Next stop Perth.......

Leaving Laverton on the 1st August we began our journey south to Perth where we were going to stay with our boys for a few weeks.  But first we were going to see some parts of WA that we had never visited before.

Our first stop was at Leonora where we had a quick look at the town before making our way to the Gwalia Museum where we camped for the night.  This wonderful free camp is situated on top of the hill overlooking the Sons of Gwalia goldmine on one side and the ghost town of Gwalia on the other.

The only problem with being on top of a hill is that if the weather is bad then you know about it.  And yes, you guessed it, the weather turned feral with a huge storm hitting the area that night.  The rain and the wind were very bad and we discovered a few leaks that were previously unknown.

The next morning we braved the weather and spent an hour or so checking out the museum and learning all about the goldmine and the old town.

The ‘Sons of Gwalia’ reef was first discovered in 1896 by Welsh prospectors Carlson, White and Glendinning. (Gwalia is one of the Welsh poetic names for Wales).  It was the most significant reef opened up in this area.

A young Herbert Hoover (later the 31st President of the USA) was sent to Gwalia to evaluate it’s prospects.  He noted ‘no other lode country in the world presents such an array of severe conditions which must be struggled against to do cheap mining’.

He designed, and had built, the Mine Managers house (Hoover House), the Mine Office and the Assay Office and in 1898 he designed the angled head frame, the only remaining wooden incline head frame left in the country. 

The mine closed in Dec 1963, but it reopened in 1983 after Sons of Gwalia NL was floated on the Perth Stock Exchange and Open Pit mining commenced.  2005 saw a change of ownership and a return to underground mining which continues to the present day.

Before we left we had a walk around the Ghost town of Gwalia.  It was once the home of around 1000 people in the late 1890’s.  People came from all around the world but most disappeared when the mine closed in 1963.

We enjoyed poking around in and out of the few restored huts.  Each one is adopted by someone and restored using only authentic methods of the era they were built in.  Such a wonderful way to keep history alive.  The old Hotel still stands proudly on the corner of the deserted town.

It was a real relief when we got back in the car with the heater on after the bitterly cold morning in the wind and rain.  The blue skies certainly did not equate to a summers day!  We are not used to days like this at the moment.  

We left Leonora and made our way to Menzies where after a quick look at their visitors centre we headed out to Lake Ballard, a large salt lake 51 km west of Menzies.

It is here at the lake that you will find a 51 sculptures, by Antony Gormley, across a 2 km area of this large salt lake.  The sculptures are all derived from laser scans of some of the residents of Menzies. Known as ‘insiders’ these figures depict men, women and children.  I wonder what the subjects thought when they saw the finished product.

Called ‘Inside Australia’ this art installation was commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of the Perth International Arts Festival in 2003.

We drove out to the lake in the late afternoon and camped overnight in the little campsite.  The next morning we woke to sunshine which lasted while we explored some of the sculptures.  After all the rain the ground was quite wet but the birds around the camp were loving the sun.  Bill enjoyed playing with this lovely little Crested Bellbird before we ventured on to the lake.

After all the rain the lake was very sticky but we were able to walk out a short way and get a close up look at about 5 of the figures. A very interesting sight and well worth the drive out to see them. It took days to get the salty mud of our boots though!

Once again the warm car was very welcome after another cold, wet and windy morning.  The sun didn’t last very long!  We left the lake and returned to Menzies where we had a look along the very tidy main street.  Lots of sculptures along the way telling the stories of the local area.

Back in the car we made our way to Kalgoorlie and spent the night in Centennial Park free camp.  We had a wander around the town before heading to the supermarket to do a proper shop, the first since leaving Alice Springs.

We returned home and arrived just before another nasty storm hit.   It rained all night and yes we still had leaks.  Guess it’s a job to get checked out in Perth.  The next morning it looked like we were in a shallow lake but we made it to the car and drove out of the car park.

After breakfast we drove the few km to Boulder and had a look at the Super Pit. What a truly amazing sight this ‘hole in the ground’ is.

The blurb tells us 'Stand beside Kalgoorlie’s Super Pit and gaze open-mouthed into one of the largest open-cut mines on earth and the biggest gold mine in Australia.  Today, 900,000 ounces of gold are harvested here each year, making a running total of 50 million ounces and a hole stretching 3.7 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and around 600 metres deep.  The Super Pit now incorporates the historic Golden Mile, marking the spot where Irishman Paddy Hannan first struck gold and sparked the great gold rush of the late 1800s'. 

We left Kalgoorlie Boulder and made our way to Southern Cross stopping along the way to see a beautiful Memorial for 3 men killed in the 2007 bush fires at Boorabbin.

We stayed in a lovely little caravan park at Southern Cross.  Our heater was not working properly again and this cold snap was bitter so once again we were plugged in and using the AC.  Even with 2 quilts on the bed we could still feel the chill.  Another job for Perth!

Next day we drove to Wongan Hills passing through the small towns of Bencubbin and Koorda. Nothing was open in either town on a Sunday.  Waking up to another cold morning we were soon on our way and stopped at New Norcia to have a look around this lovely little place.

On 1 March 1846, a Benedictine mission to the local native Aboriginals was started about 8 km to the north, led by the two Spanish Benedictines, Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra.  Within a year the mission was moved to where the town is today, and on 1 March 1847 the foundation stone of the monastery was laid.

Australia’s only monastic town, New Norcia is a unique place to visit.  The buildings are a Spanish style of architecture, along with some other historical sites.  Among these are the two old boarding schools, St Ildephonsus' and St Gertrude's, the Abbey Church (containing the tomb of Rosendo Salvado), an old mill, a wine press, a hotel and the monastery itself.

Leaving here we drove on having lunch at Moora before continuing on to our final destination of Cervantes.  We were visiting a friend on our way to Perth.  A few days rest will be very welcome.

The next day was sunny but cold and windy and we decided that we would take care of all the chores first.  I washed load after load of washing and then we both got stuck into cleaning the van inside and out.  After all the dust we had been through this was a mammoth task and while not all gone at least it was better than before.   Bill also had a look at the heater and discovered that the filter was clogged. The very thing the repair man in Alice Springs said was OK.  Great job and we are warm again.  He couldn't find any obvious leaks though.  We'll have to wait and see.

 Later that afternoon we had a drive around Cervantes and enjoyed a coffee at the little cafe on the beachfront.  A bit chilly but good coffee.

The next morning we drove out to the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park and spent some time exploring here.  In all the years we lived in Perth we had never been to the Pinnacles.  Wow, another amazing sight.

The area contains thousands of weathered limestone pillars.  Some of the tallest pinnacles reach heights of up to 3.5m above the yellow sand base.  The different types of formations include ones which are much taller than they are wide and resemble columns—hence the name of Pinnacles—while others are only a metre or so in height and width resembling short tombstones. 

We spent a couple of hours driving and walking among these amazing formations and then we took a drive out to Stuart Reserve where Bill found this lovely little Variegated Fairy Wren.  From there we returned home for an afternoon out of the wind and increasing rain.  At least we were warm again.

With the weather still dodgy the following morning we drove out to Lake Thetis to have a look at the Thrombolites there.  These are ancient forms of microbial communities that photosynthesise.  A boardwalk around the lake allows you to get up close to see these very interesting formations.

 With the sky darkening fast we made a quick dash to the car and made it back just before the next downpour.  Another afternoon was spent warm and dry inside.

Waking to sunshine the next morning we decided it was time to head to Perth and begin the next part of our visit.  Family time with David, Gareth and their families.  Thank you so much to our kind host in Cervantes, hopefully we will see you soon.

We packed up and made our way to Gareth’s place in Merriwa where we set up and looked forward to some fun with the family.  More about that soon.

until next time.......