7am
14 degrees – bit chilly!! Cloudy.
Rang
PWR about the radiator. The chap was helpful but he wasn’t prepared to pay the
freight and we aren’t either as this one only last 16 months before it leaked.
Steve said he would send him some photos so he went out with the camera. Will
leave the radiator here and if PWR change their mind we can get Kev to bring it
to Kalgoorlie with them otherwise Brett can chuck it.
Packed
up and said bye to Kev and Linda – will see them soon in Kalgoorlie. Threw the
ball for ‘Oi’ one last time.
Drove
into Hopetoun and gave the truck and van a good wash at the Truck/Van Wash.
Need to get all that salt etc out from under the truck and van too. Used our
brush too so it only cost us $14 in the end.
Headed
back up the road to Ravensthorpe. Pulled into a rest area at the site of the
old township of Kundip for a late cuppa. Kundip was gazetted in 1901 and was a
busy town during the gold rush era. Nothing here now.
Passed
the turn off to the ruins covering about 20 hectares of the No. 2 Smelter,
where gold, copper and silver ore was extracted from 1906 to 1918. Further
along was the turn off to the Elverdton copper mine and gold processing plant
which finally closed in 1990. There was another township near here called
Desmond but nothing remains now. It was also a railway station site. North of
Ravensthorpe off the bypass road is the site of the Cattlin gold and copper
mine (1899-1970) and there is still a headframe and some relics. The now sealed
mineshaft went down 1159ft and the area produced 5849.93ounces of fine gold.
There were about 90 gold and copper mines on the Phillips River Goldfield
around Ravensthorpe in the early 1900s.
Stopped
at Ravensthorpe for fuel then Steve dropped me at the IGA while he filled up
the water tanks. Cheaper prices for fruit and veg here compared to Hopetoun.
Must be hard for people in the smaller towns having to pay dearer prices for
everything and I bet they don’t get higher wages!!
Headed
west – no road closure sign for the Phillips Bridge that we had to detour
around. They were putting in a causeway once the water level had dropped so
they must have finished it. We turned north before then so we didn’t get to
check it out. Stopped at Overshot Hill for lunch. An elderly couple from
Hopetoun pulled in beside us and we joined them for lunch under the shade
shelter and had a great chat. Back down
the road there is a new Lithium Mine (must have been where the geologists went
that we were chatting to recently). The flies also joined us – really little
ones, they must have just hatched!!
Passed
the turn off to Hatters Hill – I couldn’t remember what was there and it was a
dirt road – didn’t want to dirty the truck and van yet. (Later I read it was a
small settlement from 1930 to 1944 where gold was discovered and is now
uninhabited and is an interesting spot for fossickers!! Should have stopped.)
Arrived
at the intersection of Lake King township. We turned west into a park beside a
big shed full of tractors. Very interesting.
Continued
west and found a goods shed with some history. We had noticed a few of these
small sheds along the way. Was a cozy spot for a drink.
Beside
it was this plaque about the site of the first store in 1928.
Lots
of information on the board near the toilet block.
Continued
travelling west to Lake King itself. It is fuller than usual of course. The
causeway across is 9 km long.
Lots
of water.
Stopped
at the lookout area for a look at the beautiful view.
Steve
got the camera for what he reckons is a beautiful view – isn’t he lovely!!
The
water is very clear but very salty.
The
causeway is just above the water line at the moment.
Waited
for the truck (coming from Newdegate) to pass before we headed back.
Jon
rang to say he had been robbed – his black bike and some tools. He will contact
the police and have a look around – a new family has moved in nearby so he will
check the backyard!! I will look into the insurance.
I
love all the maps I collect from the Info Centre – great for better detail than
my big Hema map in the Camps 7 book. This one shows all the lakes in this area.
We
also use Wikicamps too which is useful as it gives more places to see and stop
at. It showed a ‘point of interest’ Stuck Truck and it was right!!
Continued
north to Varley. Established in 1939 with a population now of 200 people. I had
a note there was a free camp at the Chicken Ranch so we turned off at the grain
bins to check it out.
It
is a nice little camp area with toilets, shower, shed, BBQ, fireplace with
timber (and you can have fires after January) and even party lights. We made a
cuppa and had a look around.
On
the noticeboard was the story of how this spot started – a safe drinking spots for
the locals.
While we had our cuppa we chatted with a local lady from a farm
here who said they grow canola, oats and wheat. They are starting planting
shortly for the first two and wheat is normally put in after Anzac Day,
something to do with frost. Unfortunately they got hit bad last winter with
terrible frosts so I hope this is a good year for them. Another couple of
ladies were from Lake Grace Shire Council and we chatted about roads and other
great places to visit. Will get across to Lake Grace early next year maybe as
we have that section of wheat belt to cover yet. The murals were painted by a
lady travelling Australia and offering to paint things in exchange for free
camping etc.
Checked
out the Rabbit Cemetery and a replica of the rabbit proof fence.
The
mosaic garden runs along the edge of the road back the other way.
As
it was still early we decided to continue on to get closer to Wave Rock so we
can have a full day there tomorrow. There were two more spots on Wikicamps to
stop at. I had rung the two van parks at the Rock and Hyden, $33 and $36 a
night!!
Up
a rise for a nice view over Lake Hurlstrome.
Past
the turn off to the Holland Track – it was the gateway to the goldfields and
named after John Holland who with his partners cut a track through the bush
pushing their wheelbarrows from Broomehill to Coolgardie around 1893.
A
Wikicamp overnight spot was marked on the edge of Lake O’Connor so we headed
down a dirt road – well the truck and van were clean for half a day!! When we
got down to the spot there was no water in the lake and nowhere to park –
obviously it was for backpackers who park up the station owners’ roads or
something. We headed back out to the highway then along a bit further to a
roadside stop. It was a long one running parallel to the road but Steve found a
track heading up the hill following a power line so we went up and parked on a
flat cleared area. There was a beautiful sweet scent in the area from the
surrounding bushes.
The
flies were out in force so we had our drinks in the van and settled in for the
night. Only heard a few trucks go by on the highway.
