THE CAVES AND CLIFFS EXPEDITION
A 4WD TRIP FROM
THE WHEATBELT TOWN OF HYDEN
OUT TO THE NULLARBOR PLAIN
AND RETURN TO ESPERANCE.
After visiting Hippos Yawn just east of Wave Rock, the group pushed out along the Hyden-Norseman track towards the Lake Johnston area. This track was part of the east-west road put through in 1941-42. However, the economic importance of Kalgoorlie ensured that the Eyre Highway passed through there rather than along this route when it was eventually sealed.
The Johnston Lakes were named in September, 1901 by Frank Hann, one of Western Australia's most active explorers, after the Surveyor General of the time, H.F. Johnston.
A stop was made at the vermin proof fence. It was visible for a great distance in both directions, particularly to the north. It was built in 1902-03 as part of a series of fences in Western Australia totalling 3,300 kilometres in length. Though the fence had its critics who doubted its value, the invasion of rabbits from the east was slowed. The fence is part of the original No. 1 Rabbit Proof Fence. It has been maintained and over the years has served to prevent other pests, such as emus, getting through.
The fence coincides with the line of rainfall required for successful farming. Farmers have taken up the land to the west, except for reserves. East of the fence is undeveloped country consisting mainly of bush - salmon gums and mallee ñ kofa country. Some population was attracted by the discovery of gold in the greenstone belt around the Forrestonia area in 1915. Mines were worked all along the outcrop to the south for a few years but nothing rich was discovered and the activity petered out.
This undeveloped area is quite large - extending from Southern Cross in the north west, through to Coolgardie in the north east, Lake King in the south west and Salmon Gums in the south east - approximately 40,000 square kilometres, or 1.6% of the total area of Western Australia.
Owing to the low rainfall in this area (250-300mm p.a.) there has been virtually no agricultural settlement. Because it is uninhabited, there are only a few bush tracks traversing the area. Settlement was tried in the late 1950s with two large pastoral leases being taken up in the vicinity of Lake Johnston. They were finally abandoned due to the lack of a reliable water supply. However, mining activity has developed in the north of the area at Southern Cross, Marvel Loch and Coolgardie.
The track was rough and washed away in places but, as speeds were kept low, there was no trouble. Round Top Hill and Mount Day could be seen about five kilometres away to the north east. Mt Day was named by Frank Hann in September 1901 "after Mr Day of Fremantle". The track swings to the north east past this turn-off.
A stop was made 35 kilometres further on, at McDermid Rock. The rock was another of Frank Hann's 1891 discoveries. A Department of Land Administration Trig Station was established on the highest point of this outcrop in November, 1980. Those who make the trip to this remote rock generally consider that it is bigger, longer and better than the more acclaimed Wave Rock.
The variation in vegetation is very noticeably linked to the variation in soil type. The bush is mostly scrub heath and broombush thicket interspersed with salmon gums.
Camp was established among a beautiful shady grove of trees on the edge of Victoria Rock. Named by John Holland in 1893, the Rock is more properly known as Queen Victoria Rock. Vegetation is present right up to the edge of the Rock, as it is with other granite outcrops such as Wave Rock, King Rock, The Humps, McDermid Rocks and Gnarlbine Rock.
The next morning a stop was made sixteen kilometres along the track at Gnarlbine Soak. The Soak is at the bottom of Gnarlbine Rock. The word "Gnarlbine" is aboriginal in origin.
Nearby a plaque has been erected by the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society.
The plaque is inscripted:
"GNARLBINE SOAKS"
Discovered by H.M. LEFROY 1863
Improved by C.C. HUNT 1864
Water at this Soakage was of great assistance
to later Explorers and Prospectors
A.FORREST 1871 G. MacPHERSON '88 '89
G.WITHERS '90 BAYLEY and FORD '92
Afterwards used by thousands living in district
Erected By
Public Subscription and E. Goldfields
Historical Society
Sept 1950
This information is badly flawed!
Henry Maxwell Lefroy made an expedition to the area that was later to become known as the Eastern Goldfields. In 1863, Lefroy led his party from York to assess the pastoral prospects to the east. The party covered 1600 kilometres during an 8 week period in which men and horses were without water for long stretches. Lefroy makes no mention of Gnarlbine Soak in any of his diaries or field books although he did pass through this area.
In 1864 Charles Hunt was sent by Governor Hampton and the York Agricultural Society to explore the country on which Lefroy had reported so favourably the previous year. It was on this expedition that Hunt applied the name to the Soak. He also named many of the other features in this area, including Lake Lefroy near Kambalda in honour of his predecessor of the year before.
Hunt made two other expeditions to the are, in 1865 and 1866, during which he improved the Soak.
Many other soaks and wells between Perth and this region were constructed by Hunt's party during these expeditions. These have become known as "Hunt's Wells".
A. (Alexander) Forrest was on his expedition from York when he used the Soak.
G.(Gillies) MacPherson was a prominent prospector in this area and also the Kimberley.
The G. (George) Withers who is referred to on the plaque was also an active prospector in the area.
When John Holland pushed his time-saving track through to the Goldfields from Broomehill in 1893, Gnarlbine Soak was one of the important stops.
After everyone had satisfied their curiosity the convoy headed towards Coolgardie.
Evidence of mining began to appear with the first mine site being passed 10 kilometres out of the town. A change in the vegetation was also quite noticeable in this area. Gimlet gums and other large trees became noticeably less plentiful. The reason for this can be found in the history of the Eastern Goldfield's early mining days.
From the time of the first goldrush wood was in great demand on the goldfields. It was used as fuel for the steam driven winders that hauled ore to the surface, the generators that provided electricity, the pumps that brought essential water from Mundaring and, of course, to support the hundreds of kilometres of shafts and stopes under the ground.
Before long the area within a 15 kilometre radius of the mines was cut out. From 1903 railways were utilised to bring in the wood. These were known as "woodlines". The main camp for the woodlines was at Cave Hill, just east of Widgiemooltha. It was in operation until 1938. The area around Victoria Rock was cut out around 1921.
At their peak, the timber companies employed 1500 men and supplied over 500,000 tonnes of firewood and mining timber each year.
In the early 1950's the switch to coal-powered boilers and diesel-powered generators greatly reduced the demand for wood. New underground techniques of leaving rock columns to support the stopes also drastically reduced the demand for structural timber. Woodlines continued to the south and east of Kalgoorlie until 1965 when they ceased operation.
Coolgardie was the largest town to spring up on the Eastern Goldfields after Arthur Bayley and William Ford discovered gold at Fly Flat in 1893. By 1898 Coolgardie's population was over 15,000, making it the third largest town in Western Australia (after Perth and Albany). The gold eventually ran out and Coolgardie became a "ghost town. An interesting feature of Coolgardie is the width of its main street. It was made extremely wide to allow camel trains to turn (camels cannot walk backwards).
The expedition continued along the bitumen to Kalgoorlie and then headed east through Fimiston and the huge tailing dumps. Twenty two kilometres out of town the first of the Trans Australian railway sidings, Golden Ridge, site of an early mining town, was passed.
The famous Indian Pacific runs from Perth to Sydney on this line. The Trans Australian Railway includes the longest straight stretch of railway line in the world, 478 kilometres between Nurina and Watson.
Construction of the Trans Australia Railway was started in September, 1912 and completed five years later. 3,500 men and 800 animals were employed in the building of the railway line. An average of 370 kilometres of track per year was laid. The line has 2,500,000 sleepers, 140,000 tons of rails and an average grade of only 1 in 100.
Supply of water was one of the biggest problems facing the railway builders. Local waterholes were grossly inadequate to supply all the water requirements and barrel loads of water had to be brought in by camel. The lack of water remained a problem even after the line was in operation. Steam locomotives used 170 litres per kilometre. The water necessary to operate the locomotives and sustain the small communities at each of the sidings dotted along the track was hauled out and dumped into various dams. The problem of evaporation was severe. Later, treatment plants enabled water from local bores to be used. The change from steam to diesel locomotives in 1951 eased the water supply problem.
Five kilometres after Golden Ridge the convoy passed the first of many grids. This one marked the boundary of the Mt Monger Station.
A good speed was maintained along the gravel road past Stoneville, Curtin and Randell Sidings. The vegetation around Karonie Siding and Cowarna Station is mainly salmon gum and mallee.
Sandalwood cutters discovered gold near Karonie in early 1963. The origin of the name Karonie is unknown, although is likely derived from an aboriginal word. At Karonie the convoy left the railway service road and headed towards Cardunia Rocks, five kilometres north-east of the Siding. This is a water catchment built to supply water for the railways. The rock is terraced by stone walls constructed to channel water to a dam and a covered reservoir. The reservoir was covered to reduce evaporation - which can be as high as 2250 mm per annum - although the roof is now missing. The average annual rainfall in this area is only 300mm. The terracing work at Cardunia Rocks is similar to the constructions at Northam Army Camp - much of it being done by Italian internees during World War II. Cardunia is an Aboriginal name first recorded by W.P. Goddard during his explorations of the area in 1890.
We passed Chifley siding about 30 kilometres east of Karonie. The Siding is named after the Rt Hon Joseph Benedict Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. The name has been in use since 1957.
Sixty four kilometres after Karonie is the turn off to the Cundeelee Aboriginal Community and a couple of kilometres further on is the Coonana Siding, named after a nearby hill that was first recorded as "Coonaanna" by W.P. Goddard in 1890. The possible meaning of the word is "hill of ashes". The highest point on the Trans line is between Chifley and Coonana (404 metres).
Six kilometres on the r ight after Coonana Siding is the turn off to the Coonana Aboriginal Community.
The Zanthus Siding is 105 kilometres past Karonie. A bit of literary licence was used for this name as it is derived from the Latin genus name for the Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthus/Anigosanthus).
The journey between Karonie and Zanthus was an easy run. The vehicles kept well apart to avoid the dust kicked up by the preceding vehicle.
It was late in the day before the planned overnight stop at Ponton Creek came into sight. This creek was named after the Ponton brothers who established Balladonia Station.
The explorer David Lindsay named Ponton Creek in September 1891 after its discoverers, Stephen and William Ponton. For many years the creek was also known as Goddard Creek or Yandallah Creek. W.P. Goddard, while examining the country east of Lake Lefroy, discovered the south end of the creek that was named after him.
In 1919 a Mines Department geologist, H.W.B. Talbot, crossed the centre of the creek and gave it the local Aboriginal name of Yandallah. The confusion over the name of the creek continued until 1964 when the name of Ponton Creek was adopted. It rarely flows but it is a long creek - 300 kilometres in length - and begins with overflow from Lake Raeside (W.A.'s longest lake) and Lake Rebecca. Ponton Creek flows into Lake Boonderoo although this occurred only twice since European settlement.
Day Four started at a leisurely pace. The Kitchener Siding, named after the second Earl Kitchener of Khartoum in 1918,was passed shortly after getting underway.
A vermin proof fence was noticed on the right of the track soon after leaving the campsite. This is the northern boundary of Boonderoo Station. Some kilometres later it intersects with a north-south vermin proof fence that is the western boundary of Kanandah Station. There is a gate at this intersection displaying a notice requiring all travellers to close it after them. These vermin proof fences, both in good condition, were erected by private endeavour.
There is a marked change in vegetation in this area, delineating the beginning of the Nullarbor Plain.
The Nullarbor Plain is a 195,000 square kilometre, flat, limestone, bedrock surface generally considered to extend approximately 700 kilometres east-west and 400 kilometres north-south. The seas covered the area 42-50 million years ago.
The word Nullarbor comes from the Latin "null" meaning no and "arbor" meaning trees - first used by E.A. Delisser during his 1867 explorations for the South Australian government. The Aborigines called the Plain Oondiri, "the waterless". They did not venture further than about 30 kilometres into the Nullarbor - a day's walk - because of the lack of water but also because they believed it to be the home of a terrible serpent named Jeedara. When the first trains crossed the Plain the Aborigines thought that these spark and smoke breathing monsters with their long tails of rail trucks were Jeedara.
Naretha Siding and the turn off to Koonandah Station are forty kilometres past the fence, followed by the Wynuna bore and stone tank. Naretha is the Aboriginal word for saltbush, abundant in this area, and was first used as the name for the Siding in July 1915. Saltbush is ideally suited to the harsh Nullarbor environment. It is stiff and papery in appearance and does not grow more than about one metre in height. Saltbush accepts moisture from the atmosphere through its leaves and is able to absorb the equivalent of its own weight in a single day. The bluebush, to a lesser degree, shares this attribute. Heavy dews are frequent on the Nullarbor and are almost as serviceable as good rains to these plants.
The track deteriorated markedly on the approach to Rawlinna, with many severe washaways in places. The word "rawlinna" is Aboriginal for wind. It was used as the name of the Siding from 1915. This siding was one of the main depots during construction of the Trans Australian Railway.
Rawlinna was also the destination of Len Beadell and his Gunbarrel Road Construction Party when they pushed the Connie Sue Highway south through Neale Junction from Warburton in 1960.
Leaving the Rawlinna settlement, it was a two kilometre back track to the Rawlinna Station boundary gate to pick up the track to Cocklebiddy. Before Cocklebiddy Station was taken up in 1961 it was vacant crown land. It covered an area of over 1,000,000 hectares and at one time was the largest sheep station in the world.
The track south to Cocklebiddy is a gazetted "road". It was used as a supply route for the goods and material that were delivered by train to Rawlinna during the hectic and hasty Eyre Highway construction days of 1941-42.
The southward travel took the expedition out of the Shire of Boulder that, in area, is one of Western Australia's largest local government authorities, extending all the way to the South Australian border.
The route is not very clear. A number of side tracks leave the "road" along its length. Directions such as "keep left at the rabbit warren" and "turn off when you see a wooden crate" were given. The track was rough and became even more so as Arubiddy Station was approached. Limestone rocks, some quite large, are strewn all over the road, depressions that would be minor lakes after rain are common, and side tracks were everywhere.
Travelling across the Plain a number of large, rounded depressions are noticed. These shallow, clay depressions are known as dongas and often are filled with perennial grasses.
Much of the Nullarbor's perennial vegetation was killed by rabbit plagues in the late 1940s. One rabbit trapping firm operating near Cocklebiddy in 1947 employed 35 trappers and was taking 20,000 rabbits a week!
An abandoned vehicle was sighted at the Arubiddy Station boundary gate. It had been left by a young South Australian who was travelling to Rawlinna to commence work with Australian National Railways. There was very little mechanically wrong with the vehicle. It was only two flat tyres that had forced him to abandon it.
120 kilometres from Rawlinna we passed Arubiddy Homestead, a sheep station taken up in 1961.
There was no time to stop so the convoy headed on to Cocklebiddy, 30 kilometres further down the track, on the Eyre Highway. Cocklebiddy was once the site of an Aboriginal mission. The ruins are visible at the rear of the Roadhouse. The name was first recorded by surveyor G.R. Turner in 1885 but its origin is unknown. Explorer/surveyor S.G. Hubbe referred to it a s Cockleberry during explorations in 1896 and he stated that an early traveller, J.C. Thompson, erroneously referred to it as Cockbilly. The Cocklebiddy Station, located to the north of the Highway, was established in 1923.
Before establishing camp we drove out to the Murra-El-Eloin Cave just west of Cocklebiddy. According to the Department of Conservation and Land Management this cave is "fragile". Even though the cave is only a short distance off the Highway few people know of its existence - which is fine by C.A.L.M. Special climbing equipment would be required to descend into the doline so the visit was to look only.
The overnight campsite was about five kilometres south of the Roadhouse, on the edge of the Nuytsland Nature Reserve. With the Roadhouse close by it was a good opportunity for everyone to have a shower.
Rain was threatening and a strong southerly was blowing. The camp was protected to a degree by thick clumps of trees. The skies confirmed their threat and light rain fell during the evening.
In the morning the weather was still threatening as the expedition broke camp early and headed into the Roadhouse to refuel.
The route for the first part of the day was easy - 90 kilometres east along the bitumen of the Eyre Highway to Madura.
The Eyre Highway, that today stretches 1671 kilometres from Port Augusta to Norseman, is named after John Eyre, who, in 1841, become the first white man to cross Australia from east to west. John Eyre, together with his companions John Baxter and three aboriginal youths, set out from Fowlers Bay (south of Nundroo) in South Australia to traverse the continent following the coast. There was scant feed for the horses and the journey developed into a nightmare of heat, flies, hunger and thirst. South of where Caiguna is now situated two of the aboriginals in the party shot and killed Baxter and ran off with many of the party's provisions. A cairn was erected on that spot in the 1950's as a memorial to Baxter. Eyre, with Wylie, an aboriginal from the King Sound tribe at Albany, struggled westwards and met with a French whaling ship, the Mississippi, that was anchored in a cove near what is now Esperance. The English captain of the ship looked after the explorers for several weeks until they regained their strength. Well provisioned, they continued, reaching Albany in July 1841, five months after setting out. The timeless plains of the continent had been crossed and Eyre was the toast of the colonies.
In 1870 John Forrest set out from Perth to find a practical route around the Great Australian Bight to Adelaide. He ranged further inland in search of waterholes and pasture, mapping much of the country that was to make up the route of the overland telegraph that eventually linked Perth with Britain.
In 1877 the overland telegraph line was completed when the east and west links were joined at Eucla. In the 1890s the hopeful diggers travelling to the Goldfields followed the track made by the bullock and camel teams when the overland telegraph line was built.
In 1912, Francis Birtles crossed in a 10hp Brush Car. By 1924 only three more vehicles had made the journey. A Citroen driven by Noel Westwood and G.L. Davies left Perth in August 1925 and returned in December 1925 after having circumnavigated Australia. Hubert Oppermann, later to become a MHR and the Australian High Commissioner to Malta, cycled from Cottesloe to Bondi Beach in 13 days in 1937.
One hundred years after Eyre's crossing the Army upgraded the track into road. However, even until the road was sealed (1969-1973) it was still considered adventurous to cross the continent along the Eyre Highway.
The convoy turned north off the Eyre Highway opposite the Madura Roadhouse and proceeded up the original Madura Pass.
The Roadhouse is situated at the new Madura Pass, 10 kilometres from the present Madura Station Homestead. The original Madura Station Homestead was first settled by a G. Heinzmann in 1876. Over the years leases covering varying areas were granted to a succession of hopeful pastoralists. Among these was William Henry Graham, the first Stationmaster at Eyre's Patch Telegraph Station. Cavalry and polo horses were bred for the Indian Army for many years. They were shipped away from the coast south of Madura. There being no loading facilities immediately south of Madura, this operation was probably carried out at Eucla or Eyre.
A short time was spent at the top of the pass attempting to locate the Madura Blowholes that were indicated on the map. Consensus was reached that the blowholes had been destroyed during excavation for gravel, presumably for road building purposes.
The track followed the airstrip for a couple of kilometres and then it was case of sorting out the confusion of tracks that criss-crossed this portion of Madura Station to Roaches Rest Cave. The track east of No.27 Tank (17 kilometres short of the Cave) disappears completely. It was necessary to cast around left and right of the "line" of the track before it was relocated.
The Nullarbor caves were formed 130 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period. The first speleological expedition to the Nullarbor Caves was made in 1935 by Capt Maitland Thomson of Adelaide.
There are no trees in the vicinity of Roaches Rest. This is the true Nullarbor.
Entry is easy. Roaches Rest, named because of the numerous cockroaches said to inhabit it, is a small cave with off side reaches measuring up to 30 metres in length. It took a little time to find the beginning of one of these side passages. Eventually it was located and the real fun of caving started. Despite its name no cockroaches were seen.
Some ill-defined station tracks were followed south to Kestrel Cavern No. 2. On arrival one of the vehicles was positioned at the top of the entrance to act as an anchor and a rope was played out to help anyone who was game enough reach the floor of the Cavern.
Most approached the descent into the Cavern with trepidation. The process of getting everyone safely down the 40 metres to the Cavern floor took about 90 minutes.
Kestrel No.2 is a huge cavern measuring about 200 metres by 50 metres in which there has been a major rock fall. This fall has had the effect of dividing the cavern into two main areas.
Later, a short stop was made at Spider Sink (a sink is where the roof of an underground cavern has collapsed, leaving a large hole in the ground).
A stop was also made at Kestrel Cavern No.1. Both of these are to the south of Kestrel Cavern No. 2. Special climbing equipment is needed to descend into this Cavern so the stop was for photographs only. This is a large doline about 40 metres deep with tunnels descending to about 100 metres.
Mullamullang Cave, the overnight stop was reached late in the afternoon. It was not intended to explore the cave till the morning. Mullamullang Cave was discovered in 1963 and is the second largest cave in the Southern Hemisphere. The name is derived from the great expanses of dry sand found in its passages.
Camp was made near the only trees in the area, about 500 metres from the entrance to the cave. Very strong winds were blowing and continued throughout the night.
From early in the morning it was obvious that the day would be very warm. The hot northerly wind was coming straight off the desert although it had abated in strength from the previous evening.
The vehicles were packed and the group moved down to explore the entrance to Mullamullang Cave. The more nimble members of the group descended about 60 metres into the northern entrance of the cave. Further descent would have been hazardous without specialised equipment. Some of the drops were so deep the torch beam could not penetrate them. The cave is so large that groups of speleologists have been known to spend up to ten days underground exploring its depths. Emerging from the cool environment of the cave made the early morning heat even more noticeable. Mullamullang was the last of this group of caves to be visited so it was off towards Madura.
The track back to the Madura Roadhouse was in good condition, if a little dusty. It leads across the airstrip and down the Hampton scarp via the old Madura Pass. This Pass allows access from the Hampton Tableland to the Roe Plain. The Tableland was originally named the Hampton Range by Lt W.B. Douglas in 1867, during his survey of the west coast of South Australia, after the then Governor of Western Australia, Dr John Hampton. Its present name has been in use since 1964. According to George R. Turner, a surveyor who explored the region in 1885, the Aboriginal name was "Naraka"
After quick refreshments at the Roadhouse the convoy headed out south across the Roe Plain on an excellent, wide, relatively new, gravel road. John Forrest named these Plains after the first Surveyor General of W.A., John Septimus Roe, during his expedition of 1869. The soil of the Plain is poor. Its vegetation consists mostly of mallee, saltbush and greybush. Twelve kilometres along the road is the turn-off to the Madura Cave and it then only a short run into the cave. In years past the cave was also called Mereguda Cave ñ also sometimes spelled Merre Gudda. The fossil remains of a giant kangaroo (Sthenurus) were found here in 1963 during a speleological survey.
Numerous passages, up to 275 metres in length, run off the main passage. The floor of the passages is flat and entry to them is easy. In times past streams flowed the cave. Chocolate bats were disturbed in a number of the passages.
In the early days of settlement the local Aborigines believed the cave to be haunted and would not venture far into it unless accompanied by a white man. The cave has been declared an Aboriginal archaeological site and evidence of a "dig" conducted by the University of W.A. can still be seen.
There are a number of holes in the roof of one passage of the cave and it was decided to try to locate them on the surface - a task not as easy as it first seemed. After some minutes of scouting around they were located 50 metres to the north of the "parking area".
The temperature was still climbing as a result of the searing north east desert winds. It was decided to depart from the planned route and head to Madura Beach for a swim. The wide gravel road we had followed out of the Madura Roadhouse finished at a gravel quarry but the track to the beach was eventually found. The track was very sandy in places and the drivers had to occasionally engage four wheel drive to get through. The swim at the beach was a welcome relief from the 44-degree Celsius heat. We returned to Madura. It was crowded. The intense heat forced travellers to rest their vehicles and the air-conditioned tavern was a popular spot. Two trucks and many cars were overheating. One girl fainted from heat exhaustion and was taken into the tavern's cool room to recover.
Around 3.30 p.m. the heat-filled north east winds met the cooler front that had swung in from the south west. The result was explosive. Winds roared through the Roadhouse area, kicking up choking clouds of dust. The demonstration of Nature's awesome power was quickly over. The temperature dropped two degrees Celsius per minute and within a short time it was a much more comfortable 22 degrees C.
As a convoy we set out on the winding track to Burnabbie, seventy kilometres distant to the west south west.
Surveyor Turner made the first reference to this place during his trip of 1885. He recorded the name as being "Moodeera".
Thirty kilometres past the old Madura Station are the ruins of an outstation building. A short distance later Olwolgan Bluff and Rockhole are seen on the right. This Rockhole was another of Turner's 1885 discoveries, its name being derived from an aboriginal word.
The Burnabbie Rockhole was another feature first recorded by Turner in his 1885 expedition. Nine kilometres further on is the abandoned Burnabbie homestead. H.E. and J. Carlisle (brothers) established it in 1934. The lease was cancelled due to financial difficulties around 1955.
The small homestead, built of bush poles and flattened fuel drums, is situated at the base of the Hampton Scarp. When the Station was in operation supplies were brought from Cocklebiddy to the top of the scarp and then lowered down to the homestead by block and tackle. Jack Carlisle lived in the Eucla area nearly all of his life and explored much of the Nullarbor Plain and surrounding areas. He made numerous contributions to the study of natural history of the Plains, including the discovery of caves and meteorites.
The tail end of the front was still producing very strong winds, making the camp extremely dusty. The vehicles were arranged along the track (it being judged that there was very little chance of any passing traffic) and the tarp was erected as a windbreak.
The storm had passed by the morning.
After striking camp the ruins at Burnabbie and the nearby Graham Tank were investigated. It was named after an Inspector of Rabbits in the area during the 1890s, J.W.W. Graham. A considerable effort had been expended in rendering the tank with cement, fencing it with mallee lo gs and making other improvements.
The convoy then headed south to pick up the telegraph line.
In 1875 contractors began work on the erection of poles, insulators and wires for the first East-West telegraph link. Two years later, on December 8, 1877, their task was completed and Perth was connected to Adelaide, via Albany, Esperance, Israelite Bay, Eyre and Eucla. The connection was a single wire carried by thousands of squared jarrah poles (16 to the mile). Sandalwood for shipment to China was once cut in this area between Cocklebiddy and Eyre.
The convoy followed the line west until it joined the track into Eyre. Another seven kilometres down this track is the Bird Observatory at the old Eyre Telegraph Station
The Royal Australian Ornithological Union runs the Bird Observatory. It was the first permanently manned bird observatory in Australia and is one of three run by the R.A.O.U. (now Birds Australia).
Prior arrangements had been made with the Warden and so the group was able to observe bird measuring and banding. The Bird Observatory also maintains a starling trap, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture.
The Bird Observatory is housed in the old (not the original) telegraph station built by convicts and "ticket of leave" men in 1897. The telegraph station had been abandoned in 1927 and then bought by a pioneer of the region, Harry Dimmer, in 1929. It was partially demolished and parts were carted to a station near Rawlinna. The building was restored by the R.A.O.U. in 1978. It also houses a telegraphic museum established by the Post Office Historical Society. When the building was refurbished the Society interred two time capsules - to be opened in 2000AD and 2078AD.
The first Stationmaster at Eyre was William Henry Graham, a man of considerable ability. He was an accomplished builder, a self taught anthropologist, a magnificent horseman, a long distance swimmer, a successful horsebreeder and a long distance cross country cyclist. Known as "Iron Man" Graham he operated the telegraph station from its opening in 1877 until the early years of the 20th century.
This site on which the telegraph station was built was known as Eyre's Sand Patch. This was where John Eyre and his companions stopped for four weeks to recover their strength after they had travelled 260 kilometres without water during their epic east west crossing of the continent. They found water in the sand dunes just off the beach.
John Forrest also used the water supply during his 1870 overland journey.
It was intended to head to Twilight Cove if the tide was right. Twilight Cove was named after the supply ship Twilight that was wrecked there when putting in to land materials for the first telegraph line.
However, the tide was in and it was decided that it would safer to leave the beach at Kanidal Cove and stop for lunch at a fisherman's shack just off the beach. Jack Carlisle, the settler of Burnabbie, named this beach.
The track leading back to Cocklebiddy was rough as it wound its way up the scarp and the trip took a couple of hours. A well-preserved section of the 1895-97 Coolgardie to Eyre telegraph line is crossed by the track in this area. In 1941 Cocklebiddy served as a camp for construction of the Eyre Highway. Prior to 1940 the Eyre Highway (or East-West Track as it was known) was only a lightly formed track made during the construction of the telegraph line and kept in use by the pastoralists of the area.
Hopeful diggers coming from the east and heading to the goldfields in the 1890s followed the track made by the bullock and camel teams when the east west telegraph line was built. This original track followed the telegraph line from Eucla to Esperance. They diverged from the track at Esperance, taking a northwards route known as Dempsters Track because it wound through the bush to Fraser Range Station (settled by the Dempster Brothers in the 1860s). From Fraser Range they continued northwest to Coolgardie.
But when in 1896 Norseman was declared a municipality overlanders to the goldfields began to follow a more direct route by way of Noganyer Soak, on the western shore of Lake Dundas. Sometime later, another diversion decided the route of the modern road. A new path that left the original overland track at a spot north of Point Dover was beaten out in a westerly direction to Balladonia and Fraser Range.
This eliminated the Esperance corner and greatly shortened the way to the goldfields.
Of the road that was to eventually span the Nullarbor it may be said that Eyre blazed the way; that Forrest made the preliminary survey and that early pastoralists and linesmen established a rough track that was gradually confirmed by overlanders, such as the hopeful diggers making their way to the W.A. goldfields.
Until the outbreak of World War II no surveyed road existed west of Penong, in S.A. Fear of enemy invasion from the north of Australia forced hurried construction of a road to military specifications. Construction was a joint civil and military project. Work began simultaneously from the east and west. The centre line was pegged and the road was formed by grading in the natural soil from the sides. No attempt was made to raise the formation above the natural surface or to drain the hollows. The two passes from the top of the Hampton Tableland to the Roe Plain - at Madura and at Eucla - were the only sealed sections across the Nullarbor Plain. Construction of the road was completed in the middle of 1942 and named in 1943.
Normally the completion of such a project would have been front page news but with wartime security measures no publicity was given the project.
In June of 1951 traffic averaged less than ten vehicles per day and by 1963 it was still only 40 vehicles per day. In this period grading and intermittent gravelling of sections maintained the road in reasonable condition.
The Western Australian section was sealed in 1969 and in 1976 the South Australian section was sealed. Some sections that John Eyre, John Baxter and his party of three Aboriginal youths traversed are now part of the highway that bears his name. However, to minimise traffic disruption, keep dust down and because the original road had minimal salvage value there was little benefit in closely following the existing formation when it was eventually sealed.
From the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse it was a 25 kilometre run out to the Cocklebiddy Cave, one of the features of the expedition to which everyone had been looking forward. The Cave was also known by the name "Cocklebiddy Thirteen Mile Cave". ;The old ladder salvaged at Kanidal Cove was used to ease access into the cave.
A talus slope with a large overhang leads into the Cave.
From the surface one forms the impression that it would take only a few minutes to reach the floor of the cavern but it actually took in excess of 20 minutes. Although the slope is strewn with large boulders and small drops there is a definite path, making the descent relatively easy. At the bottom of the slope are a chamber and a large pool of crystal clear water. The chamber is huge, measuring 370 metres by 60 metres. The stillness and gloom made it difficult to discern the beginning of the pool. It would have been easy to accidentally walk into it.
It was nearly dusk by the time the main group surfaced. On the Nullarbor, as the sun drops, so does the temperature. As it was a 60 kilometre drive to the overnight camp at Caiguna the convoy wasted no time in departing from one of the wonders of Western Australia.
Dark had fallen by the time camp was made at the caravan park.
After re-stocking with bread, chocolates, etc and refuelling the vehicles the next morning, the group headed west out of Caiguna. 130 kilometres west along the Eyre Highway the Toolina Rockhole turnoff is not marked and easily missed. The convoy stopped for a short break at water tanks close to the turnoff before tackling the rough track into Toolina.
When travelling along the Highway a number of microwave towers, or turnoffs leading to the towers can be seen. The microwave system linking Perth with Adelaide was completed in 1970 and is one of the longest in existence. Sixty steel towers, up to 76 metres tall, and sixty repeater station buildings were constructed for the 2,297 kilometre link between Northam and Port Pirie. From the design stage to in-service operation, the project took five years.
A 145 kilometre section of the highway between Caiguna and Balladonia is the longest straight stretch of sealed road in the world. It follows the route of the 1895-97 telegraph line that was constructed to link Coolgardie to Eyre via Norseman and Balladonia.
The trip south to Toolina was a rough 116 kilometre journey along a twisting, turning and unyielding track. Ten kilometres along the track is an emergency water supply. This is a large below-ground tank covered to reduce evaporation. The nearby sign advises users to boil the water before drinking.
Finally the track opened out onto a wide clearing in the middle of which are some ruins. It is believed that this building was associated with construction of the telegraph line in the last century.
After a break for lunch at the edge of the clearing it was on to Toolina Cove and the panoramic views of the Baxter Cliffs.
These cliffs are the most spectacular in the world and run from Twilight Cove to Point Culver further west, a distance of 160 kilometres. Between Twilight Cove and Eucla they are located away from the coast and become the Hampton Scarp. East of Eucla through to the Head of the Bight the cliffs again form the coastline, where they are termed the Wilson Cliffs.
They are named in honour of John Baxter, travelling companion of Eyre during their historic east west crossing of the continent. Baxter was murdered by two of the aboriginal members of the party near here. Eyre was unable to dig a grave for him because of the solid rock surface. His body was wrapped in blankets, covered by rocks and left.
Forty years later the bones were found by John Graham (son of Iron Man Graham). His mother sewed them in calico bags and despatched them to the Colonial Secretary's Office in Perth. Their location today is a mystery although it possible they may have been sent to Baxter's birthplace in England.
Many thousands of large white snail shells were seen between Toolina Cove and the Rockhole. These are Bothriembryon Dux, the largest land snail in Australia. Because they burrow underground during the day live ones are rarely seen.
The convoy drove along the edge of the cliffs and then stopped above Toolina Cove. The cove was the only suitable site in this area where supplies and materials for the telegraph line could be brought ashore.
The convoy drove back to Toolina Rockhole. A government dogger has improved this natural waterhole.
The old East West Telegraph Line was then followed towards Bilbunya. C.D. Price surveyed this during the period 1875-77. The 1877 line followed the coast for much of its length. During the winter months salt and rain often shorted out the line so a more northerly route was selected.
This line was built in 1895-97 and ran between Southern Cross and Coolgardie, south to Norseman, out to Balladonia, down to Eyre and then on to Eucla. It was this line that the East-West Track followed for much of its length. The main centre for the East-West telegraph link was at Eucla.
The line was closed in 1927 when three lines following the trans-continental railway line far to the north replaced it.
The track to Bilbunya was extremely rough and overgrown. All the vehicles suffered damage of some sort - mostly scratches to the windscreen pillars. The track seemed never-ending but eventually the top of Wylie Scarp was reached. The Scarp was named after Edward John Eyre's faithful companion who remained with him after Baxter had been killed during his 1841 expedition.
It was a three kilometre descent along a sandy track to the campsite. The first part was steep and badly eroded, requiring caution from the drivers to ensure they did not tip their vehicles.
This campsite is in the Nuytsland Nature Reserve - named after the Dutch explorer Pieter Nuyts who explored this section of the coastline in 1627 in the Gulde Zapaard.
The next morning the tide was out the beach was smooth and hard. At times the vehicles were able to cruise along at speeds up to 100 kmh. But with so much to see a more sedate pace was the order of the day.
The beach is the final resting place for thousands of items of flotsam, most of it either dumped or washed overboard from Japanese fishing trawlers operating in the Southern Ocean. Crates, plastic containers, drums, fishing floats and all manner of ships' stores were washed up on the beach. Most of it was useless junk - some was "collectable". The most prized item was a glass fishing float.
The backdrop for much of the beach is the magnificent Bilbunya Dunes. These are "live" sand dunes formed over millions of years. There are continually moving and have encroached on the coastal strip a distance of about a kilometre.
The seemingly non-stop wind whips the sand from the tops of the dunes, creating ever-changing shapes and patterns. J. Carlisle applied the name "Bilabalanya" to the dunes but over the years it has been corrupted to its present form.
A stop for lunch was made on the edge of the salt lake system near Wattle Camp. Alexander Forrest camped in this area on Monday May 30, 1870 and named it because of the presence of wattles.
The track between Wattle Camp and Israelite Bay is extremely rough and overgrown. The vehicles' windscreen pillars and bonnet edges had been taped during the lunch stop to reduce the damage that could be caused by overhanging and projecting branches throughout this next section.
The track followed the route of the old telegraph line, winding through coastal salt lakes, sand dunes and low scrubby country. The occasional dry salt lake over which they convoy travelled provided relief from the uncomfortable bouncing caused by the uneven sandy track.
Although the track moved close to the coast in a number of sections the height and thickness of the scrub prevented visual confirmation of the ocean's presence. In places the track ran over the top of relatively high ground and Mt Dean and Mt Ragged could be seen to the west.
Israelite Bay was reached around 4.00 p.m. A number of professional fishermen operate out of here and it's also a very popular spot for sport fishermen. There are two jetties and a number of beach launching ramps in the Bay. Apart from these there are no facilities of any kind (water, power, phone, accommodation) although camping areas among the scrubby trees have been fashioned out over the years. The permanent and semi-permanent residents have kept the development of the area orderly. 22 Construction Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers have performed some signposting and roadmaking work in the area.
The Dempster brothers named Israelite Bay in 1863 after they became aware of the fact that it was the southern end of the boundary between two Aboriginal tribes. The Aborigines to the west circumcised their youths whereas those to the east did not.
A magnificent limestone block telegraph station was established here in 1877 as part of the East West link. It was abandoned in 1917 and the building was purchased privately in 1927. Now in disrepair, it is vested in the National Trust. Remains of the old carbon batteries, used to power the telegraphic signal, were found at the rear of the building.
The Glencoe Station Homestead, adjacent to the camping grounds, was originally the home of John Brook, the first linesman at Israelite Bay.
The turn off to Tookle-Jenna Rock and Mount Ragged was passed 16 kilometres out and another nine kilometres further on we were out of the Nuytsland Nature Reserve and into the Cape Arid National Park.
Few large trees are seen in this area, the vegetation consisting mostly of low scrub heath. The sandy plain seems suitable for little else.
Thirty five kilometres later the west boundary of Cape Arid National Park was passed and the first farms were seen. The bitumen started a few kilometres further on. This sign of civilisation signified that the end of the expedition was nearing.
This region is known as the Esperance Plains. It was opened up in the mid-1950s through the injection of capital from overseas interests such as the American financier Chase and a U.S. and Canadian consortium known as the Esperance Land and Development Company.
Some of the more well known farms there include The Beef Machine, Orleans Farm, Linkletters Place, The Growing Concern and Aroona Station.
Sixty kilometres out of Esperance the convoy passed through the settlement of Condingup. This townsite came into being in 1963, taking it name from a nearby hill named by C.D. Price in 1875 during his survey of the original telegraph line. It was developed as part of a plan to reduce the isolation east and west of Esperance.
Finally the group reached Esperance just before noon. Esperance was named in December 1792 when two French ships sailed into the bay to shelter from a storm while they were looking for a lost ship. The bay was named after one of the ships, Esperance.
However, it wasn't settled until 1863 when the Dempster brothers came overland with their stock. Others settlers followed but it was the goldrush in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie that caused Esperance to develop as the supply port for the Goldfields.
Development of the area slowed when the Perth - Coolgardie railway line opened. In the 1950's it was discovered that the region could be highly productive if trace elements were added to the soil and it is now one of the State's most important agricultural areas. It has a population of over 10,000.
After an overnight break the expeditioners headed to Perth.