Sun, 14th Sept, 2025 Lake Douglas Reserve campground, west of Kalgoorlie to Burra Rocks Reserve campground, south of Coolgardie, WA (Kaylene’s birthday)

16.2 degree min, much better but tomorrow it will only be 5 degrees! Blue sky and a few puffy clouds and still windy.

Rang Kaylene for her birthday. Had a lovely dinner last night with friends. It is also Alexander’s birthday so sent him a message. Thinking of Erica too as this would have been her and Terry’s 68^th wedding anniversary.

Back into Kalgoorlie to top up with water and diesel before heading west to Coolgardie. Wendy returned my call to her yesterday so we caught up on their news. Looking forward to seeing my friends again in October.

Into Coolgardie and down the Nepean Road to check out some pending leases. They were on either side of the road but didn’t look very interesting - probably just land farming, people hoping the big companies will buy the leases off them. We tried to get to a couple of leases Daniel & Lee-Anne told us about but no joy from this side. They had gone in using their 4-wheeler but must have been from the other side.

We continued down the good gravel road which diverted around the Nepean Nickel Mine heading southward to Burra Rocks and Cave Hill. We haven’t driven this road before so I will have to mark it off in my Map Book.

Through sections of tall gums then open low shrubs with the soil changing from red to white etc. Lots of lovely wildflowers and blooming wattles too. Passed some low ‘rocks’ that cover a large area.

Burra Rocks came into view but the track went around the southern side of them to the camping area etc. The wind has been blowing all the time but at least we haven’t been driving into it.

We had a cuppa inside - too cool and windy outside. Lots of lovely flowers about. Won’t walk up today as we might get blown off. Hopefully the wind will settle tomorrow!

Read the info about the water catchment on the rock for the woodline railway that carted timber to the mines one hundred years ago.

Wandered around the old machinery left over from when there was a farm here in the 1960-80s.

You can see the ‘water wall’ running around the lower section of the rock.

Drove back to the campground and set up. Nice view to the rock from here. No phone reception here.

Wind still blowing strong and rocking the camper even with us facing into the gust so Steve put the back legs down. Much better, just the vinyl pop-top getting a beating. Got the tweezer out to pull all the nasty prickles out of my thongs. Should have put my boots on.

Quiet afternoon reading and typing up my blog. A vehicle drove in, must of used the toilet then drove out again. More clouds have come over us.

I lost 3 games of Skipbo over drinks - Steve’s on a roll.

Wind still blowing at dinner time and a few drops of rain fell at 8pm.

Another shower of rain at 10.30 but with the wind it hardly hits the ground.