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!!