Trans Access Road to Border

12/3/2018. Monday. R & R were awake early but in no real hurry as they had a whole list of jobs to do downtown Kalgoorlie before pointing themselves east along the Trans Access Track. As they left the caravan park, they saw children heading for school and RL wondered if they all had exciting stories to tell like the boys at Lake Douglas.  R & R had no luck getting a door latch at the canvas shop which also does some caravan repairs but were told by a helpful lad at the ARB shop that the Thumper might no longer be reaching full charge, citing that as the reason that the fridge was flashing. Down town, they went to Telstra and Optus with their phone and wifi issues and hoped that all would be well.  Quickly, they popped in and out of Coles for some essential groceries and were off to pick up the camper tyre on the way out. At 11:30am RL put a little more fuel in just to be on the safe side. The Hum drove for a couple of hours before stopping for a late lunch at Karonie. They were thrilled to see not one but two Pacific National trains heading into Kalgoorlie, on the track which runs almost parallel to the access road at a distance of about 500 metres.  It was very comforting somehow; yet quite disconcerting when the scrub or bushland hid the track from view. The woodlands and trees out there were just lovely and much like those on the early part of the Eyre Hwy out of Norseman. The bitumen road did not last long but to be honest they were on a wide road most of the day. The surface varied from red deep sand, to soft muddy patches to very rocky where the driving speed dropped dramatically but overall RL was able to drive between 50 and 60 kms all afternoon. His boys would be surprised to hear that The Hum was driving all over the road picking the best line for a comfortable ride. Truth be known, they saw only five vehicles and out here dust in front or behind is a warning of approaching vehicles, so it was quite safe. The only other cars they saw were wrecks on the side of the road and three, in different places, suspended in trees, making RA wonder if a grader may have place them there?  Coonana had an airstrip which looked like it may not have been used in a while and there was a floodway at Panton Creek which had a bitumen surface. R & R stopped at truck bay a few kilometres east of Kitchener at 5:45pm to set up, send a Spot and have late dinner before reading/writing and bed. About 8:30pm they heard another freight train on the track and a car heading east ... and RA wondered where they could be going at this time of the night.

13/3/2018. Tuesday. No sooner had R & R gone to bed than there were another couple of cars going east. That made RA a little restless and then more so when she woke in the middle of the night with four cars going west. They woke again at 3:00am with a train going west. So, RA was glad of morning. By 7:00am they had eaten breakfast and were packed down and ready to go. A road train heading west passed shortly after. The pasture was green and lush which explained why the cattle were in such good condition and the kangaroos, as well.   They saw many birds and several eagles, also in excellent condition.  At 9:00am, 30 kilometres from Rawlinna R & R spotted the first train heading west.  The road was rocky so they stopped for coffee to enjoy it without spilling. Well!  RA dropped the flask onto one of the cups and coffee spilled all over her seat and floor.  Rawlinna actually has a 60 speed sign!  The only activity still happening out there is a big limestone mine for use with gold mining in the Kalgoorlie area. R & R stopped at the men’s living quarters at 10:00am and asked for guidance. The guy who answered the door was not interested in the maps RA was clutching and told them all the roads were bad and would probably wreck their camper. But he was very helpful with the clarity and accuracy of his information. First, R & R would need to drive on to Haig, another 72kms, where the sign Haig to Eyre Hwy would be very clear.  He figured the 116kms track would take a 7+ hours, they would only be travelling about 15kms per hour and the wife would get fed up with opening the 14 gates along the way. He did make them promise to ring him tomorrow by noon to say they had arrived at the Highway and if they didn’t, he’d come looking for them. Maybe they would even see a bush turkey. He was right about it all (except the turkey). The road to Haig took a couple of hours and the road going south began with a gate. The Hum drove for about an hour before stopping for a late lunch. They saw very few cattle, mostly kangaroos, some extremely large and poly where the station owners were putting in water pipes. They were fascinated by the swarms of little black grasshopper hatchlings, which made it look like the earth was moving.  The vermin dingo (Moonera Stn) proof fence they had been looking for was only the second one along but it was about half way to the Eyre Hwy. RL stopped and parked at gate 5 (Infinity Bore) just before 6:00pm having covered 80kms in 5.25 hours (16kms/hr) to send a Spot, turn on the Sat and set up. They were sitting to eat at 7:15pm. The camper rocked as the wind blew strongly from the south east. The track had been so rocky that, at times, they were barely moving but RL picked his line forward and checked his camper backward and all was well. He did wonder how a road, the only one from one point to another, could be like this track. At the same time he marvelled at how fortunate he was to be somewhere so remote ... RA was glad of a safe, albeit remote, place to stop and sleep.

14/3/2018. Wednesday. The wind must have died down for R & R slept soundly, waking early because they had quit early. RL had already set his watch forward by half an hour so it was 6:35am when they began the last 36kms to the Eyre Hwy. It took them 2 hours and 20 minutes working out again as 16km/hr.  Along the way they did see four bush turkeys. RA noted that the number of feet above sea level fell from where they had slept at 120ft to about 100ft above sea level at the Eyre Highway though RL said there is a sense of always going uphill. The hazards faced on this type of track, top, with limestone rocks followed by the dry ruts from previous vehicles traversing in the wet (heaven forbid trying to drive it after rain) and last, kangaroos. Sometimes these big reds bound away; other times, they stand erect, two front paws meeting at their belly, watching with curiosity. The wife did end up opening (and closing) many more gates including another Dingo proof fence and leaving one open as she had found it. Sometimes the trees are so sparse they are like sentinels and R & R noticed that the closer they got to the coast the more grasses there were and smaller fewer shrubby bushes. It appeared that the station may also run sheep out here as a couple scampered away before the vehicle.  Just before 9:00am, R & R stopped at the end of the track to ring their mine worker trip advisor. There was no reception 17 kilometres out of Cocklebiddy on their Optus phone, as there would be none anywhere else that day, so RA used Sat for the first time (1:14 minutes) to say they were safe and to thank him.  RA helped her husband pump up the tyres and empty one of the jerry cans into the tank. It was almost an hour later before they headed for Madura. This is a lovely part of the drive east. The Madura Pass brings all travellers down off the limestone ridge onto the Hampton Tablelands, a drop from 80 feet above sea to approximately 20. For the entire distance from Madura to Eucla (180kms) the highway runs between 1-5kms south of this ridge. It is a treat for the eyes. R & R stopped for a break at Moondi Point about 11:00am where there is a lovely overnight camping spot with toilet before playing a Jim Reeves disc. Up to this point they had not felt the need for music since they had left home days ago. They stopped again, about 20 minutes, for lunch at 1:00pm in the shade of a tree at Mundrabilla Motel. Mundrabilla Stn which has horses grazing in the paddock nearest the road, lies at the base of the ridge and boasts holding yards. Here the trees lean northward pushed by the relentless wind from the south.  Eucla is visible about 10 kilometres out by the sand dunes which indicate how close it is to the sea. Soon after, the road veers north and rises up from the tablelands heralding the beginning of the Bight and the Bunda Cliffs. R & R refuelled at 2:30pm, took a walk and photos before heading through to Border Village, into SA and on to 10k Peg Parking Area at 3:30 pm to set up for the night. They had travelled all day with the 2 way on and picked up a couple of conversations before getting.

“Hey, East Bound Caravan.  Got one at 4m wide.” from a pilot vehicle which was a real buzz. RL read while RA wrote, before walking for half an hour. The wife cooked dinner while the father sent Spot and minded Sat, being mindful that he was no longer on WA time (an hour ahead). Together, they had a quick look at the maps for tomorrow ... never setting plans in stone … leaving their options open.