Sun, 22nd Sept, 2024 Bush camp on Killara Station, north of Meekatharra, WA

18.7 degrees min, cloudy and no wind.

Ray’s birthday so sent him a happy birthday text.

We packed up and drove around the lease looking for good spots. Found another old mine shaft area and set up.

Wandered about, some small old dry-blowing piles about. I got the tiniest bit below on of them and that was all. Nothing for Steve. The little bush flies are out in force - how Steve copes without a fly net amazes me.

The wind has picked up. Steve kept on wandering while I did my blog and baked our usual Anzacs and date slice.

A big storm is brewing to the west. Nothing mentioned on BOM, just possible 0-3mm! It appears to be going SW so should miss us.

The wind is getting stronger. A big willy willy came hurtling along the back of the camper, ripping the mats out from under the steps. Luckily we didn’t get any dust.

Heard some thunder rumbles and a few flashes of lightning at 3pm.

A ute came over with a young chap from the station showing a young lady from Sweden the different mines etc.

The storm is building up and the sky is all dark now. The wind has a wet coolness to it now so closed up the camper just in case.

The storm arrived or maybe we are just getting the edge of it. The wind blew the rain horizontal for a while but it wasn’t heavy rain.

Cooled things down a lot, 21 degrees even with the camper closed up. Drinks while we played cards as the storm moved over us.

Another shower of rain later on. Still very black to the west.

Dinner and a movie. Another shower of rain.

All quiet at bed time.

Sat, 21st Sept, 2024 Bush camp on pending leases, 80km north of Meekatharra to Bush camp on Killara Station, north of Meekatharra, WA

Light shower of rain at 2am.

21 degrees min, cloudy and no wind. Tom’s birthday so sent him a message. We will catch up with him and Sandy in Perth later in the year.

Packed up and headed back to the highway and turned south.

Lots of bright pink wildflowers covering the flat red soil.

The sky looking darker in the south.

We turned off onto the dirt Mooloogool Road to try and get to another pending area that has old mines on it. Found a track off it that ran down past a water point and there were lots of cattle about and two emus who bolted when we got closer.

Unfortunately the track we needed hasn’t been used and is overgrown so we turned around, the cattle were still standing around and I spotted the emus had come back to the water again too.

Back to the highway where we stopped for a cuppa then continued south. Passed the Andy Well Gold Mine which is right beside the highway. Lots of infrastructure here but doesn’t seem to be operational.

We turned at the Sponge Bob big mail box which had a sign beside it ‘Keep the Sheep’ - don’t think there are any sheep up this way.

We saw some mining equipment then the homestead of Munarra so went up to say hello. A lady came out and introduced herself - Penny, her and her husband own Killara Station. She was very friendly and we chatted about the costs, council rates, lease and vermin payment for one station. The letterbox was made when her 4 children were young and her nieces and nephews were visiting and they came up with the idea. Stands out. The sheep sign is because the government will be banning live sheep export next year and they were worried that cattle will be next. Things have improved a lot from the original horror stories and it is all regulated to the hilt now. She said that Andy Well got operational again two months ago and they are going to do another pit at Turnberry further to the south-east. She gave us directions to get to the pending area and wished us luck in finding some gold. It was very interesting chatting with her.

We thanked her and headed off following her directions. Found the old mine area and parked up nearby.

After lunch we went wandering but only found bits of metal. Steve checked out another mine shaft further away. It had a boiler and winding mechanism to bring ore up etc as the shaft was very deep - he didn’t get too close and took a couple of photos.

Still overcast but no rain. Only got to 31 degrees with a nice breeze.

Got a fire going once the flies went to bed!

 

17-20 Sept, 2024 Various bush camps, 80km north of Meekatharra, WA

Tues, 17^th

13 degrees min, clear sky.

8am the wind is back, 19 degrees.

Packed up and drove around to Window Rock for a photo.

Followed the track to a dry blowing area under pending lease and set up camp on where someone has gridded and dragged a chain - won’t be any gold left here then.

Still windy but not strong.

Went wandering. Steve took a couple of photos on his phone of the rock formations.

The wind settled so Steve got a fire ready for later on when the flies go to bed.

It was a lovely evening under the stars with a near full moon shining on us too.

 

Wed, 18^th

17 degrees, min, no wind.

Packed up and drove around looking for other spots to detect. Went around an old mine shafter area called Golden Grindstone Mine - used to be a live lease but that has been relinquished so it is under the pending lease. Steve had found some gold near here so we pulled in to have a go. Drove down over the rocky rise and parked down by the dry creek.

Went wandering - 4 other vehicles pulled up on the salt & pepper ground but when I waved they ignored me.

I went back to camp and Steve kept wandering. He found a couple of the guys further over and got them to say hi. They are part of a detecting group of 40 of war veterans. One guy got a bit chatter and said they are all camped just in off the highway and just drive and try different spots. One chap is very happy apparently as he found a patch and got 3oz off it! The others haven’t found much.

After lunch we decided to go up onto the ridge to camp for tonight so we can enjoy the views with the full moon tonight too. 

Looking out over Window Rock and further in the distance was a big red willy willy.

Warmer day, 3pm 33 degrees and the wind comes and goes.

Went for a wander - found two of my old cairns. Old mate and his chain has been everywhere. The rock holes are dry at the moment. Steve had cleaned the one out on top of the ridge and put a stick in it for the lizards to get in and out. No gold but a lovely view.

Watched the sun set then the Super Moon arise. The photo didn’t come out well with the redness and how big it appears as this cycle it is closest to the earth, hence the Super Moon title.

Keeping an eye out for the big asteroid that will cross within a million miles of earth sometime soon. Spotted the usual satellites - some zoom across, some go slowly and one just gives us a couple of flashes. Two planes went across too.

 

Thurs, 19^th

18 degrees min, clear sky and the wind is back.

Moved camp, still on the pending lease but closer to Don Well. Pulled in below a small hill and went wandering. Big rocks, ironstone, calcrete rock blow and some quartz.

Went wandering.

Our Tassie friends are at Streaky Bay in Sth Aust, heading to Gawler Ranges tomorrow. They head back to Tassie early October so enjoying some sightseeing along the way.

I messaged Margaret - she said they will probably head off after Bob’s eye appointment on Tues. Will ring them then to let them know where we are.

The clouds are coming over at lunch time.

Steve went for another big walk, I got out my cross-stitch to continue on Beau’s 1^st Christmas stocking.

After a cuppa we moved camp back towards the highway to try some salt & pepper ground tomorrow that looked interesting.

Drinks inside away from those pesky flies.

The wind stopped but we didn’t bother going back outside as the sky is cloudy so no sunset and no moon or satellites to look at tonight.

Warmer night, still 30 degrees at 7pm. Lots of little bugs trying to get in which we haven’t had for a while. There is some rain forecast in a couple of days - maybe they come out before the rain! We left a light on outside and just the TV inside so they will all just die there tonight and I’ll clean them up in the morning.

 

Fri, 20^th

Warmer night, 21 degrees, cool wind blowing and clear sky.

Went wandering on the flat salt & pepper ground. Looked perfect but no gold under our coils.

Had a cuppa then packed up and headed back towards Nipple Hill and continued down the fence line to try and get to another pending area. Unfortunately we came to a new fenceline going across our path so we had to turn around as there was no gate to get through.

Decided to head back to the highway and then south to the Ashburton Road turn off to see if it is open.

It is ‘with caution’ so we drove up a little way to the track to Ruby Well 2 area where there had been some shallow workings and parked up.

The wind has come up and is rocking the camper with some very strong gusts. A big willy willy came hurtling along the side of us at lunch time - got a fine coating of dust come in as all the windows were open.

Went for a wander and only found rubbish and a few hot rocks while the wind was trying to blow us over.

I worked on my blog while Steve kept wandering. No joy.

We read our books with a cuppa as the wind kept blowing.

At last the wind stopped as the sun set behind some thick clouds - forecast for a few drops of rain over the next few days.

Still quite warm at 9pm, 27 degrees. Forgot to take a camp photo!!

 

14-16 Sept, 2024 Various Bush camps, 80km north of Meekatharra, WA

Sat, 14^th

Erica & Terry’s wedding anniversary. Will have to give Terry a call later. Kaylene and Alexander’s birthdays too. Sent off a message to Alexander and tried to ring Kaylene. Got a text back so rang her again - in Palm Cove for her birthday weekend. Very windy and overcast unfortunately. Hope it clears for Damon & Lara’s wedding this afternoon in Port Douglas.

We packed up and headed back to the main track and then along to check out Cashman’s Mine as there is lots of pending around it. Unfortunately it is still operational and there are no other tracks about so we turned around and headed back out to the highway and turned northward.

The Ashburton Road is still closed and there were a few cars parked there. We continued on to take a bush track into the Goodins Mine area (south section). We have been in the north section but this is pending now so will check it out. Came to a creek area and spotted 4 vehicles and people wandering with detectors. Pending areas are getting his hard now the mines dept has put the price of 40Es up so much. This area has been open since April so it is probably been well walked over.

We checked the site of an old mine first, called Ruby Gem.

Steve remembered a small hill he saw someone camped on years ago and guess what someone was there and had chain-gridded the flats! The chap was there so Steve went over for a chat. He has been coming to this area for years and has been finding lots of little bits here. Oh well - hopefully we can find a bit or two. He suggested going further around and up to the top of the hill where there were scrapes. He said there was two vans already up there!

We continued on and headed up the hill and found the vans and had noticed lots of chained areas so we found a spot with a lovely view of ‘Nipple Hill’ (the chap called it that) and Window Rock that we have explored previously. It is a tourist attraction for Meekatharra. Plenty of big rocks to make the fireplace with so Steve got on with that job.

We had lunch then went wandering. Hard walking over the big rocks around here. The little flies are out in force, so glad I have my fly net - Steve just has his cream and puffs away to blow them away from his glasses.

We have good phone service here so gave Terry a call. He had gone out to the crematorium to share the memories of their wedding anniversary at Erica’s plaque. He is doing well.

Jon and Annalise sent photos of them all dressed up for Damon & Lara’s wedding. Jon was best man and Annalise was one of the bridesmaids. Looks like the weather behaved. Jon then got a photo with the married couple - Damon had changed his shirt for the reception into a traditional Thai shirt. Lynda was babysitting Beau so I am sure he was spoilt rotten.

We had our drinks and played cards inside as the flies are too annoying. Once the sun set it was safe to go outside so Steve got the fire going and we had dinner by the fire watching a few satellites zoom over. The moon is half full now. The breeze is quite cool so I had to put my flanny on!!

Inside for a movie. The wind picked up and got so strong it was rocking the camper. Forecast was for windy day on Monday so it’s a bit out!

 

 

Sun, 15^th

The wind blew all night and still blowing now. 15 degrees minimum this morning but it feels a lot colder even with the camper closed up.

Gavin’s birthday today so sent him a text and he replied straight away.

We had a leisurely morning so didn’t go wandering till after smoko.

Too windy for a fire so we played games inside - got out some different games rather than the usual cards - Triominos and Sequence.

 

 

Mon, 16^th

Still windy. Sent David & Amanda a message for their wedding anniversary today. They are having a wonderful trip in the UK. Will have to quiz them on it all when we see them next so I can plan our trip one day.

Packed up and moved to where Steve found his little treasure yesterday.

I got another one just along from where his big smiley face was.

Had a good day for a change with our wandering.

The wind blew all day and some clouds came over. It was a cooler day, only got to 28 degrees.

Still too windy for a fire so played Rummyking for a change with our drinks.

After dinner the wind settled so not rocking and rolling tonight!!

 

 

Fri, 13th Sept, 2024 Bush camp by Gascoyne River (Middle Branch), north of Meekatharra to Bush camp near Goodins Find Mine, north of Meekatharra, WA

15.4 degrees, clear sky and light breeze. Black Friday - hope it is a lucky one instead for us.

Jon sent a video of Beau on his tummy with Stella (the Labrador) with her head between his legs getting a head scratch as Beau moved his legs - it was so cute.

Back onto the highway and over the bridge. Continued south through flat soil country.

Heard from our Tassie friends - heading to Kalgoorlie so I reminded them to do the Brothel Tour and maybe Two-up on Sunday, in case they haven’t done that before.

Mike sent a photo of ‘what just turned up’, a big nugget. We congratulated him then he revealed it was a friend in Victoria who found it near his home! Bet he was very happy.

We turned off onto the Ashburton Downs Road but the road was closed. I rang the council number on the sign as the road sign was off to the side and there was a truck further up the track. The lady said there had been flooding around the river and a semi was bogged, they will update the status on Monday! We only want to go up a little way, not to the river, but won’t chance driving onto a road where there is an official closed road sign. Two vehicles came out so not sure where they came from.

We continued down the highway and took another track to go onto a pending lease near an historic mine area, Goodins Find Mine.

Lots of puffy white clouds coming over now. Spotted a red roo and I managed to get a photo before he disappeared.

We pulled up at a likely looking spot and went for a wander but no joy.

Had lunch, lots of willy willies zooming around us but not much dust about which is good.

We continued down the track to the old mine site but couldn’t find any sign of it so headed back and found another spot to try and set up for the night.

Lots of flowers about.

I worked on my blog while Steve went for a wander. He got lots of exercise!

The little flies are out in force so we had our drinks inside as we won’t have a fire tonight. Played games instead.

The warmth of the day disappeared quickly as the sun went down so I had to close some windows!

All quiet here - definitely no road noise.

 

Thurs, 12th Sept, 2024 Gravel pit near Marble Bar-Newman turn-off to Bush camp by Gascoyne River Middle Branch, Nth of Meekatharra, WA

17 degrees, mostly clear sky. The busy road got us up early!

Turned onto the Great Northern Highway and north a bit to Newman. The couple on the hill point the way.

Got our groceries, fuel, gas bottle and topped up the water so ready to go wandering again.

Back onto the Great Northern Highway again and turned south towards Meekatharra. A bit of water under the bridge as we cross the Fortescue River here.

Across the Tropic of Capricorn - clear sky ahead.

Back into flat country again. A couple of wedged-tailed eagles waiting in a tree for lunch to appear - I managed to get one in the photo.

Puddles of water along the road side so they must have gotten more of the storm than we did. Through long stretch of road works. Lots of pretty little pink wildflowers by the roadside.

More roadworks.

Turned off the highway onto a dirt track before the bridge over the Gascoyne River (Middle Branch). As we came down to the river there was a herd (or a drove) of donkeys under a tree. They took off but I managed to get a photo.

We stopped and so did they so I got some more photos.

Down the track a bit and we found a nice spot to park up for the night.

Lots of lovely reflections in the water.

We can still hear the trucks going by over the bridge but there is lots of bird life too all entertaining us with their songs, and a lonely cow on the other side calling to his friends.

Only got to 30.6 degrees in the camper so a lot cooler down here than at Nullagine. A few hundred kilometers makes a lot of difference!

Sat by the waterhole for drinks and watched a beautiful blue kingfisher zip about. Then two whistling kites landed in the trees on the other side and called to each other.

No fire tonight - all the firewood has been used up on this side though there is plenty on the other side if you want to swim for it!

Cards then dinner and a movie. Hard life.