Bozo Across Australia

[jls]

bozo
nice to see the Iron clad
i was there when Keating gave his concessional speech way back then
a lot of happy small miners that night and a lot of headaches the next morning

[wightman]

Hallo Bozo. Thank you for the informative dialogue and photos. You make it almost unnecessary for the armchair travellers to venture forth to such places. I can assure you with conviction, that Australia's most spectacular campsite (the free-of-charge) Albert Tognolini Monument rest stop is less than 30 kms from Australia's most miserable Motel, the overrated Auski Roadhouse (grubby, tiny dongas at $100 a pop and you might be lucky to get a warm EMU at the pub in the evening). You will be herding with the Pilbara's finest truck drivers, tinkerers, low lifes and dreamers.

[Bozo]

Continuing my short excursions to see parts of Australia never visited by me or to revisit after many years.

On Thursday I took the revitalised GSA for a 3,000 km trip to Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Albany and Woop Woop. On the previous Sunday, on the way to breakfast, the GSA had only made 4 km before a battery failed. It would not jump start which worried me so I ended up being recovered by the RAC.

.

A new battery resolved all issues with the bike so I set off on a grey, drizzly morning to get to Merredin via Bruce Rock, Quairading, Beverley and west Talbot Road. The sun came out after Quairading as did the large trucks hauling grain. A lot of roadworks that slowed me up.



Did a few deviations to historic sites such as Boondi. There had been a large storm across parts of the Goldfields and Wheatbelt a few days before and it was enough to have Boondi dam overflow. It would be a great place for those who camp but it did not appear to have Telstra phone coverage.





Bozo

[Bozo]

I was keen to locate Kurrawang as it was a scene of major activity for firewood supply with the company delivering 250,000 tons of wood per annum. They employed 450 men and each man could cut and stack 3 ton of wood a day.

I accessed Kurrawang by turning north at the Clay Target Club and finding the Goldfields pipeline and following it west. The old Kurrawang was in the area now between the Standard Gauge Rail Line and the Pipeline and just east of the Aboriginal Community. Kurrawang is also now the location of the junction of the Kambalda Rail Line









There is very little left of what was a major operation.

Dishes were the last thing I expected to see. The dishes are for NBN Satellite Tracking.



Bozo

[Bozo]

Lakewood was much easier to find as it was sandwiched between Lakewood Mill Road and Mount Monger Road.





I headed out on the Trans Access Road turning around near Curtin







As I headed back into Kal I got one of the 360 degree outback sunsets. This image is looking east away from the setting sun.



Bozo

[Bozo]

After 760 km on day 1 it was going to be a simpler ride from Kalgoorlie to Esperance. Time to poke around Kambalda and to get a high level view of the salt lakes from Red Hill. Well worth the short deviation.





Just south of Widgiemooltha is Binneringie Road. It links up with Mt Monger South Road that connects with the Eyre Highway.







Bozo

[Bozo]

From Norseman you can take the old Cobb and Co Coach Track to Dundas or head down the bitumen and only have a 2 Km excursion to get to the old Dundas townsite and Dundas Rocks.

Large rock formations are scattered through the landscape. Not a lot left of Dundas Townsite that was set out as a town of 100 lots.









Bozo

[Bozo]

A quick stop at Bromus Dam that was constructed for water for steam engines almost 100 years ago and then on to Esperance. Past the Esperance Airport that was so far out of town to be beyond ships guns to do the iconic Beach and Pink Lake Loop.

The Pink Lake was blue but the Esperance coast was magnificent.









Bozo

[Bozo]

The dishes I saw near Kurrawang just out of Kalgoorlie are NBN Satellite Tracking Dishes. An article by the ABC say they are one of only two NBN manned Satellite Tracking Stations in Australia.



Bozo

[Bozo]

On Saturday December 8th I headed east from Esperance on the highway like Fisheries Road. The notorious Parmango Road connects Fisheries Road to Balladonia making a significant short cut. I paused at the sign hoping for some happy motorcyclists to tell me that the road had just been graded but none came. Plan B was to head to Cape Arid National Park.
Parmango Road


Wildflowers Cape Arid National Park







Cape Arid National Park on Thomas River Road



Cape Arid national Park Belinup Beach and Yokinup Bay



Cape Arid National Park Dolphin Cove



Cape Arid National Park Little Tagon Bay



Bozo

[Bozo]

Leaving Cape Arid National Park I took the gravel section of Merivale Road to Alexander Road where I planned to visit Alexander Bay. Alexander Road was closed so I headed to Daniels Road which was also in poor condition. Orleans Bay Road is bitumen but a few kms were being reconstructed. There was very little traffic and I caught a Gould's Monitor sunning itself on the road. It moved but remained stock still enabling me to get a few photos. When I arrived at Duke of Orleans Bay there were two trees full of White Tailed Black Cockatoos that were noisy as McFarkle at a Catalanos Breakfast.











Bozo

[Bozo]

Wharton Beach near Duke of Orleans Bay is as stunning as Lucky Bay. It is hard to capture how clear the water was.



Table Island is very close to shore in Duke of Orleans Bay.



Bozo

[Bozo]

A squash at the multipurpose Condingup Tavern was very welcome with the next stop being Lucky Bay in the Cape Legrand National Park.

The kangaroo that would normally be on the beach was up in the car park pestering backpackers for snacks.


The beach in country parlance was "packed" with a 4WD every 50 metres for kilometres. Nice hard packed sand made it safe for even the heavy GSA to traverse the beach.

Lucky Bay







There was a coffee caravan on the beach that served a decent flat white.



Bozo

[Bozo]

If you head out to Rossiter Bay from Lucky Bay you get a magnificent view over the beach.

Lucky Bay from Rossiter Beach Road





Bozo

[Bozo]

After Lucky Bay I headed to the nearby Thistle Cove and Hellfire Bay. There was an interesting rock formation at Thistle Cove called Whistling Rock that had a dreamtime story attached to it.
Thistle Cove


Whistling Rock whose shape magnifies the sound of the wind and the waves and can sound like the moaning of spirits passed


Hellfire Bay



Frenchmans Peak has a gap under the cap and I could see people walking in the small patch of blue when I returned from Hellfire Bay.

Cape Le Grand Beach has a surface that allows you to drive 22 kms on the beach to Wylie Head.

Cape Le Grand Beach


Cape Le Grand Beach looking to Wylie Head



Bozo