Departure

After fixing damaged wiring on the ‘Silver Bullet’ kitchen trailer that was blowing a variety of fuses in my Patrol, we finally got underway from Jandakot an hour or so later than expected. We took the Brookton Highway east to Brookton, had dinner at Stumpy’s Roadhouse and continued east to Corrigin and then Bendering before becoming geographically confused for 15 minutes or so trying to find The Humps and Mulkas Cave.

Mulkas Cave

Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn

Next morning, after a tour of the site and a chat with the Shire Ranger, we headed into Hyden to refuel and visit Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn.

East on the Hyden Norseman Road

Cliff and Adi in their Suzukis refuelled in Hyden while the others had a look at the two famous rocks. We then headed out along the Hyden East Road, past the State Barrier Fence.

Previously known as the Rabbit Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence and the Emu Fence, it has undergone many transformations in its lifetime, keeping rabbits, wild dogs, emus, kangaroos and other feral animals away from agricultural and pastoral areas.  It coincides with the line of rainfall required for successful farming. The land to the west, except for reserves, has been taken up by farmers. The land to the east is known as the Great Western Woodland, the largest temperate woodlands on the planet. It is dominated by eucalypts.

McDermid Rock

We stopped to climb McDermid Rock, one of the numerous granite rock outcrops (inselberg or monadnock) that act as island sanctuaries for a whole range of wildlife in this remote, low rainfall area. These granite outcrops catch and direct rain water that, in earlier times, was so precious for explorers and prospectors. Additionally, they were a vital navigational beacon through the dense thickets of tamma.

Lake Johnston

We took a short detour to see Lake Johnston before returning to the Victoria Rock Road and heading north-east to Coolgardie.

Banks Rock

We tried to find a way in to Banks Rock but the bush was too thick – we probably missed the correct turnoff. [This deficiency was corrected on a later trip when we confirmed the route into Banks Rock ].

Victoria Rock, Gnarlbine Rock and Coolgardie

We visited Victoria Rock and Gnarlbine Rock and passed through Coolgardie. Dusk was approaching as we pulled into the campsite at the Speedway at Kalgoorlie.

Superpit

Before racing started the next morning we had time to check out the Superpit – an open cut gold mine approximately 3.6 kilometres long, 1.6 kilometres wide and more than 500 metres deep. It was envisioned by businessman Alan Bond, who bought up a number of contiguous mine leases in the early 1980s in order to get the land area under one ownership. However, it wasn’t until 1989 that it became a reality under Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM).

Australian Off Road Racing Championships

Buggies, trophy trucks, cars, and 4WDS, the best offroad racing machinery in Australia, were competing in Round 1 of the Australian Off Road Championships, the inaugural Kalgoorlie 400, over the easter break. We stayed to watch the Prologue, a short race over part of the course staged to determine the Start Order.

 

Go to Kalgoorlie to Newman

Return to Kalgoorlie Karijini Kennedys Kalbarri Tour

 

 

© Kim Epton 2014-2026
698 words, 43 photographs.

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