We woke to a freezing morning, the car windows covered in ice.
This is where you change your watches once again and put it backwards 2 hours, huge time change. To get one’s brain around this is another story.So it’s breakfast and on the road for this wonderful travel through the Nullarbor.We stopped for tea and ice cream at Madura and then again at Caiguna for petrol and now the long stretch.
There is a stretch here where it is one long straight road which is 90 miles (146.6k’s) One has to be very alert travelling on these roads, a constant watch out for camels kangaroo’s wombats and emus. It’s funny though while travelling you see this road going on and on and then all of a sudden your brain registers a curve in the road. Dennis and I had quite a good laugh at this.
Good sleep up and shower time. Dennis went onto the PC to check for his mail and so did I, which I sent some mail to family. Then it was breakfast. Temp today was 26 deg C so summer clothes it was. Mark arrives late this afternoon so Dennis and I decided to go and do a bit of sight seeing. Kalgoorlie has an amazing history to it. A wee bit of information and history of this place is:
Kalgoorlie is Australia’s largest outback city. The population is about 30,000. It has the most amazing heritage buildings with a grand town hall pubs and restaurants.
Kalgoorlie-boulder glory began in 1893 when 3 Irishmen, Paddy Hannan, Daniel Shea and Tom Flanagan stumbled across 100 ounces of alluvial nuggets. Hannan registered a reward claim which started the world’s last great gold rush.
Thousands of men arrived here living in shacks which were made of Hessian canvas. One thing was they were not prepared for the harsh living conditions , inadequate food and scarcity of water and minimal medical supplies Thousands died from drinking contaminated water starvation and it was a time when water was more precious than gold!
The golden mile.In the early 1900’s mine shafts and full scale underground mines was established. Eventually this mushroomed into an area which became know as the Golden Mile.
The Golden Mile is now a massive Super Pit It is Australia’s largest open cut gold mine which today is one of the important gold and nickel mining areas in Australia
We visited a few of these places of interest which you will see in the photos below. One is of the Super pit and the other is Charlotte Reservoir and lookout. This is the site of the terminus of water which is piped 563km from
Tuesday 6/9
Having breakfast in
the apartment, Dennis and Mark went to set up for the seminar. I walked around
the town and sort of just relaxed and enjoyed the day catching up on the
washing so we had clean clothes for the rest of the trip a most enjoyable day.
Tea was just yummy and bed time it was.
Wednesday 7/9
Leaving for our last
leg of the journey to Perth, Mark traveled with us.
The sun shinning and
one very beautiful day for travelling as well as being refreshed from our 3 day
stop here in Kalgoorlie
Country side beautiful
with lots of places of interest but unable to stop for sight seeing due to us
having a time schedule to stick to. The Speed limits 110k per hour. Towing it
changes which we soon found out by being stopped by a very friendly cop. Thank
goodness. We have to travel at 100k’s because of us towing a trailer. Much to
Dennis disgust but we obeyed the law and did just that!
We Stopped at Tannin
for lunch a huge farming supply store and restaurant, a very homely and friendly
place. There was a photo of the largest road train truck with 48 trailers
hooked to it which traveled 12 k’s an hour and it drove for 8 k. We arrived at
Acacia Hotel
in Perth
Thursday 8/9
It was down to
breakfast, Dennis and Mark to set up for the seminar. And guess what!
I’m going sight
seeing. The weather not that marvelous outside windy and looks like rain. I
left about 10 and decided to walk into the city which was not that far. There
is a bus service which rides around the city stopping off at different places
of interest. The walk was most pleasant. First going into the city walking over
the horseshoe bridge where the train and bus station is. The first place of
interest was 
from the photos. I
then walked around the city ending up at one of the old Churches which today is
know as the Uniting Church. I then
caught the free bus service which took me down to the pier where one catches
the tourist ferry and also to the Swan bells. The history of the bells is
intriguing. The Swan Bells include the twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields
which are recorded as being in existence from before the 14th Century. In the
16th century, 1715 and 1770 the bells were recast. They are one of
the few sets of royal bells and are the only ones known to have left 
We got up early, down to breakfast and then Den and myself off to town to show him the free bus Service, London Court and Swan bells etc. We walked around the city and back to the hotel. Den off to see customers and then take Mike to the Airport to fly back to Adelaide. The weather is not that good today very windy and raining on and off. It was good just relaxing at the hotel and waiting for Dennis to come back.
Dennis has arrived and has decided to take a trip down to Fremantle to see what it’s all about. Beautiful place Perth is with the water surrounding it. We arrived down at Queenscliff Market most interesting to see the goods and whare people have to sell. Then the trip back to the hotel, early dinner and lights out early. I almost forgot to tell you about our trip into the town, you all know Den has a nav man well the dear lady directed us correctly but the only thing is she does not know of the road works and we ended up going through a bus station (no cars allowed) rather embarrassing and of cause Dennis has that great cackle.
Saturday 10/9
THIS IS A LONG TRIP BACK HOME
OF ALMOST NON STOP DRIVING
Up early and saying good-bye to Perth and a good time we had here.
We drove through Meckering Earth Quake site stopped for Petrol at Southern Cross then drove to Coolgardie for lunch and by this time had done 560K’s We drove to Norseman where we stayed the night at the Motel there. Very pleasant evening in the Dinning room a good home cooked meal. Yummy. / Bed early and very tired.
Left Norseman at 6h30 Stopped for tea at Bellgonia then drove to Caiguna put petrol in at $1.70 per litre Shocking, bought ice creams then drove to Madura for lunch very pretty look out post over the terrain. Drove on to Eucla where we stayed the night .This is about 10k’s from the border between Western Australia and Southern Australia, a place of interest. We drove around with our 4x4 and of cause Dennis had to take me sand dooning we ended up at the Eucla ruins which is the Telegraph Station which opened in 1877 and helped link WA with the rest of Australia and the world, sending 11,000 messages annually. The first message sent to Perth was on the 8th December 1877. It also has the Travellers cross and a beautiful lookout to sea. Went for dinner and bed it was, a good day of travel.
Another 1989k’s to Melbourne
Monday 12/9
Overcast and cold, it’s now 6h45.
We stopped at the side of the road for tea and then drove to Ceduna where we had the most yummy hamburger, A real home made burger. The meaning of Ceduna which is a derivative of the Aboriginal word ‘Chedoona” meaning resting place” is also known for it’s Oyster farming. Put petrol in here and back on the road passing Wirrulla- town with a secret!, did not stop to find out the secret. We are now going into Granite country. We stopped at Kumba to sleep a quaint town. We drove around and stopped at the grocery store and outside the store was a truck loading off the groceries and all the people from the town were there to get the new stock cute to watch. Being in the outback like that one has to rely on the deliveries of food to survive. We take this fro granted, “just go to the super market and get” not that easy out there.
Tuesday 13/9
Out last stretch to Adelaide where we are staying the night there and also dropping off the trailer and instruments. Back on the road passing Nutt bush Retreat Then Iron Knob which is an early development of BHP (now One Steel) and the birth of the Australian steel industry it was here in 1894 that the first iron ore deposit was discovered. Drove to Port Augusta for breakfast, met some bikies there who had been on the road travelling for the past week none stop. I think the worst of the travel here is being with out com’s and yet it was good for Dennis too not having work phone him.
Back on the road and now to Adelaide passing some interesting places taking photos of the canola fields and lakes.
We arrived in Adelaide, staying at the Majestic Hotel near Rundle Mall.
Dennis had to go to work so he dropped me off at the Christian book shop where I stayed there almost 2 hours. One can browse there beautiful and restful place.
He picked me up and back to the hotel had tea then went to the Mall bought a few things then back to hotel. Dinner time it was and off to our favorite restaurant for Dinner then bed it was.
Wednesday 14/9
Derek’s birthday today and it’s our last stretch of road for home.
We left Adelaide and just on the outskirts of the city we discovered the note book of mine missing the one with the notes of this trip and it was a 3 time stop to search for the jolly thing eventually finding it in the consol, Whew!
We had breakfast at our usual stop by the Murry River then it was off to Bordertown, the home of the white kangaroo’s where we put in petrol
At 2 pm we stopped at Ararat for lunch and finally the last stretch to 24 Langridge our Home sweet Home.
We left Adelaide and just on the outskirts of the city we discovered the note book of mine missing the one with the notes of this trip and it was a 3 time stop to search for the jolly thing eventually finding it in the consol, Whew!
We had breakfast at our usual stop by the Murry River then it was off to Bordertown, the home of the white kangaroo’s where we put in petrol
At 2 pm we stopped at Ararat for lunch and finally the last stretch to 24 Langridge our Home sweet Home.
Next post will be the start of our new adventure
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