Monday, December 01, 2008
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Esperance to the Goldfields          March 2007
 
By Mark Smith
 
 
March 5th 2007 was the date chosen to depart on a 3 week odyssey which was to take in the Eastern Goldfields by following the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, then south to explore the area between Esperance and Israelite bay.
 
Prior to departure the weather report for the goldfields looked ominous. A heat trough had well and truly settled in on the west coast, pushing temperatures inland to 40 degrees plus. Add to that the possibility of rain in the goldfields from ex-tropical cyclone George and we were in two minds about whether to head south first, giving the weather time to sort itself out.
 
We had arranged to stay a night with friends in Merredin on the way east so we stayed with this plan and decided to re-assess the situation the following day.
 
After a hot night and no relief from the heat in sight, we decided to alter our plans and track south to the coast via Hyden and Wave Rock. Jumping in the Prado revealed our first hiccup for the trip. My PDA had flattened its battery overnight due to me accidentally turning off the USB charging option. The OziExplorer program had been lost so we would be without real time mapping for the remainder of the trip. Bummer!
 
For those who haven’t seen Wave Rock, it really is quite amazing. We spent an hour or so there having lunch and climbing up over the rock revealing fantastic views over the surrounding farm land and salt lake network. The temperature was in the high 30’s so we were keen to jump back into the air-conditioned car and hit the road for Hopetoun.

A different view of Wave Rock

The road tracks south-east from Hyden and basically follows the eastern most boundary of the farmable wheat belt region of WA. It is, for the most part an excellent stretch of bitumen road and before too long Ravensthorpe appeared in the distance. The last 50km’s or so out to Hopetoun passes through some rolling rocky country before flattening out for the final approach to the coast.
 
We put the tent up in the local caravan park enjoyed a cold beer while the kids acquainted themselves with some other kids also staying there. Being our first night in the tent for a while, setting up camp took a bit longer than usual but it all started to fall into place again as we remembered the procedure from out last trip some 12 months before. It certainly was cooler on the coast and we congratulated ourselves on our decision to head south first.
 
Hopetoun was really only an overnight stop for us as we wanted to concentrate our efforts on the area east of Esperance. However the region is an excellent jumping off point for the wonderful Fitzgerald river national park just to the west. Something to note for future reference.
 
The trip next day along the South coast Hwy to Esperance revealed heaps of road damage from the 200 odd millimetres of rain the area had copped a few months earlier.
 
Esperance was reached by lunch time so we got camp set up then headed to the beach for a swim. Later that night we took a walk out to the end of the town’s famous jetty where locals were pulling in plenty of fat Herring. The kids got a chance to throw some fish heads to a couple of sea lions that hang around the beach at the start of the jetty. These sea lions are something of a tourist attraction and they certainly appear well fed!
 
Caroline was keen to look around a few of the shops in town the following morning so I found a camping store and grabbed a few last minute essentials we had forgotten like mozzie coils.

Warton Beach

EAST OF ESPERANCE
 
We departed around lunch time for Duke of Orleans Bay some 80km’s to the East. There is a well set up caravan park there with all the usual amenities and we were looking forward to staying put for a few days and just enjoying the beaches and a bit of fishing and 4WD’ing.

Serious washaway on the Hammer Head track

“The Duke” is an excellent base from which to explore Wharton beach and the Hammer head area. The beaches out this way have been raved about plenty of times before, but honestly the colours are in a class of their own. The beach sand is so fine it appears almost as talcum powder and squeaks underfoot. The rocky headlands provide excellent fishing platforms and there are enough 4WD tracks out around the headlands to keep the more adventurous amongst us entertained.

Another Herring for dinner

We caught Herring, swam in the turquoise waters and just lazed around for the first couple of days before a cool changed rolled in from the ocean and brought some relief from the heat wave that had been with us since we left home. On day four of our stay at Duke the first light showers blew in from the South. That should have served as a warning but we had plans to head for Israelite Bay and besides, they were only light showers.
 
 
ISRAELITE BAY
 
You reach the end of Fisheries road rather abruptly and are greeted with a sign advising you that Israelite bay lies 65km’s further on. Whipping out the Staun’s I dropped the tyre pressures straight down to 18psi in preparation for soft sand.

The terrain on this track varies considerably from soft sand plain country to clay bog holes. Long corrugated natural gravel stretches give way to grey clay fringed salt lakes. It has it all. And did I mention corrugations!
 
I’ve seen a few corrugated roads and tracks in my time but the Israelite variety is a force to be reckoned with. Even with the tyres deflated, the Prado’s dash was almost shaking itself to pieces. In fact the GPS attachment on my PDA cradle snapped off and was left dangling by the wires after about 20km’s of punishment. The shock absorbers were so faded after 30 minutes or so it felt like we had no suspension at all as we bounced out way through clay holes. The weather was slowly getting worse and the showers were getting more frequent. Each time we reached a bog hole it was a bit wetter than the previous one. This was going to be interesting!
 
Israelite bay itself was completely deserted when we arrived. It seems everyone else had left when the weather changed. We spent a while looking around the ruins of the old telegraph station and set up camp before walking over to the beach along a track that skirts a small salt lake.

old telegraph station ruins at Israelite Bay

A strong cool southerly was blowing the rain in across the bay and the place felt bleak and lonely in the gathering darkness. We couldn’t help but spare a thought for those hardy souls who lived out here and battled these conditions on a regular basis. We discovered numerous emu footprints on the beach just before dark and headed back to camp.    
 
 
That night we cooked sausages over the fire and simply wrapped them in bread for a very unsophisticated feed. It was going to be an early night. Both the “grown ups” had head aches which we attributed to corrugations from earlier in the day.
 

  Camped at Israelite Bay- The tent needed an extra rope off the centre pole due to the wind

Showers increased through the night until morning broke with a steady drizzle. We were to find out later that ex-tropical cyclone George had tracked down East of the goldfields and caused widespread moderate falls from Balladonia eastwards. Our priority this morning was to pack up and head out towards Balladonia with the likelihood of a bush camp at Balbinya homestead.
 
As we left Israelite Bay and tracked along the edge of Daringdella Lake things were getting quite muddy. My all-terrain tyres would become fully clogged after a few metres of mud and steering became a case of hope for the best. Fortunately the worst section was at the start and we coped pretty well after that as we climbed up onto the sand plain country to the west.
 

Ominous rain clouds blow in across Daringdella Lake as the grounds turns muddy
We picked up the first of two tracks which take you in a North-westerly direction to Mt Ragged. The enormous wash away at the start of this track should have served as a warning of what was to come. Only 2 km’s or so along this track we came to a black mud bog hole with no track around it. I edged the Prado in slowly so as to stop if things got nasty. About 5 metres in we promptly sank to the side steps. With wife and kids in a mild (could have been large) panic I slipped the vehicle into reverse and crossed my fingers. All my prayers were answered as she crawled out the way she came. I had learnt my lesson. We would be leaving any future mud holes alone.
 
Back tracking, we knew from our map that there was an alternative track to Mt Ragged further along. Reaching the intersection we turned north along a rocky track with no other tyre prints on it. We traversed a rocky range and scraped our way through overgrown sections where new sapling growth almost completely enclosed the track. After what seemed like an eternity in first and second gear we eventually picked up the main Mt Ragged track which turned out to be rough and rocky. We ate lunch at Mt Ragged and looked on in awe as rain clouds swept over the mountain and hid the summit from view.
 

Mt Ragged

Continuing north we met the first vehicle since leaving fisheries road the day before. A couple from South Australia in a well set up 100 series cruiser were heading for the coast. We warned them about the track conditions and gave them the heads up about the bog hole that had nearly claimed us. Not having my GPS operating was proving a real pain. I knew from the map that we were getting close to the Balbinya turnoff and expected it would be sign posted as everything else was well marked. When Parmango Road came up on the left I realised I had missed the turn off. I knew instantly were it was in hindsight but opted to keep going on to Balladonia as it was still raining and none of us felt like another wet night in the bush.
 
Parmango road was in a shocking state and it was a case of easy does it as we slip slided our way towards Balladonia. Passing through the gates at Namambinia station homestead, some joker decided to hang some underwear on the gate and the idea has caught on. Both gates either side of the homestead are adorned with a wonderful array of undies from all parts of the world.
 

Interesting additions to the Namambinia Station gates
We reached Balladonia about 4.00pm and treated ourselves to a warm shower and a hot feed in the roadhouse before pitching the tent in the rain and calling it a day.
 
The next day we decided to cover some serious km’s and drive up to Coolgardie, hoping to drive out of the incessant rain in the process. After the previous days slow going, it felt somewhat freaky driving along at 110kph on smooth bitumen road.
 
The rain finally stopped as we approached Norseman and after a lunch stop in Norseman, we continued on up to Coolgardie arriving about 2.00pm. The girls went for a walk into town while I set up camp in the local caravan park and got busy drying off our gear which had been wet for 2 days straight. It was a balmy sunny afternoon with a warm breeze and within an hour, everything was bone dry and our spirits had risen. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some food shopping in preparation for the next phase of our adventure.
 
 
 
 
 
THE GOLDEN QUEST DISCOVERY TRAIL
 
The trail itself is a self drive route designed to take the traveller to all the major points of interest that lie north of Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie. It totals some 965km’s of which approximately 525km’s are unsealed. None of the roads could be considered hard core 4WD country but being for the most part dirt roads, their condition varies depending on rainfall and when the grader last passed through. There are 25 official points of interest along the trail. I purchased the Golden Quest Guide Book prior to our departure from Perth and it proved to be a veritable treasure trove of information. It contains everything from detailed maps to fantastic feature stories detailing much of the history in the area. I strongly recommend picking up a copy before heading up that way.
 
We followed the trail as it is suggested in the guide book meaning we started from Coolgardie and finished in Kalgoorlie 4 days later.
 
Rather than go into too much detail about the trail itself, I will concentrate on the places we found the most interesting. The guide book has details galore for those wanting to know more.
 
Our first day took us from Coolgardie to Niagara Dam via the Ora Banda Pub. There are quite a few outback pubs on the trail and we made a point of trying to be at each one around lunchtime. That way we had an excuse to stop and have a beer or two as well as a look around the old sites and if we were lucky, a chat with the owners. As it turned out, there were very few other people touring around the area so we had plenty of opportunity to talk to the owners or caretakers of these wonderful old establishments.
 
While we were eating lunch at Ora Banda, a couple of miners came in for lunch and a beer and sat outside. A few minutes later one of them came into the bar holding a snake he had just dispatched. The whole episode seemed to be no big deal to these blokes but Caroline spent the rest of the trip being very careful where she walked.
 
After lunch we continued through the ghost town of Siberia and on up to Menzies. A bit further up the Goldfields Hwy from Menzies is the turn off to Niagara Dam.
 
Niagara Dam was built in 1897/98 by the Railways department as a means of supplying water to the steam locomotives of that era. It takes advantage of a natural rock feature that has gathered water for eons and was well known to the Aboriginals of the area long before Europeans came. There are three designated camp areas at the dam and each area is provided with a toilet and fire rings complete with swing out hot plates. We chose the lower camp site below the dam wall. Recent rains had ensured some green grass was growing and the dam had a reasonable amount of water in it. We all enjoyed a swim in the dam while we were camped there. It was a rare treat to be able to swim in fresh water in this semi-arid landscape. We made full use of the fire rings and cooked a decent meal that night, followed by a full slap up cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs the following morning. For us, the only downside to camping at Niagara Dam for us was the abundance of flying insects after dark. Once we turned on the fluro camp light we were virtually taken over by all manner of large flying hornets, wasps and grasshoppers. I think the combination of plenty of water in the dam and the flowering Salmon gums and Acacias were to blame. The girls retreated to the tent while I washed the dishes.
 

Cooling off in Niagara Dam

The Niagara Dam wall
As we left Niagara the next day, we had our best wildlife experience for the trip. Passing across a floodway I glanced to my right and saw a big group of Emus having a bath in a pool of water not more than 20 metres away from the roadside. The girls hadn’t seen them and I was able to turn the car around and idle back to them without scaring them away. We turned the motor off and sat watching them for a good 5 minutes. They got out of the water and came over for a closer look before something spooked them and they dispersed into the surrounding bush. We were able to work out it was a big male Emu with ten of his offspring.
 

Dad and his ten young’ns
Only 10 km’s up the road lies the Kookynie Pub. Of course this provided another opportunity for lunch and a yak to the owners. It is hard to believe that these old town sites once supported populations of thousands of people. Back in those days towns depended almost entirely on the presence of gold and when the gold ran out, the towns generally shrank away to nothing. Fortunately the old Grand Hotel has survived.
 

 

From Kookynie we drove north towards Leonora then branched east towards Laverton, stopping to look over some old railway bridges that used to form part of the Malcolm to Laverton railway.
 

All that remains of a once busy railway
Our original plan was to stop that night in Laverton, but some travellers we spoke to convinced us to bypass Laverton and head into Leonora for the night. We were able to divert past Minara station and head back into Leonora by mid afternoon.
 
The town of Leonora itself is, for the most part, clean orderly and well serviced as far as towns out this way go. But it is the Gwalia area just south of town that holds the most interest for the traveller.
Most of us would have heard of the “Sons of Gwalia” gold mine. The mine has a long and fascinating history that dates back to the late 1800’s. These days modern open cut mining methods have seen mining resume alongside the original Gwalia site. Fortunately the old mine workings and buildings have been fully restored and form an excellent museum. We spent a couple of hours at Gwalia looking around the old relics before heading back into Leonora for a counter meal. The caravan park in Leonora didn’t look too flash so we stayed at the back of one of the pubs in town

The “Sons of Gwalia” open pit as it is today
From Leonora we did the long western part of the trail, ending up at our overnight camp site at Rowles lagoon. For us there were two interesting stops along this route. The first was Lake Ballard to the West of Menzies. Apart from its natural beauty and amazing salt surrounded Islands the lake has become famous in recent years for its bizarre art display. In 2003 Lake Ballard was chosen by British sculptor Antony Gormley for his “inside Australia” project. Gormley created over fifty taut, stick-like body forms which he cast in metal and placed within a seven square kilometre area of the lake bed.

A soggy Lake Ballard

The second place we enjoyed on this leg of the trail was Ularring rock. The rock itself is a large granite formation with an excellent soak at its base. Overnight thunderstorms had filled dozens of pools up on the rock itself. The kids wasted no time stripping off and having a paddle around in them. The water was cool and clear and very drinkable. Around the base of the rock the grass was lush and green. Several large Kurragong trees grow on and around the rock. It really is wonderful experience to visit a place like Ularring after rain has fallen.

UlarringRock
Rowles Lagoon is now a conservation park managed by DEC. After Niagara Dam and Ularring we felt it was a bit of an anticlimax. Never the less we made the most of another bush camp and took in the quietness and solitude. As with most of this leg of our travels, there was no one else around. I am sure the trail would get busier later in the season but the recent hot weather had kept people away in droves.
 
The following day we made the shortish run into Kalgoorlie via the Broad Arrow Tavern. Broad Arrow is another one of those old extinct gold towns where only the pub remains. The inside and outside of the tavern walls have been adorned with signatures and comments from passers through over the years. You could spend hours just reading the walls of the place.

Sophie adds her name to the walls of the Broad Arrow Tavern
We set up camp in the Prospectors Caravan Park in Kalgoorlie and spent a lazy few days taking in the sights and sounds of Kal and catching up on some washing, eating and drinking. The kids revelled in the fact that there were a few other kids around to play with while mum and dad sat back and watched the world go by.
 
After getting through most of the food we had been carrying, we were keen to eat out a bit and make the most of Kalgoorlie’s pubs and eateries. I prefer my meals to be big on quantity as well as quality and I was not disappointed. A century or so of catering to thirsty, hungry miners has ensured you get a good sized serve at any of the Goldfields establishments.
 
We left Kalgoorlie on route to Coolgardie with the intention of diverting home via Cave Hill. After re-fuelling and filling our water supplies up at the Caltex service station, I discovered my starter battery had given up the ghost. A quick jump start had us on our way but we opted to head home rather than risk a dodgy battery out in the scrub. Besides, after nearly 3 weeks in our tent the girls were starting to like the idea of their own beds.
 
We had an uneventful cruise home bringing yet another trip to an end.
 
On reflection a trip like this might be better done a bit later in the year when the risk of late season cyclones has passed and the worst of the goldfields heat has finished. Never the less we survived to tell the tale.
 
For fellow travellers thinking of doing a trip through these areas I offer a few tips.
 
Watch the weather if heading for Israelite Bay. Rain can make the tracks impassable.
 
Take your time on the Golden Quest trail and enjoy the history of the area.
 
Try and arrive at any of the outback pubs around lunch time so you can grab a feed and a beer and soak up the atmosphere.
 
Cheers
 
Bushy