Day 304 – 12 Oct 09

Down through Geraldton, where I fuelled up and on towards Mullewa. The campsite Don told me about was a little hard to find because Camps 5 doesn’t say which road to take to get to the camp. Eventually noticed a sign to “Pioneer Well” at the corner of the Yuna road and an indicator down a bush track. Track in is pretty rough and looks like it would flood badly after rain, but quite a pleasant site. Only one other vehicle in when I got there but tons of room. No real big trees but reasonable shade. Plenty of firewood around, but technically illegal in WA to light a campfire after 1st October. There are still lots of wildflowers around - these are some sort of Everlasting.
I went down and had a look at the well which gives the site its name. It's amazing to see the quality of the storework which they use to line the well. I wonder whether we even have the skills today to build something like this without mortar.

Day 305 – 13 Oct 09

Weather’s a bit better, although still a bit chilly at night. Got down to 8°C overnight. Bloody Flies! No blowflies, but lots and lots of little bushflies. I reckon I’m getting my daily exercise just waving my arms around. Went for a wander today up to the top of a nearby rocky outcrop. Great view across the salt lakes and over the wheatfields beyond. It’s fairly dry at the moment, but it would be glorious in winter with water in the lake and the fields green. Took a walk across the salt lake just to have a sticky beak. It appears that the land owners have planted an “orchard” of mallee gums on the edge of the lake. Probably as a means of salt control – why didn’t they just leave the original trees in the first place?

Day 306 – 14 Oct 09

Don and Xena pulled in this morning. Boy! That bloke could talk underwater with a mouthful of marbles (look who’s talking) must have something to do with travelling alone. He’s going on to Mt. Magnet and then south so I probably won’t see him again. Went for a walk today down to the abandoned school site and across the stone path across the salt lake to the old railway siding.

The station building appears to be a sort of historical display, but it was locked up so I could only get a glimpse of the inside. The building seems to be a long way from the rail line, but I think that the dirt road in front between the line and the building may have originally been a siding going by the shape and alignment of the road. The stone path is amazing.

I am guessing that it was built about 1920 or so and the amount of work to just go back and forth carrying rocks is astonishing. Today we would bulldoze or concrete the path in a couple of days, or spend 20 million dollars to build a boardwalk.