31/1/16 Humps , caves & water

 Yes another blog - amazing isn't it !!!
 We packed up from Narembeen and headed to Hyden , 82 klms away . Even with a bit of a sleep in , we were on the road by 9:45 . It was a very quiet trip - I think we were the only ones on the road - we didn't pass another vehicle till we got to within 2klms of the caravan park , no one passed us either . That is the one thing we have noticed around this area , whether it's the time of year - I'm sure it would be busy in harvest time - but it's been very quiet on the roads - we are not complaining !!
 After lunch we headed out to The Humps , Mulka's Cave and Gnamma Holes - they are all in the same location - about 18klms from Hyden .
 There was rain overnight and we actually had to use the windscreen wipers on the drive down today - a bit freaky - we haven't used them for months !! Rain showers seemed to be coming and going , but on we went . The final 2klms was on a gravel road - muddy gravel road !! I took it nice and quietly , assessing as we went , but it was pretty good - no damage done - till later .
 First stop was Mulka's Cave , a cave formed at the base of The Humps . The entrance is only about a metre high , so you have to duck down as you go in . There is some rock art - mainly hand prints - lot's & lot's of them .

  From here we wandered around to the start of the Kalari Trail - it takes you up to the top of the Humps for a great 360 degree view . The view looking up wasn't too bad either .

 There are a lot of large moss & lichen covered rocks before you start the climb .

 Because of the inclement weather , water was streaming down the rock creating patterns - looked really good .
  There a message boards along the walk informing you about the plants , moss & lichens and the rock itself . They helped to break the walk down into sections , you barely noticed going up the rock , even though you were climbing upwards all the way .
  There are lots of plants & trees growing up on the rock - quite surprising in such a harsh environment .

 Deep grooves in the rock have been formed over millions of years , and make for an amazing sight .

 As we made it over the top , we found some very weathered rocks . Fortunately for us , they were facing the best direction and gave us some shelter from the rain shower that was coming down . We had an umbrella , but that was only good for one person - not good when you still have to walk down a wet rock slope to get down again . We crawled up into the rock and stayed nice and dry till the rain had stopped !!

 Heading down before the next shower hit , we passed a rock wall resembling a bit of a wave - the steep face was about 15m high !!!

 Anywhere on the rock where soil & gravel tend to gather , there are plants growing . Then also anywhere there is a depression in the ground , water will also sit till it evaporates . Some of these waterholes are deeper & more permanent than others . Local aborigine tribes used these waterholes for survival and hunting , they called them "gamma " - water holes !! Many other animals and people used them as well .

 The rain started again , so we headed off around the Gnamma walk trail , dodging puddles and flowing water that was streaming off the rock .

  The trail took us around rocky outcrops and through a grove of sandalwood and Quondong trees . A lot of the trees were dead , but the trunks under the bark looked amazing .

  Back to the ute , we found there were another 2 cars and a bus !! The road in was alright until the tour bus churned it up on it's way in and out . It was a flying visit - they only got to look at the cave and nothing else - on a schedule - pity they missed the best part - up & over the rock !!! That would rate fairly highly in our list of walks , we got to see it with water flowing down - certainly not the normal situation for summer !!
 Back to camp for a beer and some mango salsa - we substituted mango for the tomato - it worked a treat , another recipe success !!! My brothers salsa recipe is getting spread far and wide around Australia - it's really good !!!
 That's it for today , a southerly change has blown in and cooled everything down - it's been a weird summer for them over here in WA .
 Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kSBX_-hqu_ms&usp=sharing

30/1/16 A short drive - about 200klms

Today we hit the road again , driving in a few loops around Narembeen that totalled up about 200klms !!

 First we drove west to the Old Prospectors Trail , which covered some of the route from Perth to the goldfields , and also took in Roe Lookout - another rather large granite rock !!

Driving west out of town we came across an interesting site - I know they’ve had a lot of rain, but didn’t know they’d had this much .

 The views from the lookout were over more wheat and canola fields , with salmon gums poking up everywhere .

  Continuing on , the roads were all gravel and in really good condition - you could tell where people had driven during the rain . We reached a wet point on the road , but decided to go through - it was half dry and the rest a bit muddy , we made it through with a bit of wheel spin through the wet clay . A bit further down the road there was another big wet patch - we didn’t go any further , turning around and going back through the other wet patch and taking another road around . We stopped not long after and checked under the tray - it was caked in clay !! Lesson learnt - stay off gravel roads when they are mostly dry with the odd wet patch !!! 

 The road system here is quite good , gravel roads run parallel to the main roads , with intersecting roads going off at 90 degrees linking them all together !!

 We made our way to the Wakeman water ski lake that is now filling up after recent rain . A few of the locals turned up to see when they could have a ski - probably tomorrow after a bit more run in .

Inside the facilities I found 2 stumpy tailed skinks / lizards having a drink from a dripping tap.

 After another 30 klms of straight road , we found Roe Dam - Narembeen’s water supply dam . It’s been built into another granite rock outcrop , with walls built around the rocks to guide water into the dam .

Another drive took us to Anderson Rock Reserve and seemed to be a good place for lunch . There was a north easterly wind blowing and the heat coming off the rock was quite noticeable . After lunch we headed up the rock to check out the Gnamma Holes ( water holes in the rock ) that the aborigines used for water access when they were passing through . 

 Every now and then as we walked something would catch your eye - moving very quickly across the rocks - you could only see them when they moved - they were little lizards , same as the ones we found on Kokerbin Rock . There was a whole group of little ones also running around - but they were impossible to see unless they were moving . They are extremely well camouflaged !!

  We headed back to Narembeen and checked out the grain discovery centre , then filled the ute up again - diesel was $1.11 . The grain discovery gives you a history of wheat & other grains , how they’re grown & harvested . WA grows most of the wheat - 95 % is for export !!!! Quite educational !

That’s it for today , here’s a map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kJ8lLuxh3IJc&usp=sharing

24-29/1/16 York to Kokerbin Rock to Narembeen

  Hi folks , limited internet has meant very limited blogs , but we're back again , a little bit condensed.
 We have been out and about , up to Northam , out to Kellerberrin , up Kokebin Rock and criss crossing around the countryside .
Northam is probably known best as the starting point for the Avon Descent - a white water race over 2 days , from Northam to Perth , for small 2man boats and kayaks . There is also Australia's longest pedestrian suspension bridge , and the white swans that reside here .

  Also well known are the wheat silos on the north west end of town - they have been painted , but not your average paintings .

 There are 12 silos of which the 4 on each end have been painted . There is some heritage aspect in the ballooning paintings , as Northam has dabbled in hot air ballooning for quite some time .
 There are many heritage buildings & homes in Northam , the main street even has their rubbish bins covered with heritage photos of the shops they are beside giving you an idea of what the town looked like back in the day .
 We made our way back to White Gum Farm via another road to York on the western side of the Avon River . There was quite a stunning sunset that afternoon - it lead to a rather large storm , dumping 25mm of rain - quite a lot more fell to the east of us and also in York .

 The next day we had a quiet time , cleaning and fiddling around with various things . We have met some wonderful new friends Angela and Franz - previously German citizens , now Australians , who are touring like us , Rick and Marcia - from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland , who are also continuing their extensive travels around Aus , and Steve and Tracey  who live in the northern suburbs of Perth , who were here for a long weekend .
  Australia Day arrived and we had some damper & tea mid morning - thanks Marcia for the damper !
We sat and chatted for some time with Garry ( the owner of White Gums ) , Garth ( park Manager ??)
Angela & Franz , and Rick & Marcia ( Marcia took the photo ).

  The afternoon was taken up with a walk up through the bush , a different way to our walk the other day , then some beers & conversation to cap the day off .

  Pack up moving day again , we were only spending 3 days here - that turned into 7 !!! , it's a really good place to relax - nice and quiet !! Rick and Marcia also moved on - to the same place we were going . We said our goodbyes to Angela & Franz - we really enjoyed your company - thanks !!!
  Our next stop was a place called Kwolyin - an interesting place - no houses - they're all gone - now there is a free camp there , complete with toilet block and a camp kitchen with stainless steel benches & sink all under cover !!! as well as a gas cooktop !! , there were also gas bbqs , tables & chairs - some covered , with a section for campers and another for caravaners . The town disappeared in the 1950's . The farmers decided they didn't want to pay for water - they had enough to survive and could get by without it . The town had a hotel with no water , down the road in Shackleton (7klms away) they had shops & people & water , but no hotel so Kwolyin survived for a while until the pub burnt to the ground . The town soon shut down , all the houses were removed , now there are plaques telling the story placed all around the camp area .
 That afternoon we headed out to Kokerbin Rock - reputably the 3rd largest monolith in Australia behind Ayers Rock and Mt Augustus ( also In WA ). It is a large granite outcrop about 10 klms away from us .

  After walking around the base of the rock ( or half way and back ) , looking at various features and the different colours of the rock , we found an historic well . It was certainly a great piece of work , with excellent stonework . It was about 4m wide and about 10m deep , and the inside walls were lined in rock as well !!

  From here we went along the Granite Way - a tourist drive that took us around Mt Stirling , and Mt Caroline , crossing through many wheat & canola fields and a large catchment/wetland area .

 The road meandered along the side of the watercourse , and through a large area of Salmon Gums . These trees look like they've been out in the sun too long and have been sunburnt - the bark is anything from very light orange to a deep burnt red colour - beautiful trees with long branches and a top canopy of leaves .

 28/1/16 rolled around - my birthday !! we headed off for a drive to Bruce Rock , another small farming town about 40 klms away . First stop was Shackleton 7 klms away , another small farming town/village - it's claim to fame is Australia's smallest bank - and it still operates - 3 to 4:30 pm every Friday !!!

 There's also a grain silo and handling facility , a workers club , butcher shop , general store and a sculptor who creates sculptures out of old farming machinery .
On to Bruce Rock where there is also another granite rock - hence the name Bruce Rock - we found it and climbed it - took us about 2 and a half minutes - it wasn't terribly large !!
 Next part of the drive was to Doodlkine - a small village on the Great Eastern Hwy . The road took us past Lake Baandee - a salt lake , depending on the water levels , apparently you can water ski there. It was a great  colour .

  We didn't bother to stop and continued west to Kellerberrin - a larger town with some art deco buildings .

 We found the town lookout , with views over vast wheat fields into the distance . The golf course was below the lookout - sand greens and dead fairways . They also have a horse cross country course that runs beside the golf course - hopefully the players are reasonably accurate with their golf shots !!
 We had some lunch , before finding our way back to Shackleton . The road took us through more wheat country and along a great section of road lined with salmon gums for klms .

  After getting back to the RV , we sat down chatting to Rick & Marcia for a while before we decided to go out for tea at the Workers Club at Shackleton . This was going to be interesting , either good , or possibly bad . The club is your typical country town bowling , cricket , hockey , fishing and AFL club , with quite a proud heritage and many trophies in the cabinet !!
 The meals came out and we were all happy , steaks were good , the fish was good , everything was good & prices also were good $25 a steak and $19 for the fish . The locals were friendly and we had a good night .
  Moving day again , Rick & Marcia were off in another direction , we were headed to Narembeen - getting closer to Wave Rock .
 Before heading off , we headed back to Kokerbin Rock to climb the rock in the cool of the day - it was way too hot the other day . Today though was excellent , apart from the gale force wind that wanted to blow us off the top of the rock . We were up the top in a flash , took in the views and some photos and headed back down again in about 45mins !! The top is 132m above the surrounding fields and the walk is about 1 klm up . There were various moss gardens , and would be good to see in wildflower season .

 We found a lizard or 2 on the way down - interesting camouflage !!

 Back for breakfast and pack up , the skies were interesting !!

 As we hitched up , I noticed the rear passenger side tyre was a bit flat - there has been something in it for a few weeks , but I've let it develop further before getting it fixed - guess the day has arrived . Lyn pumped it up and we continued on to Narembeen - it was only a slow leak !! There is a tyre dealer in town , so we got it repaired - they gave us plenty of advise with what to see and do . One guy also knew where Wingello is - he flew his plane around there water bombing the fires there , and also the Canberra fires as well .
 That's it for today , we will try to keep up a bit more regularly , as the memory isn't really good after a few days - you tend to forget stuff !!
 Here's a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kFnZ6PkfJRxs&usp=sharing

22 &23/1/16 White Gum Farm & a saturday drive

         Today was do something day , so we went for a walk around some of White Gum Farm . It’s a microlight training facility / caravan park , about 27 klms from York - what a great spot , nice & quiet !!

  The walk took us around the boundary and up to a ridge line with great views out toward York & surrounding wheat fields . It was warm - 27 degrees - and quite manageable . There are some great looking gum trees with orange trunks , grass trees , rocks & wheat stubble .

   Arriving at the lookout , we found plastic chairs , table & a Bbq - we didn’t need to be asked , we sat down and soaked it all in .

 After about 30 mins we decided to head back , so took another track out . It lead us down the hill toward where we came up , but then turned more toward the RV , so we went that way instead . On the way we found Cousin It with an Affro - that’ll test a few of you out !! 

 From the Adams family of course !!  There were more of the orange barked gums on the way .

 We got back to the RV after jumping a fence and wandering through a paddock back through the airstrip . Well , we found we had neighbours - how rude !!! anyone would think they can stay here or something !!

  That was it for the afternoon as we chatted to new found acquaintances till the mosquito squadron moved in !!

 Saturday rolled in , so we headed out for a drive . first we went south , then east to Quaraiding , Toapin Weir , Pink Lake and then north to Cunderdin , back west to Northam , then finally back south to the Rv again .

 The drive was quite pleasant , temperatures climbing to a top of 37 degrees . It took us through an awful lot of wheat fields , canola fields and not much else . It’s amazing how much wheat we grow in this country !! 

 First stop was Toapin Weir , not your average weir in that the catchment and weir are surrounded by granite rock , any water that’s in the weir runs straight off the rock behind the weir .

 We wandered up the hill and back round to the other side , the weir has walls built around the side of the hill to aid catchment , then there’s another just above the water level , rusty bolts sticking out - we found out the weir had a roof put over it in 1935 to stop evaporation - it’s no longer in place .

 Next stop was beside the road east of Quaraiding - Pink Lake . It’s normally blue an one side and pink on the other - today it was orange on both sides , probably had something to do with the recent rainfall . It was still quite interesting , salt has been gathering around all the fence posts , tree trunks & branches - quite stunning !!

From there we headed into Cunderdin for a lunch break , then into Northam for some shopping . We followed the water pipeline that runs out to Kalgoorlie - it runs beside the Great Eastern Highway . 

  Northam is a much larger town and is where they start the Avon Descent - a 2 day race back toward Perth for small outboard powered boats , also kayaks & others - they get a range of international competitors competing !! 

 Storm clouds were brewing all around us , so we did the shopping and headed back home . The storm caught us about 30 mins after we got back , dumping some nice rain , and cooling things down . 

 Northam will be another day trip so we can check it out better .

Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kl04Wpfs02_4&usp=sharing