Easter Camping Trip--Day One--The Terraces

With a 5 day holiday weekend ahead of us because of the coincidence of Easter and Anzac Day, we had organized in advance to go east into the Great Victoria Desert with some friends.  They wanted to see the breakaways that we had admired south east of Laverton when we had done some work up there and they also wanted to go out into the Shay Cart Ranges.  The rest of the trip and stops were up for negotiation.

We packed up with all due consideration to safety and the nature of such a trip based on our previous experience.  We took two large Jerry cans of water, our Engel refridgerator that runs on our vehicles secondary battery and our GPS and maps. We travel with two spare tires, and an air compressor.  Plus a board in case the ground is soft and the jack sinks into the ground.  Phil had a roof rack and basket installed so that gave us more space in the car.  Next time I would like to put the folding chairs and small camping table in the car so they are more easily accessible.

I packed my tent and folding cot although i am thinking about getting a self inflating air mattress for the future.  Phil takes his swag.

Our traveling companions go even more equipped.  They have laptops with mobile hard drives attached to their GPS unit so they can map our location at all times.  And they have detailed maps uploaded onto their computers.  Phil and I still use paper maps.  Our GPS has loaded maps too but the screen is so small that it is only helpful on a micro level.  Our friends also travel with a spare drum of deisel.  Our vehicle has two tanks so we are usually ok for the time period and distances involved.  They also belong to a 4 wheel drive club that gives its members the option of Radioing in our location and expected movements.  I think Hugh radios in every night.  This is a safety incase we get lost (not likely given all the radio and gear).

On Good Friday we set out traveling north from Kalgoorlie along the Yarri Road.

Driving northward from Kalgoorlie on the Yarri Road

They Yarri road goes past the city tip and is an unsealed road but it is in good condition and well travelled with many mining operations close to town.  North of Kalgoorlie is the ghost town of Kanowna.  There is nothing left there except the well defined streets and street signs that have been put up with interpretive panels for the tourists, but in the latter years of the nineteen century this was a pretty large mining community (12,500 at its peak in 1899) and was a bustling place.  Such towns have been replaced in this day and age with small mining camps and fly in -fly out work forces.

Continuing north we passed Gindalbie Pastoral Station's Homestead.  Soon after we turned off to the left heading towards Kookynie.  This road intersects with Pianto Road and also goes passed Mt Remembrance Pastoral Station before crossing into Morapoi Station just before arriving in Kookynie.  The major north west rail line passes through Kookynie.  Since a flood devastated the remains of the town in 2002 or2003 not much remains.  There are a few permanent residents and the Grand Hotel is still operating although it is up for sale.  Morapoi Station Homestead is down the road and being run by an Aboriginal Corporation as a tourist venture.  Unfortunately the pub was closed so we couldn't go in.  Usually Phil and I always stop in for a drink and a yarn with the owners.  These places struggle to survive especially since the main paved road bypasses them.

The Grand Hotel at Kookynie

The Grand sits on the corner of Britannia Street and Champion Street

Another view of the Grand Hotel

Interpretive panel about the history of The Grand Hotel.  I love these old photos.

We continued on north towards Malcolm. At Malcolm is a large loading station along the rail line.  They load containers of Nickel laterite from the Murrin Murrin mine.  Once we hit the main east-west road between Leonora and Laverton we turned west for a bit and then turned off to the north to the Malcolm Dam.  This is a large man made lake.  We had a great time watching some Black fronted Dottrells and their chicks play along the shore.  We had lunch and the flies were so challenging it was hard to sneak in a bite without getting extra protein!!!

We traveled east along a dirt track that met up with a north south dirt road that took us to Mertondale. This was an active mine at one time.  Not much there now except this nasty cactus which is essentially an introduced weed.

Interpretive panel placed in front of the old mine workings at Mertondale

Tourists at Mertondale

The old Mertondale homestead

The homestead is in good condition considering it is empty.  Looks like it was being used as a mining headquarters until recently.  We were surprised to find the windmill still pumping water into the troughs at the gate.

Someone's been here before us but I don't think it was Elvis

Verandah at Homestead

The kitchen at the homestead.  I like this stove!

View off the back verandah

The front garden

Elvis couldn't make it but looks like Calder was here

River Red Gums

From Mertondale we headed west to find the Terraces.  Nice spot!  Unfortunately my camera doesn't do well with shots into the sun.  The Terraces are a very impressive stretch of breakaway cliffs that run for 75kms.  The interpretive panel explained to me finally why you find the different colors of rock and soil below the rockface:

The Terraces

Line of cliffs stretches for 75kms

"Breakaways are a notable and much loved feature of inland Western Australia.  In what is one of the oldest geological regions on earth the Yilgarn Block, soil types of any softness have gradually eroded through the ceaseless action of wind and water.  Only those harder areas with a laterite (or granite) top have resisted this grinding and reshaping.  When the crust of these layers had crumbled the hard top remains to form a 'mesa' while the continuing erosion of the surrounding softer soil and rock for a steep 'breakaway'  -  just like those in front of you.  The magnificent colours so often seen in these cliffs are a consequence of varying soil types, with lateritic types giving the rusty reds and shales and sandstones the softest yellows and creams.  The distinctive white is caused by the presence of kaolia, a soft clay-like mineral which is the product of weathered granite."

Enchylaena tomentosa loaded with small golden berries

View to the southwest

Calitris (Inland Cypress) at the base of the breakaways

That is an annoying bushfly in my field of view.  The flies were incredible on this trip.

Concavity in the rock face

Bush tomato, Solanum lasiophyllum

Engine consultation

After driving around looking at the cliffs we turned east, crossed the Mertondale road again and drove on eastward until we found the east side of the Terraces.  We camped at the base of the rocks next to a dry creekline.  The skies were clear so Phil and I decided not to put up the tent but rather to sleep out under the stars.  It was windy but I was warm in my sleeping bag that night.  The stars were marvelous.  After midnight the moon came up and shone so brightly I had to pull the bag over my head in order to go to sleep.  We woke up around 6am to ..............................you guessed it....................................masses of bushflies................phew.........phew..........phew............I am putting up the tent at our next camping stop.

Stay tuned for the next blog!