Friday 6th August
We got an early start this morning so that we could get some shopping and stuff done in Newman.
Would you believe that you can’t get a gas bottle refill nor a newspaper in this town! Exchange bottles are fine but we need to refill one of ours, maybe Meekatharra?
Talking of bottles we needed to restock the cellar but the bottle shops aren’t allowed to open until midday so we had no choice but to sit and have a cappuccino in the Dome and make use of the good telstra signal.
Shopping and refuel complete we’re back on the road heading south, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn on the way to our camp site for tonight.
This spot is a huge area of flat country where it is possible to get nearly a kilometre back from the road. So no road noise but the wind is still cool.
Saturday 7th August
Our friends are leaving home today and will take at least a couple of days to get up this far up the road. So we will stay here until Monday morning and then head south to where we hope to meet up with Brad and Denise for a couple of days before they head north and we head south, bbbrrrrr!
Sunday 8th August
Another leisurely day. While walking to see how far the area went back we discovered a rather pretty looking breakaway, which took us a bit by surprise.
On his way back Roger stepped on a stick that flew up and caught him just in between his eye and his nose, a lot of blood but not too much damage. Very, very lucky! Next day a purple bruise had come out below his eye.
Monday 9th August
A fairly leisurely start this morning but we still managed to be on the road by 0830. The wind was actually more or less behind us this morning for an hour or so but after we stopped for morning tea it became the usual headwind with the subsequent increase in fuel consumption.
We had arranged with Brad and Denise that we would meet at Bilyuin Pool, which is about 310 ks south of us but we are on the main highway (Great Northern) and we should not have too much trouble getting there by early afternoon.
We had had some discussion about the campsite we’re heading for because there is another place called Bilung Pool to the west that we sometimes stop at when heading north and where we have stayed with them before. We decided that Bilyuin was the right one but when we got there we took a while to find the right spot because the road in had changed and we didn’t recognise it! Also, the last time we came there was no water in most of the pools.
We had the right place but both of us had been visualising Bilung Pool!
We found a place where we could get two vans and parked so that no-one else could take up the space before Brad and Denise turn up tomorrow.
Tuesday 10th August
Today is ‘census day’ and we expected to be in a bit of trouble for being late with our submission. To our great surprise a vehicle turned up just after breakfast and out hopped a lady who said she was delivering our forms!!! She explained that we could post them when got to Meekatharra and there would be no problem ‘cos they would be annotated ‘travellers’!
You can’t escape the census even out here in the bush. They give the job to aboriginal people who know where most of the camp sites are in their areas, amazing!
We’re not expecting Brad and Denise ‘til mid’ afternoon but they texted mid’ morning to say that they were in Meekatharra and so they rocked up just after midday.
We had a reunion chat, then they got settled in and we met again for afternoon tea that ran in wine and nibbles time. The wind was quite strong and cold so as light faded we called it a day and retreated to our caravans.
Wednesday 11th August
This morning the sun is shining and although the wind has backed nearly 180o it is still quite strong and cold. However, because of the sun we can find warm spots sheltered from the wind to sit together for long chats at morning and afternoon tea.
We all walked down to the road and spent some time looking for the old Bilyuin Pub, built when there was a goldmining operation here at the turn of the 19th century. All that is left are bits of rusty tin and several piles of broken bottles. These have all been turned over by bottle collectors and all that is left is broken glass.
We walked back up the other side of the billabong which took us a leisurely couple of hours.
We decide to have a fire tonight and the wind obliges eventually by dropping considerably.
Across the way is a lady travelling in a caravan on her own. We ask her to come and join us which she does. Her name is Sue and is from Geraldton down from here on the coast. She stays for an hour or so and then leaves us to our satellite spotting which goes very well in a reasonably clear sky. We probably spotted around 15.
We all agreed that we would stay another day.
Thursday 12th August
Another leisurely day catching up over morning and afternoon tea.
Wine and nibbles round another good fire and a fairly cloudy sky tonight with nowhere near the same number of satellites visible.
Friday 13th August
We’re parting company this morning, B&D are heading north for a few weeks, whilst we head south towards home. It has been great catching up with these two, who we have travelled with quite a bit.
It takes us nearly an hour to say goodbye but then we are off, both heading toward the Great Northern Hwy.
We turn south at the highway and are now officially heading home. We were going to stop and do some admin in Meekatharra but decided that we should be home on Saturday and the paperwork can be ready for Monday.
Usually it is reasonably easy to predict travelling times and since the cruise control is normally set at about 85kph, working on 80ks an hour usually works. Today we have the wind on our port quarter so driving is pretty easy, to say nothing of a very reasonable fuel consumption!
When we came up this way in May the landscape was dry and brown as we would expect but today the wild flowers are out and make for a very different landscape, mostly yellows and purples. There have been unusually good rainfalls here over the time we have been away.
The traffic is quite light, only two or three road trains need to get round (overtake) us and the road has got lots of straight sections.
The Great Northern Hwy is the main route between Perth and the Pilbarra, i.e. to the principle mining area in WA and almost everything for the mining industry has to go up this road. As a result there are often ‘wide loads’ that we have to get out of the way if they are over 4 metres.
Today we encountered our widest ‘Wide Load’ to date. Wide loads have one or two pilot vehicle going ahead of them to make sure the road is clear and, in some cases, ‘close’ the road whilst the wide load negotiates a narrow section or bridge. They usually travel well ahead of the load itself.
We hear them calling on the UHF but we need to know how wide the load is so we know how far off the road we need to get. So I called up on the radio, the conversation went like this;
me: how wide are you pilot
a female voice comes back;
pilot; I’m not sure how wide I am but the load is 8.5 metres wide,
me; no offence meant, we’ll pull of here where we have space,
pilot; none taken, thank you for having your radio on.
This is the widest wide load we have experienced in our travels to date.
We later have to pull over for 2 x 4 metre wide loads.
The wide loads are mostly mining equipment being transferred between mines or back from refurbishment. In some cases they can take up both carriageways so there has to be somewhere for us to get off the road completely.
Since the traffic south bound is reasonably light we make good time and decide eventually to stop at White Wells. To our surprise we have managed over 500ks today, we think a record for a daily run over our travels to date.
We did pull a way off the road into the bush but the traffic noise was still quite loud and the trucks noise continued ‘til nearly midnight although I think we were both asleep by then!
Saturday 14th August
A beautiful sunny morning with little or no wind, so with breakfast finished and the caravan ready to go we hit the road for hopefully the final day of this trip.
All the towns down this section of the highway were originally established around the turn of the 20th century because gold had been discovered in this area of WA. In those days they would have had populations of up to 5,000. Today are just holding on as regional centres but some have major gold mines nearby and flourish when the gold price is good. Places like Meekatharra, Cue, Mount Magnet.
When these towns were in their heyday they were important and the buildings reflect that. In this picture we can see the main street in Cue, all the buildings you can see along the main street are very late 19th or early 20th century buildings that regional funding helps to restore and maintain.
Again the southbound traffic is very light and there is no wind to speak of yet and we make good time without rushing.
We can usually hear the ‘wide load’ pilots long before we see them so if we know how wide they are, we can get off the road and out of their way, if they are over 4metres.
Today because it is Saturday it is a popular day for transporting wide loads and it is not long before we meet the first.
A stop for fuel and lunch before we hit the Perth traffic. Which, in fact, isn’t as bad as we thought and by 1430 we’re back home.
An absolutely wonderful trip. OK we didn’t make it to QLD but we did explore some beautiful remote areas of the Northern Territory and discovered some bits that we must go back to see next time!
So 93 days, 11,122 ks 2,056 litres of diesel, average 19.5 l/100k and $3.15 /k……. and now a fair bit of cleaning to do!
If you’ve been keeping up with our travels via this blog we hope that you have enjoyed reading it.
This was originally written as our own record so if you have any suggestions as to how it could be improved as a public (i.e. you) travel blog we would really like to hear them.
Alloveroz 
Hello Pat and Roger. As you can see, we have been successful in signing into your blog. I think the problem was User and Password related. Some time in the past I looked at Word Press as a possible vehicle for creating a web page for the Art Society and must have created an account. As a consequence I would have created a password which I have conveniently forgotten. All seems good now where a solid connection to the internet has been a help.
Today we have enjoyed a lovely drive from Beringbooding Rock to Merredin using minor roads all the way. We were keen to look at Lake Campion and the old Chandler town site. When we lived in Burracoppin many years ago we were told that the school house in which we iived had been brought from Chandler. I have done a little research to see what had been happening at Chandler that required accommodation. I have not found much information but assume that they must have been harvesting salt from Lake Campion. The tourist centre at Nungarin may have more information so I will contact them. There apparently is good camping at the Lake Brown which we did not visit.
We plan to be in Merredin for a couple of days and will then head home to Dunsborough. Shortly after arriving in Dunsborough we hope to head to Perth to visit family and also hope to call in and see you on the way there or when returning home.
Have enjoyed quite a look at your blog and must say it looks really good. Tyuin he photos certainly enhance your writing.
We are in production for the next narrative with photos so that should be with you soon. It also will feature Bilyuin Pool which I see featured in your blog.
Hope to see you soon
John and Phyllis
Hello again Pat and Roger. A little more time now. First morning in Merredin. Our friend Lila wondered where we were and came out to the van at about 10am to see what was happening. We were just having a cuppa and breakfast.
A little report on your blog. Three photographs did not come out on the page; We could just see the image though it had been darkened and message said , “The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.”
The photos are;
A full shot of a road, vehicle back on the LHS
Another road with truck coming into foreground on the right.
Bonnet of your vehicle on a track and what looks like camps/vehicles in the middle distance.
Hope that helps. Another little bone on which to chew. I’m using my laptop to view.
A beautiful day in Merredin which we’ll thoroughly enjoy with Lila.
Best wishes
John and Phyllis