Wellington Dam – January 2022

Participants

  Wilco, Silva & Nayeli    Lexus and Kimberley camper trailer

Don & Jane     GU 4.2 Nissan Patrol & Cub Brumby camper trailer

Wilco, Silvia and Nayeli arrived on Friday and were well established when we arrived at the dam mid-afternoon on Saturday. This dam has been a special place to camp and chill out with plenty of space, shade, water to swim in and sail on, and time to read books. This year the water in the dam was very high and some of our tracks were still underwater. 

The track in deserves a special mention as it is now very eroded in places and I would give a rating of 5. As you would expect, chicken trails have been formed to maintain access up and down the track. The chicken tracks have their own challenges being very narrow and having sharp bends with trees on either side showing evidence of close encounters with vehicles. Slowly, slowly up down and up, with a spotter to guide, both cars and trailers. 

In Collie. on the main street there are a series of murals painted on shop walls. They depict various lives of people and history of the area. In addition, there is a series of murals painted on the dam wall. This has become a point of interest judging by the numbers of people stopping to have a look.   

Further along the main street was Thompson’s Discount Auto Parts (a Repco dealer), this was an interesting experience. The shop had a large electronic board that you, as a customer, could use to select parts for your vehicle by typing vehicle model/make. We were warmly welcomed and promptly assisted.

One of the items purchased was a multi meter and Wilco gave us a lesson the next day. In doing so he solved a problem that has existed all the way across Australia and back. The water pump does not work because there is a break somewhere in the line between the fuse and the switch. Now to find it. 

We had an introduction to geo-caching by Wilco. His map/GPS reading, observation skills and detective skills were tested and were successful. The drive took us to some interesting places that we would not normally see. One place along the powerline would require 4wd drive if wet. 

While most of the tracks we were on had an occasional can or bottle, on one of the powerline tracks we found so many bottles and cans that we filled all of the bags we had. We left a big pile behind which was a bit sad to see. 

Story by Don and Jane