Exploring Kalgoorlie

9th May 2024

Distance: 24km

It was a windy night for some reason, the door of the camper kept banging in the wind, to stop it happening again this morning I found the bungee cord that I normally use to keep it open but rigid.

Also hand washed all my dirty clothes and got them on the line so that I can start again tomorrow with a full complement of clean clothes. At 9am asked the park office for a map and booklet about Kalgoorlie so I could look around.

The Super Pit

First visit was to the main gold mine called The Super Pit Lookout basically overlooking a big hole in the ground.

Mount Charlotte Reservoir Lookout

On top of a hill used as a water storage reservoir and communication tower location is a lookout with views over the whole town.

Kalgoorlie Town Centre

Quite an interesting town centre, lots of old buildings

Boulder Town Centre

Boulder town centre seems to be suffering a downturn – probably not room for two town centres so close together.

Shopping and Relaxing

After visiting the places mentioned above I found an IGA shopping centre to buy milk, biscuits and replace some of the potatoes I lost to the quarantine service 0n entering the state.

I returned to the caravan park mid afternoon collected my now dry clothes from the line and read my book on a warm sunny afternoon.

After the Goldrush

8th May 2024

Distance: 405 Km

Fuel: 46 L

Balladonia to Kalgoorlie

Woke up to a foggy morning with the air full of mist droplets. Hadn’t intended to leave before 9am but the damp morning (even though it didn’t actually rain) combined with the lack of water made me want to pack up and leave. I did walk to the roadhouse to see what was going on.

Balladonia Roadhouse & Caravan Park

I was on the road by 8am under grey skies but by 8.30 blue sky was starting to dominate.

Had enough fuel to get to Kalgoorlie so didn’t need to stop but did stop at rest areas to stretch my legs a couple of times.

Lake Cowan was as dry as…

The recent bushfires were evident by the number of dead trees along the road.

Arrived in Kalgoorlie at the caravan park just after midday and checked in, set up the camper and decided to look for fuel, it took forever, every place I tried either didn’t exist or was closed down. Eventually found one that did exist and refilled my jerrycan as well as filling up the car.

I was hungry too, opposite the servo was a KFC so I bought a Zinger Burger and chips, $13 which I thought was expensive but as I rarely buy fast food it probably wasn’t.

Back at the caravan park I hand washed a couple of T shirts but probably left it a bit too late because by the time the sun went down they still weren’t quite dry. Not to worry, they will finish off tomorrow with the rest of the clothes I am going to wash.

The caravan next to me had a problem with a water pump, the repairman had a personalised plate.

Am booked in for two nights so will look around town and do some shopping tomorrow.

A Long Straight Road

7th May 2024

Distance: 527 Km

Fuel: 49 L

Eucla Roadhouse to Balladonia Roadhouse

After leaving the caravan park soon found out where the road trains stopped for the night.

For the first part of the trip the sky looked quite dull in the distance but it never did rain and by the time I arrived at Balladonia there were few clouds.

After a while driving I suddenly remembered that WA has a 100kph speed limit on towing vehicles, so slowed down to that speed.

Came across several emergency runways for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

After nearly 200Km stopped at a rest area and emptied my 20 litres of fuel into my tank to save on fuel costs. At Caiguna started on a very long straight road.

Basically an uneventful drive, filled up with enough fuel to get me to Norseman and booked a powered site in the roadhouse caravan park ($50!)

BTW Balladonia is the area where Skylab crashed back to Earth, the local council sent NASA a fine for littering.

On to The Nullarbor

6th May 2024

Distance:429 km

Fuel: 43 L

The times they are a’changing

Left at 8am this morning thinking of the long journey taking 5 hours forgetting that once again I was changing time zones. In actual fact it took me ages to find the correct time in Eucla – even my phone got it wrong taking it to Perth time – Eucla is 45 minutes ahead of Perth.

Penong to Eucla

Easy driving on a good road had to overtake a few caravans crawling along but the long straight stretches of road made that easy. The scenery varied at first.

There were a surprising number of cyclists.

The road skirts the Nullarbor Plain hugging the coastline and offering spectacular views of the Great Australian Bight.

Sometimes the highway is very close to the cliffs

Arrived at the WA border and at the quarantine inspection checkpoint they took my potato and onion again!

It was only 12 km to the Eucla Roadhouse, Motel and Caravan Park where I checked in and filled up with fuel ($2.52 a litre!)

Discovered that the caravan park didn’t have water except for showers ($1) and washing. I think if I had known I would have driven on further. Anyway after setting up walked around looking at some of the sights that Eucla has to offer.

A fella I had been chatting to earlier knocked on my camper just as it was getting dark – he was going back to SA so he gave me some carrots and onions to stop them being confiscated. So win some. lose some.

Penong

5th May 2024

Distance: 392 Km

Fuel: 43 L

Left Kimba at about 8am, there was really nothing there to delay me, I was up at 6am for a shower so once I had some breakfast I connected up and set .off.

Interesting enough drive, had to overtake a couple of trucks and caravans but easy enough – not much traffic.

I find that travelling at 110kph on my speedo is about 103kph in actual speed, keeps me out of the way of trucks and seems to be reasonably economic.

Stopped briefly at Wudinna to have look at the granite sculpture which appears to be a tribute to Australian farmers.

Made surprisingly good progress, filled up with fuel in Ceduna, probably the last below $2 a litre for at least a few days.

It was only about 80km to Penong, where I arrived just after midday, I had booked a site a couple of days ago but when I arrived it seemed to have been forgotten but was able to get one though the park filled up by late afternoon. Once I had set up drove to the local servo to top up the tank and made a stop at Penong’s only attraction – its collection of windmills.

On the site next to me was a young girl on a motor bike also doing the Big Lap. She seemed to be well set up.

On to Kimba

4th May 2024

Distance: 262 Km

Fuel: 30 L

After a shower and breakfast went for a walk to the local IGA for a couple of groceries before coupling up the camper and getting ready to go.

Not far to go today, less than 300km so no rush, nice drive through the Flinders Ranges, hardly any traffic until I got close to Port Augusta. Tom Tom found a short cut round Port Augusta but it was bumpy I should have stuck to the highway.

BTW am back on Highway 1 which circumnavigates Australia and is the longest road in the world, Left it when I got to the top of Mt Ousley in Wollongong but am back on it for the next 1200km across the Nullarbor Plain.

Arrived in Kimba just after midday but for the second day running the sat nav had trouble finding the caravan park. its location was actually not even close.

Took the opportunity to hand wash some clothes before having a quick look at Kimba. It appears to be a big rest stop for the road trains crossing the Nullarbor, there is a big parking bay opposite the fuel stop where drivers have their compulsory breaks – quite interesting watching the activities there.

Orroroo

3rd May 2024

Distance: 321 Km

Fuel: 33 L

Lake Bonney to Orroroo

It was a lovely morning, cold but beautiful skies as the sun rose. the lake was like a mirror, the only ripples cause by the waterbirds.

Made my porridge for breakfast after remeasuring it (my big bowl was broken) – had a lovely breakfast watching the birds on the lake as the sun got brighter and the clouds burnt off.

Left as usual about 9am but only about 300km to drive today.

Passed through a variety of scenery before coming across the Flinders Ranges they are quite stunning after the flat country of the previous day.

Made one stop for a sandwich and toilet break. Loaded an audiobook into the car’s CD player.

Hit a small roo, thought I had missed it but it hit the camper.

For some reason the sat Nav went peculiar as we neared Orroroo and kept telling me to turn round. Eventually I just ignored it and followed the signs to the town where the caravan park was well sign posted. I have no idea what went wrong but the information the Tom Tom had was clearly wrong.

After setting up wandered into town for coffee, cake and an ice cream.

Changing State

2nd May 2024

Distance: 475 Km

Fuel: 48 L

Hay (NSW) to Barmera (SA)

Left Hay Caravan Park at about 9am on a cloudless day. For some reason my back is playing up today to the point where I took one of my painkillers about mid morning. Once again it was a cold morning but it didn’t seem as cold as yesterday however I dug out my fingerless gloves just in case.

Driving across the Hay Plain was, as usual, less than exciting, until I passed through Balranald when the scenery did improve with a bit of variety.

Crossed into Victoria before entering Mildura where I filled up with fuel (in the end it was actually cheaper in Barmera but them’s the breaks)

As I passed the South Australia border sign I watched my sat nav and sure enough at exactly that border crossing the clocks changed back half an hour.

Before arriving at the quarantine check point at Yamba I threw away a couple of potatoes and an onion into the bin provided, when I arrived at the checkpoint I was told that the onion would have been allowed… Ho hum.

Drove through Renmark before reaching Barmera where the caravan park is situated. It is a very smart park situated on the shores of Lake Bonney, ironically it was actually cheaper at $34.50 than the park at Hay but has much better facilities including a kids water park, lake side picnic shelters and good sized sites.

Once I was set up I drove a couple of kms to fill up with fuel for tomorrow’s trip to Orroroo (love the name)

Just before sunset the sky clouded over. I don’t know if there will be rain.

Hay, Hay, It’s Wednesday.

1st May 2024

Distance: 318 Km

Fuel: 34L

Temora to Hay

Woke at 6.30am and went for a shower. The temperature must have been in single figures because it was cold but a hot shower soon warmed me up and I kept warm by donning one of my feather puffer jackets until the sun made its presence felt.

Left Temora at 9am, heading for Hay, again a well trodden route but not so far to travel today. Pretty easy journey with little traffic, I think I was overtaken twice and I over took one caravan.

As I said it was cool, I had the heater on in the car for the first couple of hours though the sun was out and it was a very pleasant day, didn’t use the A/C at all. Filled up with fuel at Narrandera where it was under $2 a litre.

Apart from the fuel stop only stopped once more at a rest stop around lunch time to stretch my legs and have a sandwich. The sides of the road looked like it had snowed, obviously the cotton harvest was in full swing with the sides of the road covered in cotton from the trucks transporting it

Arrived at the Hay Caravan Park about 2pm and took a powered site – when I was here last September a powered site was $29 now it is $39 – prices everywhere have gone mad.

After setting up and making a cup of tea drove to Hay township (about 3km away) for fuel and a look around. Hay must have been very prosperous at one time, so many its older, grander buildings were once owned by banks (not that it isn’t a thriving town now).

Hay is built on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.

That evening I ate my remaining pork pie for my lunch.

Heading West

30th April 2024

Distance: 409 Km

Fuel: 43L

Am heading off to Western Australia, probably for one last time. This will be much quicker than the last trip, probably will only take half of last time.

Left home at about 9,30am in miserable weather – grey skies and rain. It remained like this until just after the Canberra Federal Highway turn off when the sun appeared, the showers disappeared and it turned into quite a nice afternoon.

Headed off the Hume Highway toward Harden, decided to stay at Temora Airport Caravan Park for the first night. Not a very exciting drive covering old territory. Probably only half a dozen caravans using the park.

Didn’t make much of a camp just unhitched the teardrop, unloaded my chair and made a coffee before going to get fuel. Spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine reading a book or watching a few light aircraft coming and going.