Thurs, 29th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7.30am 26.8 degrees, clear cool breeze from the east.

More detecting – Steve was rewarded!! Sitting on the surface where the cattle had made their path through the bush!!

Met Chris and John from Woodford – Dad’s grandparents’ home town.

The other couple Steve had been helping have left and another van has pulled in to their spot.

Kev and Linda had met a couple parked up on the dam wall and invited them over for a cuppa after dinner. Raylene and Doc (Vietnam Vet) who are on their way to Exmouth for a reunion of the engineers he was with in Vietnam.

Lovely evening chatting around the fire.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Wed, 28th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7am 25.4 degrees, clear sky and light cool breeze.

Headed out detecting.

After lunch I stayed back and read and watched Crocodile Dundee!! Steve went back out looking for that elusive gold!!

Nice temperature as there is a lovely breeze.

The other couple came up for drinks and so Steve could teach him how to use his Garmin GPS – he said he owned an electronic shop!!

Late dinner once Steve got the fire going. Another lovely night under the stars chatting.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Tues, 27th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7.30 am 27 degrees, clear sky and a nice light breeze.

Magpies are singing for their breakfast.

I decided to do the washing so Steve got me set up and was about to go detecting when Kev and Linda rang to say they were in Leonora and were heading out to us.

They parked up on the other side of the tree – new insulation in Kev’s roof will keep them cool with the west sun on their van. Cuppa on and we chatted away while I got my washing done. Nice breeze blowing so my washing dries quickly.

They brought us up some lunch meat and I noticed that their new fridge in their truck wasn’t feeling too cold so Kev and Steve looked into it and sorted out the problem so they were all good again.

Rang Mum and Dad for a chat after seeing the news about how much rain has been falling in the north. Lovely lovely rain Mum said.

The couple that got bogged are new to caravanning so the boys went down to help them pull out their awning – they had bought it off a chap with no instruction!!

The Chinese Space Station was supposed to be crossing over our sky from west to south west to burn up over South Australia. Unfortunately a band of cloud blocked that section of the sky so we didn’t see anything.

Lovely evening breeze while we kept watch on the rest of the sky for the satellites.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Mon, 26th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7.30am 23.6 degrees, cloudy and still blowing a gale. Maybe it is from Cyclone Marcus who has been travelling down along the coast and around the bottom of WA.

Sent Rebecca a happy birthday message via Facebook.

Rang Erica and Terry for a chat. They are both well which is great. Looking forward to seeing them in July.

The wind has blown the clouds away at least so the batteries are getting charged via the solar panels.

We researched some more areas to detect then played a few games of Dice. Rang Laverton Info Centre about where to camp out there. She asked if we were wanting to go on the Longest Shortcut as it is all flooded out there at the moment. We just want to check out their Discovery Centre etc.

After lunch we went for another drive exploring some other areas.

Jon rang about a job and to have a chat. Hoping to get in some skiing over the Easter weekend.

Back to camp by 5pm. The wind has completely stopped!! 36 degrees in the van. It is all or nothing around here!!

Saw a car and van pull in by the lake then realised they were bogged. Drove down to help but another couple camped back in the trees had come to the rescue. We hadn’t seen the others arrive – must have been while we were out exploring. They are also chasing gold and not having much luck either.

Very still night but my little fan works well to stir the air. Such a change for the cyclonic winds of this morning. 7.30pm still 35.7 degrees!!

Had dinner outside to watch the satellites pass over. The half  moon is very bright so had to look towards the Southern Cross for a change and spotted a few.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sun, 25th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7am 26.3 degrees and cloudy sky. Still windy!!

Drove around the area checking out some pending leases.

Back home for drinks. The wind is very strong so we rolled in the awning as it seemed to be coming around from the north west now.

9pm a few drops of rain fell but stopped by the time I closed the roof vents!! The wind is still howling outside.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 24th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7.30am 25 degrees, clear sky and strong cool wind from the south east.

Fridge working well so we went into town to get some meat & vegetables, water and fuel.

Dropped off the old fridge at the dump – it has served us well. Steve kept a few spare parts just in case!!

Even got Steve some icecream after all his hard work. Coles Express service station has the Coles brand we like and lots of frozen meals which is very handy. The IGA has reasonable prices considering the freight etc.

After lunch we went for a drive exploring other pending leases.

Very windy afternoon. Still 33 degrees at 5pm with mackerel clouds making a nice sunset.

We ended up pulling down the awning as the wind seemed to get stronger as evening arrived.

Still blowing like a cyclone as we went to bed!!

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 23rd Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7am 25.7 degrees, clear sky and no wind.

Mum rang for a chat – getting excited watching to see if a cyclone develops in the Gulf.

Back into town to pick up our new fridge – yeah.

Steve had to change the gas line as the new one is different – lucky he knows what to do!!

All connected and ready to cool down. 11.30 it was already 35.7 degrees so it might take a while to cool down.

Kevin and Linda rang to say they are heading our way via some sightseeing (Wave Rock, Lake Ballard etc).

3pm it reached 39.5 degrees and we are in the shade of the tree. Poor fridge!!

After working in that heat Steve decided he may as well make the fireplace nicer!! Strange man sometimes!! I just stayed in the van enjoying my book, hiding from the flies.

We have some TV reception – unfortunately not the channel the Grand Prix is on so we can’t watch the Supercars race but will check the results online later.

Sad to hear of the beaching of 100 whales at Hamlin Bay (where we saw all the sting(less) rays last year). Volunteers are trying to save them. Amazing too that on the same day in 2009 another whale beaching occurred there.

Watched Martin Clune in Islands of Australia which was great as it covered Houtmans Abrollus (we didn’t get there)  and Rottnest Island (we cycled around it). Didn’t realise how many islands there are around Australia – would be great to have enough money to be able to island hop to them all. I would also love to see Cocos-Keeling Islands too.

Strong southerly wind has come up which is quite cooling after such a hot day. So nice to be sitting outside watching the sky and enjoying the breeze.

Thurs, 22nd Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

Cool south-easterly wind is back bring in the clouds but the sun is trying to peek through.

Steve removed the window so we could pull out the old fridge.

I filled in time by baking biscuits and date slice and getting dinner ready in the Ecopot. Just the thing to do when it is 37 degrees in the van!! The wind blowing in though is coolish so it wasn’t too bad.

After lunch we played a few games of Sequence with our fan cooling our feet as the wind has dropped off.

By 6pm the wind had stopped and it was still 37 degrees in the van.

Sat outside watching some lightning flashes in the west and south.

Wed, 21st Mar, 2018 Webster’s Mine, east of Leonora to Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7am 21 degrees, few clouds about and breeze feeling warmer. Forecast for a storm today.

Went detecting again.

Rang Margaret for a chat.

Warmer day. By lunch it had clouded over and looked like a storm was building and the wind has stopped.

Decided to go back to the dam and take out the fridge ready for the new one which will hopefully be here on Friday.

Set up under ‘our tree’ again but over a bit so we can get better TV reception as the Grand Prix is on this weekend.

A few spits of rain fell as the sky darkened. Very still and 32 degrees in the van.

Played a few games of Skipbo – Steve reigned supreme over three games.

4pm the breeze came back cooling things off a bit. Steve fitted the new relay so he can get rid of the little switch he put in to be able to start the engine.

More drops of rain – you can nearly count them!! Cooked dinner on the fire but no stars and satellites to watch tonight so checked out the TV. We get reception but there is nothing of interest to watch!!

10.30pm the sky was all clear again and the stars were out.

Tues, 20th Mar, 2018 Webster’s Mine, east of Leonora, WA

Strong easterly wind keeping us cool. Clear sky.

Went detecting. Steve continued while I came back to camp and read and did my blog.

Still windy and getting warmer at lunch.

Played a couple of games of 3 to Kings – Steve still trying to beat me in this game.

Gavin rang – he is in Menzies and remembered seeing my post about being there so was checking where we were. Had a chat about mining etc. His daughter, Ziva, is competing in the Australian BMX Titles in Bunbury next week – hope she does well. Will catch up with them all in Kalgoorlie when we go there at the end of April.

Steve went back out detecting – I was feeling lazy. I got the Hema Navigator out to read up on Tracking as our blue trail line disappears after a day.

Steve getting lots of exercise – 13km today - his Garmin GPS says he walked.

Rang Mum and Dad for a chat while we had drinks. Val is doing ok. Mum took her out last Thursday.

Still windy but clouds are starting to come over from the south.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Mon, 19th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora to Webster’s Mine, east of Leonora, WA

7am 17.5 degrees, clear sky.

Rang Dometic Australia to see if they have our fridge in WA and they do so I just have to arrange it through a dealer. Sent an email back to Caravan Plus advising them of this but they can’t deal with Perth Dometic so he asked if I wanted to cancel the order and he would credit my credit card with the full amount. Yes please – I thought that might have been hard to get organised. I rang Ian from Caravan Shed that I had spoken to and they organised the fridge to be delivered to Leonora. Yeah – we should have a fridge by the end of the week.

Margaret sent a text they had arrived home safely so I rang her back for a chat.

Into town for water and some tomatoes and fruit. Chatted with the couple who own the IGA – he had been in the Army in Townsville in the 70s and remembers marching all the way to Cairns.

Back to camp and we packed up and headed 34km along the road towards Laverton to Webster’s Mine (pending mining lease). Found a spot to park with a bit of shade.

A lot more flies out here but my new magnet flymesh seems to be keeping most of them out of the van. They settled down after sunset so we sat outside for drinks while we heated our shower water up on the fire. Cooking inside tonight. Spotted 10 satellites – well Steve spotted most of them and one plane that must have just taken off from a mine nearby.

Sun 18th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

1am the wind got very strong and gusty from the southwest and it was cold so I had to close up the van and bring in the windchime which was making a racket. Pulled up the blanket!!

7.30am 17 degrees – what a change from the other day.

Bob and Margaret headed off back to Mandurah. We have had such fun with them and are very grateful for allowing us to stay with them all this time. It has been a great help. Will see them in Cairns in August for the trip through Cape York.

Sent Jodie from Tuckshop a message for her birthday.

Rang Rick for a chat – Kaylene was out walking.

We went for a drive to check out Webster’s Mine pending area and then a few more spots around the area. Found another newly dozed road near Webster’s with a sign KIN and followed that to where they are setting up a new camp. Steve chatted with one of the contractors and found out how to pass through their area. He said they are in the process of getting that big new road we saw turned into a haul road so there won’t be any public access on it then. The workers communicate via Channel 11 so we listened in to the trucks bringing in dirt to make the foundations for the new processing plant. Two big buildings had been erected already and lots of machinery around. It was very interesting to listen to them chat with lots of Please and Thank You when requesting dirt or water etc. Such a difference to the foul mouths of some of the truck drivers we hear on the highways.

Continued on and had lunch under a tree (with the flies) near an abandoned windmill and tank. Must have been a house/shed here too as there is a nice pink couch!!

Back to the van at 4pm, only 27 degrees and the van was closed up!.

Another lovely sunset as the clouds had come over from the west.

Got a text from Margaret – Bob had kept pushing on and they had reached Meckering after going via Kalgoorlie on the highway – big drive!! We laughed as he had said he would just plod his way home like a horse but Margaret said he is a camel (takes big strides and doesn’t stop for a drink). He often says he is called ET because once turned that way he just wants to get home!!

Cooler evening by the fire and only a couple of satellites.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 17th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

6am 20.4 degrees, clear sky. Only a top of 34 predicted for today – yeah.

Off detecting again. Steve spotted a long grey thing and first thought it was a snake but it was actually a 3 ½ metre long trail of caterpillars.

Still cleaning up Australia!! We tried one more spot but didn’t think it would yield. I said maybe if we try the unlikely spots we will get some. It worked – I got my first little nuglet though smaller than Steve’s – 0.21 grams – WOW.

Drove back over the dam wall, Mt Malcolm behind – lots of other birds took flight but the swans just went a bit further out, all staying in a line. Some locals were enjoying the water on their paddle boards and just getting wet.

Zoomed in on our ‘tree’ with the van underneath it.

Finished off the icecream as Bob and Margaret are heading home tomorrow. We can survive with our truck fridge and freezer now. Good practice for the desert trip soon.

The wind picked up and it got quite chilly at 9pm. Only spotted 3 satellites tonight!!

Fri, 16th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA (43 months on road)

Woke early, 5.45am just in time to see the pre-sunrise colours.

Then the sun rose at 6am, 24.9 degrees.

Headed out early to detect to beat the heat.

Steve broke the drought with his first little nuglet. It got a big smiley face though.

We scoured the area but couldn’t find any more but at least it’s a start.

Back to camp for lunch then I did our washing. It dried very quickly in the strong hot wind. 2pm 35 degrees.

Caravan Plus sent an email saying they still haven’t received their stock and would advise us in a week what’s happening. I sent a reply!! Got our money but didn’t have the stock – really. Looked up Dometic dealers in WA and tried a couple but it was 4.30 on a Friday afternoon so most had closed up shop. Will try a couple tomorrow.

Worked on my blog and enjoyed chatting in the shade of our big tree.

Steve got a fire going so we christened our new grid/grill plate he made. Steak and mash as we have finished the greens etc and we haven’t room for anything else till we get the new fridge. At least the icecream has survived in Margaret’s freezer so we all enjoyed some to celebrate Steve’s gold find!! Spotted 10 satellites tonight – we all enjoy the magic of the starry sky.

Remembered to pull the sheets back to allow some of the heat out of the bed so it was ok after we had our cold showers.

Thurs, 15th Mar, 2018 Niagara Dam, near Kookynie to Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

8am 28 degrees, top of 41 forecast for today!! What happened to Autumn!!

Headed off north to Leonora via the Goldfields Highway. Did all the history etc last year. Stopped at the old stamper to top up with water than called into the Post Office to let them know we are expecting two parcels – one a fridge!!

10km east of Leonora to Malcolm Dam. It was built in 1902 to provide water for the railway. Named after the township of Malcolm nearby which is now only a railway siding for the big ore carriages. It is a lot lower than last year but the flock of black swans are enjoying it.

Found the only ‘big’ tree to give us some relief from the heat. The strong hot wind is coming from the north west. Worked out the best position to make the most of the shade and set up camp.

Bob and Margaret turned their van around so the fridge area got more protection from the sun. By 3pm we were both in the shade.

Went for a drive to check out the pending area we are going to detect – an excuse to be in the air conditioning.

Clouds came over creating a lovely sunset as we had our drinks.

Cooked dinner then sat outside watching lightning flashes to the west.

Still windy at 9.30pm. 32.5 degrees in the van!!

Wed, 14th Mar, 2018 Niagara Dam, near Kookynie, WA (exploring Kookynie)

6.45am 22 degrees, clear sky, cool breeze. Forecast for 37 degrees today.

Headed off detecting. Found this old mine shaft and lots of rubbish around it.

I came back to the truck after a while with no success and saw a message from Linda so rang her back. They are getting ready to head up our way. Then I rang Mum for a chat too. She knew about her cousins Bob & Jack buying the piggery and said that it wasn’t a good venture way back then. All good at home though the rain has stopped and it is getting hot again. Tinaroo Dam is up to 70% now so the skiers will be happy. Val is home but still feeling a bit weak to be going out with Mum and Dad to dinner.

There are lots of lovely bright green leafed trees around at the moment.

Explored some old shafts on the way home. Very neat rock walls.

38 degrees in the van at lunchtime.

We all drove into Kookynie to have a look around. Nice entrance to town with a park with information boards.

Stopped for a drink at the Grand Hotel. ‘Willy’ the pet horse was guarding the door – we think he was trying to enjoy the air conditioning coming out under the door.

We made it inside. On the wall there were plenty of photos of Willy in his youth as a show jumper and also as a trotter.

The poor old pub is needing some repairs but Margaret and Kevin have it nice inside. It is up for sale.

Willy was keeping an eye on me.

We ordered some drinks from Margaret – she is so little behind the big bar. Steve found a friend to share his with.

Hanging above the bar is an aboriginal spear completed with telescopic lens!! Might have to buy some strings for Steve’s air guitar too – oh great they have been marked down!!

Lots of old photos on the walls though it was a bit dim in the hall to get good photos.

A 50 head stamper – now that would have been noisy.

Hard to imagine all those houses here. In 1903 there was more than 400 buildings (including 7 hotels, 2 newspapers and a range of stores) and 2,500 people. Now there is the pub and a couple of other houses plus the old ones that are falling down. Good aerial photo of the pub.

Great ones of Niagara Falls when it was flowing in the late 1890s and of Niagara Dam.

Back outside – Willy had gone around the corner so we could get out easily.

  

I walked over to read the other info boards then Willy followed me over to have a nibble on the grass in the shade.

All that's left of the railway station.

Of course there were the ‘working girls’.

Headed east out of town to check out a big open cut mine where Reece had said he saw lots of fish. It is called the Puzzle South Mine but Steve only spotted a few small fish in the second pool.

Checked out some ground that Margaret and Bob had detected on last year. Lots of holes but they didn’t leave any gold for us.

Headed back to Kookynie. Bob and Margaret headed back to camp to get the fire going for the camp oven dinner tonight. We stopped to check out the other info boards around the once thriving township. In 1907 Kookynie had a population of 3,500 and now there is less than 20 people live here but they are trying to get the township growing again and have done a great job of the history signs etc.

This is all that remains of the big Cosmopolitan Mine.

Across the road are the remains of the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

A once loved home.

Continued down the main street reading the boards.

Fancy that – there is a roundabout here.

A few more history boards then we headed back to camp.

Stopped first to check out the site of Niagara Township (in 1905 it had a population of 1,000) – well a hard to read sign and some old relics is all that remains.

Back to camp where Bob had the fire going. We are cooking them dinner in the camp oven tonight. We all sat a long way back from the fire as it is still very hot but Steve cooked a great dinner.

Saw the Space Station cross over and lots of other satellites – it was very busy up there tonight.

Tom and Sandy rang for a chat.

The Bobook Owl was calling for his mate as we headed in to bed. 10pm it was still 30 degrees in the van with all the windows and vents open. Who said we didn’t get a summer this year!!