Thurs, 12th Oct, 2017 Curara Farm Bush Camp, 18km N of Mullewa, WA (sightseeing)

7am 18.6 degrees clear sky, strong wind from the east.

Ray rang to see how we went in the goldfields. He is in hospital with another bout of pneumonia, poor thing. He and Carol got to Woodgate and met Terry and Erica which was great. We asked about his detecting around Hall’s Creek for when we get there next year. They are planning on going to north Queensland next year so we might run into them there.

Said bye to James and Irene as they headed off.

We drove back into town to explore. Didn’t see the snake on the road so either he slithered off or something got a free feed last night. Parked up and started walking and reading all the info boards.

The stock route with metal cutouts depicting the runaway bull in the story.

More info boards.

Good info about the wreath flowers.

The old Pindar Hotel we saw yesterday.

Walked into town to the Info Centre. They have a few walks and drives to follow. We started with the Monsignor Hawes Heritage Walk. Very interesting.

Following the path past lovely roses and a war memorial mural.

More info boards.

Steve tried out the pews in the open church.

More info.

His dog doing what dogs do!!

Continued along the trail – more to read which was very interesting.

There are also mosaics along the path and quotes by Monsignor Hawes.

We heard a cat meowing then Steve noticed the white cat up the top of the power pole. Another couple had seen it too and we followed them to the Main Roads depot to see if they could get it down. Unfortunately they don’t have anything that high and the electricity board would have to come from Geraldton. We left them trying to work out how to get kitty down. Poor thing.

Back to the info boards.

The bees are buzzing around the flowering trees.

Another outdoor church.

At last we reached the church he painstakingly built.

Walked around the church.

A lady was cleaning the church and invited us in to take photos. Pretty amazing what he achieved.

Continued around to his humble abode now a museum but closed at the moment.

Bit scary!!

Another pulpit info board like the one at Yalgoo.

More pretty flowers.

The bell tower.

Headed back around the church and back to the truck – kitty was still up the pole.

Drove up to the lookout for a cuppa. It is the same as the one in Meekatharra.

These trees were flowering and the honey smell was wonderful.

Back down to the old railway station and another trail about the railway.

The single men’s quarters were across the road below the water tank.

Controlling floods.

Lots of wildflowers here.

Hospital site.

Mural in the park.

Onto the Town Heritage walk.

 

Back to the truck then we headed off on the 115km Northern Loop. 

There is also an Art Trail beside the first stop on the Loop.

Down the road a bit then we crossed over the railway line to check out the old railway bridge.

Spotted the new one down the road a bit.

Someone has made some ‘wildflowers’ out of cans.

Across the causeway over the lake then onto a dirt track.

Bright blue wildflowers near the site of the old school.

Site of the school.

Walked down the path to the rocks that were laid across the lake so the children could get to school when it was wet.

Warming up as we drive around that we decided we could put on the air conditioner for a change. Continued along the dirt track to the well.

We were going to camp here originally. Nice view overlooking the lake and the old stone causeway.

A train heading east.

A tree growing out of the rocks.

Further along the track we found the original soak used by the local aborigines and then later a dam was built beside it.

Back on the bitumen and along to Kockatea Gully.

Next stop was the Bindoo Glacier Beds. Not sure if this is one of the rocks they say was tumbled by the glacier.

Continued along to the Greenough River then turned off before a causeway and followed the track along the river’s edge.

Spotted a couple of birds from the top.

They had flown off by the time we walked down to the water’s edge.

Further along the track we stopped at Noondamurra Pool. Nice spot for a cuppa but it is not too tempting for a swim with all the slime and weeds along the edge.

Are they the birds I spotted before?

As we drove up to the main track I spotted three black swans.

Kept going to the end of the track – nice spot to camp under the big tree but it is back from the river.

Pretty pink wildflowers nearby.

Back to the main road then we backtracked a bit then turned onto another dirt road into the Bindoo Hill Nature Reserve. It shows the sand dune type country.

There is supposed to be lots of wildflowers here but we only found this one.

Further along the road we spotted some more colour.

Next stop was about the change in the farms.

Interesting information about carbon capture.

Further along we followed an ‘escapee’. I missed the shot of him jumping over the fence.

Nearly back to the road that takes us back to our camp when we turned off onto the old De Grey Stock Route and Perkins #2 Well.

We headed back to town to the Pioneer Cemetery.

Back up the road and across Wooderarrung Creek.

Next stop – The Waterfalls. Interestingly we haven’t seen any ‘NO Camping’ signs at any of the stops – which is a first. View over the rocky platform – the river hidden.

Looking upstream.

Walked down to where the waterfall would be when the river is flowing.

Looking downstream.

I walked back to the waterfall end – looking downstream. 

Then over the sandy area to look upstream.

Another plaque about this spot’s importance on the stockroute.

Back to the main road then we turned off to check out a sign ‘1 mile well’. Another well on the stockroute. Didn’t find the blaze and the channel is all bent up.

Back to the van for a drink. 34 degrees in the van!! Steve hung his worn out detecting boots on the Thong Tree.

The Yalgoo water that Steve put in the van isn’t very nice so he decided to use it up by washing the van and truck. I cleaned out the freezer ready for our shopping tomorrow. Had some frozen bananas so baked some muffins then made a batch of Anzac cookies.

Lovely afternoon outside for drink as the sun went down. Didn’t bother with a fire as I had put tea in the Ecopot this morning.

Packed away the detecting boots and dug out the hiking boots again.

Warm night but by bedtime it had cooled off that we had to close up the van again.