Fri, 23rd June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7am 12.2 degrees, clear sky.

Still lovely days for detecting – 22 degrees.

Rang Leanne back as she had rung for a chat. They are in Birdsville and are going to volunteer with their friends at the Big Red Bash that is happening out on ‘Big Red’, the big sanddune. Should be about 7000 people coming to the concert etc. They are flying to Fremantle in November then catching a cruise up the coast and around the top and back to Brisbane. If we are in town we will catch up with them as they have two days before the cruise leaves.

Rang Mum and Dad then for a chat. All good there – temperature fine. Val had a fall but all ok – she is amazing.

Jon rang in the arvo – gas question for Steve.

Chilly evening but lovely around the fire. The few clouds in the arvo have gone again.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 22nd June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Shortest day of the year. Light rain at midnight – just enough to settle the dust.

7.30am 17 degrees, clear sky in the west but still cloudy in the east.

Windy day but it remained clear so their forecast was out.

Rang Rick and chatted about his surgery. 3 to 6 months recovery and a rethink about his job. Hope everything improves for him now he has had this disc fixed.

Erica rang – they are in Cloncurry again. They found some amethyst but not the deep purple colour. Heading to Normanton to do some fishing with their travelling friends then across to Mt Surprise for some topaz at O’Brien’s Creek. Hope we are still getting about like them when we are their age.

Cold wind came up as we sat around the fire for drinks reminding us of the forecast of chilly nights to come!!

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 21st June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA (Anthony’s birthday)

Warmer night – strange as we thought we should be freezing by now!! They are forecasting rain and cold nights for the next week though they have forecast 26 top for today.

Kaylene texted that Rick is in surgery. The doctors decided they needed to take action so there was no time to think which is probably a good thing.

Put the genie on and I did the washing while Steve headed back to the scrapes. Nice strong dry wind which got the sheets and towels dried before I headed over to Steve for a late smoko and then to continue detecting.

David and Majella (we met at Lake Mason last year) texted they were in Sandstone heading to Marble Bar but they didn’t have time to stop and see us as they were meeting a friend up there. Will catch up somewhere.

Text from Kaylene that Rick was out of a long surgery and back in the ward. Will ring tomorrow after they have seen the surgeon. Sent them our love.

Few clouds came over in the afternoon but it was mostly clear again by sunset. Chatted with Sandy about having Anthony – amazing how the years fly by but the memory can bring back the moment as clear as a bell.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Tues, 20th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7am 12.9 degrees, clear sky. Rang Rick – he is doing ok with the drugs he is on. Looks like a disc is protruding so doctors are discussing what to do next – surgery or rehabilitation.

Steve was talking to Ross so I rang Tuckshop to wish the girls ‘happy holidays’ for next week and to wish Jenny and Rochelle happy birthdays for next week too.

Out detecting. Still lovely days with a top of 24 degrees though it feels a lot hotter with long pants and long sleeved shirt but it keeps the dirt off us. My new boots area great too for kicking the rocks around!!

Rang Dan – he is still waiting to get his new car.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Mon, 19th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7.30am 12 degrees, clear sky.

Back detecting.

Steve did some plumbing so I started detecting along the road and found a little one.

Perfect temperature for drinks around the fire and we even stayed out for dinner as it was so nice – no wind!!

Charles texted that Rick was in hospital so we rang Kaylene. Poor Rick – his back has had enough. They see the doctors in the morning.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sun, 18th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7.30am 12.7 degrees and clear sky. Weigh in day!! Keeps us honest when we hop on the scales once a week though we feel we have lost weight but I think the fat is turning to muscle with all the digging we are doing.

V8s are racing in Darwin. Will have to go online when we are in town with better reception and look at the results etc.

Rang Jess for a chat. Bandit  or Lily had done ‘whoopsie’ on the floor so she was cleaning that up and Jon was washing the dogs as they had walked in it!! Joy!!

Back to camp for lunch. Rang Clive and Rebecca back. They are all set for their trip to the Cape in July in the Tardis.

Back detecting – lots of rubbish on these areas!!

Mel and Sandra (who we met at Marble Bar last year) texted as they are back in Marble Bar. I rang them back for a chat. They said the spinifex has grown so much they couldn’t get to where they were camped last year. Lucky we didn’t go up. They moved to the Port Hedland side of Marble Bar and found a few nice bits of gold. They will let us know if they are heading down this way otherwise we will try and see them in Geraldton later in the year.

Phil (friend of Ross’) arrived after his fishing trip. We met him in Perth in December. We all got a nice feed of fish from him which was so wonderful. Red Emperor and a cod.

Drinks and chat at Tom and Sandie’s tonight with everyone. Ross and Lara told us lots of stories about their roo shooting days.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 17th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7am 14.7 degrees, a few clouds about.

Continued detecting.

Clear sky as we enjoyed our drinks and chat around the camp fire. Even spotted three satellites.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 16th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA (34 months on the road)

7am 15 degrees, clear sky. On the radio they were chatting with Madam Carmel from the Pink House Brothel in Kalgoorlie that we did a tour through. Very interesting lady.

Back to where we are detecting. Steve was a very happy boy. Gets icecream tonight!! Everyone joined us for smoko today so we all had a great chat. Ross loves my Anzac cookies. Sandy had made a jelly slice which was delicious – we can still have some luxuries even in the bush.

Back to the van for toasted sandwiches – an extra treat for Steve. Washed my hair then headed into town to get more water. Tom & Sandie go in fortnightly so we went on the opposite fortnight so we can work together in keeping our water topped up.

Took my laptop to upload my blog etc. Brian posted on FB about a chap who found a 14kg nugget in Dunolly, Vic six months ago and has just sold it for $300,000. We wish!!

Steve chatted with another prospector while I worked on my laptop then Jon rang for a chat about doing service work for the Cock & Bull owner – has other benefits too – like a big fishing boat.

Spotted some wedge-tailed eagles on the way back. Got back in time for drinks by the fire with the others.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 15th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

I woke at 4am to the sound of pitter patter on the roof – just a light sprinkle of rain.

Warm night, 20.3 degrees at 7am – overcast with dark rain clouds. They just passed over us and made the day very hot and humid.

As we drove back to camp we could see a shower of rain falling in the distance.

We finished early. Sandy and Annette joined us and Tom and Sandy for drinks.

Beautiful night – sky clear and full of stars. We are recycling our water – we catch the shower water to soak our very dirty detecting clothes in and then the next night give them a wash so we have clean clothes every two day. Then I will use my washing machine to do the ‘other’ clothes every now and then.

Enjoying our lovely ‘winter’ weather at the moment – I am sure it won’t last long!!

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 14th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Clouded over again – stayed warm 18.6 degrees in the van at 7am.

Warm humid day with dark clouds building up but no rain.

Lovely warm afternoon.

Rang Wendy for a chat then Mum & Dad and finally Jon. Still waiting to hear from Dan when we gets his new ute.

Drinks around the fire but we didn’t need any heat tonight as it was so lovely outside.

22 degrees in the van at 9pm so we left the door open instead of having the van all closed up from the cold!!

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Tues, 13th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Warmer morning with the cloud cover.

Got quite warm today – no need for extra layers.

Perfect temperature for drinks at 5pm with Tom & Sandie. Kev and Linda only got as far as Meekatharra. Linda has been busy cleaning and washing – trying to get the red dirt out of everything!!

Sky cleared up so we enjoyed looking at the stars now the moon doesn’t come up early. Even saw a satellite!!

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Mon, 12th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA (Tim’s birthday)

7am 12.4 degrees and overcast again. Weather forecast for a top of 21 degrees today.

Sent Greg and Tracy a text to wish Tim a happy birthday. Rang Rick for a chat.

When we came back to lunch Kev and Linda had packed up and decided to head off. Said our farewells and we will see them again in December.

Cloudy day and a bit cool.

Erica rang. They are in Cloncurry. Got some good garnets and are heading to their next spot to find some amethysts.

Had to get the fire going – no Kevin to keep the fire burning!! Drinks with Tom and Sandy around their fire.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sun, 11th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7am 12.3 degrees, clouded over and still.

Overcast till lunch time then the wind came up and broke up the clouds.

Lovely sunset with the mackerel sky.

Kev found an old hinged tin thing (looks like a hinged bonnet) which makes a great windbreak for the fire.

Messaged Dee and Shane to say we will be back in Mandurah in December and are looking forward to catching up with them again.

Sat, 10th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

9.7 degrees in van – got out our other thermometer we used to get the outside temps but the battery is dead (usually the van is 3-4 degrees warmer). Lovely clear sky.

Quiet morning. Baked some Anzac cookies at lunch while Steve did some plumbing.

Detecting in the arvo. Thin hazy clouds are coming over.

Kev and Ross had shot a roo (Ross is a roo shooter) and he prepared the ‘back strap’ into steaks and we all joined them for dinner. I cooked up a sticky date pudding for dessert.

Great night chatting but the cold wind sent us back to our vans. The clouds are moving across but the sky is mostly clear.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 9th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

7am 10 degrees, clear sky.

Windy day and cold.

Wind setted at sunset so we could do roast chicken pieces in the camp oven – yum. Even had icecream for dessert!!

Beautiful full moon tonight.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 8th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

6.45am 10 degrees – so glad we have our heater.

Washed my hair – nice Steve heated me some water on the fire.

Dropped Steve off to detect then picked up Linda and we headed into Meekatharra to stock up the food, gas, water and dump the toilet canisters.

Chatted with a couple from West Tamar, Tassie who sold up everything and hit the road – they are loving it.

Very annoyed – some idiot through their chux and rubber gloves in the dump point and blocked it up. I sorted it out luckily – some people are so inconsiderate and they are the first to whinge when they close down the dump points because people do the wrong thing.

The truck was late for the IGA for the meat but I managed to get enough – only one bit of chicken though.

Back to camp with no problems. Now the fun part – trying to fit it all in the van and fridge!! Fruit can stay out now as it is cool.

Picked up Steve – he had a good day.

Cooling off with a cold wind tonight but still ok around the fire.

Love our fire heated hot water for our showers – the van stays warmish from the sunshine till we are ready for bed so haven’t needed to put the heater on a night yet.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 7th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA (Mum & Dad’s 56th wedding anniversary)

7am 11 degrees – predicted top of 24, clear sky.

Rang Mum and Dad to congratulate them on reaching another wedding anniversary – they had forgotten!! Every day is wonderful for them. Mum was complaining it was cold there!!

Nice morning detecting temperature.

After lunch I defrosted the freezer – nearly empty now and Steve transferred the water from the truck into the van in readiness of my trip into Meekatharra tomorrow.

Afternoon spent ‘cleaning up Australia’. Steve had a good afternoon though.

Back early and got the washing machine going. We had soaked our red dirt clothes yesterday.

Dinner by the fire again with Kevin & Linda.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Tues, 6th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

6am 11 degrees. Put on the heater and a jumper and continued with my blog. All caught up now. Won’t be too much sightseeing for the next few months so should be able to keep on top of it though we are detecting all day and enjoy sitting around the fire at night so not much time for blogging or reading my books, but we are loving it.

Robyn & Robert rang. They are with Ray and Carol in Halls Creek and they have all been doing well.

Linda has got our cold now – sorry to say we share!!

I found a big quartz rock with little bits of gold on it but unfortunately it only yielded those small bits when Steve broke it open.

Lara has chickens so they are very happy when we give them our vegie scraps.

Bruce and Julie, friends of Tom & Sandy’s, who are camping on the pending lease nearby, called in for a drink so we joined them as Kev was still out exploring and Linda was resting in the van – the cold hit her harder.

Nights are cooling off as soon as the sun goes down but it still very pleasant.

Mon, 5th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

West Australian Day – public holiday. Not for us though!!

11.5 degrees, clear sky and still.

After morning tea the wind picked up again – not so nice in a dusty area!!

Exhausted but happy – glad to plop in my chair with a drink at the end of the day and watch the lovely sunsets and the fire flicker. Even spotted 2 satellites tonight – Kev and I have a competition on who sees them first!! I usually win!!

Been watching the V8s I had taped at home and looking at our photos and videos I took of 2 years ago.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sun, 4th June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

10.8 degrees - winter has arrived. Heater on.

Baked a slice for morning tea and put dinner in the Ecopot so we are ready for another day detecting.

The day warmed up nicely then the wind came up in the afternoon.

Clear sky for drinks around the fire and jumpers on as it cools off quickly.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 3rd June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Warmer night again – wow winter is great here!! 17.5 degrees at 7am. Cloudy and still.

More detecting. Cloudy all day – not good for the solar panels!!

Beautiful sunset. The clouds started to disappear then and it cooled off quickly.

Rang Mum and Dad for a chat.

Dinner and more chatting around the fire as the stars came out – even spotted one satellite though Kevin doubts me as he missed seeing it!!

Fri, 2nd June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Warm night again, 18.3 degrees at 7am. Clear sky.

Continued detecting.

Wispy clouds came over during the day and the clouds moved in in the afternoon.

Another warm night. Very nice around the fire.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 1st June, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

First day of winter – I think the seasons are out of whack as it is a lovely warm morning after a warm night, probably because of the cloud cover. 7.30am 20 degrees in the van with the door open!!

The rooster doesn’t know when sunrise is either as he goes off any old time. I got up early and worked on my blog.

Kevin & Linda went into Meeka for some food etc.

The wind picked up and blew all the clouds away. Lovely warm day.

Steve continued with the plumbing and I detected along the old road. 

Lara is very happy with the plumbing and is going to enjoy a lovely hot shower tonight.

The wind stopped as the sun set. We all joined Ross & Lara at their place for drinks.

Dinner by our fire. A few clouds coming back over.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 31st May, 2017 Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

Warmer morning as the clouds have come over. 16 degrees which was nice.

Steve and Kev went to work on plumbing the dongas. Ross is making a nice camp area here.

Ross took me to a spot to try my 2300 on. Hard rock ground – luckily he was swinging the pick.

The wind came up at lunch blowing the red dust around so we keep the van closed up. 28 degrees in the van.

Managed to catch up on the sightseeing photos around Leonora. Don’t have great phone signal here but when Ross puts the booster on we can all get on the internet etc.

Wandered over some old scrapes nearby and found a few bits of gold in the windrows. I was picking up lots of gunshot pellets. Linda had found lots too but when she had a look at them back at camp one was gold. I checked my rubbish and found I had tossed one too. Need to look more closely or just put them all in my gold jar till I get back to camp!!

Erica rang from Sapphire. She and Terry are both well and found a few small sapphires. The miners took pity on them and gave them a bag of little ones which was very nice.

The wind stopped and we all enjoyed a beautiful sunset while we chatted around the fire.

Tues, 30th May, 2017 Lake Mason campground, near Sandstone to Bush camp, near Meekatharra, WA

11.2 degrees at 6.30am. Wispy clouds coming across the sky. Put the heater on and started work again on my blog – only a week behind. Been having too much fun. Lots of photos to sort when we were at Gwalia.

Packed up camp. Said bye to Bob & Margaret as they are heading back home. We will see them in December. Exchanged details with Dennis & Linda who offered their shed and block at Hopetoun should we be down that way again. Might see them in the goldfields further north too.

Headed back towards Sandstone then turned up the dirt road to Meekatharra. Stopped at the Miner’s Trail signs so Kev & Linda could read the info on Lake Mason, then the No. 1 Vermin Fence then we stopped at Barlangi Rock for lunch. Steve found a friend.

Turned off into where we are going to detecting with friends Ross & Lara. Parked up near their camp. Steve has some plumbing and gas work to do for them.

A couple who were caretaking here last year are here again – Tom and Sandy.

Got a text from Dan that he has made a deal for a new BT50 ute which is great. Now he has to sell his other cars!! Jon is still trying to sell his Malloo as he and Jess and trying hard to save to buy acreage land and build a liveable shed on it.

Kev got the fire sorted and Steve set up his firepit implement holder!! Tom & Sandy joined us for drinks and Ross came over too.

Sky is clear but didn’t see any satellites – they must be crossing over earlier or much later than they used too.

Mon, 29th May, 2017 Lake Mason campground, near Sandstone, WA

11.3 degrees at 7am. Rang Jeff to tell him about Margaret’s nugget off the patch we worked last year and we missed it!!

Steve and I went back to the scrapes and had a good time. Spotted a black swan on the lake.

Kevin & Linda went back to the first spot but didn’t have any luck. Margaret and Bob went for a drive checking out the other mines further along the road to Wiluna.

Lovely warm day which makes up for the cold mornings. It was 30 degrees in the van at 3pm. Steve got the donkey shower going and I washed my hair and handwashed the clothes in the bucket using the lovely hot water.

Another beautiful night around the fire with lots of laughter. Only saw one satellite though!!

Sun, 28th May, 2017 Lake Mason campground, near Sandstone, WA

13.4 degrees. Cloud covering the sun as it rose though the rest is clear.

Went the other direction to detect today, down along the edge of Lake Mason which has water in it.

We went to where I found my first piece of WA gold using Jeff’s detector. Steve found a couple then I continued working the patch – very nice.

Margaret is a very happy girl as she found a very nice one.

Bob looks classy with his adapted knee pads.

Back to camp for drinks around the fire. Dennis and Linda joined us. They had been a Yandal, where we had the 40E with Jeff last year, just before us. They have done very well detecting over the years. It is getting harder each year though.

Kev put the billy on Steve’s fireplace creation – made out of bits and pieces from around Malcolm Dam. Collapses down to fit in the box too!!

Sat, 27th May, 2017 London Bridge, near Sandstone to Lake Mason campground, near Sandstone, WA (exploring Sandstone)

11.9 degrees, clear sky. Continued along the dirt track to the State Battery. It needs some restoration work too. All these spots were created for the 1988 Bi-centenary but I don’t think there was any money for ongoing maintenance unfortunately. The shed and little cottage look in good nick though.

Onto the Menzies-Sandstone Road then stopped at the Contradiction Well.

Headed into Sandstone for a look around and to top up the fuel. Lovely rainbow windmill as we turn into town.

When the fuel station closed the Shire put in a bowser which is self serve with auto card payment but it wasn’t working. Luckily the shire chap was around and came to reset the computer inside it so we could get some fuel.

Wandered around reading the new plaques that weren’t here last year. Very quiet in town. All the pending ground around Sandstone is now active so the usual group of prospectors aren’t in the caravan park so the town will suffer some more sadly.

Great photo of the camels pulling the wool wagon.

Bits and pieces of machinery are on display too.

The streets are beautifully lined with flowers so the Shire is trying to keep the town going. Rang Mum for a chat while I wandered around. She and Val had a great day out on Thursday, two big wins which will keep them going for a long while.

Bit of ‘art’.

Steve and Kev want to take this BBQ with them!!

The lady was back selling her pies and bush spices again so I got a bag of the bush spice which we tried last year and it was delicious. Into the Museum/Visitors Centre for a look around.

Checked out the hotel. Great murals.

Out to Lake Mason and set up camp. We stopped here last year twice for free. This year there is a camp host so have to pay!!

Went for a drive up to one spot Steve found gold last year and we all had a wander. Girls rule as the 3 of us got a little bit – poor boys missed out.

Back to camp and we met Dennis and Linda the camp hosts. Lovely Scottish couple who have done very well detecting over the years. The others enjoyed the great ‘donkey’ hot water shower block while we still heated our water on the fire and showered in the van. Sat around the fire for a bit chatting then into the van to cook dinner and watch some TV.