RIP (Bumble) BEA

We lost our best buddy today. Pushing 13 yrs old, she just decided that she had had enough. Life without her will be a bit strange when we hit the road again.

 A cutie while asleep

Will always be remembered for being a "little bugger"

 RIP (Bumble) Bea

BACK in FREO

Left Kalgoorlie and headed west. Travelled through the nort-east wheatbelt region, Nungarin, Trayning, Dowerin, Goomalling. Had a stopover in Toodyay. We forgot how good the countryside around there was. Only an hour from Perth and we need to spend some time up there.

Spent a few days with Pam and Barry and have safely stored the Chookpen at their place. Back looking after the Red Umbrella Art Gallery for a few weeks and then we will hit the road again. Bea is enjoying the familiar surroundings.

Red Umbrella Art Gallery

Check out the website;

 www.redumbrellagallery.com.au

KALGOORLIE, MENZIES, LAKE BALLARD WA

After wandering around Kalgoorlie Boulder for a couple of days we headed north towards Menzies and then out to Lake Ballard. Lake Ballard is a salt lake 51 kilometres from Menzies where artist Anthony Gormley has cast 51 sculptures derived from laser beams of 51 Menzies inhabitants. Sensational, the drive was really worth it.

 

 

 Hannan st, Kalgoorlie

 Small mining operation outside Kalgoorlie

 Cooly Rocks needs to get its hands on this

 Menzies Town Hall

 Road to Lake Ballard

 

View over Lake Ballard from snake hill lookout. Really eerie from up here but down on the lake we were blown away.

 

 

How good was this, "Old Woman Emu" and chicks viewing the sculptures

 

 This place was just fantastic to wander around. From top of hill you could see peoples' footprints snaking for kilometres around sculptures (2 hr walk around).

 Sun setting

 Sun rising

 

What a fantastic place to go to bed and wake up to in the morning. Back to Kalgoorlie and surrounds tomorrow to clean red dust from Chookpen. Yuk!!!!

NULLABOR CROSSING

We are in Kalgoorlie after crossing the Nullabor........again. It's a fantastic trip, a kaleidoscope of colours much better than the photos show. The "Joe Blakes" are out and about. Spotted 3 the other day although Kim took care of one. Saw a dingo also.

The weather has been everchanging. It was 39 degrees at Balladonia the other day and we were really feeling it. We had an overnight storm and it was a wet, windy, freezing 13 degrees when we hit Norseman the next morning. It's still quite brisk 2 days later.

 Whales at "Head of Bight". They told us there were 18 that morning but only this mother and calf when we arrived

The Nullabor Plain at Nullabor SA

You never get sick of a Nullabor sunset

The changing lansdscape of the Nullabor

BURRA, LAURA, ACROSS TO PORT GERMEIN, EYRE PENINSULAR TO CEDUNA

 Loving the pies as we venture across SA. We both nominated Laura as the best and side tracked back there to sample some more. From Burra through the countryside to Laura and over to Port Germein on the coast.


 

Canola fields cover the landscape

We took a short cut across to Port Germein and passed through this spectacular gorge

Port Germein lighthouse

The claim is the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere

Low tide at Port Germein across to the Flinders Ranges

We passed through Port Augusta and headed down the Eyre Peninsular, stopped at Fitzgerald Bay just outside Whyalla. We can report that Whyalla is still there and hasn't been wiped off the planet.

Relaxing by Fitzgerald Bay

 No pie crumbs here 

 Moon & Sunrise over the bay

Breakfast in bed

Mining outside Whyalla

View from the loo,.... Cowell 

"The Big Thing" Locke SA

Good camping at  Tcharkuldu Rock with great views across to the Gawler Ranges

Ceduna and ,yes, the oysters were fantastic.

Leaving Ceduna tomorrow for our Nullabor crossing. Catching up with Bess and Steve in Kalgoorlie. Just off to catch the dolphins down the beach now.