Next day, off to Laverton, pronounced Laver- ton after Dr Charles Laver. It’s a very friendly little town about 370kms north of Kalgoorlie with a population of about 260. It is one of the richest areas of gold bearing country in Western Australia and going by the people coming and going through the C/van park I would believe it, not to mention wherever you drive around the bush you bump into campers out prospecting. The town is all that big, a lot of places are closed down. There is a Supermarket (basic), post office, servo/hardware, police station, pub, caravan park, shire office and a hospital. There is a doctor here Mon-Fri. A dentist visits every couple of months.
Once we got settled in I had a few words to the Park owner Kevin who pointed us in the direction of Hawkes Nest about 20kms out of town. This area was the “go to” spot for newcommers and as Kevin put it, the best spot to learn how to differentiate ironstone from gold and other noises your Detector makes around here. For the next few days we wandered around Hawkes Nest picking up all sorts of crap, eventually deciding to look around for our own areas.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
WEDNESDAY 16TH JULY 2008
Well it’s been a while so now to fill in the gaps. We left Coolgardie on the 16th July and headed North hopefully to warmer climes and a more user friendly area as the larger Gold centres are very over crowded. Our intention was to stop over in Leonora on our way to Laverton but on arrival the Entrance to their caravan park didn’t look to large so we decided to head to Malcolm Dam about 10k’s out of town. 
It’s a dam that was built for the railways in 1902. Well, that was a great decision because it was a beaut spot with Water, Birds, Kangaroos, Emus and very peaceful.
It’s a dam that was built for the railways in 1902. Well, that was a great decision because it was a beaut spot with Water, Birds, Kangaroos, Emus and very peaceful. Thursday, July 10, 2008
THURSDAY 10TH JULY TO TUESDAY 15TH JULY 2008
We arrived at Coolgardie and decided to stay in the Caravan Park. We thought we would stay here last night and then check out Kalgoorlie Caravan Parks today. Well, we were both pleased that we had found the Coolgardie one first. They were fairly laid back and said we could take up two sites if we wanted, and could pick whichever sites suited us best. Coolgardie is named the “Mother of the Goldfields” but is it more of a ghost town these days. It has a fantastic museum with a bottle collection that would be worth a fortune.
We ventured up to Kalgoorlie (38km) the next day and all the caravan parks were jam packed as it was also school holidays. We had spoken to some people that came to Coolgardie after staying at Kalgoorlie and they had confirmed what we thought, people everywhere, nowhere to move and shift workers in and out. So we were happy to stay put for a while. We used these few days to re-arrange a few things, fix a few things and kick back a bit. After the trip across the Nullarbor it was good to just sit still for a while.
We went up to Kalgoorlie a few times. Had a good look around, went to the
“Super Pit” that Alan Bond started. It is 350metres deep and plans are to go 500 metres. 1.3km wide and 2.2km long. The big dump trucks look like matchbox toys when they are down the bottom.
Visited the local Mines Dept office to get all the info on what we had to do legally. Thank goodness we got a lady in there that was really helpful. Steve had researched a lot of it before we left home and we had both had a play on the W.A. tengraph system which shows all the leases, current, pending and historical. The lady in the office gave us all the missing links and made it make sense. So we basically know now where we can and can’t go. We have written to all the contacts of the Pastoral Leases to advise them that we will be prospecting on there properties as they only lease the top of the ground, not what is underneath. Steve had already got his Miners Right a month or two ago, so now it is just a matter of getting out there and having a go.
We ventured up to Kalgoorlie (38km) the next day and all the caravan parks were jam packed as it was also school holidays. We had spoken to some people that came to Coolgardie after staying at Kalgoorlie and they had confirmed what we thought, people everywhere, nowhere to move and shift workers in and out. So we were happy to stay put for a while. We used these few days to re-arrange a few things, fix a few things and kick back a bit. After the trip across the Nullarbor it was good to just sit still for a while.
We went up to Kalgoorlie a few times. Had a good look around, went to the
“Super Pit” that Alan Bond started. It is 350metres deep and plans are to go 500 metres. 1.3km wide and 2.2km long. The big dump trucks look like matchbox toys when they are down the bottom.
Visited the local Mines Dept office to get all the info on what we had to do legally. Thank goodness we got a lady in there that was really helpful. Steve had researched a lot of it before we left home and we had both had a play on the W.A. tengraph system which shows all the leases, current, pending and historical. The lady in the office gave us all the missing links and made it make sense. So we basically know now where we can and can’t go. We have written to all the contacts of the Pastoral Leases to advise them that we will be prospecting on there properties as they only lease the top of the ground, not what is underneath. Steve had already got his Miners Right a month or two ago, so now it is just a matter of getting out there and having a go.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
WEDNESDAY 9TH JULY 2008
Today we were heading back in to civilisation (or so we thought). We arrive at Norseman mid morning. We had been looking forward to have a look around, etc, as it sounded nice. We pulled up at the Tourist Info to fill up our water and have a cuppa. When we had been in and got our maps and were about to boil the billy, Steve notice one of the tyres going flat. We asked the lady in the tourist info where we could get it fixed and she pointed us in the direction of a place a block away. I went down to the IGA and stocked up on a few supplies while Steve took the bus down to get fixed. This is the last time we are getting anything fixed without asking a price first. He charged us $120 to put in a tube. After ring Nth East. Jezza told us it should only have been about $40 at the max $60 out where we were. What a rip off – not impressed. Norseman has the potential to boom on tourism as everyone that has just travelled across the Nullarbor is looking forward to a refreshing stop in civilisation at the end. It’s a pity Norseman don’t realise it. The town is so run down and uninviting. Everyone we have spoken to feels the same. Needless to say we left there as soon as we could. We decided to head for Coolgardie.
TUESDAY 8 JULY 2008
We head off for Cocklebiddy and the Cocklebiddy Cave today. The cave is actually closed but you can still drive down to it and have a look.
We had a head wind all morning and were travelling at about 65km per hour. It was a slow, long straight bit of road which included the longest straight stretch in Australia (146km). It just goes on and on and on. We were approaching the end of the straight when a truckie called us on the radio to let us know that there was a car and caravan rolled over just down the road. Everyone was okay though. You wouldn’t believe it, they were only 2kms from the end of the straight!!
In the afternoon the wind changed to a tail wind and we travelled a lot quicker and easier. We made it to Fraser Range Station where we decided to stay our first paid night in their Caravan Park. The Station was first settled in 1872 making it the first sheep station to be establised on the Nullarbor Plain. It is about 160km long by 25km wide. They have used some of the original buildings to make the park store and office and some quarters. It is quite unique
MONDAY 7TH JULY 2008
Today I walked all the way from South Australia to Western Australia (sounds impressive but it was only approx 50 Metres when Steve parked the bus and I went to take photos). Quarantine is a joke. We could have had anything tucked away if we had have wanted to. She walked in, patted the dogs and said how lovely they were, asked to see the fridge. I handed the one onion I had left and a couple of mandarins out of the fridge and she took my word for the rest.
We were then off to Eucla to see the Telegraph Station. Parked the bus up near the Servo and unhitched the car as it was a 5km drive on a rough road but you could drive right down to the beach. Let the dogs out for a run on the dunes – they loved it. There was a hundred year old jetty (see picture) as well as the telegraph station.
We were then off to Eucla to see the Telegraph Station. Parked the bus up near the Servo and unhitched the car as it was a 5km drive on a rough road but you could drive right down to the beach. Let the dogs out for a run on the dunes – they loved it. There was a hundred year old jetty (see picture) as well as the telegraph station.
We headed back to the bus and were about to hitch the car up again and Steve said “You’re F#!*!#*!# kidding me”. I turned around to see what he was talking about and he realised that he had taken the pin out of the tow hitch and done what he had told himself he would never do – he had left it on the front of the bullbar. So we had to retrace our drive all the way down to the beach and hoped that we would find it. Luck was on our side for once – it was lying on the middle of the road just as you turn into the sand dunes. Lesson No. ?? – always listen to your gut feelings and do as they say – they are usually right. We then decided that we would tie them to the actual hitch and then there is no way he could do it again.
We camped the night near the turnoff to the Eyre Bird Observatory just past Madura. When we stopped, we realised the other bracket on the car was bent. So Steve spent the next ½ hour straightening it.
SUNDAY 6TH JULY 2008
Today we headed for the Bight. You wouldn’t believe it – Diesel was $1.87 out here on the Nullarbor at Nundroo (same price as Alex was when we left – work that one out).
We got to the Head of the Bight. There is a big tourist complex built there now and you have to pay to get in. They have built big raised board walks down to the edge for you to view the whales. It was absolutely fantastic. They said there was about 25 Southern Wright Whales out there and we saw about 10 of them. One whale came right in close with her calf beside her. Just cruising along. The views of the cliffs were great too.
We then headed for the Nullarbor Roadhouse. We went in to have a look and to no surprise, the prices we saw on the board were expensive. $9.00 for baked beans on toast, $12.50 for bacon and eggs and $7.50 for soup with a piece of buttered bread.
Along the way we stopped at a place called Bunda Cliffs along the Great Australian Bight. The park was actually closed due to “erosion” but we decided to walk in anyway. What a sight. In Steve’s words “it was……….. AWESOME”. He compare it to Ayers Rock. The cliffs are just amazing - straight drops down.
We moved on and stayed at the last camp spot 10km before Border Village and WA quarantine.
We got to the Head of the Bight. There is a big tourist complex built there now and you have to pay to get in. They have built big raised board walks down to the edge for you to view the whales. It was absolutely fantastic. They said there was about 25 Southern Wright Whales out there and we saw about 10 of them. One whale came right in close with her calf beside her. Just cruising along. The views of the cliffs were great too.
We then headed for the Nullarbor Roadhouse. We went in to have a look and to no surprise, the prices we saw on the board were expensive. $9.00 for baked beans on toast, $12.50 for bacon and eggs and $7.50 for soup with a piece of buttered bread.
Along the way we stopped at a place called Bunda Cliffs along the Great Australian Bight. The park was actually closed due to “erosion” but we decided to walk in anyway. What a sight. In Steve’s words “it was……….. AWESOME”. He compare it to Ayers Rock. The cliffs are just amazing - straight drops down.
We moved on and stayed at the last camp spot 10km before Border Village and WA quarantine.
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