home......wrong we ran out shortly after leaving our camp, but we have got it back now. The drive through the Woodlands was very pleasant with lots of trees, shrubs and wildflowers to be seen. Then we stopped at a sign that said Coolgardie Gorge which turned out to be a nearly dry waterhole, but next to it was the remains of a mining operation which we spent some time examining. Then into town which is small but has some very nice old buildings. We followed a sign that said lookout that got us onto a very bad track, but retracing our steps were able to stand on the edge of an abandoned, large open cut mine. Then we found, on the other side of town, the Lions lookout and were treated to the usual superb 360 degree views. The rest of the day was spent researching my maternal great grandparents who had involvement here during the goldrush era, unfortunately not looking for or finding gold.
We will camp tonight on the free rv stopping campground here in town.
Late departure today as we both had a shower. According to the Optus coverage map we should have had coverage on iinet all the way home......wrong we ran out shortly after leaving our camp, but we have got it back now. The drive through the Woodlands was very pleasant with lots of trees, shrubs and wildflowers to be seen. Then we stopped at a sign that said Coolgardie Gorge which turned out to be a nearly dry waterhole, but next to it was the remains of a mining operation which we spent some time examining. Then into town which is small but has some very nice old buildings. We followed a sign that said lookout that got us onto a very bad track, but retracing our steps were able to stand on the edge of an abandoned, large open cut mine. Then we found, on the other side of town, the Lions lookout and were treated to the usual superb 360 degree views. The rest of the day was spent researching my maternal great grandparents who had involvement here during the goldrush era, unfortunately not looking for or finding gold.
We will camp tonight on the free rv stopping campground here in town.
Tuesday 6 October 2015
Guess what.......another 8.15am departure.
First stop just up the road is Balladonia. I commented last night that it is intersting seeing the places that go with the names and this one was quite a surprise. It is quite an oasis, not in the desert sense as we are now passing through the Great Western Woodland of which more later. Here there is a relatively new development with hotel, motel, servo, cafe, playground etc in fact the whole Megillah. Very impressed we were.
Back on the road there are trees everywhere, not big ones but trees nonetheless with lots of shrubs. What is disappointing is the lack of wildlife and this has been a feature almost all of this trip. We have seen some wildlife but not much, this might be a product of the times that we travel and walk. Then we start going up and down lots of small hills but all working upwards as we are climbing the Fraser Ranges. Then we stopped for morning tea at a delightful spot overlooking a dry lake bed and there was a story board about the woodland. This woodland stretches from well north of Southern Cross and Kalgoorlie south through the eastern wheatbelt across east to Balladonia with a finger going further east for a total that is about the size of England around 16 million hectares. It has woodlands, mallee, scrub and wildlife species found nowhere else on the planet and some of this is endangered ecology........wow, something else eh! It is also good looking and nice to drive through.
Then into Norseman where we went up to the lookout and looked down over 360 degree views of the town (1100 population) and the still operating mines (one is the oldest continually operating mine in Australia) and the surrounding countryside of salt lakes and woodland.
Tonight we are camped at the Lake Cowan rest area with Lake Cowan in the background and a railway line in the foreground.
First stop just up the road is Balladonia. I commented last night that it is intersting seeing the places that go with the names and this one was quite a surprise. It is quite an oasis, not in the desert sense as we are now passing through the Great Western Woodland of which more later. Here there is a relatively new development with hotel, motel, servo, cafe, playground etc in fact the whole Megillah. Very impressed we were.
Back on the road there are trees everywhere, not big ones but trees nonetheless with lots of shrubs. What is disappointing is the lack of wildlife and this has been a feature almost all of this trip. We have seen some wildlife but not much, this might be a product of the times that we travel and walk. Then we start going up and down lots of small hills but all working upwards as we are climbing the Fraser Ranges. Then we stopped for morning tea at a delightful spot overlooking a dry lake bed and there was a story board about the woodland. This woodland stretches from well north of Southern Cross and Kalgoorlie south through the eastern wheatbelt across east to Balladonia with a finger going further east for a total that is about the size of England around 16 million hectares. It has woodlands, mallee, scrub and wildlife species found nowhere else on the planet and some of this is endangered ecology........wow, something else eh! It is also good looking and nice to drive through.
Then into Norseman where we went up to the lookout and looked down over 360 degree views of the town (1100 population) and the still operating mines (one is the oldest continually operating mine in Australia) and the surrounding countryside of salt lakes and woodland.
Tonight we are camped at the Lake Cowan rest area with Lake Cowan in the background and a railway line in the foreground.
Monday 5 October 2015
I have just noticed that last nights blog was incorrectly labeled Saturday by the blog program it should have been Sunday.
Today's start was in keeping with our new routine we were on the road by 8.15am. One of the reasons, or benefits, of this is that we have very little wind and that means that we save lots of fuel. The scenery was the now usual almost treeless plains of the Nullabor. One of the reasons for that is that the Nullabor is one of the worlds biggest single, I repeat single, pieces of limestone. If I remember correctly all 250,000 square kilometres of it. Shortly after leaving we left we started on Australia's longest straight piece of road, the ninety mile straight. Then we stopped at the Caiguna Blowhole, this is a little different to the blowholes near Carnarvon that squirt water skywards as the waves beat against the cliffs. Apparently caves breath, in when air pressure is high and out when it is low (I hope that I have this the correct way round) and the Nullabor is riddled with caves. This one is a small hole, and cave entrance, just a few metres off the road. Then back on the road where the scenery gradually changed to low trees mixed with the shrubs.
One thing about WA is a marked improvement in the rest areas that often include toilets and dumps, which is not a feature in SA. Another thing we noted toady was numbers of cars passing us, probably returning from Melbourne. There is still a steady stream of vehicles heading east.
We are camped tonight, along with about 6 others, at the Afghan Rocks rest area. I don't know where the actual Afghan Rocks but maybe I will find out tomorrow.
Today's start was in keeping with our new routine we were on the road by 8.15am. One of the reasons, or benefits, of this is that we have very little wind and that means that we save lots of fuel. The scenery was the now usual almost treeless plains of the Nullabor. One of the reasons for that is that the Nullabor is one of the worlds biggest single, I repeat single, pieces of limestone. If I remember correctly all 250,000 square kilometres of it. Shortly after leaving we left we started on Australia's longest straight piece of road, the ninety mile straight. Then we stopped at the Caiguna Blowhole, this is a little different to the blowholes near Carnarvon that squirt water skywards as the waves beat against the cliffs. Apparently caves breath, in when air pressure is high and out when it is low (I hope that I have this the correct way round) and the Nullabor is riddled with caves. This one is a small hole, and cave entrance, just a few metres off the road. Then back on the road where the scenery gradually changed to low trees mixed with the shrubs.
One thing about WA is a marked improvement in the rest areas that often include toilets and dumps, which is not a feature in SA. Another thing we noted toady was numbers of cars passing us, probably returning from Melbourne. There is still a steady stream of vehicles heading east.
We are camped tonight, along with about 6 others, at the Afghan Rocks rest area. I don't know where the actual Afghan Rocks but maybe I will find out tomorrow.
Saturday 3 October 2015
They say that record breaking helps cover up disappointment and we were both a bit that way after yesterday's loss by the Weagles. So we broke a record today and left our camp at 7.25am, I must admit that is local WA time and not central Australian time on which we went to sleep! Not bad anyway as that really only represented 9am.
So off we went keeping the Hampton Tablelands to our right. These are the first highlands that we have seen for a while and tend to offset to extensive flat almost treeless plains that form the rest of the countryside that we are passing through. The other feature of this road is not so nice, there is lots of roadkill on the roadside. First stop Mundrabilla just to have a look and it was full of big trucks. But a nice thing outside Mundrabilla was a water filling point. In the middle of nowhere there were 2 big tanks under a big shelter and filled with water for the taking, obviously one should be conservative in how much one takes and a big sign said to boil it before drinking. Then back on the road with a steady stream of oncoming traffic, not busy like one of our highways, but a steady stream nonetheless. It made me think about the Weagles supporters who made the drive east for the game, the drive home will be a lot longer.
Next stop was M(H)oodini Bluff as a possible overnight stopping point, it was quite a nice area with lots of room. However it was nothing special and we settled for morning tea and moved on, but not before a very close call with a caravan that cut accross our bow as we started moving. Next was Madura Pass which was quite a change after the relatively flat roads of the last few days. The road climbed up to a lookout that gave us an outstanding few over the surrounding countryside. But it was also not to our liking for an overnight stay so we moved on.
Then we arrived at Cocklebiddy and treated ourselves to an ice cream after lunch. All these places are names that I have heard regularly over the years and it is great to put them into perspective. All are small Eucla has 30 inhabitants, Mundrabilla, Madura and Cocklebiddy are roadhouses with less than 10 permanent residents!
Finally we have settled for the night at the Jillbunya Rockhole about 20 kms East of Caiguna having covered 300 kms today, miles too much.
So off we went keeping the Hampton Tablelands to our right. These are the first highlands that we have seen for a while and tend to offset to extensive flat almost treeless plains that form the rest of the countryside that we are passing through. The other feature of this road is not so nice, there is lots of roadkill on the roadside. First stop Mundrabilla just to have a look and it was full of big trucks. But a nice thing outside Mundrabilla was a water filling point. In the middle of nowhere there were 2 big tanks under a big shelter and filled with water for the taking, obviously one should be conservative in how much one takes and a big sign said to boil it before drinking. Then back on the road with a steady stream of oncoming traffic, not busy like one of our highways, but a steady stream nonetheless. It made me think about the Weagles supporters who made the drive east for the game, the drive home will be a lot longer.
Next stop was M(H)oodini Bluff as a possible overnight stopping point, it was quite a nice area with lots of room. However it was nothing special and we settled for morning tea and moved on, but not before a very close call with a caravan that cut accross our bow as we started moving. Next was Madura Pass which was quite a change after the relatively flat roads of the last few days. The road climbed up to a lookout that gave us an outstanding few over the surrounding countryside. But it was also not to our liking for an overnight stay so we moved on.
Then we arrived at Cocklebiddy and treated ourselves to an ice cream after lunch. All these places are names that I have heard regularly over the years and it is great to put them into perspective. All are small Eucla has 30 inhabitants, Mundrabilla, Madura and Cocklebiddy are roadhouses with less than 10 permanent residents!
Finally we have settled for the night at the Jillbunya Rockhole about 20 kms East of Caiguna having covered 300 kms today, miles too much.
Saturday October 3
Well there we were all prepared so we headed for the border. During the night my phone beeped with a split second of coverage and changed to WA time. But when we
actually got cover again it went back to central Australian time! We stopped at another lookout also nicely set up to showcase the Bight. A little further along we came across some clifftop areas that would be suitable for camping. We stopped at one of them and were rewarded with a magnificent white, seaweed free, beach stretching for kms either side.
Then we reached the border and our cherubic faces, thorough preparation and charming manner ensured a fairly quick and easy inspection before being told, nicely, to nick off.
Twelve kilometres further on we stopped at Eucla for fuel and to watch the football. They had it on in the bar at the rather new looking motel. About 30 people came in to watch, the hotel put out a nice range of nibbles and we settled down to watch. After the usual preliminaries it started, I managed about 5 minutes and retired to the van. Elaine stayed on but gave up when it became obvious to her that the Weagles were being de-feathered.
Onward, westward and we have settled for the night at a rest area just 36 kms west of Eucla.
Interesting day today. We left the HOB campground heading west towards home. First stop was the Nullabor roadhouse where we fueled and watered. On the way there we dealt with one of the issues that go with traveling in a motorhome or caravan and that is the toilet cassette. The casette is the holding tank for our toilet and is, like most other vans, only about 20ltrs capacity (whereas our boat has 100ltrs capacity). So it is fairly small and is only good for 2-3 days, usually that is ok as there are 'dump points' in most towns. However between Ceduna and Norseman, a distance of about 1300 kms, there are only 2 dump points, both in WA. So for someone like us dawdling along and stopping to look at everything we have to find other ways of emptying the casette. That involves digging a hole and filling that hole in afterwards. So much for the nitty gritty of life on the road.
After the Nullabor roadhouse we stopped at lookout number 1 to view the very spectacular coastline of the Great Australian Bight. As in a lot of places around Australia some effort has been put into providing a viewing place with story board, very nice. There are 2 more of these lookouts along the way.
Then into a rest area about 81kms from the border where Elaine has spent the afternoon cooking up our veggies to take over the border. Quarantine rules are in place but those fruit and vegetable items on the nogo list are acceptable if cooked and going into WA they are very strict. Also on this run the nearest shops in WA are, we believe, in Norseman about 700 kms from the border so we will need our stocks.
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