2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Fri, 2nd Feb, 2018 Kulyaling Park near Pingelly to Lions Park, Katanning, WA (exploring)

8am 25 degrees, overcast and windy.

Headed south, back through Pingelly and down to Yornaning, another old railway townsite. There was a sign showing the school site and we could see some old tennis courts nearby. The dam for the railway has been rejuvenated and is now a nice picnic area.

Steve went back to his younger days.

Next stop was Cuballing which still has some lovely old buildings and people to live in them. Chatted with a couple of chaps on their verandah. He had old telegraph poles beside his front steps. He said they had been collected by Sim Metals to sell as scrap but when the price dropped they just left them in a pile. He has a collection of ceramic and glass insulators too.

Went for a wander up the street. The usual – pub (1892), bank (1900s), post office (1912), halls (1912) and a lovely church (1911) which is now a residence and up for sale. Now this would be very nice.

Great sculpture as we headed back onto the main road south. Up and down the little hills, I suppose they are dunes running east-west. We are leaving the ‘ing’ ending town names and heading into the ‘in’ names.

Went through a swarm of bees and sadly they will fly no more but they left their honey all over our windscreen – it smelt delicious.

Headed into Narrogin – nice entrance sign.

Narrogin is the commercial centre for the Dryandra Country. There is the Dryandra Woodland and Foxes Lair Nature Park to explore if you are into plants and flowers. From 1905 Narrogin was a major rail junction for the Great Southern Railway. I snapped a few photos of older buildings as we drove through.

The Duke of York established 1857 obviously isn’t the original building.

Of course the Town Hall is the grandest building.

Continued south to Wagin – home of the Big Ram. Slowly ticking off my list of ‘big things’ that Dad gave me.

Took a wrong turn and ended up heading out of town and up a hill before we could turn around – oops. Had to pull off too for two big ‘loads’.

Someone has created an interesting display for the Woolorama.

Pulled into the Wetlands Park where ‘Baart’ stands proudly nearby. Steve took my photo – no bum shots for me!!

Then we realised there was another photo spot up the hill with information.

There is a historical village here too but we have done a few of those now in our travels. Settlers moved into the area from 1840 and by the early 1900s with the Great Southern Railway line built between Perth and Albany, Wagin had become the hub of the Great Southern. It is near a series of ancient lakes and is regarded as the most heritage rich rural town in WA. Did our drive around town checking out the old buildings.

Headed east to Lake Dumbleyung. Interesting sign as we drove in – we thought it meant the grids we had to cross as we are on private property but ‘doublegees’ are nasty prickles.

Looks like a very big lake.

Found the information board at the bottom of Pussy Cat Hill.

Great map of where we have been exploring on this little trip.

Drove up Pussy Cat Hill – don’t know how it got that name. Hope the van and truck don’t slide down the hill on the bauxite balls. Great view from up here. Too windy for a race today. He got his two records in the same year and we will be seeing the two lakes of those records in one year too – here and Lake Eyre in June.

Lots to read.

The memorial which has a hole in above the plaque that lets the light shine through onto the miniature 'Bluebird' below (the shiny dot on the plaque on the ground) at the exact time he set the world record. Amazing.

It was very moving reading his last words before his crash in the UK.

Drove down to the Yacht Club further around the lake. This side for canoeing, yachting and the other side for water skiing – when there is water in it of course. Some locals were there having a canoe. They said the lake had been dry for a long time before all the rain in February last year. He said he was only little when Donald set the record but remembers the town was very excited and coming out to watch. They were here for New Year too and went up to see the beam of sunlight come through the hole in the rock on the memorial and it did light up the ‘bluebird’ on the plaque. How wonderful.

Great sign as we head into the town of Dumbleyung.

There is a wonderful display of the ‘Bluebird’ replica and lots of information.

Across the road beside the Resource Centre there is a fabulous sculpture of Donald Campbell made out of chicken wire – it was amazing.

Went inside and read more information. Great photo of the lake with lots of islands when it isn’t full of water.

Outside we checked out the information board. The shops are still here from the 1920s.

Across the railway line the Grande Olde’ Dumbleyung Inn is being refurbished.

Old farm machinery etc on display.

A lovely memorial to CWA ladies.

Walked down to the railway station – more great photos.

The old and new photos of the Bank.

An old photo of the Inn which was Tunney’s Hotel.

A great tractor built in 2012 from scrap metal with a 1920 cultivator behind it which would have been pulled with two horses.

Also a steam loco built in 2013 from scrap metal too. Both built by Bob Bray.

In the park were more reused farm bits.

Stopped at the Bi-Centenary Park for a cuppa. Great table but the seat is a bit uncomfortable.

Headed south to Katanning.

The Info Centre was closed but I got a booklet on the history from the library. The town’s name was first recorded in 1880. It is home to the largest sheep sale yards in the Southern Hemisphere with over one million sheep sold at auction each year. It is reputed to have had the first street lights in Australia and the first swimming pool and public lending library in country WA. In 1888 Frederick Piesse and his brother Charles planned to build a permanent store in Katanning so the firm of F & C Piesse was founded here. In 1889 Piesse Bros build the flour mill and the Katanning Hotel.

The big flour mill is being refurbished – what a shame they had to put modern glass around the bottom.

Looking up the street with the railway on our left. The town is split down the middle by the railway.

We crossed the railway lines and headed down that street past the post office, bank and hotel.

Found a map but the buildings pictured with a letter marker weren’t marked on the map so that wasn’t very helpful!!

Look – a newer version of our truck!! Cleaner too.

Nice mural.

St Andrews Anglican Church is now a Chinese Restaurant – now that doesn’t seem quite right.

Back across the railway tracks.

Lots of lovely buildings along this street. Of course most are pubs or banks.

Site of the first school, Oct 1890.

Katanning’s founding father – Frederick Piesse.

There is a long railway station compared to the other towns.

Back to the truck near the Town Hall opened May 27, 1907.

Drove out to our stop for the night in the Lions Park RV Stop. Right next to the BMX track – now that brings back memories.

I walked over to the Lions Park where there were lots of flags and a great map celebrating the many nationalities of the people who have lived or live in Katanning.

Across the road is a beautiful home called ‘Kobeelya’ which was the home of FH Piesse. It was built in 1902. The name means ‘place of peace’. In 1922 it became a boarding school for girls and closed in 1986 and it was then purchased by the Baptist Community.