Kookynie WA

Travelled: 75km via Leonora and Kookynie to Niagara Dam free bush camp

So we woke up this morning having gone back to deciding to travel along The Great Central Road to Alice Springs. We got the NT border permit online with no problems. But unfortunately the permits to travel through https://www.ngaanyatjarraku.wa.gov.au  can only be done Mon-Fri. We called the Warburton Road House to get some advice on how difficult it is only to be told that it would be best to wait to see how the Covid-19 situation was developing in NT. So upon much deliberating we went back returning home via the Nullarbor. It was not worth the risk of being stuck in quarantine somewhere. We did a load of washing at the Leonora campground. Went for a walk up and down the Main Street.

Then we drove 56km on the scenic route to Kookynie: A Living Ghost Town.

From having 3,500 residents in 1907, only less than 20 now live here. There are 22 interpretive signs illustrating what life was like back then.

The Grand Hotel is one 100year old building that still offers unique outback hospitality, especially the horse that acts as a guard dog at the door.

We had a drink and a chat with the proprietor, who seems a bit down on their luck. We did spot of For Sale sing around the corner if anyone is interested.

Not far out of town is Niagara Dam that offers some lovely bush camping. We stationed ourselves at the base of the dam wall built in 1897. Amazingly Camels were used to bring the concrete needed for its construction. We went for a walk around the dam.

Then we enjoyed a roast for dinner.

Gwalia WA

Travelled: 172km via the Golden Quest Discovery Trail from Lake Ballard to Leonora/Gwalia RV park, Western Australia

After a very quiet night and the coldest morning so far (2.5°c inside van) we packed up and set off along the Golden Quest Discovery Trail to Leonora. The gravel road was 90% good condition allow us to travel at approximately 80km per hour. Our first stop was at Snake Hill  just 1km on and looked out on Lake Ballard.

We continued on to Copperfield, an abandoned gold mine.

Along the way we saw lots of evidence of animal presence, and after asking google, appears it could be camel or donkey poo! But alas we didn’t see them. We did spot an emu and some cattle tho.

We stopped again at Granite Creek which had a little water. Red Gums grow along the waterway which attracts budgerigars. Unfortunately we didn’t see any.

We eventually reach Leonora, another gold mining town, which has become a service centre for the surrounding mines.

The closest being Gwalia (Welsh name for Wales). We parked up in the RV area and went off to explore.

We started with a visit to the museum. The mine operated from 1896 to 1963. It then reopened in 1983 and became an open cut mine.

Herbert Hoover (31st President of the USA) was appointed as mine manager in 1897.  He designed the Managers House.

The mine had the largest timber incline headframe in Australia.

One of only three Fraser & Chalmers winder engines in the world.

We looked out at the open cut mine.

We then went to visit the unique heritage town site, known as the Ghost town. Which incorporates numerous buildings that were restored during 1995 and again in 2013. We walked in and around miners’ cottages of yesteryear giving us an insight of their living conditions.