Due East

Tuesday 18

Today was a big day. Our first true day due east. We had planned to visit our friends in Kalgoorlie, arriving Friday – however not knowing what the track would bring from Shark Bay, we wanted to get an early start. Or perhaps that was our excuse to each other, and more truthfully, we were just both excited about seeing our friends and visiting the town that brought us together.

We decided to refuel again before heading off road – I was instantly sad. Many a moment I had sat at my desk at work and dreamt of our time on the west coast of WA. It did not disappoint and I was bitterly disappointed we were already leaving. The true colours of the land, ocean and sky are, in my mind, most vivid here – and I was already wondering when I could plan a trip to return. We drove through a quaint little town called Murchison, only 2-3 buildings large, however green grass was in abundance and made for an unusual site in this dry landscape. Our first stop inland was at Wooleen Shearers Mess. The backtracks through any part of Australia always brings unusual sites, and this was no exception. Now dilapidated after being blown down in 2004 and left to the elements, we walked around viewing the old ironstone kitchen, sleeping quarters and communal areas. A little eerie, but a moment in history. Apparently a young couple have bought the station and hope to reform it to its former glory.

We continued our journey east with rolling lands, passing a radar silence zone –noted by a large sign with no picture or writing. With the harsh sun it had faded away, like most things out here unkempt. With a quick lunch stop and a small creek crossing, we were on our way to Cue. I had images of true bush bashing on this track, as we used to driving around the extended Goldfields. However most of the track was wide with boulders doting the landscape. We came across a mini-Uluru. Smooth and large in appearance, the formations seemed unexpected to us. And as always, a challenge for Johny. “Let’s go up it,” Johny said. I began to grab my thongs, however before I had a chance to slip them on, Johny began to put the car into 4WD. “Oh, you mean drive up it?” I exclaimed. A little wary, yet not particularly shocked, our Steed bumbled over the rock bringing us up to the first platform. Even from just a small elevation, it was a pretty site over the land. Dry and dusty, it was unquestionably Australian. With a few photos, we decided to descend and continue on our way.

Refuelling in Cue, we drove south on the main road to Mount Magnet – featuring only a roadhouse and a few buildings.

Wildflowers dotted the environment, striking purple and yellow amongst the burnt orange dust.

Trees became shrubs, and as we passed river beds, there were trees once more. We continued east to Sandfire hoping to see more wildlife, however the terrain is tough – I wouldn’t want to be out here either in the relentless heat. Boab trees no longer dot the landscape with their girth; what survives out here is either small or ‘energy efficient’. Trees that are healthy and have escaped fire are generally thin, and if they have escaped camels rubbing their bodies for quick scratch, they’re doing well.

We pulled off the road to spend the night before hitting Kalgoorlie tomorrow. The stock fence line didn’t stray too far off the track so finding a hiding spot to camp was difficult. However we made do and built a great fire to end the day.

Wednesday 19

We woke with excitement, amongst the sleepy eyes from the road trains keeping us from solid sleep. We decided to indulge in a shower before hitting civilization – last thing we wanted was to give our friends a hug with body odour! Showering out here has become less daunting, and we towel off without a care for peering eyes. I’m sure if one of the truckies saw us over the tree shrub, it would of made their day!

We trekked to Sandfire and hit dirt road again. We stopped to air down, whilst others drove passed us. One guy pulled up next to us, “What ya’ doing mate?” he said. “Airing down, like you should” Johny retorted as the ute spun off in disregard.

The track took us roughly 4 – 5 hrs south east. We saw the biggest emu Johny had ever seen before! It ran out in front of us equaling the size of the small trees in the area. He was possibly a lonely male but gave us a jump.

We arrived at Lake Ballard to have lunch. Johny and I had visited in our Kal-years twice before for the art installation across the salt lake. It still kept the same majestic feeling it always had. However this time tainted, with people writing their names all over the grounds. There is a large mound we hadn’t yet climbed before and today felt like a day to conquer. We hiked our way upwards over the loose gravel and felt bittersweet upon arrival to the top; the names sprawled out everywhere, engraved in the salt. The view was spectacular from here, as the mirage extended to beyond the horizon – however, again, were disappointed with the ‘graffiti’.

With Kalgoorlie on our doorstep, we made headway through Menzies and onto Broadarrow. Emotions were starting to run high. I’d left this town three years prior, home-sick and ready to get back to my roots (and career). Johny was also torn with the glory days of drilling and his task of finding his new way when we arrive home from this trip.

We drove in silence as we both reminisced.

We did it, we’re here! We drove into town and the memories all felt surreal. Nothing had changed and yet we both had. We were looking forward to the next few days of catching up with old friends, and also catching up on us. It had been a big couple of weeks and the thought of staying put for a few days was highly appealing.

Thursday 20 – Wednesday 26

Over the next few days we had an experience worth it’s weight in gold. Our best man, Jamie and his partner Alli, along with sister Jade are life-long friends and our stop here only highlighted how much we missed them on the east coast. Whilst catching up, we spent time with their 17-month old, Elijah, and revelled in sleeping in a proper bed. I took pleasure in cooking for us all nightly (in a real kitchen) and the sheer joy of laughter with friends was priceless. I was even treated to an amazingly generous belated birthday present of a massage and hair wash in town. After 2 months on the road, it was the most thoughtful gift a girl could ask for! Kalgoorlie is a special place to both Johny and I, but what really makes this place an anomaly are the amount of services for such a remote town. Whilst both men and women work hard for their money, the town is full of ways to spend it. Hairdressers, café’s, beauty parlours, bike shops, jewellery stores, new housing estates… there is no shortage of ways to immerse yourself in the ‘Kalgoorlie bubble’. Skilled workers in all industries from around Australia and abroad visit Kalgoorlie for a good time, not a long time… however nine times out of ten, many locals have been there 3 or 4 times as long as originally planned.

Johny and Jamie took the time to also service the ute. Jamie and Alli were off to Brisbane on Monday so the boys made sure the Steed had a once over before we left. However late Sunday, Johny came into the house with ‘that’ look. “It’s the wheel bearing again” he said. My heart sank. With no words as this problem had plagued our trip, I felt sick. We were due to leave tomorrow however we would have to take it somewhere for a look before we left. Crossing the Simpson Desert and the Great Central Highway was no small feat, and we couldn’t leave town without it being checked. However later that night I remembered tomorrow was Bank holiday… we would have to ring Toyota on Tuesday. The delay was heartbreaking, however we had no choice.

Saying goodbye to Jamie, Alli and Elijah on Monday morning wasn’t easy. Alli and I both held back the tears and we all promised each other we need to make more plans – despite our geographical distance. As they boarded for their holiday to QLD, we started to clean up the house and busy ourselves until tomorrow morning.

Bambi and Angel are two Chihuahuas that used to have run of the house. However with Elijah on deck, the two pups don’t get the attention of the past. Bambi was noticeably not his former self and Johny took the liberty of giving him some much loved play time. Whilst giving him a belly rub, Johny noticed a sore underneath his collar that spread around his neck. “I wonder if Alli has seen this?” he questioned. We both looked with deep concern. Bambi weighing only 2.7kg was a small dog, however has always had character 10 times his size. Alli and Jamie would of mentioned something over the past few days, however had said nothing. We decided to ask them as with no medical treatment, could make him severely sick. They were flabbergasted they had missed it – as new parents juggling a toddler, work, the household and all the rest… things can get simply go unnoticed. We decided to take him to the vet and make sure he would be ok before we left. If anything happened to our own dog, we would certainly hope someone would do the same for us – and her. With some cream and antibiotics, Bambi would be a new man.

Jamie’s brother, Josh and his new girlfriend Emma, had in the meantime. arrived from traversing America. They were here for what all travellers come to the Goldfields for… money. It was great to have a chat to another lovely couple and helped break up our own stress of our ute. It was also lucky that someone in the family was around to help little Bambi for the weeks Jamie and Alli were away.

Tuesday morning we were up early and booking into Toyota. We decided to go with Toyota, as oppose to another mechanic, to ensure if we had any more issues on the road, they could verify their work interstate. As to be expected, they faffed around for a few hours, bouncing our phone calls around from service to parts – however we got there in the end, and we were booked in for Wednesday morning. The hours dragged slightly as we waited for Wednesday and Johny and my own anxiety levels were climbing higher.