As you have no doubt gathered, our push across the Nullarbor and beyond to Perth has been somewhat frenetic. And once we were there, our days were full. Clearly I am way behind with this travelogue. As I mentioned previously, I have decided to make our Kalgoorlie/Boulder adventures the subject of a separate missive, unrelated to real time. For one thing, it will probably take me a good half day just to edit the nearly 400 photos I took during our four night stay there.
So let's just get on with the business of reaching Perth.
This highway sign on the approach to Norseman is considered something of a milestone in the east-west road trip.....the end of the Eyre Highway at last. Suddenly a choice of alternative routes presents itself, both of which run north-south. Which is it to be? The goldfields or the coast?
Now, as you know, we had chosen to pop into Norseman for a couple of nights so we grabbed this shot on the way out for the sake of continuity. And I have to say, after two trips across to the west, I can confirm that this highway junction is a spot one remembers. New horizons beckon.
Immediately out of Norseman the road traverses the end of the huge saltpan which lies to the north-west of the town
and, some few kilometres further on, travels past the vast watery expanse of Lake Cowan. This is a significant lake. It was impossible to properly capture its entire expanse as we drove past but believe me it extends as far as the eye can see. The dark strip in mid shot is actually the raised bed of the railway line which crosses the lake at this point. Clearly the levels in Lake Cowan do not vary much.
Beyond the surprise of Lake Cowan our road again took us into another tract of the Great Western Woodlands and on towards distant hills.
And here we had our first glimpse of the famed Western Australian wildflowers. It was an admittedly small sample, but enough to whet our appetites for more. Based on what we have subsequently read, we realise that we have arrived a little too late to see any area at its best, but we have plans for next year.
But of course, as I have always maintained, there is no such thing as a free lunch. My penalty for the pleasure of seeing these floral displays is serious hay fever. Pass the antihistamines, please. Needless to say I was less than impressed some time later to hear on a local news bulletin that the hayfever season in WA this year is forecast to be a doozy....and if one were sceptical of that advice, the ads for pharmaceutical relief of this affliction plastered all over many chemist shop windows is testament to its veracity. Joy, oh joy! They should also advertise boxes of tissues.
In the course of our various travels we had become use to sharing the road with cattle, avoiding emus and kangaroos, but as we approached Kalgoorlie, we were joined by a herd of goats who seemed to totally ignore our presence. Needless to say we slowed rapidly during transit just in case they decided to behave like sheep (or bloody emus!)
There can be no mistaking the approach to Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The tailings heap of the 'Superpit' gold mine stands out on the skyline from kilometres away. As we shall see later, there is a reason for this.....it's not called the Superpit for nothing.
And then, at last we were here.
This had been and easy day by comparison, a mere 190 kms by the time we arrived at The Prospector Holiday Park. We chose this as our 'home away from home' for a few nights for two reasons. Firstly they take pets and secondly, this is one of a chain of WA parks which offer increasingly valuable discounts for those who use them extensively. We have Esperance in our sights for an extended stay...you guessed it..it is also part of the chain.
Our site at the rear of the park (where those with pets are banished!) turned out to be much better than it first appeared. We had oodles of room, and until the last day (when I took this photo) had no immediate neighbours. Elbow room is always something to be cherished in caravan parks.
Notwithstanding the somewhat bare appearance of our patch, the heavy gravel meant no dust and there where areas in the park where serious efforts had been made to green things up. The pool area was just such a spot, and we did spent a bit of time here.
As we did in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Four nights in fact, and three very busy sight-seeing days. This is a fascinating part of the country. Apart from the enormity of the local goldmine, the architecture in both towns (which are really one geographically) is extraordinary. The camera just clicked away, and, as I mentioned earlier, I need some days to do blogging justice to our visit there. For the time, let's skip the next four days and hit the road again.
But before we do, another in the series of editorial disclaimers. The astute amongst you will note that portions of the text in this post are not right aligned, as is my want. All my efforts to correct this anomaly (which has now automatically fixed itself!) have been in vain. There are times when I really feel like making this little laptop the first ever to achieve a near space orbit!
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