Mon, 22nd Apr, 2019 Bush camp near Kurnalpi, east of Kalgoorlie to Bush camp near Yerilla, east of Menzies, WA

6.30am 10 degrees, on with the heater. Clear sky and no wind.

7am van up to 16 degrees which was good as it was weigh in day – scales were very cold!

Packed up camp. Brian and Kerry are going back to Kalgoorlie to do their sightseeing and hopefully we will see them again further north so they can do more detecting with us.

We headed back along the road to the intersection north of Kanowna then headed north east. Got phone reception and a text came through from Mark and Heidi with a picture of a nice nugget he found near Malcolm Dam.

Stopped for a cuppa at Gindalbie – nothing much left of another old gold mining town except for some rubbish like this old bottle and an old bricked well – now full of more rubbish.

The road is good as we continued north east. Got to Yarri and had lunch at the ‘Pub’.

Steve and Ray checked out access to a couple of areas Ray has permission for but they couldn’t work out how to get onto them with the vans. Decided to continue on to the other lease near Yerilla which is north-west of here, not far from Kookynie.

We passed some big open cut mines with their ‘hills’ then passed Welsh’s Find Mine which had water tanks etc near this house – it was probably the Mine Manger’s home.

Turned onto the Yarri-Kookynie Road which is narrower than the other one but still in good condition.

Entered Yerilla Station where we spotted 4 emus running along the fence-line. Arrived at the homestead to let the pastoralist know we were camping nearby but the gate was locked. Must have gone away for Easter.

Found a track up to the lease and a nice open area to camp near some old shafts. Lost our radio aerial somewhere – it never worked properly so will have to look for another one somewhere.

Warmer afternoon – up to 24 degrees. Opened up a couple of windows and the roof vents.

After a cuppa Steve and I went for a wander with our detectors across to the shafts. Lots of rubbish. I  gave up and went back for my camera. Where there was an old shaft someone has dug a trench alongside it obviously testing to see if there is any more gold there.

Further over I found some water still lying in the creek which has a hard rock bottom.

Didn’t need my detector to find this old belt buckle.

Found Steve near another pool of water and a track across to some more shafts that we will explore tomorrow. 

Steve had lots of flies hitching a ride on his back as we walked back. How he survives without a fly-net I don’t know – I certainly couldn’t. He gives in sometimes but with his glasses the net upsets his vision.

Found a nice horseshoe – hopefully it will bring us some good luck.

Carol’s down with the flu now so we had our drinks in our van so she could rest in theirs. We played a few games of Skipbo as the sun set and so did the temperature. Closed the van up again and cooked dinner then watched our movies – so glad we have our hard drives full of movies and TV series.

Sun, 21st Apr, 2019 Bush camp near Kurnalpi, east of Kalgoorlie, WA

6am 6 degrees, clear sky and the heater is now on. The sun is shining in under the awning and marking rainbows on the van roof from the crystal Rebecca gave me years ago.

Warm enough by 7am to get up and have breakfast, 13 degrees. 

Brian and Kerry drove back towards Kalgoorlie to try and get better phone reception as her Mum is very well.

We went for a drive to check out other detecting spots – no luck. Found the area the other chap was working and the two chaps Ray had found. They were leaving as they hadn’t found much.

Back to the van for lunch then when Brian and Kerry got back we took them over to where the other chaps were and we wandered around for a while. Had a cuppa and Kerry gave Brian a cupcake with a match on top. He was saying Happy Birthday to the Queen and to me. It was Brian’s birthday and also Queen Elizabeth’s. That is why they also wanted phone reception so their kids and family could get hold of him for his birthday. Kerry had made some yummy brownies too which we all enjoyed. Unfortunately we couldn’t find him any gold for his birthday.

Ray and Carol came back and we all sat around the fire chatting while we had our drinks. The Space Station passed over when there was only a couple of stars and plenty of light in the sky so it is easy to identify from the other satellites. Spotted a couple more satellites before we headed inside for dinner.

6.30pm 19 degrees in the van.

Dinner, movies and a nice hot shower again.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 20th Apr, 2019 Bush camp near Kurnalpi, east of Kalgoorlie, WA

6.30am 6.7 degrees on the thermometer on the kitchen side and 9 degrees on the one on the table. We stayed in bed.

7.30am it got up to 7.3 and 10 degrees on the two thermometers. Will have to try them side by side to see if they get the same temperature. Regardless it is too cold! Clear sky and as yet – no wind. This is the nasty 3 day cold front they said was coming across from South Aust.

Put on a t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt then my flannelette shirt with long pants to go detecting. Glad I wear glove too to keep my hands warm. I went back to where Brian’s little nugget came from. I got a signal and looked down and a little nuglet was shining back up at me. I called the others over to show them what a ‘sunbaker’ looked like.

The wind picked up but not as strong as yesterday. Clouds are passing over us from the south-west.

20 degrees in the shade and 25 in the sun at lunchtime. I drove Kerry up the hill to try and get phone reception again but it must only be a night-time thing.

The wind settled down by ‘drinks’ time so we sat in the sun having a great time chatting. Steve got the fire going as the stars appeared – spotted 2 satellites. Brian and Kerry gave us a bottle of Fortified Red from a winery they stayed at near Donnybrook. Apparently ‘port’ is registered trademark or something hence they have to call it Fortified Red instead. We had a glass straight away and it was lovely.

6.30pm 15 degrees in the van even though it was closed up all day. I put up the phone aerial and left the phone connected and it flicked in and out of reception. I managed to send off a text to Greg and Tracy to pass on our birthday wishes to Katelin. Sarah is still overseas so will have to send her a belated message via Facebook when we get better reception again. Sent Jon a text too to let Mum and Dad know what we were up to.

8.30pm it got down to 11 degrees so Steve put the heater on. Much better.

Lovely hot shower before bed – will have to put the flannelette sheets on if this keeps up.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 19th Apr, 2019 Lake Douglas, west of Kalgoorlie to Bush camp near Kurnalpi, east of Kalgoorlie, WA

6am 19 degrees, blue sky with cloud band on the horizon and windy. Packed up and drove back up the road past Lake Douglas – looks nice this morning as the sun isn’t shining on it. The ducks are enjoying it. When we drove in the sun was on it and it just looked like a brown murky dam.

Drove back into Kalgoorlie to top up the water again then we met Ray and Carol at the turn off to head east to the detecting spot.

Bitumen for a while then on to dirt which was pretty good as the grader crew were working on it. Further along there were a few boggy patches but we got through ok.

Arrived at the site of an old gold mining township which has nothing left anymore other than old shafts. Turned off and entered the lease we have permission to detect on.

Pulled up to work out where to camp when another vehicle came past us. He was doing push and detect work on the lease and suggested we park up on a clearing we just past.

Nice open area so we can get warmth from the sun – funny how only a week or so ago we were worrying about the fridge coping in the 39 degree heat – now it is freezing everything!

Stayed away from the big salmon gums as they have a tendency to drop limbs on rooves and the way the wind is blowing I reckon a few might be ready to fall. We spread out and set up our camps. Kerry and Brian on one side and Ray and Carol on the other side of us. Needing jumpers on as the wind is very cold.

No phone reception here which is a bit of a problem as Kerry’s parents haven’t been well. There is a hill nearby so will try there later.

Nice warm soup and toasted wraps for lunch – we need warming up.

Ray, Carol and Steve went wandering with their detectors. I should Kerry and Brian how to use the 2300 as this is there first time detecting. We wandered over the flat area near the van. We are getting a lot of warble as the ground is very mineralised. After a while I got my detector and wandered further up the slope and got a nice signal. I called Brian over to try it with his detector and then got him to dig it out. We were very excited when out came a little nuglet. I gave it to them so that now they have their own bit of gold to help them search for more. They tried to give it back but I said it is how we do it with newcomers. Help them find their first bit then they are on their own and hopefully I will be rewarded later on. I said for Brian to keep working the area around where we got that piece which he did and found some bits of rusty tin. I went further up the slope and was rewarded with a nice piece so my theory worked. Icecream for me tonight though I think a glass of port might be better considering how cold it is.

Continued on detecting. 3pm it had reached 22 degrees in the van with all the windows closed.

As it is Good Friday the full moon rose up through the trees. Looked lovely though it was too cold to stay outside and too windy to have a fire.

Ray had met two other chaps who said they got phone reception between 7 and 8pm so Steve drove Kerry up the hill to try with our phone as it has the aerial. They managed to ring home and speak to her mum etc.

The wind settled down as we had dinner and watched our movies.

Thurs, 18th Apr, 2019 Lake Douglas, west of Kalgoorlie, WA

7.30am 17 degrees, high thin cloud and a strong cold wind.

Rang Suzanne for her birthday and caught up on what the kids are doing.

Ray rang to say the window arrived and they are ready to head off when we are. I said Kerry and Brian had rung so will see them tonight and then we will head off tomorrow depending on how much rain comes with the forecast storm tonight.

Couldn’t find my warm pants so ended up going through all the cupboards and boxes under the bed – finally found them as I will need them with these cold days coming up. Steve had a clean-up in the van’s boot.

Hot soup and quiche for lunch to warm us up, 25 degrees in the van out of the wind.

Played a few games of Skipbo to pass the time.

Fran sent a photo of a big nugget replica that she and Daniel had just seen in the Melbourne Museum – would be lovely to find something that big.

Malcolm rang. He is heading across to the mainland to a historic motorbike meeting while Kerry went down to the beach house for Easter. He said they were having a warm day and he had to put on shorts – it is 26 degrees. Here we are saying it is cold and need jumpers and long pants!!

Quiet afternoon relaxing. The wind has settled so it is nicer outside. Overcast but the sun is trying to shine through the clouds.

Kerry and Brian arrived and parked near us. Chatted over drinks by the fire. The moon is peeking through the thin clouds and I can see some stars. Hopefully we won’t get the predicted storm so we can head out detecting tomorrow.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 17th Apr, 2019 24hr RV Stop, Kalgoorlie to Lake Douglas, west of Kalgoorlie, WA

7am 18 degrees, clear sky and light breeze though we can’t feel it as the van is closed up.

Rang Mum and Dad – another good friend, Bev passed away aged 82.

Rang Leanne for her birthday – having a lovely time in a unit in Brisbane.

Sent Daniel and Fran a message wishing them happy holiday in Melbourne.

Had toasted hot cross buns for morning tea – yum.

Did some more shopping – lady in the detector shop gave me an Easter Egg – yum.

Topped up the water after lunch and headed to Lake Douglas. The campground is on the other side of the hill from the lake but it is a nice big open area. Backed up near a firepit and set up camp. No one else is camped here.

3pm 25 degrees, sun out but the clouds have been passing over us all day.

Did my blog and uploaded it using the new dongle and the aerial to make sure it worked ok on the aerial.

Kerry and Brian rang from Coolgardie. Brian had just seen my blog that we were in Kalgoorlie so they rang to arrange to meet up with us. They had bought a detector like mine so we will give them some training and explain how the WA prospecting rules work etc.

Drinks by the fire – only a few flies about as it is quite chilly. Got out our flannelette shirts.

Cool evening even with the van closed up.

Tues, 16th Apr, 2019 Information Bay, north of Kalgoorlie to 24hr RV Stop, Kalgoorlie, WA (4 years 8 months on the road)

7.30am 18 degrees with the van closed up. Clear sky and no wind.

Headed into Kalgoorlie and parked at the 24hr RV Stop. We laughed as we saw all the vans with buckets under their waste water pipes. We have put in a grey water tank after the Ranger got up Steve last time we were here for having our water going into a bucket. I wonder if they have changed the rules or just got rid of the officious ranger or these people will all get told to leave if they don’t have a grey water tank.

Went into Telstra to ask about changing my internet dongle to one with Wifi so we can use the tablet and update things on it rather than relying on finding somewhere with wifi. Got a nice chap who had only just started and he was so helpful and pleasant that it was worthy of a mention in my blog as I have only had bad service from Telstra centres.

Got our groceries and topped up the fuel tank. Had lunch then went over to see Ray and Carol at the caravan park. They are still waiting for their replacement window to arrive. We discussed prospecting spots. They have gone out to the pending area around Bulong but haven’t found any gold – lots of rubbish. As we can only have one night in town we will head out there tomorrow any case to pass the time till they can get going.

Headed back to the van as the sun set – lovely colours in the sky and a cool breeze. Checked the weather forecast – after tomorrow there is rain forecast then a cold change, down to 17 max and 9 overnight for 3 days!!

Will have to get some soups tomorrow to keep us warm.

Lots of other vans and motorhomes have pulled into the rest stop.

Mon, 15th Apr, 2019 Malcolm Dam, east of Leonora to Information Bay, north of Kalgoorlie, WA

No sunrise as the heavy cloud band is covering the horizon. By 6.45 though the sun was up above it and shining brightly in a mostly clear blue sky. Cold light breeze as it is only 18 degrees with the van closed up. The willy wagtails are having fun running around on the roof of the van – love their little songs.

Went online and order our postal votes for the Federal Election in May – on Daniel’s birthday, he’ll be impressed.

Search online for a new rear vision camera as ours as started to play up. It has served us well as we put it in when we first got the truck.

9am I did the washing, hoping we will have enough sunshine to dry them as the clouds have started coming over again. There is a good strong breeze which is blowing the clothes about.

Played Skipbo then had lunch. Played a hand of 3 to Kings while we waited for the clothes to dry and for Heidi and Mark to come back from detecting.

All dry so we packed up and then Heidi and Mark returned so we said farewell to them again.

Headed into Leonora then onto the Goldfields Highway towards Kalgoorlie. We have driven this section of road a lot over the past 4 months but this time we have the van on so it will be a slower trip – no 110k/h for Steve now.

Amazing how many caravans, campers and motorhomes are heading north. It is school holidays and Easter is this weekend.

Stopped at Menzies for a cuppa.

Just north of Kalgoorlie we pulled in the Information Bay rest stop and set up for the night beside a nice salmon gum. There was another backpacker van with two girls in it nearby.

Cool evening so didn’t open up the van. A lot of road noise but that will settle down into the evening.

9pm 22 degrees, clear sky.

Sun, 14th Apr, 2019 Pending Leases, north of Leonora to Malcolm Dam, east of Leonora, WA

7am 21 degrees, overcast with a light cool breeze.

Went for a drive north to check out another pending lease – not good looking ground. Lots of drilling happening on the lease nearby.

Followed a track into an old well with broken windmill then headed down the east side of the lease and detected a nice salt and pepper ground on the side of a breakaway. Only found a busted bullet. Lots of nice looking quartz blows.

The sky has darkened and we heard thunder rumble. Continued along the track and found another old windmill and well then found some old shafts. Marked the spot so we can come back and check it out.

A few drops of rain fell as we headed back to the van. I felt the sky looked like it carried rain that may settle in rather than a passing storm. We decided to pack up and head back to Leonora in case it did bucket and we got stuck in here.

Had lunch and were just putting down the awning when the rain got a heavier. As we headed out there was a boggy bit and it had already gotten boggier so we are glad we decided to move.

The main road was ok till we came to the graders who had just graded our side so with the rain it just flicked up mud everywhere. Hopefully the rain will wash it off again.

Turned onto the back road down to Malcolm Dam. Went around onto the dam wall this time as someone was parked under ‘our tree’, also Steve wanted to try and get TV reception so he could watch the highlights of the Supercars second race at Phillip Island. Unfortunately we still couldn’t get reception so will just have to look at it online.

The rain is still falling. A few more swans have arrived and a couple of pelicans.

Zoomed in on ‘our tree’ camp.

2pm 25 degrees in the van with the windows closed. Rang Mum and Dad to let them know we were back in phone range again. Rang Bob and Margaret – they will head over to us in early May. Heidi and Mark were still there so we gave them a call to let them know we were here. Pete had tried ringing us and had sent through a photo of their new caravan so we gave him a call back. We then watched the Supercars highlights online.

3pm the rain got heavier. Heidi and Mark drove over and joined us for a cuppa in the van.

The rain stopped as the wind picked up from the north. It is giving the awning a good bashing but Steve has it anchored well.

5pm the wind is still blowing, 20 degrees in the van. Steve put the generator on to charge the batteries so we watched TV.

The sun peeked out under the heavy cloud band. It lit up the dam with a bright light. The dark cloud looks like blue sky in the photo as there were little white clouds whizzing across the sky.

Put the gas hot water on to have a nice hot shower – weird weather over here – hot one day and cold the next.

Enjoying a new series about a sniper who was framed by the government.

Cool evening – need our blanket tonight.

Sat, 13th Apr, 2019 Pending Leases, north of Leonora, WA

7am 20 degrees, blue sky with a few wispy clouds about and a light breeze.

Kirsten’s wedding today in Perth – hope they have a lovely day and wonderful life together.

Drove down to check out another pending area, found an old shallow shaft and lovely spreading salmon gums but not much else.

Home for lunch, 29 degrees. A few more clouds are coming over and the wind has disappeared.

Read my book then went for a wander with the detector but only found rubbish.

2pm 32 degrees – more clouds. Very humid afternoon – need the fan on. A storm was predicted so we will see what happens.

Played some Skipbo – my day to win, 3 games in a row.

6pm no breeze – the flies are terrible and very little mozzies are buzzing around trying to get in through the flyscreen mesh. Unfortunately some have so I have this buzzing sound in my ears now and am searching for tiny little mozzies to squash.

Steve cooked a beautiful camp oven chicken and roast vegies – we eat very well.

Cooled off by bedtime with the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof again.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 12th Apr, 2019 Pending Leases, north of Leonora, WA

7.30am 24 degrees, overcast and no wind. Pitter patter of raindrops through the night.

Went exploring with our detectors.

21 degrees at lunch time, still overcast but breezy now. Nice day to enjoy Kym’s pumpkin soup. I made some savoury griddle scones to go with it – thanks Michelle for the recipe, first time I have tried it and it worked well.

Played 3 to Kings – 1 game each again.

Had a cuppa then went wandering again – getting lots of exercise!! Lots of hot rocks making the detectors sing.

4.30pm pitter patter of rain drops on the roof again. Had drinks inside as the flies are terrible here.

Steve got the fire going to heat some water for a warm shower tonight. The wind is blowing well and is quite cold so closed the windows – what a change from last night

6.30pm 26 degrees – enjoyed a nice hot shower.

Easy dinner, movie and light blanket on the bed.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 11th Apr, 2019 Jungle Well, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora to Pending leases, north of Leonora, WA

7am 28 degrees, light breeze and clear sky.

More detecting – still haven’t found where the geologists found their gold.

Home for lunch, 40 degrees and the wind blowing in strong gusts. The clouds are building again in the west.

We decided to head back to Leonora then try some pending area before it becomes live. Then we will head down to Kalgoorlie and meet up with Ray and Carol.

While filling up with water we chatted with a couple from Brisbane on a 14 week trip of WA. I did my internet stuff. The pending area we were heading too has gone live already so we will go up to the pending leases in our 40E area and detect those before they become live too since they were taken out at the same time as the other ones last year.

Checked the weather – drop in temperature for the next 6 days and chances of showers and thunder storms. Tomorrow should only get to 28 and early mornings in the low 20s. Such extremes.

Rang Mum and Dad in case we don’t have reception where we are headed. She said that Winx is having her last race tomorrow – she has won 37 races in a row. Debbie (nee Ingham) (Mum’s cousin’s daughter) was on TV talking about it. Also we will have to get a postal vote organised as the Federal election is on the 18^th May – Dan’s birthday. Uncle John rang too as Jocelyn’s bad leg had swollen so she went into hospital to possibly have a stent put in. I will send him a text wishing her all the best.

Topped up the fuel then headed to our camp spot. The sky is getting darker and we can see wispy rain falling in the north.

Set up camp by 6pm and managed a photo of camp as it was quite dark with the dark clouds – looks bright and sunny in the photo.  

Still 38 degrees in the van with all the windows open. No wind to cool things down. We sat outside with our drinks till the mozzies drove me inside. Steve persevered till I had dinner ready.

8pm gusts of wind came and went then 9pm we heard the pitter patter of light rain drops on the roof. There was no wind so left all the windows and vents open as we don’t think the rain will amount to much.

Still no breeze when we went to bed but it has cooled off a little.

Wed, 10th Apr, 2019 Jungle Well, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7am 26 degrees, clear sky and strong wind which has been blowing all night.

Took our detectors for a walk – got lots of exercise and cleaned up Australia!!

This big boy stood still for ages so I could get a good profile shot of him.

Back to the van for lunch, 37 degrees. Feels hotter with the hot wind blowing.

Steve went off for more exercise while I relaxed with my book and wrote up my blog. Not enough phone service out here to upload it though.

3pm 39 degrees – clouds are building in the west. I forgot to check the weather before we came up.

Ray and Carol rang. They are in Kambalda killing time till their replacement caravan kitchen window arrives – it parted company with the van on the Nullabor. They asked if we would like to join them down there and go detecting with them as he has permission to go on some mining leases etc. Sounds good so we will head down to Kalgoorlie in a week.

Hot afternoon so we played Skipbo with the fans on even though there is a wind it is very hot.

Rang Virginia and Geoff to see how their detecting was going. They went to Marble Bar but it was too hot and the march flies were terrible. They are at Nullagine having fun. Virginia said it was only 35 degrees in the caravan park and it was a lot cooler in her van with the air conditioner on.

6pm the wind has stopped making it feel a lot hotter than the 36 degrees. The clouds have come over.

Hot night – cold showers and fan needed.

The sky cleared by bedtime but it is still hot.

Tues, 9th Apr, 2019 Jungle Well, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

Cool night so it was a nice temperature this morning that we slept in till 8am. 23 degrees with a gusty wind and clear sky.

We went to the southern end of our 40E area to check the ground for detecting. We found plenty of cattle and even a watch. There were some drill holes nearby so maybe one of the drillers broke it and dropped it on the ground. The band is fine but the glass and hands are gone.

Steve noticed some recent wheel tracks so we followed them. They turned off so we kept going out to a mine to the west. We couldn’t find the actual mine but there was heaps of exploration scrapes on the side of the hill. We headed back to follow the other wheel tracks.

One lot went down to the creek and along it for a bit then turned around. The next tracks pulled off near a creek where there was some nice salt and pepper ground so we got out for a detect. We could see where the person had scraped the ground in a few spots but only shallow scrapes. Maybe this was the geologist’s spot and he came back over the weekend (the tracks are very fresh) to see if he missed any.

There were lots of hot rocks but I did get a nice reward. Nothing else then as I walked back to the truck I got a loud rubbish signal near a fallen branch and my heart leapt but then I saw an aluminium tag the exploration drillers use, tucked into a branch – what a shame!

Back to the van for a late lunch, 32 degrees – the wind has died down.

Continued detecting but only two bits of lead turned up.

Home for drinks then Steve got the fire going to cook dinner using his bushcooker – steak and roasted vegies.

7pm, 33 degrees in the van with only a light breeze. Much nicer outside now the flies have disappeared. Spotted a couple of satellites and enjoyed the sparkling sky.

Dinner was yummy and we watched another good movie though the quality of the recording wasn’t too good. Needed the fan as it is still quite warm.

The wind is back again with strong gusts as we went to bed so that might cool things down.

Mon, 8th Apr, 2019 Malcolm Dam, east of Leonora to Jungle Well, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7am 21 degrees, clear sky and cool ESE wind. The wind blew all night.

Packed up camp. Said bye to Mark and Heidi as they headed out to find another spot to detect. Mark had found a Garmin (handheld GPS) that someone dropped a while ago. The batteries had corroded but he cleaned it up and it worked. It even had some waypoints and the chaps walking track so Mark checked the co-ordinates and found some were for the caravan park in Leonora and the others were around where he had lost it – no gold treasures unfortunately.

Drove into Leonora to fill up the van’s water tanks and grab a couple of fresh vegies. Rang Mum and Dad as we aren’t sure about phone service where we are headed. The sun is out again in Cairns and after a nice chat Mum said Doreen had just driven in so they will have a lovely time catching up.

Headed north up the Goldfields Highway. Two big dump trucks near the railway area waiting to go to a mine somewhere.

Further up we had to pull off the road – Mr Police car made sure we did as he drove towards us on our side.

Then two big trucks came loaded with an excavator and dump truck. Maybe they came this way to avoid going through too many busy towns like Kalgoorlie etc.

Continued on our way then stopped at Sullivan Creek for a cuppa.

We then turned off onto the old Darlot Road then around the south end of another Round Oak mine and we headed up Rob’s graded road to Jungle Well. We are west of where we were at 10 Mile Outcamp, still on Tarmoola Station. A geologist working on taking samples around the old gold mine open cut pit showed Rob and Glen some lovely sized nuggets he had found. Hence we took out a 40E Permit to see if we can find where he got them from as we know it wasn’t on the actual mining lease. We are on an Exploration Lease which is owned by a nickel company so we would never had looked here. A lot of ground to search but here’s hoping we fall over a nice patch.

Found a spot to park with a bit of shade (we still going to have some high 30s temperature this week) on salt and pepper ground (good indicator for gold) but it is quite lumpy stuff. There has been an area nearby cleared of the rocks so will give that a going over with my detector.

We are near the old Jungle Well. It still has water but isn’t operational as Rob used the old gold mine open pit for the cattle as it is full of water.

Lunch 37 degrees and no wind which makes it feel hotter. We played a game of 3 to Kings and Steve won so we are one game each on this new score sheet.

Big gust of wind blew through but luckily no dust with it. A light breeze then started which was nice.

I read my book while Steve went for a wander with his detector.

Some clouds came across the sun so I took my detector for a walk over the pushed area – only found bulldozer swarf and a button. Steve just got lots of exercise, walked for 6km.

The flies are very friendly so we had our drinks in the van.

Jon rang for more information about camping at Marina Plains – so glad he has some great friends to do these things with now. He is wanting to get a small tinnie now so he and Jess can go exploring and fishing.

The wind has picked up which is cooling things down a bit. Lovely sunset colours.

Nice evening – didn’t need a fan on.

Sun, 7th Apr, 2019 Malcolm Dam, east of Leonora, WA

7.30am 22 degrees, clear sky and light breeze. Got chilly in the early morning so had to pull up the blankets.

Helped Mark and Heidi reattach their awning after the wind ripped it off the other day.

Did the washing – back to using my little twin tub – works well.

Only a light breeze blowing but the heat is drying the clothes quickly. Steve has found a nice intact green hand blown bottle but it doesn’t have any markings or writing on it to work out what it had in it. Under the tree I found a Peck’s food paste contained – looks like a handlebar grip off a pushbike.

There was also a tin lid like the tobacco ones but this one said Chocolate and Cocoa company so I wonder what was in it.

Gave Kaylene and Rick a call. Still raining. They were having a drive around Yungaburra and Tinaroo Dam.

Lunch 32 degrees.

Drove into Leonora to top up the truck’s water tanks and then out to the homestead to see Kym and Glen. They had picked up my solar light that I had left in the tree at 10 Mile. ‘Roo’ is growing well and the calves are now out with the other bigger calves. Had a nice afternoon chatting. Kym gave me a container of her yummy pumpkin soup which we will enjoy.

Home for drinks with Heidi and Mark and their friends that are parked nearby. Claus and Mona and their friends Wolfgang and Kristina. They did some opal digging at Lightning Ridge years ago together and they showed us some of their lovely collection. Said our farewells as they are heading off to another area to detect and we are heading up to our 40E spot back on Tarmoola Station but west of where we were staying.

6.30pm 33 degrees and no wind. We watched the highlights of the Supercars racing in Tasmania on the laptop. Two years ago Malcolm was racing his little car there in a support group too and we saw him on the TV as it poured with rain and here he was sitting in his open cab car getting drenched.

8.30pm the breeze has picked up from the south and is cooling things down again.