Australia, Places we have been, Western Australia

Aussie Lap – Wave Rock, Hyden

September 26, 2023 Maryann McDougall 4 Comments

Location: Corrigin to Hyden

Region: Wheatbelt

Dates: 28 August – 29 August 2023

Temperature: 4-27 degrees

Our plan while in WA for the next 5-6 months; with Louise kindly offering her house as as our base in Perth, is to explore the bottom half of the state by taking 1- 3 week trips away at a time. If you think of it like a daisy with Perth the centre, our loops will be like the petals. Due to our delay in leaving the East Coast it will be too hot to travel the far North this year so we will save that for next year.

We have my daughter Carly arriving on Saturday night on a short three day stay as she heads to Singapore so we decided to take a short trip and on Monday 28th August we head East from Perth towards Brookton then Corrigin where we will stay two nights, leaving the van and just taking the car the extra distance to Wave Rock, a total of 330 kms from Perth.

The drive out is filled with lots of green and gold pasture all the way from Brookton to Corrigin which surprises Rob and I; thinking it would be sparse and dry, but this region is known as the Wheatbelt and covers a vast area both West and South from Perth. It’s beautiful country.

We camp for the night at free camp in the centre of town. Nice and flat, quiet with public toilets nearby that are well maintained with soap and paper towel. It’s surprising how important well maintained facilities become when you travel like this!

On Tuesday we head out for Wave Rock, leaving the van at Corrigin. We can stay a max 72hours.

We pass through Kondinin, then stop at Kalgarin to admire some artwork and check out some wildflowers before heading on to and Hyden and Wave Rock.

Wave Rock is a now a chargeable experience for visitors and the park includes a cafe.

The rock is a short stroll from the car park and there is a bush tucker walk on the way. The face of the rock presents itself around a curve and it is a breathtaking sight. It’s darker than I thought it would be and the colours and sheer size of the curve are extraordinary to say the least. Rob and I goof around trying to sit on the curve and he tries to Surf it!

We walk up the rock and across the top taking in the catchment and views. It has been quite interesting to discover so many outback areas originally used these large rocks to catch and contain water and many are still in use along with other newer systems. Wave rock still has many areas of the low walls originally built around it in evidence of this practice.

As we walk we see a Sandalwood tree which is rare as these were nearly all collected out of existence in this area due to their export value to Asian counties for joss sticks (incense). We also see lichens and a few wild flower growing in Gnamma holes on the top face of the rock.

We continue walking, making our way down and then across to take in Hippo Yawn and then further on to the salt lake which is near the resort.

We finish our walk around the park taking in the wildlife and as we go read about Mulka’s cave nearby. The cave has a very interesting story about Mulka which I will leave for you to discover if you visit and is thought to be one of the most prodigious examples of Aboriginal Art with over 200 hand prints in the cave. Worth a visit.

Wildflowers and the Granite Way tomorrow..

Love to all, stay safe and practice kindness. xx

Places we have been

Aussie Lap – Perth & Fremantle

September 25, 2023 Maryann McDougall Leave a comment

Location: Perth, Fremantle

Region: Perth and Wheatbelt

Dates: 19th August – 28th August

Temperature: 5 – 22 Degrees

While we are in WA we are lucky to have a base in Perth, generously provided by my very good friend Louise. Her house, in Lynwood is very central with quick access to Perth, Fremantle and all the highways heading out of Perth and her driveway is big enough to accommodate the van and ute!

Our first few days in Perth are caught up with the usual chores after being on the road, washing, cleaning the van etc and some planning for the weeks ahead. Louise has a significant birthday coming up so there is also lots of activity around the festive event.

Louise has a Golden Retriever – Mabel, who is affectionately known as “Miss Mabel” who likes to walk, romp with the footy and play with family pal Lizzie (a Corgie) and it’s lots of fun walking with her and getting to know her very sweet personality.

Miss Mabel is also a typical dog who likes food very much so after the mysterious disappearance of a sticky bun, we quickly learnt food left on the bench may potentially get snatched 😂

One particularly nice walk took us around and through the beautiful Canning River Park catching some flowers and the beautiful Port Lincoln Parrot, a ring neck, also known as the 28 parrot.

On our first visit to Freemantle this trip, we walked from the markets (closed that day and only open on weekends currently) through the beautiful old streets, taking in the sites to the Port area, then to lunch at Little Creatures Brewery.

Another trip to Fremantle included a quick trip to the old prison.

The history of Fremantle Prison dates back to the early beginnings of Western Australia and its role in the development of this State is unparalleled. It is the largest convict built structure in Western Australia and the most intact convict establishment in the nation.

In 2010, Fremantle Prison became the first building in Western Australia to be included on the World Heritage list.

We did not have enough time for a a tour as we were only there for an hour but there is a lot to look at with several rooms providing photographic and video information on of the history of the jail, there is also a free gallery and cafe.

We also had a couple of family catch-ups, the first with my niece Lucy and her family, an ideal opportunity to meet my new Great, Great Nephew Dustin. Yes that’s correct and I’m aiming for Great Great Great Aunty status one day too!

On yet another trip to Fremantle we caught up with another of my niece’s, Lynda. We met for dinner at the Norfolk (highly recommend the share platters) and had a great night!

The big event of course was Louise’s party. We had much fun planning outfits and a bit of pampering in preparation for the big event which was held at The Last Local hotel with 40 guests.

Places we have been

Aussie Lap – Kalgoorlie to Perth

September 18, 2023 Maryann McDougall 2 Comments

Location: Norseman, Kalgoorlie, Southern Cross Perth.

Region: Goldfields – Esperance, wheatbelt

Dates: 17 – 19 August

Temperature: 7 – 20 Degrees

We leave Norseman early with a shortish drive to Kalgoorlie (187 km). Not long after we leave we pass Dundas Rocks, then Lake Cowan so we pause for photos. The scenery is peppered by water which we weren’t expecting and the Great Western woodland continues for miles. I found out that this woodland covers over 16,000,000 hectares, a region larger than England and Wales!

I’ve been looking forward to visiting Kalgoorlie – Boulder, two neighbouring towns that I’ve always thought of as frontier towns, both with rich histories steeped in the gold-rushes of Western Australia.

We chose to stay at the RV stop as we are only here one night. After unhitching we head for the town centre to stock up and have lunch somewhere. The day is warm and I look forward to the walk. We visit the information centre and pick up brochures on everything WA – so much to see and do in this large state!

Kalgoorlie is bustling and we decide to lunch at the Kalgoorlie Hotel, pictured below and very nice. Afterwards we walk Hannan Street admiring the early architecture and the towns obvious commitment to preserving many of the buildings.

“Patrick Hannan was a gold prospector whose lucrative discovery on 14 June 1983 set off a major gold rush. The resulting gold mine has been mined ever since and is renowned as “The Golden Mile”, the richest square mile in the world!” – ref: Wikipedia.

The modern open-cut mine is a vast, astonishing sight that we visited later in the day.

Late in the afternoon we visit Mt Charlotte Reservoir and lookout, with views over the area and then race to the 5:00pm blast at the Superpit!

I like Kalgoorlie’s vibrancy and wish we could stay longer to explore further but our next stop is Southern Cross then onward to Perth by Saturday to catch the next Matilda’s game with friends.

Southern Cross is another town with it’s history steeped in mining with the first major discovery of gold there in 1887. These days most of the workers in the surrounding mines are FIFO (fly in, fly out) so the town is much quieter than days gone by. Charming with historical pubs and an interesting museum.

“Its historic importance lies in the fact that in 1887 it became the first major gold discovery in the Eastern Goldfields and therefore, for a time, it was seen as the mother town of Coolgardie and the grandmother of Kalgoorlie.” Ref: AussieTowns.com.au

Another interesting snippet is in the name. “Southern Cross was reputedly named after the famous constellation which Thomas Risely and Mick Toomey, who discovered the gold which led to the settlement of the area, claimed had been led to their discovery. They named the goldfield Southern Cross and the name of the town followed.” Ref: AussieTowns.com.au

On the way into Southern Cross I received the news that my Great niece Clare had just given birth to her second child, a son named Darcy Allen Green so after we arrived and set down we went for a walk around the Main Street to find a pub to “wet the baby’s head”. Our first choice, The Palace was closed but The Club at the other end of the street was open. Congratulations Clare and Ryan on the safe arrival of Darcy.

Another fun fact about Souther Cross, most of the streets are named after constellations.

After our overnight at Southern Cross it’s onward to Perth. The drive continues through the Goldfields and into the Wheatbelt region that surrounds Perth. Soon we are met with stunning fields of Canola and Wheat.

We arrive safely in Perth just in time for the Matilda’s game against Sweden for third place. Sadly they lost the game but wow what effort. Well done Matilda’s

Places we have been, Western Australia

Aussie Lap – Nullabor

September 18, 2023 Maryann McDougall 4 Comments

Location: Driving the Nullabor

Region: Flinders Rangers and Outback, Eyre Peninsula, Goldfields & Esperance

Dates: 13 August – 16 August 2023

Temperature: 6 – 18 degrees

It was a cool morning when we left Streaky Bay but we were very excited to be heading out into the Nullabor, one of Australia’s truely great drives.

Fun fact, Nullabor loosely translated from Latin means “ no trees”. Null = None or No and abor = trees.

We drive through Perlubie and Penong to Ceduna our first stop where we had planned to pay to fill the water tanks and get fuel (Rob had found a good price on Petrol Spy) but on arrival found the town in the middle of a planned electricity outage, so the water and fuel station we planned to visit were shut! Fortunately we found the BP was still open and very busy, running on a generator and we were able to get both fuel ($$$) and water (free). Interesting the problems that crop up as you travel and the best laid plans of mice and men and all that goes with it!

Our camp for tonight Sunday 13/8 and Monday 14/8 is on the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight and it’s also our first 4×4 camp, driving off road and over dunes to the cliffs.

After finding the exit which is often tricky with Wiki Camps; being just a dirt track off the highway and no signage, we carefully drive the bumpy track and tight corners and the hump of the dunes with no problems and make our camp. The view of the cliffs is amazing to say the least, the power of the waves against the 120+ metre cliffs, the colours, the Great Southern Ocean are all awe inspiring. It’s nice to have a two nights here to take it in and explore.

With our full day on the cliffs we plan a walk and later I’m going to bake bread. I had spent the previous day working the dough in the car as we drove, dutifully folding the dough every hour and it had proven slowly overnight in the fridge.

The day showed promise of being clear so we were hopeful of seeing some whales also. Our bush walk explored the cliffs and the incoming track, and we also hunted for wild flowers and the sink hole we had read about. Apparently there lots of sink holes all along the coastline.

To finish our day we set a hot fire to bake the bread, before cooking dinner in the camp oven, fennel and garlic sausages with roast veg. Unfortunately baking bread directly in the coals is too hot (lesson learned) but I was able to salvage most of the the loaf after removing part of the bottom crust.

Later in the day Rob saw a Petrel over the sea and I saw a Sea eagle near camp.

On Wednesday we left early and as we drove out saw hundreds of cobwebs covered in dew. It’s always surprising to find life in arid areas and by the amount of webs it’s obvious there are lots of spiders and insects.

The landscape continues to change and delight and we stop at every cliff and coast viewpoint enjoying the sights, stopping just outside Cocklebiddy to bush camp again. On Thursday we stop in to see the wedge tailed Eagles (thanks Kay 😍) Samantha and Bruce before heading off. I took a photo of the sign so you can read about them and how we must all take great care on the roads to prevent hitting them.

Our third day of driving on the Nullabor is to Norseman. I’ve heard a lot about this town from my brother law Jon Fry who worked there for a period and has told me about the stunning Great Western Woodlands nearby.

As we leave Cocklebiddy, Rob spies an Emu dad with three chicks (no photo) close to the road. They are very cute with their stripped feather camouflage and we are delighted by the sight.

This drive has the longest straight stretch of road in Aus 246.6km. The last few days we have had lots of radio traffic from pilots of oversized vehicles and we are very glad to have the UHF as without warning it may be difficult to move off the road in time, due to the sometimes high and steep shoulders.

On the way into Norseman we had a shower of rain which changed all the colours in the landscape. On arrival we camped at Norseman RV park, very good and now has toilets (open 8:00-4:00) and close to the dump point.

After setup we visited Lyn Webb’s “Gallery of Splendid Isolation” and said hello as Kay and Jon know him. His outback photography is breathtakingly beautiful and not to be missed.

Later we had dinner at the local hotel and watched the Matilda’s in the Semi Final and while we didn’t get a win it was great to see the team advance so far in the World Cup and to see such great National support. Well done Matilda’s!