Sunday 15th October

Well and truly on the last stretch now, left Fraser Range this morning, the run into Norseman was uneventful, we’ve refuelled, done a bit of shopping and are having a cup of coffee whilst we wait for Trevor and Di to catch up with us.   They are heading for Perth via Katanning and will travel with us today and tomorrow.    The wagon train assembled with set out for Hyden, 300 ks through some lovely scenery.    Lunch is taken at a campsite called Woodlands.   A few years ago we stopped here and it rained overnight, by the time we got to Hyden we had a 4” thick layer of red mud on the front of everything!    Today the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day.   Even better they have been working on the road and it is very good just now.    Our camp site tonight will be at the Breakaways, we’ve been here several times before, it is off the road and in a sort of hollow surrounded by limestone cliffs about 10m high, all different colours.

We’re just having a cup of tea when two guys turn up with a jug of beer and offer it around, Trevor doesn’t like to be unsociable and joins them.   Brad and I are interested in the ‘Kimberly Karavan’ and we are invited to have a look at it.   It is quite impressive with lots of innovative stuff in it but at near $200,000 we don’t think it a bargain!

Whilst we are talking their wives wind up the sound system, it is fat too noisy for sociability and they proceed to shout at each other over the sound.   We think that they’re smoking something!   It gets turned down.  

It’s a really nice evening, Trevor lights his ‘pig’ and it becomes psychologically warmer.    Stars are out and we decide to have our dinner outside.

  

In the morning it is very windy and in the wrong direction for us, the fuel consumption is not crash hot, having got back on the tar, we stop for morning tea and put some air in the tyres.   The weather is looking ominous and Trevor advises us that we will be in rain by midday.    To try and prove him wrong Pat decides to take us by a different route into Kulin via Tin Horse Highway.   This road has only recently been given this name because from about 30 ks out of town the road is lined with numerous horse models constructed from scrap metal.    You just have to take photographs and it takes us a long time to get to Kulin.    Here is just a sample, there are literally hundreds and some are difficult to spot.   Trevor is right about the rain!

     

  

So it just leaves us to have a nice lunch at the Quindanning pub and then Brad and Denise head off to the south of Mandurah via Waroona and we head of to the north of Mandurah via North Dandelup and here we are back in Karnup, we get a really nice ‘welcome home’ wave from Sue and Keith and that’s it.

Five States, five Deserts, Channel Country, 13,278 kilometres, 2,687 litres of diesel, lots of beautiful remote Australia.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures.