Congrats to Bob! He went solo in his little balloon on Tuesday! Yay!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 26 we're at the end...
Day 26 CSR
Our last day on the Canning stock Route proper, I awoke this morning to the sound of a lonesome dingo howling in the dawn followed by an indignant cockatoo's single screech. The dingo continued until he was joined by another, hence they howled in unison for ten minutes! Shortly after, the cockies and galahs joined in to make a cacophony of sound greeting the day!
We took the hint given by the local wildlife and after a much warmer night and start to the day with 9 degrees, we bounded out of bed for breakfast of pancakes. Our tent has decided that it is too stressful lto be erected every night, and has broken. The pole holding the vestibule has broken, so we had to jury-rig a tie down to the bull bar.
The sunrise was beautiful, but cloud was darkening on the western horizon, and a few spots of rain hurried pack up along nicely. Breakfast, washing up, tent pack up all done by 8.30. We departed the camp at 9am headed for Wiluna 93 kms away. First stop well 2a, the Granites. This well was dug by hand out of solid rock and is 10 feet deep. They also built a rock wall around the the top of the well to stop animals from falling in to it. At the Granites we had morning tea of pikelets with strawberry jam.....yum! Back on the track to well 2 we came across two other lots of travelers. The first a group of 6 people in 3 cars from Mt Gambier heading out on their first day on the track. The second group, two cars with 4 passengers from Keith in SA. Everyone and their cars were looking all shiny and clean and raring for action! We gave them the run down on camp sites and track condition. They will probably end up camping at well 3, as it will be too far to make Windich Springs tonight. While chatting to the second group, a bloke roared past us, obviously on a record attempt. I had done a radio call earlier reporting our position, and he responded with a smart comment, but didn't tell us where he was. Stupid really as we didn't know if he was traveling toward us or the same direction. The way the track meanders through the Mulga stands and twists and turns back on itself doesn't leave a lot of time to react should you find someone coming the other way unexpectedly. That is why its so important to carry and actually use a radio. It is pretty silly to use the radio to please yourself with smart comments, rather than using it to potentially prevent a head on smash in the middle of nowhere. It happens too often for no good reason. The scenery was pretty spectacular with lots of golden spinifex shifting in the wind, the horizons black with really interesting storm clouds. The road alternated between really rocky, slow going and faster bits of straight corrugated dirt track. We arrived at well 2 at 1.30 and decided to skip lunch to head straight for Wiluna to see if we could get some mobile coverage to book the ute in for a service in Kalgoorlie before we head across the Nullabor. We left Jon and Kerrin at Well 2 having lunch and arranged to meet them at North Pool 20 kms north of Wiluna to camp for tonight. We left well 2 and shortly came across the main road into Wiluna......OMG! The road is smooth graded dirt, six lanes wide! A bit hard to take in after 3 weeks of two wheel tracks through the sand dunes! Into Wiluna, the town itself is very neat and tidy. The fuel at the post office is $1.55/litre and as we are half full we will fill up tomorrow on our way back through. We rang Ultra Tune in Kalgoorlie and they were very happy to book the ute in for Friday morning at 8am. A quick look in the supermarket, we stocked up on cornflakes, fish fingers for dinner and a block of chocolate for Jon and Kerrin, then headed back out to North Pool. The camp site here at North Pool is delightful. It is right next a large body of water ensconced in river red gums with their wide reaching branches overhanging the riverbanks, making a lovely camping spot. Jon and Kerrin had secured a grassy, waterfront location and were waiting with water boiled ready for a cuppa. We arrived just in time to see Jon take a dip in the cappuccino colored water. It is about 12 degrees air temp as I write, Jon found the water"refreshing"! A brisk wind has sprung up, but the sky is looking less threatening than it was earlier. At the point the CSR hits the road, the odometer read 1968.6 km since leaving Halls Creek. Will double check tomorrow, but reckon fuel useage was around 250 litres or thereabouts.
The sunrise was beautiful, but cloud was darkening on the western horizon, and a few spots of rain hurried pack up along nicely. Breakfast, washing up, tent pack up all done by 8.30. We departed the camp at 9am headed for Wiluna 93 kms away. First stop well 2a, the Granites. This well was dug by hand out of solid rock and is 10 feet deep. They also built a rock wall around the the top of the well to stop animals from falling in to it. At the Granites we had morning tea of pikelets with strawberry jam.....yum! Back on the track to well 2 we came across two other lots of travelers. The first a group of 6 people in 3 cars from Mt Gambier heading out on their first day on the track. The second group, two cars with 4 passengers from Keith in SA. Everyone and their cars were looking all shiny and clean and raring for action! We gave them the run down on camp sites and track condition. They will probably end up camping at well 3, as it will be too far to make Windich Springs tonight. While chatting to the second group, a bloke roared past us, obviously on a record attempt. I had done a radio call earlier reporting our position, and he responded with a smart comment, but didn't tell us where he was. Stupid really as we didn't know if he was traveling toward us or the same direction. The way the track meanders through the Mulga stands and twists and turns back on itself doesn't leave a lot of time to react should you find someone coming the other way unexpectedly. That is why its so important to carry and actually use a radio. It is pretty silly to use the radio to please yourself with smart comments, rather than using it to potentially prevent a head on smash in the middle of nowhere. It happens too often for no good reason. The scenery was pretty spectacular with lots of golden spinifex shifting in the wind, the horizons black with really interesting storm clouds. The road alternated between really rocky, slow going and faster bits of straight corrugated dirt track. We arrived at well 2 at 1.30 and decided to skip lunch to head straight for Wiluna to see if we could get some mobile coverage to book the ute in for a service in Kalgoorlie before we head across the Nullabor. We left Jon and Kerrin at Well 2 having lunch and arranged to meet them at North Pool 20 kms north of Wiluna to camp for tonight. We left well 2 and shortly came across the main road into Wiluna......OMG! The road is smooth graded dirt, six lanes wide! A bit hard to take in after 3 weeks of two wheel tracks through the sand dunes! Into Wiluna, the town itself is very neat and tidy. The fuel at the post office is $1.55/litre and as we are half full we will fill up tomorrow on our way back through. We rang Ultra Tune in Kalgoorlie and they were very happy to book the ute in for Friday morning at 8am. A quick look in the supermarket, we stocked up on cornflakes, fish fingers for dinner and a block of chocolate for Jon and Kerrin, then headed back out to North Pool. The camp site here at North Pool is delightful. It is right next a large body of water ensconced in river red gums with their wide reaching branches overhanging the riverbanks, making a lovely camping spot. Jon and Kerrin had secured a grassy, waterfront location and were waiting with water boiled ready for a cuppa. We arrived just in time to see Jon take a dip in the cappuccino colored water. It is about 12 degrees air temp as I write, Jon found the water"refreshing"! A brisk wind has sprung up, but the sky is looking less threatening than it was earlier. At the point the CSR hits the road, the odometer read 1968.6 km since leaving Halls Creek. Will double check tomorrow, but reckon fuel useage was around 250 litres or thereabouts.
Well 3 campsite
Well 2
End of the CSR.
North pool
Day 25 getting closer
Day 25 CSR
It was REALLY cold last night, down to minus 1 degrees. It felt colder, we are not acclimatising at all! We packed up and wrote in the visitors book, checking others who have come through. Track care came through with a new book in April, as well as emptying the toilet, which was appreciated by those of us a little squamish about such things...
Off at the crack of 9 am, we left the lovely cover of the white gums, and hit the track, almost immediately we arrived at the stand of grass trees that are nowhere near where they are supposed to be. They are a bit of an enigma, these grass trees, they are not supposed to grow this far north, and not in dry climates.
Well 5 was our smoko stop, it has been restored by the Chamberlain tractor club, and they've done a sensational job, along with Granite downs station. The well is the deepest sunk by Canning, 104 feet deep through sheer rock, with a drive 28 feet long at the bottom, because of the poor rate of recovery of the water. It could hold 12,000 gallons. The water is colored, looks like green tea, Kerrin tasted it with a 'yuck' being her verdict! The work the well diggers put in must have been incredible. They blasted the shaft out, and used a windlass to get rid of the rubble. Looking down the well, I can't imagine being lowered down on a rope all that way to start digging and digging and digging....
The country has become far less scenic since we have hit the station country. Mostly mulga and clay flats are it. Very little to see as the trees pack in close to the track, limiting the view. Next stop was lunch at Windich springs. The track has been re-aligned since we were here, so we did not recognize the water hole. We were in a different spot and couldn't see where the old track went, so we just enjoyed the spot we were at. The water is green, but full of life, we even spotted a turtle. No rock pythons though. Apparently they are common here because of the frogs that inhabit the water. We took heaps of photos, but it was too early to camp, so we pressed on. A couple of motor cyclists turned up just as we were leaving, and we caught up with their support crew a few k's down the track. They had just built up a steep rocky creek crossing, so we tested it out for them! Good work! The track veers away from the old alignment, after well 4A and 4B, and we went off into new country, through Snell's pass. This track isn't on either map we are using, so we relied on the sings Cunyu station has placed along the way. The track is made up of nasty rocks, waiting to tear a tyre. Lots of sharp creek crossings, with an occasional salt lake glimpse made up the rest of the day's driving. The mulga pressed in tight and we seemingly drove forever to reach well 3, arriving about 5 pm. One highlight along the way was spotting some red mulga trees, otherwise known as miniritchie trees, used as fence posts in the early days because the timber is very hard.
Well 3 was refurbished in 1998 but the water looks and smells pretty rank, we aren't going to taste test this one!
just south of well 6
view into well 5
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Day 24 no more dunes
Day 24 CSR
Only minus 2 this morning! Another light icey coating on things left out. We set off about 8.45, after we had transferred fuel across from the big tank. We now have enough in the normal tank to get to Wiluna, where everyone we have met says the fuel is really cheap. Our first stop was well 11, Goodwin Soak. This is where the Australian Geographic sign a Notice to Travelers has been erected. It was just brand new in 1994 but looking quite old and faded now. Some brainiac has also managed to drive into the sign and bend the support post. On you-tube there is a video of Aboriginal rangers testing the water, finding that the water in the soak is better than the water in the well, but only just. The soak is pretty manky at the moment, it would take a lot of cleaning out to become drinkable. Not much left of this well, so we kept heading south to well 10. This was known by the drovers as the lucky well, as it meant they were clear of the worst of the sand dune country, and back into station country. On the way to well 10 we stopped and climbed McConkey hill. We walked this little hill last time we were here, and thought it would be nice to do it again. Someone has built a big cairn on the next hill across, so after scrambling up the boulders to the summit, we walked across to find out if it was a monument to anyone. The rock cairn is in good nick, but the wooden part of the cairn has been wrecked, so we are none the wiser as to what it is about. Smoko at the base of the hill, and back on the track. We met a couple of people at well 10 traveling south, they were waiting for the rest of their group, so we kept moving. There is a sign at the border of Glenayle station, asking you not to camp within 1 km of windmills. This is the first sign of civilization we have seen not being a direction sign to the CSR. Peter Vernon has also erected a sign wishing everyone a safe trip. Well 9 is just as we remember it, a cattle yard surrounded by a rocky plain, spikey trees and cattle all standing around. The well is actually running at the moment, and there were thousands of finches and pigeons flitting down for a drink. We walked over to the actual well which was being guarded by a very big brown bull, luckily very placid. We also checked out the 'fort' built by the Forrest party to protect themselves from hostile locals when they were here in 1874. The fort is a pile of rocks, but it is easy to imagine the fear felt on both sides during this encounter. From the 'fort' the ridge that the tribe assembled on before attacking could be easily seen. We stopped for lunch in a grove of bloodwood trees, much to the chagrin of a young bull who would have preferred we moved somewhere else. A vehicle coming along the track moved him on, leaving us in peace. Well 8 is derelict, dusty and not very photogenic, so we decided to make a dash for Well 6. At well 7, we met a very friendly group from NSW and QLD traveling north. We chatted for a while, learning that one of them is from Kurrajong, our old stomping ground in Sydney, and another who knows people who went to the same high school at the same time we did! Well 7 is much as we remember, derelict, but the trees are much bigger. The run to well 6 through the afternoon sun was spectacular, the spinifex lit from behind and the Ingelbong hills providing scenic relief. The track was very slow in parts, following the clay pans, until the more open country further south. We did encounter one last sand dune, a little one easily over in 2WD, but a fitting farewell to the sand dunes, or a welcome of what is to come if you are going the other way! Well 6 is as beautiful as we remember, and amazingly , we have it to ourselves again. We set up quickly in the fading light and took some photos of the well, and the beautiful white gum trees with their branches stretching over the camp ground. We also set up a star trail photo of the well. A mouse provided us entertainment by trapping himself in the water bucket. Getting very cold tonight, will be very chilly tomorrow morning.
Well 6 camp site
Only minus 2 this morning! Another light icey coating on things left out. We set off about 8.45, after we had transferred fuel across from the big tank. We now have enough in the normal tank to get to Wiluna, where everyone we have met says the fuel is really cheap. Our first stop was well 11, Goodwin Soak. This is where the Australian Geographic sign a Notice to Travelers has been erected. It was just brand new in 1994 but looking quite old and faded now. Some brainiac has also managed to drive into the sign and bend the support post. On you-tube there is a video of Aboriginal rangers testing the water, finding that the water in the soak is better than the water in the well, but only just. The soak is pretty manky at the moment, it would take a lot of cleaning out to become drinkable. Not much left of this well, so we kept heading south to well 10. This was known by the drovers as the lucky well, as it meant they were clear of the worst of the sand dune country, and back into station country. On the way to well 10 we stopped and climbed McConkey hill. We walked this little hill last time we were here, and thought it would be nice to do it again. Someone has built a big cairn on the next hill across, so after scrambling up the boulders to the summit, we walked across to find out if it was a monument to anyone. The rock cairn is in good nick, but the wooden part of the cairn has been wrecked, so we are none the wiser as to what it is about. Smoko at the base of the hill, and back on the track. We met a couple of people at well 10 traveling south, they were waiting for the rest of their group, so we kept moving. There is a sign at the border of Glenayle station, asking you not to camp within 1 km of windmills. This is the first sign of civilization we have seen not being a direction sign to the CSR. Peter Vernon has also erected a sign wishing everyone a safe trip. Well 9 is just as we remember it, a cattle yard surrounded by a rocky plain, spikey trees and cattle all standing around. The well is actually running at the moment, and there were thousands of finches and pigeons flitting down for a drink. We walked over to the actual well which was being guarded by a very big brown bull, luckily very placid. We also checked out the 'fort' built by the Forrest party to protect themselves from hostile locals when they were here in 1874. The fort is a pile of rocks, but it is easy to imagine the fear felt on both sides during this encounter. From the 'fort' the ridge that the tribe assembled on before attacking could be easily seen. We stopped for lunch in a grove of bloodwood trees, much to the chagrin of a young bull who would have preferred we moved somewhere else. A vehicle coming along the track moved him on, leaving us in peace. Well 8 is derelict, dusty and not very photogenic, so we decided to make a dash for Well 6. At well 7, we met a very friendly group from NSW and QLD traveling north. We chatted for a while, learning that one of them is from Kurrajong, our old stomping ground in Sydney, and another who knows people who went to the same high school at the same time we did! Well 7 is much as we remember, derelict, but the trees are much bigger. The run to well 6 through the afternoon sun was spectacular, the spinifex lit from behind and the Ingelbong hills providing scenic relief. The track was very slow in parts, following the clay pans, until the more open country further south. We did encounter one last sand dune, a little one easily over in 2WD, but a fitting farewell to the sand dunes, or a welcome of what is to come if you are going the other way! Well 6 is as beautiful as we remember, and amazingly , we have it to ourselves again. We set up quickly in the fading light and took some photos of the well, and the beautiful white gum trees with their branches stretching over the camp ground. We also set up a star trail photo of the well. A mouse provided us entertainment by trapping himself in the water bucket. Getting very cold tonight, will be very chilly tomorrow morning.
Well 11
McConkey Hill
North of Well 10
Well 6 camp site
Day 23 frozen camel
Day 23 CSR
A VERY cold night last night. At 6am it was -3 degrees, yes that is minus! Many layers of clothes, including gloves and beanies were donned before exiting the tent. Bob stoked the fire to boil some water for breakfast and to fill the thermos for today's drive and morning tea. After breakfast we packed up the gear and were ready to go at 8.30. We caught up on some reading while we waited for Jon and Kerrin before we departed well 15 at 9am. Only five minutes down the track we came across another wrecked camper trailer. A quick inspection before continuing on towards well 14. At well 14 we met a tag along tour heading north. There we 8 vehicles in total including three tour vehicles. Two of the cars were towing camper trailers. The is memorial at well 14 to a man named Kevin Weckert who passed away at the well in 2003 after feeling unwell at well 16, turning around and heading back to Wiluna. He died from a heart attack before making Wiluna. His family have erected a visitor book and memorial to him at the well. We had a quick cuppa and a gasbag with the tour here before hitting the track and heading on to well 13. Not far along the track, we spotted a camel standing in the middle of the track! He immediately shot off, running along the track, as that is the easiest route through the prickles. We followed along, trying not to chase him, getting a couple of photos. He stayed on the track about 1 km, and then headed bush. They are very strange animals and look really odd when they run. They kind of lope along, each leg doing something completely out of synch with every other leg, but still managing to maintain forward velocity. Very amusing! Well 13 was a little difficult to locate as it was hidden amongst long grass and is very overgrown. We did manage to find it though, took some photos, then decided to find another spot for lunch as the area around the well is a bit of a dust bowl. Back on the main track, there is an old Landie that has burned. It was a series 2 with a 186 conversion, with almost everything of value mechanically has been stripped off it. That makes a total of 9 burned vehicles. Considering that on our last trip here, there were no burned out vehicles at all it is amazing to consider that every two years or so, someone's holiday is ruined in this way. Certainly makes you stop and think. On the way to well 12 we found a nice shady camping area where pulled off the track for lunch. Cuppa soup and crackers, if you were wondering. Just before well 12 we came across some more travelers, these guys in a landcruiser and a VW Toureg. They were doing radio calls before crossing the dunes so that was very helpful. They pulled off the track and waited for us so we could go around them. Onto well 12, a quick detour of 2 kms out and back. Well 12 had been restored by Ken Maidment in 2003. He and his group also restored Well 15 and well 49. There is a coppers log fence around the well, with steel doors and a windlass. We didn't try the water though as we are all stocked up from last night at well 15. We thought we would head on to well 11 and find somewhere to camp before we got there. We followed the track along Lake Aerodrome, no water, just lots of salt. We stopped for some photos there and then crossed some more sand dunes. We are almost out of sand dune country now which is a shame as less sand dunes means LOTS of corrugations. We have had quite a bit of corrugated track today. It is so rough to drive over and not doing the vehicle or its occupants much good. So tonight we stopped to camp at about 3.30 around 15 kms north of well 11. A lovely spot under some desert oaks., next to the track. Only one other vehicle through this afternoon, he was on a mission, barely had time to wave... We are expecting another cold night so Jon and Kerrin have dug a fire pit into which we will feed the firewood which is already here piled up ready to go for us!
A VERY cold night last night. At 6am it was -3 degrees, yes that is minus! Many layers of clothes, including gloves and beanies were donned before exiting the tent. Bob stoked the fire to boil some water for breakfast and to fill the thermos for today's drive and morning tea. After breakfast we packed up the gear and were ready to go at 8.30. We caught up on some reading while we waited for Jon and Kerrin before we departed well 15 at 9am. Only five minutes down the track we came across another wrecked camper trailer. A quick inspection before continuing on towards well 14. At well 14 we met a tag along tour heading north. There we 8 vehicles in total including three tour vehicles. Two of the cars were towing camper trailers. The is memorial at well 14 to a man named Kevin Weckert who passed away at the well in 2003 after feeling unwell at well 16, turning around and heading back to Wiluna. He died from a heart attack before making Wiluna. His family have erected a visitor book and memorial to him at the well. We had a quick cuppa and a gasbag with the tour here before hitting the track and heading on to well 13. Not far along the track, we spotted a camel standing in the middle of the track! He immediately shot off, running along the track, as that is the easiest route through the prickles. We followed along, trying not to chase him, getting a couple of photos. He stayed on the track about 1 km, and then headed bush. They are very strange animals and look really odd when they run. They kind of lope along, each leg doing something completely out of synch with every other leg, but still managing to maintain forward velocity. Very amusing! Well 13 was a little difficult to locate as it was hidden amongst long grass and is very overgrown. We did manage to find it though, took some photos, then decided to find another spot for lunch as the area around the well is a bit of a dust bowl. Back on the main track, there is an old Landie that has burned. It was a series 2 with a 186 conversion, with almost everything of value mechanically has been stripped off it. That makes a total of 9 burned vehicles. Considering that on our last trip here, there were no burned out vehicles at all it is amazing to consider that every two years or so, someone's holiday is ruined in this way. Certainly makes you stop and think. On the way to well 12 we found a nice shady camping area where pulled off the track for lunch. Cuppa soup and crackers, if you were wondering. Just before well 12 we came across some more travelers, these guys in a landcruiser and a VW Toureg. They were doing radio calls before crossing the dunes so that was very helpful. They pulled off the track and waited for us so we could go around them. Onto well 12, a quick detour of 2 kms out and back. Well 12 had been restored by Ken Maidment in 2003. He and his group also restored Well 15 and well 49. There is a coppers log fence around the well, with steel doors and a windlass. We didn't try the water though as we are all stocked up from last night at well 15. We thought we would head on to well 11 and find somewhere to camp before we got there. We followed the track along Lake Aerodrome, no water, just lots of salt. We stopped for some photos there and then crossed some more sand dunes. We are almost out of sand dune country now which is a shame as less sand dunes means LOTS of corrugations. We have had quite a bit of corrugated track today. It is so rough to drive over and not doing the vehicle or its occupants much good. So tonight we stopped to camp at about 3.30 around 15 kms north of well 11. A lovely spot under some desert oaks., next to the track. Only one other vehicle through this afternoon, he was on a mission, barely had time to wave... We are expecting another cold night so Jon and Kerrin have dug a fire pit into which we will feed the firewood which is already here piled up ready to go for us!
Well 16
Camel!!
colder outside the fridge than inside!
Day 22 meet and greet
Day 22 CSR
Not a huge day kilometre wise, but still a good day, with lots of different scenery.
The worst part of the day was the start, we had to leave Durba springs. Such a lovely oasis, it is really nice to see that it hasn't been thrashed in the years since we were here last, and people are looking after it. White man has been camping there for over 100 years, and aboriginal people for thousands before that, it is a special place.
Our first stop this morning was Canning's cairn, about 15 km from the turn off to Durba. Someone has made a new track that takes you much closer to the base of the hill, making the walk a little shorter. The climb and view are just as spectacular as ever. Views back to Deibel hills, the escarpment of Durba swinging away to the north. The rocks are very crumbly, but such a beautiful colour. Back at the cars, it was too late for smoko, so we kept on until well 16 for lunch. Here we were joined by a group of 3 campers from Grafton. The men of the group came over for a gas bag and information exchange. They told us who to expect coming up the track.
We had pumped the tyres up again, as the country has been very rocky. Much more rocky than sandy anyway. We came across another two vehicles that we pulled off the track for. They were from Port Macquarie. They passed us, then they made a point of walking up the track to thank us specifically for moving aside, very nice. We had a good old chat with them as well, giving them info on camping places up ahead.
Our next stop was Murray Rankins trolley. Here there was another chap on his own who took off as we pulled up, and a camper trailer. The couple with the trailer and their dog are taking 12 months off to travel. The ladies 2nd cousin actually drove cattle along the stock route in 1949! His name is Len Hill. He is still alive and lives in Charters towers, is in the stockmans hall of fame and has recently written a book on his CSR experiences. We must track it down when we get back.
They are having a really good time, taking it easy and seem to be doing everything right, unlike some of the other camper trailers we have seen.
Even though it was sunny all day, it never warmed up and tonight it is getting really chilly. We are camped at well 15, a lovely spot with excellent water from the well that was restored in 1998. The water is only a few meters below the surface, is very warm and lovely and clear. Most importantly, it has no floaty things in it!
Well 15 is where Joe Wilkins was speared by natives in September 1936 for apparantly stealing a native mans wife.
The well is surrounded by white gums and mulga trees, between two sand ridges. Once again, we have the place to ourselves. Apparently, there is a tag along tour group heading our way, with 8 vehicles. We thought they might have made it to here, but no. Much nicer for us!
Cannings cairn
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