Category: Goldfields Rellie Bash 2013

Saturday 30^th March 2013 – 355km

1.1 8:30am Pack up after breakfast and head off in convoy.

1.2 Travel 53km on good gravel roads to Lake Ballard. Consider reducing tyre pressures for smoother ride on gravel roads. Internationally recognised as an odd place to put a bunch of statues. Have a look around the Lake. Get mud on your shoes and maybe fall over. Be in awe of the spectacular vastness of inland Australia.

  Phoebe aged 10 and Pat aged 87 had a walk on the lake and neither slipped over, in fact, none of us did.

Sue and Janet admiring the locals

 

 

1.3 Travel 150km from Lake Ballard to Gwalia on dirt roads, part of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. http://www.goldenquesttrail.com

Flight Deck – VeggiCruza

1.4 Gwalia, Leonora, Laverton. Frontier towns. Bitumen roads. Tour Gwalia, old mining town, restored. Fuel available in Leonora. IGA Supermarket open all day.

Trailer brake had jammed on. Soon fixed with ingenuity and tenacity, and WD40. Note the food boxes in the back of the trailer are marked with each day, breakfast, lunch, and evening meals. 

Gwalia is a relic. Almost a living relic that looks like the families have just walked away. Worth a visit, if you happen to be 800km from Perth one day..

 

 

 

 

1.5 Travel 120km to Laverton and Refuel. Next reliable fuel is 520km at Coolgardie. Nice coffee at the Visitors Centre. Leave civilisation and drive 35km on good gravel roads to Burtville. Consider reducing tyre pressures for smoother ride on gravel roads.

1.6 3:30pm Arrive on leases. Site of Leo’s two leases he named Freiburg North and South after his University in Germany. Set up camp.

1.7 Follow directions of Town Planners before setting up your own tent/camper.

Safely arrived at Burtville. Unfortunate delays of fuel, trailer brakes jamming on the dirt roads and a desire to do touristy things got us an hour later than perfect at Burtville

But these things are to be expected when we have 24 people in seven vehicles travelling in a group. The chatter on the UHF radios is entertaining and informative.

Wrong way says lead car Tim.  So seven vehicles reorganise themselves to follow the leader, hopefully down the right track next time.

 

We found the old diggings site of Leo with relative ease following GPS coords. Fortunately the miners have not encroached on ‘our’ spot on the leases, despite them recommencing mining a few kms away. Turning off Merolia Road and make our way past the old homestead rubbish tip to the north. Find the old tracks and hear we are..

Some worked, some chatted. Some picked up nuggets. They come up like mushrooms after rain, so we were told.

 

Wild animals in the bush

This is Don stopping for fuel.

But where is the bowser???

Oh my, it is 20km away in Leonora. ….

Friday 29^th March 2013 – 520km

1.1 8:30am Pack up and head off in convoy

1.2 Kalgoorlie – Super Pit, Hay Street and town tour. Stock up on provisions – Caution: Good Friday shops will have limited opening. Refuel vehicles. Next reliable fuel Leonora – 350km. Depart Kalgoorlie 3:00pm

Tim, Chris, Trevor A long way down Helen, Tim, Chris, Graeme. Chris is about to use his extensive knowledge of the mining industry to fully explain something to the city slickers. Wedgies – correctly known as Wedge Tailed Eagles They feed off road kill, but sadly end up being killed themselves when they misjudge the wind and the speed of the oncoming vehicle. With a wingspan of over 2 metres, they are a formidable looking birdie. 

 

1.3 Travel past Paddington mine, site of one of Leo’s leases. Now a successful gold mine in full production.

1.4 Overnight Menzies Hotel. Accommodation in traditional Goldfields pub style. Relax in the cool of the beer garden after enjoying a BBQ with pizza.

Katiejean, Julia, Chris, Bruce, Melita Sisters Melita and Lorraine rugged up against the desert chill. 

Tony, Bruce and Tim

Trevor, Sue and John

1.5 Bashers with camper trailers will be able to setup in the locked compound at the rear of the hotel with access to toilets and showers.

1.6 After dark presentation by Don – Son of Elsa, Grandson of Paula. This multimedia extravaganza will present the story of the Pustkuchen’s in the goldfields with great detail and is the result of several years of painstaking research by Don and Elsa.

1.7 Safety induction by OH&S Team.

Dinner BBQ at Menzies Hotel

Movies and slides in the beer garden

Family stories.
Health and Safety very serious talks
BBQ and plenty of thirst quenching after a long day in the road.

Tomorrow, the real adventure begins

Easy start from Azalea right on schedule at 8:30am

Picked up new second time grandfather John in Merredin and the crew grew to 19. Long drive to Southern Cross where Tim got a breathalyzer test from the friendly local Police keeping the roads safe over Easter. He passed!

On and on we drive into the east and eventually made it to Coolgardie for a quick comfort stop and onto Kalgoorlie where Chris and Sue had found us a lovely spot for a late late lunch

 

 

 

 

 

And later, the Super Pit

Thursday 28^th March 2013 – 230km

1.1       Travel to Azalea, the family farm of Bruce and Melita. Daughter of Eric, Granddaughter of Pete.

ACHIEVED

1.2       Arrive at 5pm.

ACHIEVED

1.3       Meal provided – chicken and salad.

ACHIEVED

1.4       Sleep inside house in traditional farmhouse style.

ACHIEVED

1.5       Ghost stories to go to sleep by.

Plenty of other stories outdid the ghost stories.