Goldfields Ramble, 12th to 15th of April 2024.

Day 1. Perth to Kunanalling. 596 kilometres.

This trip was originally planned to show Graeme (Diane’s Dad) a bit of the Goldfields. We planned to meet at The Lakes Roadhouse at 8am but I was a little late so we grabbed a coffee and a few snacks to sustain us for the journey. We left at about 8.30am and headed for Coolgardie. A few stops were planned along the way so that we could look at a few towns and do the touristy stuff.

First stop was Cunderdin where we all decided to take a few pictures of the transport museum, railway carriages and the Ettamogah pub.

We all jumped back into the cars and headed off to the next stop which was Merredin. 

You guessed it, we had to stop again for a refresh, rehydrate and to grab a few pictures. We had a quick look around the shop at the museum where Di purchased a couple of touristy things for her dad. 

The area has a long history with both the railways and the military. More on that later in the report.

Along the way we also stopped at Karalee Rock as Shane said it was only 100 metres off the Hwy. Hmm how wrong was he, more like 1 kilometre. Once again, we had a look around and took the obligatory photo’s etc.

The rocks have a large dam which is fed by an aqueduct from the runoff of rainwater which is collected by a wall built along the edge of the rock. 

The flies were a little friendly here, so we headed off towards the highway. 

On arrival at Coolgardie, we refuelled the cars and took our last comfort stop on a porcelain bowl for the day and then headed north to Kunanalling. 

Our first camp was near the historic ruins of the Premier Hotel, Kunanalling.  There was a light sprinkle of rain which did not dampen the spirits.

Lots of pictures were taken and a minor miracle occurred here (more later on this).

We set up camp about 150 metres from the ruins and built a nice fire. During the collection of the firewood Diane noticed that her drivers licence and credit card were missing from her phone case. 

A search was started but due to it being dark we decided to have a look in the morning.

When camp was set up it was time to think about dinner. Shane and Dave had a nice led lit dinner for 2 under the awning and we had a chicken and rice dish.

While dinner was cooking and dishes were being done, the fire was coming along nicely and the weather had slightly improved enough for us to sit down and enjoy the peace and quiet.

 In the morning a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, tomato and the yummiest of all black pudding was had. Well I had black pudding, for some reason noone else wanted any.

Whilst packing up Di had a look around the ruins as she thought that was where she lost her cards. Unfortunatley she did not find them. 

We all packed up and got ready to leave. It was decided we would have one more look around the Hotel ruins and would you believe it – Shane firstly found Di’s drivers license and then, a minute later her credit card. Phew! she took a sigh of relief.

Day 2. Kunanalling to Lake Ballard Via Coolgardie North Road. 191 kilometres. 

When we hit the road, it was very slushy and slippery due to the rain that we were having, this made for an exciting drive to say the least.

Along the way we decided to check out a couple of places, first was Rowles Lagoon and to say the track in was a bit slippery was an understatement. The first corner was taken sideways by both Shane and I and the return journey was just as exciting.

Credo Station was next on the visit list seeing as it was the next left off Coolgardie Road North.

On arrival we were met by Bruce and his lovely wife Ann who kindly offered us a coffee and a slice of cake. They were in their first month of volunteering as caretakers of the station. 

When they learned that All Tracks also did volunteer work for Parks and Wildlife (DBCA) they were so pleased and said if we wanted to stay on the station, it would be on the house.

We had a look at the small display in one of the historic buildings and you guessed it, more pictures.

Off we go again this time we are heading for Davyhurst townsite which has all but disappeared. On arrival I served up a slice of Custard Danish to everyone which was very tasty.

Another detour took us to the Davyhurst cemetery where there were a few sad tales to be told. Particularly the one about the 4 children from the same family. See Dave’s Youtube video for info.

When we arrived at Lake Ballard a “Choice” camp spot was located next to a firepit. The flies here were by far the worst so far. The little buggers love to Kamikaze into your throat, eyes and ears. It was nice to see a bit of water on the lake but this made it impossible to climb the hill.

Diane decided she was going to take a walk out to the closest statues for a photo or two.

Day 3. Lake Ballard to Kalgoorlie via Menzies. 207 kilometres.

We stopped at Menzies for a bit of a look around this historic town and have a look at some of the historic buildings.

Continueing on to Kalgoorlie we stopped at the Broad Arrow tavern for lunch and refreshments. The walls are covered in writing and the ceiling in the pool room has a number of bra’s attached.

Our first stop in Kalgoorlie was at the Superpit. Whilst we were there I saw one of the dump trucks slide sideways for about 30 metres. This shut everything down for about 10 minutes whilst the truck was recovered.

Another splash of Motion Lotion and a cup of coffee kept the troops motivated. Shane and Dave went onto Lake Douglas our last camp of the trip whilst Diane, Grahame and I had a look at the Museum of the Goldfields. 

In the vault there was millions of dollars worth of gold. Sadly none for us. I will say that the staff were extremely helpful and accommodated us even though they were about to close. The view from the tower was amazing and you could see the Superpit from up there. 

We then made our own way to Lake Douglas camp ground for one night. The site has slabs, firepits, long drop toilets and even bins. A place I will stay again and this time see the lake.

 And true to form at the end of the night there was no wood left unburnt.

 After dinner we sat down to watch a movie that Dave kindly put on for us.

Day 4. The journey home via the Great Eastern Highway. 593 kilometres

Well our last day of the trip has come too quickly. Dave set off early as he had a lot to do but we decided to let the camper and gazebo dry out before setting off. 

On the way home we stopped in at the Military Museum in Merredin which had a wide selection on military memorabilia and vehicles. The area was used in the second world war as a training area at the RAAF base just out of town. In the vehicle section there was a series 3 Land Rover which I tried to buy from the museum. 

Sadly the curater was not there, so I was out of luck.

The rest of the journey home was uneventful and we arrived back at my house without any break downs or damage for a change. 

Thanks to Diane, Graeme, Dave and Shane for coming along on the trip and thanks for reading the story. 

Approximate distance is 1600 kilometres. 

Story by Simon.

Click below if you wish to watch the YouTube vid from this trip