Perth then the long drive home.

 

06/06/2024 - Coogee Beach

Today we arrived at Coogee Beach. Ken had a spare part for the ute that he ordered over a month ago so we drove to Canning and picked it up.  We came back through Fremantle to get the lay of the land and it started to bucket down with rain so we headed back to camp and will come back another day.

07/06/2024 - Perth

Supreme Court

Finally, we made it to Perth. We caught the train from Cockburn Station, the train runs down the centre of the freeway.  It took us right into the CBD. From there we walked down Barrack St to the Bell Tower. It was built for the Millenium and bellringers ring the bell at 12pm every day.

Bell tower.

South Perth

We wandered around the dock area and since we had a day pass we caught the ferry across the Swan River to South Perth, not much to see here so we came back again. 

Perth skyline.

Rhino.

Next was the arts precinct. We looked around the State Library and then headed for the Museum, a little beauty.  We were impressed by a series of photos of Perth taken from the same spot on top of the Town Hall clock tower from 1898 to the present day.

Blue whale sheleton.

Barracks building.

Jubilee building.

Then and Now.

The Mining companies have the biggest buildings for a change.

Before tea we walked past Perth Central Station at around 5pm on a Friday afternoon there were hardly any people on the platform compared to Southern Cross Station at the same time.

Central station.

Central station at 5pm Friday.

Finished off the day with a tasty Vietnamese meal.

08/06/2024 - High Wycombe

Today we trekked all the way to High Wycombe to catch up with Doug, Jacqui, Ethan and the new baby Eli.  We had a lovely afternoon inspecting their new home, taking a tour of the garden, and catching up around the kitchen table.  Can't believe we forgot to take any photos.

09/06/2024 - Fremantle

Last night was a horror, the howling wind and heavy rain kept us awake most of the night. We soldiered on and caught the bus into Freo what a lovely place.  

Fremantle Market.

We started at the Fremantle Markets and then headed to the Maritime Museum via the old streets and laneways admiring the old buildings.  

High st Freemantle.

Warders Cottages.

Freo docks.

HMAS Ovens.

An Aussie Legend.

We went back to the market at lunchtime as they had food from all over the world, we had some Indonesian BBQ and then Otterman Borek with a roast duck and fetta cheese filling it was yummy. 

It's bigger than Texas.

We kept dodging showers all day in the end, we were drowned so we sought shelter at the Federal Hotel before catching the bus home.

10/06/2024 - Coogee

We had a late start and thought since we've been staying at Coogee Beach the last 3 days we had better have a look at the Beach.  It wasn't that exciting really, we've seen a lot better on this trip.  

Coogee Beach.

Coogee Pier.

We had an interesting walk down to the newer part of Coogee, Port Coogee, it's where the other half live. There's a fancy marina with flash boats and new homes, some with sea views.  

The surprising discovery was the ruins of the South Fremantle Powerstation which was closed down in 1985 and is now a heritage-listed site. 

South Freemantle Power Station.

11/06/2024 - Fremantle Prison

We've been looking forward to visiting the Fremantle Prison but you had to book the tours. We stayed an extra day to do the Tunnels Tour, unfortunately, we couldn't take any photos as the safety protocol was extremely strict, and you couldn't take anything with you except what you were wearing. They even breathalysed everyone.

The tunnels were hand dug by covicts to supply water to the prison from the limestone aquifers that ran underneath. As the population in Fremantle increased and regular water sources dried up the tunnels were extended to provide water to Fremantle and the ships docking in Port Fremantle. 

Kitted up for the adventure.

Looking down the ladder.

The package included two tours, "Behind the Bars" was far less strict and covered the use of the prison during current times along with the convict history.

Prison entrance.

Kitchen.

Convict establishment.

When we finished we went down to Gage Road Brewery and watched the ships going in and out of the Port of Fremantle.

Cruise ship for sheep.

More electric cars arriving.

New and Old.

12/06/2024 - Coogee Beach - Westonia

We left Coogee this morning and started our journey back east.  We stopped for a break in Cunderdin and went into their museum, the old pumping station for the Goldfields pipeline that supplies water from Mundaring Weir.  The town was also a training base for Australian Pilots during the Second World War.

Cunderdin Library.

Cunderdin Water tank.

Cunderdin Pub.

Tiger Moth trainer.

Steam Pump.

Made in England.

Pumphouse and Chimney.

We have stopped for the night in Westonia which is the tidiest town we have ever seen.  It's also home to the Edna May goldmine.

Westonia Pub truck.

Westonia Main Street.

Cottage Westonia

13/06/2024 - Kalgoorlie

Woke up this morning to some heavy fog.  Before leaving Westonia we took the dirt track out to the Edna May Goldmine lookout, couldn't see a bloody thing, you could hear the machinery working but the fog was too thick.

Foggy morning.

There's a Gold mine down there somewhere.

The pipeline from Perth to Kalgoorlie.

Back to the GAFA.

We arrived in Kalgoorlie in the afternoon and had a quick reconnoitre of town.  We did want to do the Super Pit Tour but they're on hold due to a mine expansion.

We sampled a couple of their pubs and had a slap-up Thai for tea as this will be the last of civilisation once we move on.

14/06/2024 - Kalgoorlie

This morning we visited the Super Pit a massive hole in the ground where gold is extracted. It's 3.5km long 1.5km wide and over 600 meters deep.  The loaded haul trucks (giant Tonka trucks) are driving along like ants all evenly spaced and going very slow along the tracks running around the super pit.  It takes 4 shovel loads to fill them, and only one in ten trucks carries gold-bearing ore. It was mesmerising to watch. We could have stood there all day. 

A Bloody Big hole.

In some spots you can see holes in the wall of the pit these holes are the tunnels from the underground mines in the old days.

We then drove into Boulder to see the other half of town.  So many historic buildings lined the streets, reminding us of Clunes in Victoria.

Boulder Town Hall.

Boulder Main Drag.

Another derelict Pub.

15/06/2024 - Kalgoorlie

Today we visited the Kalgoorlie Boulder Mines Museum. It was a little beauty. Free entry and lots of great history on the mining in Kalgoorlie. We stopped in at the York again for a beer. What a grand old hotel. We sat on the balcony and watched Kalgoorlie go by.

Kalgoorlie Boulder Mines Museum.

Kalgoorlie Boulder Mines Museum.

Mulga Bill's bicycle.

Claude De Bernales Office.

Kalgoorlie from the head frame.

Kalgoorlie from the head frame.

The Staircase (York Hotel)

16/06/2024 - Near Caiguna

We left Kalgoorlie this morning, stopped at Norseman to top up with fuel and stretch our legs, then back on the Nullarbor.  We briefly stopped at the old Balladonia Homestead and pitched camp just down the road.  We stopped early enough to get the fire going and cook a Sunday spit roast with plenty of leftovers for sandwiches.

Old Balladonia Homestead.

Old Balladonia Homestead.

Old Balladonia Homestead.

Sunday roast.

17/06/2024 - Madura Caves

We took a side track to the Madura Caves. To enter the cave you walk down into a sinkhole and then crawl through a small opening to reveal several caverns. Quite strange to be under the Nullabor Plain.

Madura Caves.

Madura Caves.

Madura Caves entrance.

Cavern

18/06/2024 - Penong

We stopped off for a final look at the Great Australian Bight and arrived at Penong, known for its Windmill Museum.

The Bight looking West.

The Bight looking East.

Us for scale.

Penong.

19/06/2024 - Penong - Kimba

Our drive across the Nullarbor has ended. We picked up supplies in Ceduna and have made it to Kimba with a few stops on the way.  The final part of our crossing has been wet and cold.

A brief bit of sunshine.

20/06/2024 - Kimba - Coonalpyn

We did the long wet drive from Kimba to Coonalpyn and we are now only 700 Km;s from home.

21/06/2024 - Coonalpyn to Home

Foggy start and we knew we had crossed the border into Victoria when the roads turned to shit.  The Western Highway is a disgrace.  We have hardly seen a pothole for months in WA.

SOME STATS

Kilometers Driven                    9,764

Litres of Fuel used                    1,493 

Kilometres covered on Bikes      307