August 5. Laverton and beyond.
First 5 days have been fantastic, bush camp every night with log fires and great company, COULD GO HOME NOW AND SAY WE HAD HAD A BALL!.
31 July - Mt Observation just outside York, then karalee Dam, just past Southern Cross. Its an old watering site for steam trains going to the goldfields in late 1800's. Barbara John and I tried to have a swim in the dam but it was too cold, so it was a splash wash. Its a fascinating walk roundthe huge granite rock where they captured the rainfall and channelled thru a huge flume in to the dam.
1 Aug - Then we went on our first dirt road to Snake Hill, overlooking Lake Ballard and the sculptures which were erected in the huge dry salt lake bed in 2003, as part of the Perth Arts Festival. We arrived at sunset, cooked, drank and yarned, then woke at sunrise, total silence except for birdsong, magic.
2 Aug - Next it was onto Menzies for a shower and beer in the old pub, then to Niagara Dam, another old town site related to the early mining days; bush walks and birdlife, log fire and then the singing started! Next day more dirt road to Kookynie where at 1000 hrs we had our first beer in the Grand Hotel, well we had to!
3 Aug - Next it was back on the bitumen, much to John's great joy, to Gwalia townsite, a mining town of tin and hessian shacks which was suddenly emptied in 1963 when the mine closed at short notice. The conditions in which they lived were absolutely basic, and it is all preserved for the traveller to explore. We fuelled and watered up and set of for the next campsite.
4 Aug - Old Railway Bridges, a bit more goldfield history, lovely low arches built across a large floodway. Lots of birdlife, Barbara was in her element. It was her wake that night, she turns 60 tomorrow. More drinking and singing round the log fire and B declared she was stunned that it had to be 2 poms to bring her out to these outback places, when she been an Aussie all her life! Not that she doesn't get around the world! Anyway, we are Taffs, not Poms.
We have mastered the art of cooking everything in foil on our fires and have yet to scrub a pot, after all, water is more precious than gold out here.
5 Aug - Happy Birthday Barbara. Saw a large herd of camels, they were huge! a first for us. Into Laverton today for quick shower, laundry, pick up permit to pass thru Aboriginal territory and then we step off this arvo into THE GREAT BEYOND. There is a film show in the Vis. Centre, we could watch it and then go home!
Till next time
P