For those with concerns about where to camp near Wiluna, then you may be interested to check out Gunbarrel Laager, about 12 kms east of Wiluna. see their website at:
www.users.bigpond.com/gunbarrel.camp/
Here is some info the owner sent me today, which may be of interest. You are advised to let them know you are coming.
We don’t have any real objection to people just dropping in, but it is more convenient for us if we do have advance knowledge, particularly if there are more than a dozen in the group.
There is another advantage in getting in touch before hand – the local gold mine mess is open to visitors for the evening meal, provided that we put in an application for a permit to go onto the minesite 24 hours before hand. The mine camp is about five kilometres from us, and meals cost $15 per head. A number of our visitors do take the opportunity to see the social side of life in a mining camp.
Our accommodation, other than campsites, consists of:
· single rooms (some of which have king-size single beds) at $62 per room per night
· twin rooms at $80 per room per night
· family rooms (queen size bed plus single bed) at $100 per room per night
The other facilities are:
· central ablution block
· amenities block comprising a recreation room (TV, games, books, internet), dining room, kitchen – use the equipment in this block is included in the tariff
· Laundry with coin-operated machines.
· Barbeque and fire place on the camp lawn
Camping facilities:
· If there are only people a few staying the night we allow camping on the lawn
· At other times campers, along with caravaners, are accommodated around fireplaces in the scrub close to the camp buildings.
· The tariff is $12.50 per person per night.
You should aim to be at the mine camp by 1845 at the very latest. If you don’t make it you don’t eat, but you don’t pay either. Mind you, if we indicate to the mine that there is a huge mob coming and then they don’t turn up, it may be the start of a souring of our romance with the mine catering contractor.
The procedure is this:
You pick up the Permission to Visit the Minesite from us.
You go to the Wet Mess (tavern) at the mine camp and hand the barman the permission and the money, he gives you a ticket each.
You buy any grog you want to have with your meal
You go to the mess and grab a table, then go to the servery, hand the cook your ticket and then help yourself
When you finish your meal you take your dishes to the washup hatch, scrape them and stack them on the counter.
The points to note are
The tavern and mess hall both open at about 1800.
The tavern shuts from 1900 to 1930 (presumably to force the drunks to eat something)
The mess servery closes at 1930
The cleaners move into the mess anytime between 1930and 2000.
I got a bit of a tongue lashing from the Camp Commandant for not mentioning in my previous message that we don’t yet have EFT facilities, so I’m afraid that we only deal in the old fashioned cash.