After crossing the Nullarbor to Norseman, we started to head north towards the Gold Fields Country. Lots of history is to be found up here. Here the State of Western Australia first derived its wealth and autonomy from the Eastern States. (The Gold Field population actually voted against WA joining the Eastern States at the Federation Referendums, city slickers carried the day). Kalgoorlie remains as the centre of gold mining where the "Super-Pit", the biggest open cut gold mine, still holds sway. Many buildings in the city are tributes to the original gold miners who came from all over the world to make their fortune or to die in the harsh WA outback.
The Gold Fields Way, the road north from Kalgoorlie to Leonora and onwards, is now the gateway to many more modern mines that are spreading across the state, now there is a plethora of minerals, besides gold, that is the new wealth.
After a week of R&R at Kalgoorlie, house-work and maintenance, we headed further north and spent a night at Menzies, remaining as one of the old mining towns, Menzies is getting a bit of a make-over, new caravan park, sealed back streets and under-ground power. A must do visit from Menzies is to Lake Ballard and a walk around the salt lake to view the Antony Gormley sculptures, 51 bronze-alloy statues and to sit at the Snake Hill look-out to watch the magnificent sunset.
Next day, headed north again for a free camp at Niagara Dam, south of Leonora, the dam was built around 1901 to provide water for the steam trains hat had followed the miners. An historical report of the time quotes "....the dam cost 50 000 pounds to build and was never used for its intended market, a gross waste of money". It seems that water pipes beat the dam builders to it. Badly affected by the vagaries of the inland WA weather, we were lucky to find the dam full to the top. Swans and many other water birds had taken up residency, yabbies were to be caught but it was the lovely walks through the scrub and around the "Breakaways" that appealed to us. We found that the old dam was badly weathered and leaking quite profusely from a large crack, causing us to recount the story of the boy who put his finger in the dam to stop a catastrophe.
We left the Dam camp site to stay for three days at Leonora, home of the richest gold mine of the era, Gwalia Mine. The old mine township has been recreated and makes for a great visit to see how the old miners lived. Modern Leonora is a centre for the new mines, the airport busy with Fly-in-Fly-Out (FIFO) mining staff. Ore trucks carrying the mining materials now dominate the Gold Fields Way, 53 metres long. Several trailers, best to keep out of their way.
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