But the history of the west and the quest for gold and minerals has whetted our appetite to find out and see more of the country, it is ruggedly beautiful and we will not be coming this way again.
We think of our piece of string and Mick is nearly 7/10ths along his piece, but doing very well I might say!
We still have the good company of Doug and Jean, it is lovely to share this sort of trip with someone. I seem to be the tour guide, find the info, do the research and away we go on a merry dance!! if I stuff up too bad, I seem to live by, 'if it is to be it is up to me' that is it my 10x2!
So this is it 10-14 days to Geraldton for Kal...
I will post lots of info pics so reading with any of the famous 'i' gadgets is handy...
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20 km nth Kal, found this remnant of a peddle car...wanted it!! 
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Siberia was just a mere 50 km detour on the dirt, one for Jean, but they did not know about my detour which was coming up!!!!
MENZIES
a very small mining and pastoral town, town hall, house/café, post office, a very new caravan park (stimulus $'s) and a fuel outlet, diesel $1.86.
The one and only small section of street was newly paved and landscaping attempted and the following laser cut sculptures...spent an hour cruising them.
OMG...Mick took this pic and then I looked...my mother is with us!!! Bound to happen.
Still at Menzies..lunch, the drying of washing and another 1 hour cemetery visit, respectfully in awe of those who pioneered this area.
These wreaths which would have had a glass dome top were made in like a cream can lid and tin leaves and porcelain flowers were wired to the base..now over 100 years old.
and now for my detour just a mere 51 km there and 51 km back on the red dirt,
overnight camp spot LAKE BALLARD.
10 yrs ago British Sculptor Anthony Gormley (born 1950) created international attention when he was commissioned to do this installation on/in Lake Ballard and huge dry salt lake.
His unique 51 sculptures cover 7 sq km of the lake ...I only got to see about 20 sculptures, 5-7 hours is a recommended time to view them all and sunset timing for me was beautiful, I did wish I had my good camera then Kim.
Each metal figure is the result of a digital scan of a naked body in 3 dimensions. The digital info was then adjusted to create a form the same height as the person scanned but with the body volume reduced two thirds.
The result is called the 'Insider', they are the body scans of local aboriginal and other residents of Menzies. Each abstract figure reveals individual attitudes, emotions and personal history-the passage of that persons life.
Anthony Gormley stated " Inside Australia' was the most difficult long distance, intense, exhilarating, fatiguing endeavour of my life-and the most rewarding.
from the van next morning Mick up on the hill...Doug and Jean..not their thing!
If it was not so far away and so remote I would go there again, just to see different colours and light. and to feel at peace with the universe...just to wander. nomadmarg!
NIAGRA DAM
Nice free camp spot, historical yet again and very pretty on sunset, know for yabbies..we totalled 17 very small yabs.
How tough and strong is this ant, lifting much more than its' weight over its' head. Fascinating
KOOKYNIE 'A living ghost town'
And yet another outback pub..with stories to tell.
LAVERTON named after a Dr laver who rode his bike from Kalgoorlie to here as a Dr and looking for gold, and remained here all his life.
Laverton is the furthest point on the 965km Discovery trail, and also an important link to the Outback Way 'Australia's Longest Shortcut' thru to Queensland.
A caravan park...yippee and you wouldn't believe it but as we book in Doug and Jean are met buy yet another Kerang couple who are managing the park for a few months...during their retirement!
Leonora is a mining and hobby prospecting and indigenous community, PO and General Store and servo and pub. The mining camp in town offers $12, 3 course meals so Saturday night and off we go, only 20 men in camp currently and 6 'visitors'. There was a soup and a great variety of hot and cold food for dinner, several sweets, icecream and cheeses and fruit platter. Breakfast cereals were set up as were drink dispensers, lime cordial, sign above indicating, not good for you, orange juice , better and water good, healthy eating signs every where. The workers of all ages came and went, mostly ate by themselves and not much talking...made me think of the FIFO lifestyle, some young blokes there with wedding rings on, I hope it works for them! 12 hr, 21 days on, isolation....not good me thinks!
In Laverton ther is The Great Beyond Explorers Hall of Fame, we spent 2 hours there on Sunday morning, an interpretive centre which highlights the journeys of the early explorers.
walking back to car, that tyre looks flat Mick, nah!
After lunch and in our vehicle we all went out to a mine was Windara now Posidon, about to start production as a nickel mine again, of particular interest to us!!! say no more!!!
About 30 km out there and back...all good!
Great man..successful
That mine, am I confident.. dunno! looks busy and it was Sunday.
The washing on a proper clothes line note the red, dust mud.
So out of Leonora leisurely pack up and move 5 meters, I was not in the car and noticed, Oh yep...flat front tyre!!
So jack up, tyre off and eventually find a very small tack in the tyre...'dog's dick' time again, good things them things!! Half hour later farewell Kerang folk and on the road again heading for Leonora, via some side tracks.
Mt Morgan Cemetery, quite an isolated but large area many graves, I thought this wreath would have been so expensive and has stood the test of time maybe over 100 yrs old, note the curved glass, china flowers and tin leaves. RIP.
Listening to tapes and reading about the era I learned that most made good money in those golden times, like the housekeepers in Hotels, cooks were paid huge wages, bar maids and laundry/sewing ladies..it was said men had plenty of money to spend. There are pictures of couples and families going out on Sundays on the train into the country side picnicking and picking wild flowers for their day out.
The men and boys who worked the wood line and were sandalwood pullers would not have had it so easy..they were essential as there were many steam trains.
Camped 10 km out of Leonora, nice lake, in a conservation park, 5 yabbies released!
LEONORA-GWALIA
The end of our Gold Journey...
A mining town of around 1100, and a hairdresser, walk in walk out...all snipped up by a travelling English girl supervising a young local apprentice who is fortunate enough to have parents set up a shop for her, who also own the motel of prefab dongas for miners and gov workers and nurses of a recently built 160 person detention centre in town. And a few other houses too I gather, employing lots of back packers, so able to accommodate them. Right place, right time! Hairdresser info!
Sons of Gwalia, a mine with a chequered history but back in action now..since 1980, busy mine with Museum attached, lot's of good things to see and of note is the fact that in 1897 Son's of Gwalia Mine was managed by the 31st US President , Herbert Hoover..in his younger days, reported to be ruthless and not very popular as a young manager and soon shipped off to China to manage a mine there.
There is a restored house onsite named Hoover House and can be viewed and also used as a B & B.
The Gold mine Son's of Gwalia Leonora.
SANDSTONE
Into a newish Shire Caravan Park, good reviews on Wikicamps, nice little town Pub/store PO/Art Centre and tourist Info . Shire pop 119. yep 119
very tidy, nice street scape and history info.
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