2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Mon, 25th Nov, 2024 Kathleen & Warren’s place, Newdegate to Louis’ Lookout Rest Area, north of Borden, WA (exploring Lake Grace)

A strong wind started buffeting the camper at midnight and is still shaking it. Grey overcast morning. Only got down to 17 but it is only going to get to 23 max today.

Packed up and said goodbye to Bob and Margaret as they are heading back to Mandurah. We will meander around down this way for another week. Still a few roads to mark off and a some towns to explore. Wikicamps shows up lots of interesting things to see which helps with the exploring.

We headed onto the road to Lake Grace (town and lake) which is a new one to mark off in my book. Turned off onto a gravel road which is part of the John Holland Way which meanders its way down to Broomehill. We pulled off the road and walked along the two wheel track looking for the Jam Tin Soak shown on Wikicamps. It said to follow the signs. We saw the little wheelbarrow signs and walked on through a narrow foot track. I got a stick to clear the spiders in front of us.

We walked and walked. We would have died of thirst if we were looking for the soak.

Eventually we came to a cleared track and decided we had had enough - must have done a few kilometres. Steve lead the way back. He thought we were doing a short walk and didn’t put his hat on!!

As we came off the narrow track Steve spotted a excavated hole and then lots of old tins and we realised we had actually walked past the soak!! No sign and it is was dry so it was easy to miss.

Oh well we got lots of exercise and we can say we walked some of the track (minus a wheelbarrow) and got the same pin-striping our truck and camper got having done the 4WD section of the track. Luckily we had jeans and long sleeve shirts on.

Had a cuppa then back on the main road and continued westward through more grain fields with a few sheep here and there.

Passed a farm with a sign - Eucalypt Oil and Lucerne, which is very helpful to us travellers trying to work out what is being grown.

More salt lake and salt bush areas as we near Lake Grace (est 1911). Pulled into the Lions Park where they are creating an outdoor machinery museum. They haven’t put the info on the boards yet. Great old wool wagon on display too.

Drove through town then across a salt lake near the cemetery which is on a rise. Just got the photo of this sign but didn’t realise till later that it showed the height of the flood level in 2006.

Sign says there will be a funeral event happening but no one here at the moment. Nice view over the lake. Photo off the Hema of the lake area.

Continued westward and across the causeway over Lake Grace - another huge lake area. A couple of sculptures on the lake.

Further along we turned onto the old road to the lookout. Lots of these pine trees about with their seeds in clusters.

Up the hand made lookout platform - watch the steps they are at funny angles.

Fabulous view, scanned around but only getting a small section of the lake. It would be great on a sunny day. The wind is very cold here today.

Back the 10km to town to a small park with a plane. Read the information about it and then about the floods of 2006.

Up the path to the Inland Mission Hospital.

Peered inside. You can ring someone to arrange a tour but we just wandered around.

There are a few info boards around the outside so we checked them out.

A quick look at the mosaic path.

Had lunch then headed back into town. Chatted with the lady at the Information Centre. Lots of arts and crafts made locally or throughout the district. Great map outside showing the area and how big Lake Grace is.

Headed off for the town walk. First one was in front of the info centre - the old stationmaster’s house. Now to find more plaques on the ground and on the walls.

A chap came up and asked if the 6 wheel Nissan was ours. He wanted to enquire about changing his 89 Nissan Patrol to 6 wheel and adding a camper so we stood and chatted for quite a while.

Continued on to the old rail station. Very old date palms out the front then some of the trees grown by the kids still living.

Steve tried out some exercise equipment.

Back down the other side of the street. Found some more signs outside places that aren’t there any more. They have sculptures on the top.

Fabulous mural near the war memorial celebrating the local women.

Continued along the street.

Ray and Carol rang to say they have decided to come over again next year and hope we can meet up with them. We will as they are great to travel with. Will meet up in May for a few months.

Back to the camper and headed southward towards Pingrup. The Lake Grace lakes area over to the west of us then Lake Pingrup and more small lakes along the way. Stopped at this one that has a pink colour.

Into Pingrup, est 1923, and around to the CBH bins. Grain is being dropped onto the pile.

Parked at the viewing ramp for the art work on the silos. Very good. This photo shows the sketch on the silo before he started painting.

Back into town to the Lions Park for a cuppa. As this was for the bi-centenary the info will be out of date!

Steve put some water in the tank while I walked across the road to the old school house and found some books for Steve in the little book swap.

Found some great photos at the Resource Centre (which was closed). They were behind glass so not so easy to photograph.

Went back and got Steve and books to put back in the book exchange.

We then walked down passed the small shire van park area and found the ‘big’ clippers on the roof of the old grain shed which has curved walls. Peered inside - looks like it is used for events etc now.

Checked out some old machinery - this is the tractor used in the silo photo with the dog.

Back to the camper and south to Borden pushing into the strong wind. Nothing to see here other than the big CBH bins and lots of trucks dropping off their grain.

The Stirling Ranges stand out in the distance as we continue southward.

Turned off into Louis’ Lookout Rest Area for the night. Two other vehicles are parked up. We parked into the strong wind - won’t get good fuel economy out of that drive.

Nice view from here over the fields to the Stirling Ranges.

Found the plaque about Louis Joubert who donated this land. It shows the ranges with heights for the different mountains but it’s a very small plaque.