Thurs, 26th Sept, 2024 Bush camp on pending lease, off Sandstone-Meekatharra Road to Gwalia Museum RV camp, near Leonora, WA

16 degrees min, overcast and windy again.

Bob and Margaret are leaving Mandurah so we will meet them tomorrow arvo in Leonora. Unfortunately a storm is arriving then too according to BOM!

Packed up and tried other spots on the way out. Steve got one bit (0.18g) off a scraped area in unusual rock area - not the usual salt & pepper.

Headed back out to the road to Sandstone and continued on the nice smooth gravel road. Spotted Daddy Emu and his young chicks just off the edge of the road.

Passed the turn off into Barrambie Station where we stayed with Joy and Lance. They are now in Dongara so will try to catch up with there sometime.

Lunch at Lake Mason Station info board pull over. Road not as smooth on the Sandstone Shire side.

Onto bitumen and into Sandstone - still looking neat and bright with all the colourful bouganvillea. The pub has closed and is boarded up. Passed Outback Accommodation where we helped Mickey and Chris a few times - great experience, fabulous people. We will catch up with them again in Leonora where they are still working for St Barbara gold mine. They have a place at Northampton too so will have to visit them there too.

Continued on the bitumen to Leinster. We have just missed a storm cell which has left the road wet but headed north east. There was a nice rainbow.

Drove into the mining town to check out their supermarket - not much available at the moment.

Decided to continue on to Leonora as there is a free camp at the Gwalia Museum carpark so we can wait for Bob and Margaret there. Dark clouds in the south.

Went through a light shower. We must have missed the main part as the road is wet ahead of us.

The sky brightens as we pass the turn off into 10 Mile Outcamp where we spent 4 months helping Rob with the bore runs etc.

Fran sent a photo of Sophia with her glasses. They will check her eyes again in a month. Hope that sorts out the problem for her.

Into Leonora. The Coles Express isn’t cheap here. The 24hr Ampol is 30 cents cheaper so we will fill up there tomorrow.

Out of town then we took the road to the historic mining town of Gwalia which has an active gold mine there. The Museum is fabulous and now we can part there for 72 hours too. We pulled in and backed up a bay away from another van. A lady came rushing out yelling then we realised we weren’t in trouble - it was Cheryl and Gary from Melbourne, who we visited in January. I knew they were over here and was going to find out where they were shortly. Fancy that - they had just pulled in too.

We got set up. The murals on the side of the Museum need touching up.

Got out our chairs and jumpers and chatted the afternoon away and into the evening. It was 7.45pm when we finally went in for dinner. They are such a great couple.

The clouds went with the wind and the stars are out - a lot cooler so closed up the camper.

10.30pm we heard thunder and lightning flashed then the rain started with strong wind. It wasn’t heavy rain but the wind shook the camper about as we are up on the hill by the Museum, overlooking the open cut of the mine.