Sun, 26th Aug, 2019 Mt Augustus Tourist Park near Mt Augustus National Park to Temple Gorge Campground, Kennedy Range National Park, WA

I woke to the sound of scurrying feet. I heard it yesterday morning and thought it was birds or something running across the generator box outside but it was a little mouse inside running along our headboard!! He must have snuck in when we had the main screen door open as we have the magnet screen to keep the flies out and there is a gap at the bottom. Not quite the animal I want creeping around the van at night. He is very fast and the next time I spotted him he was up on the spice rack so I sprayed him with insect spray but he darted down the back of the stove. I went back to bed hoping the spray will make him sick.

I managed to get back to sleep. Steve kept sleeping on!

7.30am 17.4 degrees, clear sky and light breeze. When I opened the utensil drawer the mouse darted out. I slammed it on his tail but got such a fright I forgot to keep it closed to hold onto him so he managed to escape again. I won’t be getting much sleep until we catch him.

We packed up and went around to top up with diesel. $2 per litre. I asked if they had any mouse traps as we scored one of their locals!

Drove to the main road and headed west past Mt Augustus.

Stopped for a cuppa at Cobra Downs which used to be Bangemall Inn in the early days then became a Station Stay place with Dept of Parks and Wildlife.

Read the information – The Inn at the end of the Mail Run. Part of Kingsford Smith Mail Run trail. Very shiny on the metal sign which makes it hard to photograph. “In 1895 prospector Jack Horrigan made a remarkable overland trek from Tennant Creek, NT and was rewarded when he discovered gold in this area. His find lead to a ‘rush’ and soon the hills and creeks around here rang to the sounds of picks and shovels. A year later there were enough miners on these fields to prompt the establishment of a hotel.

Steve spotted a man so we walked in for a chat. Neville has been living here for 17 years and has most of the leases around here. He has found all the gold with a detector and now has to do hard rock mining to find any more. He said the station has been handed back to the aborigines now but nothing is happening here.  He suggested we try around Mangaroon further west to detect as someone called in with some little nuggets from there. His directions were a bit loose which doesn’t help.

We continued on past the old shearing shed and stone cottages.

Left the hills behind and onto open plains – red dirt and low trees and shrubs.

Laughed at the traffic sign – Traffic Hazard, next 220km, drive to conditions – well that covers it all!

Continued on a good road so not sure what ‘hazard’ lies ahead.

Across the new crossing over the Lyons River.

Fletcher’s Crossing was downstream – should have been called Fred’s crossing as it was two men named Fred that built it in 1963 by hand.

There is a pool of water upstream.

Further along we crossed the dry Alma River which has an island according to our Hema.

We found a track along the edge and pulled up by the big gums to have some lunch.

Continued along the road then pulled up to check on two guys changing their tyre. They were ok but said it was their second puncture – Steve noted they only had road tyres and these gravel roads certainly eat the tread off the tyres quickly.

We must be in Nissan country as all the vehicles we have seen have been Nissans. Lots of patches of bright yellow wildflowers appearing.

Back into low rolling hills as we near Mt Sandiman. We have been slowly dropping in elevation – now 230m.

Pulled off to read the info and chatted with a guy and his two little sons having fun in the dirt. Another metal sign that is very hard to read. “Early explorer, Francis Gregory wrote – a few miles along the river brought us to gorge at the eastern edge of the sandstones, to the east of which it opened out into expansive plains in some parts well grassed, and in others much washed by the river. Several trap and granite hills were visible at some distance to the northward and eastward. Our bivouac was in latitude 24 degrees 31 minutes 0.5 seconds, about three miles south of a bold trap-range, the summit of which was named Mount Sandiman.”

‘Mounts like Mt Sandiman before you may appear inconspicuous enough to modern car travellers. However, to early explorers such mounts were highly important landmarks. These hardy men would scramble to the top of these landforms to assess the land around them, take coordinates, measure the height, name them and plan their future routes.’

‘While Aboriginal people had used such landmarks for millennia, European explorers only ventured into these parts in the mid-1800s. Among them were the Gregory brothers, Augustus and Francis. They explored land in the Swan River District in 1846 and then went north to the Murchison and Irwin Rivers. Later, in 1858, Francis again set out, this time further north to the Gascoyne. It was on this trip that he explored the area in which you are now travelling. It is likely he named Mt Sandiman after Governor Sandeman, MLA. Sandeman was a NSW parliamentarian in 1856. He was also a business associate of HC Gregory, Francis’ brother. Due largely to the reports of people like Gregory, pastoralists began settling the country. Mt Sandiman became a station in the late 1800s and the homestead became a popular point for social gatherings for local pastoral families. Tennis games, dances and sing-alongs around the piano were common events at Mt Sandiman in the early 1900s. In 1973 the station was absorbed into the neighbouring Minnie Creek Station, and has since been run as an outcamp.’

A few crests later we can see Kennedy Range in the distance – low with a flat top.

Past the Lyons River homestead then turned off for the 12km drive to the Kennedy Range National Park. Looking south then along the escarpment as we drove in. The range is 75km long and 25km wide. We are at 170m above sea level now.

A goanna was digging a hole on the edge of the road so Steve stopped and turned around so I could get a photo but he was camera shy and ran away.  

Nice views of the escarpment and Temple Gorge as we head around to the campground.

The camping bays have been outlined with rocks. Met the camp hosts, paid our fee (they gave us seniors’ rate) and then showed us two spots for our van. We picked one so keep the sun off the fridge which has been struggling. Steve will have a look at it in case something is blocking the gas jet.

He gave us a booklet about the geology to read and return so I photographed it. The National Park is only a very small section of the range.

Nadine is camped here too so we will catch up with her later for a drink. Found some more information boards to read. My knees are feeling better so hopefully we can do some of the walks tomorrow.

The campground is just below the escarpment so we have a lovely view.

Nice colours on the walls as the sun sets into Temple Gorge.

Joined Nadine for a drink. Steve found another Nissan owner, Andy and had a good time chatting with him. The wind picked up again so we left our awning rolled in.

Lovely evening outside chatting – so many stars above us it is beautiful. Very quiet now as everyone has gone to bed.

We will leave the main screen door open and put some food on the step hoping to entice the mouse out of the van tonight.