Day 43 – up earlyish to visit the stromatolites at Thatis? Lake. Similar to but different to Hamelin Pool ones. Climb a sand dune for a veiw of the coast. Rather disorganised and not sure to go next so head back to camp and settle down and plan afternoon. Bit of a shop for a change – general store at Cervantes really doesn’t have much. Head out in the afternoon to see the Pinnacles, timed so we will be there at sunset. Interesting and imposing but covered with tourists. Many weird and wonderful shapes of small to massive examples. Some rather rude. Hard to take an interesting shot that doesn’t have a car or people in it. Manage to get a few good ones and sunset is spectacular even if there are dozens of tourists cars and buses spread around the place.
Day 44 – Cervantes to Coolgardie, long days drive and Siobhan’s birthday. Start with some presents which she loves. Then I throw my back which we hate and a delayed start. Leave town greeted south of the pinnacles with white, white massive sand dunes. Then into Lancelin for morning tea and “best coffee in town”. Lived up to advertising as did slices. Drove past fields of grass trees, hundreds of grass trees even amongst the army firing range.
Then cut across through various small towns and big as we start across from the coast. Land changes from scrubby with occasional manicured paddocks to more varied paddocks and vineyards and orchards and sheep, goats, alpacas! Grass trees keep turning up. Past the Gravity Research Centre. Stop for lunch at Toodyay with its own live steam model railway. (Not running today 🙁 ). Then onwards we drive into Northam and pick up the main highway to Coolgardie flanked by the railway and the water pipe. Accident stops us for a while and we are heading ever east so it is quite dark when we get in. Bare looking caravan park but it has a great camp kitchen and the owner recommends the pub for dinner – Denver Hotel. Great call as it is a top meal even if Kiara is a bit hyper. Good end to Siobhan’s Birthday.
Day 45 – from Coolgardie to Cocklebiddy. Long day again. Might be getting homesick. Bit of a look around Coolgardie as we shop then onwards. Norseman and the corrugated iron camels and a bit more shopping. Good sausage rolls at the BP for lunch on the go. Not always treeless but weird and flat, usually. Did the 90 mile straight. Boring. Manage to beat sunset into our campsite but it is rather flat, open and windy. Bit of rain on an off. Why did we stop here?
Day 46 – Too cold and windy at Cocklebiddy, so shelve plan to hang around and visit the Eyre Bird Observatory. Take it easy and a slow start then on the road again to Eucla. Meet guy riding from Perth to Melbourne for Kids Cancer Project. Meet some of support crew for a runner who is running around the world. Hear about Shane Crawford riding the other way and see lots of ragged signs about various charity runner. The world is a funny place. Lots of Wedgetails on the road and don’t seem bothered by us. Go over Medena Pass to the Roe Plain. Beat rain but not wind into Eucla. Plan to camp but give in and crash in a motel room. Snuggled up warm and dry.