Thurs, 5th Apr, 2018 All Hands Well, 20km west of Laverton to Bush camp, 15km north of Laverton, WA (exploring Laverton)

8am 27 degrees, clear sky and light breeze. Not too noisy last night with the passing trucks.

Continued on to Laverton. Interesting entrance sculpture as we headed into town.

Stopped at the Info Board park to read the history and what there is to see here.

Nice clean town with a few locals gathering outside the Art Centre and some in the park near the Hotel. We went into the Information Centre which also houses the Explorers Hall of Fame. This is also the start of the Longest Shortcut from Laverton to Winton, Qld which Bob and Margaret will be taking later in the year to join us for the trip up Cape York. Apparently they are planning to make it all bitumen by 2025 – now where’s the fun in that!!

Inside we watched a short movie of explorer Lord John Forrest with his aboriginal guide Tommy Windich and their journey to Mount Margaret (near here) from Perth. Tommy was famous also for being the tracker who found Moondyke Joe who escaped from Fremantle Gaol and Toodyay before that. Then we heard them and other explorers talk (via statues) about their adventures.

Others of interest to us, as we are going into the country they had explored, were Giles and Eyre.

Laverton is named after Doctor Charles Laver who cared for the sick as well as looked for gold and was instrumental in getting a lot of things happening in Laverton.

Continued along the path reading lots of interesting bits and pieces, like about the cameleers and RM Williams. Will have to check out the concrete tank he built in nearby Mount Margaret.

This area is also famous for all the sandalwood that was cut over the years for overseas markets. Now only a few people have the permit to cut it.

Information about gold and nickel which is mined around here. Some specimens are on display – only a couple of little nuggets though.

Had a nice coffee and cookie in the café. Picked up the history walk brochure then headed down the street to check out some old buildings.

First past the Desert Inn Hotel.

Into the park opposite to check out Dr Lavers and his bicycle and other plaques around the base. The boys commented on the spoke-less wheels.

The Coach Hotel which is hopefully on the agenda to be refurbished soon.

On a big rock nearby was a plaque about the East Brothers – interesting bit of history.

Continued on – bit hotter today but the breeze is pleasant. Found the Police Station precinct with a lovely home for the police constable. A lady has been staying there in her van to protect the area as it has been restored. Some local kids set light to the bathroom area so the Council decided to get a caretaker in. It has been beautifully restored.

The gardens outside are so green compared to the surrounding countryside.

Through the gate to the Police Station, it closed in the mid 1970s – just a room really with the outhouse nearby and the gaol a short distance away.

We offered to pay the lady some money to keep the boys locked up but we decided they are handy to have around so we let them out again.

Prisoners have left their marks and some interesting artwork too.

Even the toilet has art.

Headed back to the vans for lunch. Geoff & Virginia have arrived so they will come with us out to the pending area after they have a look around.

We drove around to where the railway station house was but the yard was full of machinery etc so you couldn’t see the house which is now a private residence.

Up the road to where the Courthouse was moved to, near the school oval. Looking a bit worse for wear. Peered in through one of the broken windows.

The school oval is lovely and green. Bet they don’t have any nasty prickles in there like the ones we encounter in the bush!!

Headed back out of town and up the Erlistoun Road to a pending exploration lease. Found a track in and a place to camp with some trees to shade the vans from the western sun – in for a few hot days, 33 plus and a nice open area for our fire and to watch the stars and satellites from.

The flies disappeared – yeah – when the sun went down and we settled in to watch the satellites but a big cloud was building in the west which slowly came over us blocking our view. About 8pm we heard a rumble and some flashes of lightning then smelt the rain coming. Back into our vans just as the rain came down – a nice drop too. Steve put out a bucket to catch the water off the awning.

9pm it was all over and we had a pleasant temperature to go to bed with.

Wed, 4th Apr, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora to All Hands Well, 20km west of Laverton, WA

7.30am 20.5 degrees and overcast, wind blowing from the north. Had a shower of rain earlier.

Rang Mum and Dad to let them know we are moving on and to tell them about my birthday nugget.

9am the wind stopped. The clouds are moving to the east.

Geoff & Virginia stopped by as we were packing up. Steve invited them to come with us to Laverton which they will but they will come out tomorrow so we will meet them in town.

Into Leonora to stock up on food, water and fuel and have some lunch.

Headed back out the road past Malcolm Dam and then east towards Laverton. Passed Murrin Murrin Nickel Cobalt Mine area – big pits by the road. This area was first targeted for gold prospecting and mining began in the 1890s. The current nickel and cobalt mine commenced the current mine production in 1999.

Pulled into a roadside stop beside a lake area which is dry. On the map it said it was All Hands Well – the lady at the Laverton Info Centre called it ‘the Boats’. Anyway we found a shady tree to park up beside as it was quite hot and there is no breeze.

Lots of flies so we stayed in the van putting in the co-ordinates of the next pending leases into the Hema and Garmin GPS.

A truck pulled in too so we are glad we moved further into the trees.

Got a nice sunset photo whilst swatting the flies!!

Eventually the flies disappeared as the stars came out. Lovely temperature outside so we sat under the blanket of stars and eventually spotted some satellites. So many stars when the moon is not shining.

9pm a nice breeze came up. Not too much traffic on the road which is good.

Tues, 3rd Apr, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

Clear sky in the south but still cloudy in the north. 7am 19 degrees and still windy.

Headed off detecting. Decided to go back to the pending mining lease further out of town – I had a feeling!! Paid off as I found my birthday nugget from Mother Earth. Steve found me one too.

Sent Rick Mitchell a happy birthday text.

Back to the van for lunch. Showed my find to Geoff & Virginia hoping to keep them inspired. Decided to get our washing down as we will head off toward Laverton tomorrow.

Perfect temperature for our star gazing and dinner by the fire. Had a good run of satellites too.

10pm the wind picked up from the north.

Mon, 2nd Apr, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA (My birthday)

First birthday text came through at 5.30am – Qlders forget about the time change but that was fine. I was awake waiting for Cash Cow to ring as with daylight saving finishing they would ring at 5.30am now not 4.30am. But unfortunately they didn’t ring!!

Overcast and dreary morning. 7.30am 20.9 degrees and the wind is cold so the van is all closed up.

Got lots of lovely phone calls and texts from family and friends. Luckily Jon rang while I was making breakfast so Steve had to take over!!

9am it started to rain. We had a game of Skipbo – Steve won, not being nice for the birthday girl!!

I made some pikelets and we went into Kev and Linda’s van for morning tea. Doc and Raylene have returned from Laverton so they joined us too.

Mike from Tassie rang to see how we were going as he and Anne are heading over in July to Halls Creek then heading south through WA detecting. What a shame we are heading east.

Had soup and warmed up chicken legs for lunch as it hasn’t warmed up much today - 24 degrees. Played a few more games of Skipbo – Steve won easily, must be old age catching up with my brain!!

Sky cleared so Steve headed off to try and find me a birthday nugget. I stayed in camp to check Facebook etc. Had to unplug the phone to get service on my dongle and when I plugged the phone back in I had lots of missed calls. Rang everyone back. So nice to hear from friends. Unfortunately Steve couldn’t find me a nugget.

Had a nice happy hour around the fire. Linda made me a birthday cupcake and everyone sang happy birthday – very nice.

Wind picked up and was quite chilly – had to put on a jumper. Had been in jeans all day too.

As we turned off the lights for bed we noticed lightning flashing in the south west. Some fabulous strikes seem to hit the area where we can see lights of a mine.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sun, 1st Apr, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

7.30am 20.4 degrees, overcast with strong SE wind.

Went detecting in a new pending area – no luck.

By lunch the wind had blown the clouds away.

Windy afternoon with storm clouds building in the north west.

Jeff and Virginia joined us for drinks again.

Storm to the north but no lightning flashing tonight.

Wind got stronger so dinner inside tonight.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 31st Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

Rain drops about midnight then strong wind. It continued to drizzle during the night.

7.30am still raining lightly. 21.4 degrees with a cold wind. Dark and dreary.

Rang Anita for her birthday but she wasn’t home – in Brisbane with her sister. Chatted with Brian who will be driving coaches for the Commonwealth Games so he is heading down tomorrow as long as he can get through the floods etc as more rain is predicted down the coast.

Chatted in Kev and Linda’s van till smoko then Linda and I walked down to the big rubbish skip with our rubbish. Then we walked around the lake edge and up the track onto the dam wall to chat with Raylene and Doc.

Dark clouds building in the west and it is clearing in the east and south.

Kev found a friend in the back of his truck – must have hitched a ride on some firewood timber. Very unusual lizard with big spikes along his tail.

Heard some thunder roll then some strong wind and another shower of rain as though black clouds circled around us to the north.

3pm the wind stopped – so still after all the wind.

Geoff and Virginia joined us for drinks and as the sun disappeared we started seeing the lightning strikes in the south west. Had a great time watching a magnificent display of sheet and fork lightning while we had dinner. The sky was clear over us and to the east as the Blue Moon rose (full moons on 1^st and 31^st March) and we even spotted a few satellites.

A light breeze came up about 9pm as we headed back into the van with the lightning still flashing in the distance heading south east.

Fri, 30th Mar, 2018 Malcolm Dam, near Leonora, WA

 7.30am 23.3degrees, gusty cool NE wind and clear sky.

More wandering!! Lots of electrical spikes making our detectors sound off so there must be a storm building somewhere.

Rebecca and Clive rang to wish me an early happy birthday.

More wandering!!

4pm 34.6 degrees in van and clouds are coming over.

Steve chatted with the new comers and invited them up for drinks. Geoff and Virginia have been on the road for 3 years in Australia – originally from Christchurch, NZ. They have just upgraded from a camper trailer to a new van.

Mackerel clouds coming over the moon which will be full tomorrow night – making it a blue moon as there was a full moon on the 1^st of March too. The clouds are quite dark so maybe there is some rain coming. Forecast was for a storm or two over the weekend.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.