Taking the “Granite Loop Trail”
(1 - 8 October 2017)
The Granite Loop Trail (a 1 200km round trip)
We were itching to get “on the road”. The
caravan and Skiv had been overhauled; it was the school holidays and we had an
important task to fulfil – the building of a cairn for Justy at Beringbooding
Rock, 300km NE of Perth. We had covered part of this route last year in winter
rain and cold so we wanted good weather this time round. First week of half
term had been horrid and wet; the week ahead forecast sun…
Days beforehand George had
pre-loaded SKV roof rack with hi-lift jack, spare tyre, extra solar panels;
Waeco deep freeze was in place in the back of the truck, and in readiness for
our Gee family (sans Paul who had to remain at work) the bed had been made up
in the back of Skiv. Provision had even been made for Harley, Sacky’s “best
little dog in the world”, to accompany us – cage (on the roof rack); lead; harness;
lambskin lined shoe-shaped bed; blankets; treats and anti-histamine, just in case
she had an allergic reaction. Talk about
travelling with everything bar the kitchen sink? This was a prime example.
Come 2.00pm on Sunday 1st
October, we were finally on our way rumbling along towards Toodyay (No. 1 on the map), crawling over the Darling Range and
making tracks for Goomaling (No. 2 on the map),
the “Place of Possums”, 120 km away.
On the road again
Goomaling caravan park, a very pleasant spot
with spotlessly clean bathrooms, we were given a nice drive through site and,
after a short walk along a gravel road running alongside the railway line, we
settled down to dinner and a game of “Deal or No Deal” – something we hadn’t
played for so long that we had forgotten how to play! Five people (plus dog)
sitting squashed up behind our much battered camping table enjoyed the game …
if for no other reason than it was a refreshing change from TV and the fixation
of devices.
Mon 2nd Oct
“Eggy bread” for breakfast, not a cloud in the
blue sky, we set off in high spirits through the green, endlessly rolling wheat
belt, stopping momentarily in Dowerin for the girls to see “Rusty” the Tin Dog,
and looking out for the Billcatting Nature Reserve (No.
6 on the map), a 2 500 ha tract of land lying 8km off the main road,
where we’d been led to believe there were lots of granite outcrops and trails
to explore, even mallee fowl to be seen, if we could be so lucky.
Arriving around midday, with
temperature having reached 30⁰C, we discovered dogs were not
allowed. Lea remained in the caravan with Harley while the rest went for a
quick scramble amongst the rounded jumble of granite rocks directly behind the
camp spot.
Billcatting Nature Reserve
We passed another huge outcrop, Yarrogin
Rock, when we left and by the time we arrived in Mukinbudin Caravan Park, 186 km
travelled on the hottest day we have had in a long while, we were ready for a
break.
After sleeping in the back of
Skiv – Saxon complained “it felt like
sleeping on an ironing board” so thin is the mattress; and the creaking of
the bed boards so disturbing “it felt
like sleeping in a boat” … consequently, much
against the will of Skiv’s driver, a solution had to be found. Considerable debate
followed before Daniel’s bright yellow
three-man pop-up tent, our inflatable mattress for the girls and Skiv’s
mattress was doubled up for our soft “city girl” Sacky to sleep on. Problem solved in spite of the ever
increasing strength and coldness of the wind, and campground far too hard for
pegs! The girls were ready to explore and Harley needed some exercise. We set off on a brisk walk across Mukinbudin’s
rough, weed infested golf course (with oil covered sand greens) until Harley began
frothing at the mouth. She had been stung by a bee and Saxon rushed her back to
the caravan for medication. All was well when the rest of us returned bar
Harley’s swollen and itchy nose.
Tue 3rd October
We woke to a grey day –
temperatures at 18⁰C and dropping fast due to a cold wind blowing from the south. Not good news as, with two fridges running,
we were going to need all the solar power we could possibly get. Topped up with water and last showers before
leaving the comforts of Mukinbudin, or Muka as it is known to the locals.
70 km away, with macadamised
roads now at an end, lay Elachbutting Rock (No. 11
on the map) – our next destination. On arrival, we were disappointed to find
dogs were not allowed! Consequently,
Harley was secured in her cage while we all went to see the 30m long tunnel ‘Murphy’s
passage’ and the curved northern face of Elachbutting Rock which is said to be better
than Hyden’s well known Wave Rock. On our return we found Harley barking her
head off in the confines of her cage.
Travelling with dogs has its drawbacks and by this time, to everyone’s
amusement, George was already getting fed up knocking over Harley’s water bowl
each time he neared the sink!
The wave at Elachbutting Rock
Later in the afternoon George
took Sacky and the girls up the top of the Rock, before they set up tent and
prepared the small fire in a protected spot on which to barbeque that night. The
girls were soon well occupied building humpy’s with the large amount of old
tree branches and dried shrub lying around. A toilet was attached too!
Of all the granite “rocks” in the
wheat belt region Elachbutting is undoubtedly the best – a “must see”, in our
view, for anyone interested in visiting the area.
Wed 4th Oct
Today was to be Justy’s day. We moved on to Beringbooding
Rock (No. 12 on the map), 20km away and, if all
went accordingly we planned to build the first of our cairns in her memory.
In spite of the wind, still
blowing a gale, it was a sunny day (providing plenty of solar power) and, much
to our delight, we found the campsite at Beringbooding Rock empty. It may not be the most attractive of
campsites but having the place to ourselves certainly made up for any
shortfalls. The girls were delighted with a proper toilet thanks to the massive
and historic reservoir close by.
First, George had to repair the
Andersen plug at the back of Skiv which had come out on route and dragged,
bouncing along the road behind us. Once done, George was eager to do a recce of
the sites available for Justy’s cairn and came back most excited at the
prospect of building her cairn alongside
“Kangaroo Hole” – an ancient gnamma hole filled with water that lies on
the floor of a colourful wave-shaped, west-facing amphitheatre; with fairy
martins nesting on one of the overhangs; a small Melaleuca bush (in flower) on
the water’s edge; and an unimpeded view of the bush stretching away as far as
the horizon. He had also brought a slab
of rock back to the campsite to begin chiselling the letter “J”. The construction of Justy’s cairn had begun!
Later in the day cairn building
began in earnest when we all trooped off
to Kangaroo Hole, Harley included, and began gathering the rocks to place in
the shade of the Melaleuca bush at the water’s edge. Our cairn may not have resembled the
pyramid shaped cairns commonly seen elsewhere, but the site had all the
elements of Justy written over it. Protected from the wind jackets had been
thrown off and once we had accomplished
this special task; it was time to sit down on two perfectly placed rocks
creating natural seats of contemplation overlooking the silent pool with its view beyond, and enjoy the biltong sticks and
drinks that Sacky brought along.
The site of Justy's cairn at Beringbooding Rock
Later we continued to walk around the perimeter of Beringbooding Rock, to its crest and carted back a few slabs of rock that Sacky wants to use in the construction of her own cairn for Justy at Sunset Ridge.
Later we continued to walk around the perimeter of Beringbooding Rock, to its crest and carted back a few slabs of rock that Sacky wants to use in the construction of her own cairn for Justy at Sunset Ridge.
Cairn building
work party on the crest of Beringbooding Rock
Thurs 5th Oct
Another day, the skies were blue
but the cold wind had not let up for three days and nights and we were getting
sick and tired of it. Saxon made pancakes before we packed camp and moved on to
our next target, No. 14 on the map, Billiburning
Rock lying in the very extensive Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, 40 km north of
Beacon.
To avoid having to travel on tar
for another 100km or so, we took a short cut (on gravel) between Bonnie Rock
and Wialki, enjoying the sight of a wedge tailed eagle feeding on road kill
and, on route, dodging several slow moving bobtail lizards (which we refer to
disparagingly as “road slugs”).
Situated at the northernmost
limits of the wheat belt at Billiburning Rock on this our first visit, we found
three campsites to choose from – the
only threat being for our doggy
companion, the risk of poisoning from the 1080 that had been spread around the
place for the control of foxes and feral cats.
Harley had to remain under very close watch.
Billiburning Rock
By now mobile phones and cameras needed to be charged; a jammed catch on a cupboard door in the van needed attention and with 100km travelled since leaving Beringbooding Rock we were more than ready to explore the place, as well as collect a few more rocks for Sacky’s ever growing collection in the boot of her car. Billiburning Rock proved to be another interesting jumble of rocks to roam around but the greatest find of the day was made by Erin when she went to have a wee behind a bush! There, much to everyone’s delight she discovered a Thorny Devil, trying to hide away inside its burrow. When it comes to photography and close up viewing they are irresistible creatures so, with some reluctance, George lifted the little fellow out from its burrow and the girls had a hold of it before it was put back (and provided a new roof for his burrow- a rock slab for extra protection!)
By now mobile phones and cameras needed to be charged; a jammed catch on a cupboard door in the van needed attention and with 100km travelled since leaving Beringbooding Rock we were more than ready to explore the place, as well as collect a few more rocks for Sacky’s ever growing collection in the boot of her car. Billiburning Rock proved to be another interesting jumble of rocks to roam around but the greatest find of the day was made by Erin when she went to have a wee behind a bush! There, much to everyone’s delight she discovered a Thorny Devil, trying to hide away inside its burrow. When it comes to photography and close up viewing they are irresistible creatures so, with some reluctance, George lifted the little fellow out from its burrow and the girls had a hold of it before it was put back (and provided a new roof for his burrow- a rock slab for extra protection!)
Thorny Devil
The camp cook Sacky produced some
tasty “Risotto a la Kangaroo Camp” for dinner (some of which was gobbled up by
Harley when the washer-up man accidentally dropped some on the floor). Another
noisy game of Deal or No Deal followed before bed.
Fri 6th Oct
Lea’s photo of the roadside phone box at Beacon
inviting visitors to “please call again”,
even the crows on the telephone poles were
handmade and part of the scenario exit to Beacon!
With a bit of rain having fallen
during the night we woke to find a cold, overcast day and after a leisurely
start we drove back to Beacon to take the Burrakin road in search of the
Mollerin Lake Nature Reserve (No. 15 on the
map). It was only when we found and
climbed to the top of Mollerin Rock than we found the elusive Mollerin Lake – a
large, empty salt lake glistening a bit beyond us..
Like many of the rock outcrops in
the wheat belt, Mollerin Rock (although only 5ha in size) had been used in the
past for the harvesting of rainwater for the farming community surrounding it
and after the construction of a large storage tank, the town-folk of Koorda were able to cart
water there in times of need. Over the passage of time the locals saw fit to
build a golf course and a cricket pitch at Mollerin Rock, the remains of which
are still evident today.
By now we too, were starting to
run out of water so a decision was made to head for the nearest caravan park in
Koorda. However, not smitten, we pushed on to Cadoux and there, for the
princely sum of $10, found ourselves camped outside the town’s Recreational
Centre with full access to the bathrooms facilities of the clubhouse!! That is the beauty of travelling the way we
do … one simply doesn’t know what surprises await one around the next corner.
Recreation Centre at Cadoux
The other surprise while camped at Cadoux were the millions of tiny midge-like insects that settled on the pop-up tent the moment it was erected. It was almost certainly the yellow colour of the tent that had attracted them and, fortunately for Sacky, the wind that arose shortly before nightfall blew them all away!
The other surprise while camped at Cadoux were the millions of tiny midge-like insects that settled on the pop-up tent the moment it was erected. It was almost certainly the yellow colour of the tent that had attracted them and, fortunately for Sacky, the wind that arose shortly before nightfall blew them all away!
After a meal of mince and hash
browns cooked in our convection oven, the evening was spent engrossed in
crosswords, the best of which was concocted by Sacky and Talia using clues
based on events of the past week. It was so successful it led to having a Quiz Night
based on the same idea – which Erin won hands down knowing all the answers
without hesitating, her performance pleasing her grandfather as it demonstrated
nothing we had seen or done had escaped her attention.
Sat 7th Oct
Another cold, overcast day. Sacky was homeward bound and we’d part ways at
Wongan Hills (No. 16 on the map) 50 km away. We
planned to enjoy morning tea together at Mt Brien lookout. It turned out to be
far too steep for caravans so we pulled into the nearby camp spot - The Gap and
had tea there.
By midday Sacky and her girls
were on their way home. We set off in the opposite direction, towards Ballidu,
in search of wreath flowers. We had been
told that the wildflowers everyone flocks to see in the wheat belt region had
been disappointing this year and the season was nearly over. Nevertheless, we
had obsessed at the chance of seeing wreath flowers and with Justy in mind, hoped we’d strike it lucky, particularly as we
were so close to Wubin ( in the Shire of Dawallinu) where, last year, Ken
Tinley had marked on our map a road where wreath flowers are commonly found.
On reaching the spot we slowly
travelled westwards, our eyes glued to the side of the road searching for any
signs of the elusive plant but after an hour or so, we turned back, feeling
thwarted. On spotting a sign pointing to the Everlastings Heritage Trail, we turned
onto the track and stumbled, quite unexpectedly, across the Miamoon Reserve – a
lonely spot just waiting for us to spend the night in!
The reserve was said to support
many different kinds of ground orchids but the “walking trail” around the low
lying granite outcrop in its midst was so indistinct it was scarcely
detectable. Furthermore, what small flowering plants occurred, all were
definitely coming to the end of their season.
We happily whiled away the rest
of the day reading or doing crosswords, we even had phone signal there thanks
to a Telstra tower not far from our very quiet,
isolated spot.
Sun 8th Oct
Unwilling to spend any more time
(and diesel) searching for wreath flowers we decided to turn for home – also Saxon
had checked our mail back home and George a health questionnaire from the Renal
Transplantation Centre (Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital) to complete and return
to them asap.
Mallee Fowl (?) sculpture at entrance to
Ballidu
We travelled back the way we’d come,
past Ballidu and onto Wongan Hills and there, popped into the Visitors Centre
to ask, once again, about wreath flowers! George found the man on duty paging
through a booklet they had just received about the wildflowers of WA (author
Ann Newman) and, upon acquiring a copy, we found ourselves back tracking 20km in
order to visit the Reynoldson Flora Reserve.
Establishment of the Reynoldson
Flora Reserve dates back to the 1940’s when the Wongan community became
concerned about the ravages of wheat farmers intent on clearing everything in
sight. Apparently a plea went out for a reserve to be set aside and a conservation
minded wheat farmer, William Reynoldson (former Chief Engineer on the
Coolgardie Goldfields Water Supply project) responded to the call by setting aside
a 100ha tract of land on his farm for this purpose and today it has become
renowned for the wide variety of “feather flowers” (Verticordia spp) it
supports.
Feather flowers at Reynoldson Flora Reserve
We had a lovely walk through the reserve, photographing many of the plants that were just coming into flower (including a Grevillea known as the black toothbrush bush which intrigued us). By late afternoon we’d completed the loop and were back in Goomaling Caravan Park, on the same drive through site. George took the opportunity to download pictures of our trip and even have a game of Scrabble together.
We had a lovely walk through the reserve, photographing many of the plants that were just coming into flower (including a Grevillea known as the black toothbrush bush which intrigued us). By late afternoon we’d completed the loop and were back in Goomaling Caravan Park, on the same drive through site. George took the opportunity to download pictures of our trip and even have a game of Scrabble together.
Mon 9th Oct
Having debated whether the purple
coloured carpets of flowers we’d seen along the roadside paddocks were
Patterson’s Curse (from South Africa), George had stopped at one spot to
photograph the masses of Statice (another alien) growing in the road reserve
near Wongan Hills. And, another spot close to Toodyay to collect a sample…
Horses were out in that field grazing so Lea felt it could hardly be as toxic as some people say.
By midday we were back on our
site behind the shed at Sunset Ridge … planning where and when we could go to
next … and looking back on what had been a most welcome and interesting
break.
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