Yulara to Perth

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Yulara to Perth.



Leaving the big rocks behind us we turn west for the final leg to Perth. This proves to have a few challenges of it's own. Somehow I managed to get yet another puncture and this time in the new tyre and on sand. I think I have developed a new special talent. At least now we are all very adept at tyre changes and we are soon back underway. The great central road is a fairly decent dirt road with a few remote roadhouses and basically nothing else apart from the occasional camel. Our first stop is Warakurna Roadhouse, deciding to stay after being discouraged to go on to Warburton by the roadhouse owner. All this stretch is an alcohol free zone to protect the natives but sitting around a dry camp fire is just not the same. We haven't been able to buy take away beer since Yulara with is restricted to one six pack per person per day at a ridiculous price. Lucky we have spirits on board. We go to bed only to be woken by a dingo chewing through the tent ties on our tent and my thongs taken and chewed. We had watched a dingo earlier that night jump into a bin to find food and we have been constantly serenaded by howling dingos at night but this was our first close encounter.



Next day we pass through Warburton to find it's not at all a dive but a quite a nice spot, next lesson learnt, don't trust greedy road house owners. Onto Tjurayirla roadhouse after another bonnet lunch on the side of the road. We set up camp, busy ourselves perfecting the fire pit and swatting the ever persistent flies and contemplate a dry night only to find that Julie and Craig have a couple of sneaky beers that they have save for us. Beer love a plenty we settle into yet another perfect fire and camp oven meal after Julie has a brief encounter with yet another dingo.

We fuel up with Opal fuel- fume free petrol again to protect the natives- and head towards Kookynie. We have to stop to refuel Andrews bike about 1 hr out of Laverton and Tim is still having trouble with petrol leaking from his bike and he decides to tie up his overflow line. Julie and Craig head off to Laverton closely followed by Andrew and I wait with Tim till he is under way but this proves to be a bit of a problem. The bike won't start and all the trying flattens the battery and all our attempts to jump it are in vain. Julie, Craig and Andrew are already out of radio range and we are stranded. The Sat phone proves it's worth and we make calls knowing they will get the message 100kms down the road. In the meantime Tim and I try every battery charging option at our disposal but are frustrated. Finally we decide that getting Andrew to come back with his bike is the only option to jump start it from his bike as car to bike is just not working. He gets 10km out of town and Tim somehow gets enough charge to gets it going and I just catch Andrew before he gets out of reception. Meanwhile Julie and Craig entertain the locals at Laverton and watch the amusing daily antics of the residents fielding of requests for fuel, paint, glue or anything else sniffable. We finally arrive in Laverton to find drinks and hamburgers waiting for us and a plan to stay at the Kookynie pub formulated. Tim and I are very happy to comply after a seriously frustrating few hours and off to Kookynie we head.



This proves to be a rare gem. From the outside the pub is unimpressive to say the least but an old world tardis on the inside. Margret a tiny 60ish lady greats us and shows us our rooms and then pours us a few pints whilst giving us the local run down, we barely have time to settle before she is herding every one outside to watch the space station rise in sky and zoom over, which in its self is fascinating. Kevin her partner is soon cooking us steak sandwiches and we enjoy beers, darts AFL and stories of the town in it's heyday before falling into a nice soft bed.

Kalgoorlie is our next stop to enable us to restock, fix bikes, get yet another tyre, and relax a bit from the constant set up/pack up regime of the last few days. Kalgoorlie is a big gold mining town and a visit to the superpit confirms just how big. This thing is so enormous it's impossible to take it all in.

We spend some time looking around the town including locating the perfect carrot cake at Dome for Andrew and a visit to the museum and mines department for Tim to check out the rocks. We also try and find out about the pipeline rd into Perth but all the info is a little vague.



Kalgoorlie to Perth proves to be a bit of fun. We locate the pipeline rd at Coolgardie, this is just a service rd that that runs directly beside the water pipeline from Kalgoorlie to Perth. At times it is so close to the road we deviate back to the tar whilst at other times it snakes along the main road dodging the train line and the occasional water course. Tim Andrew and I do the dirt while Julie and Craig opt for the bitumen. Camping this night is a special. We find a spot along the pipeline that is basically just a clearing for a grain shed and a old stock holding area but perfect for a overnight camp. Julie has to suck up the lack of any facilities and we soon have a raging fire, a spectacular outlook and one of the best sunsets of the trip. A really nice way to finish this leg of the trip knowing that tomorrow will be the last day on the bikes and the last of the dirt.



The drive into Perth was a get it done leg and we get into town at about two and locate the house we have rented for the next few days. We settle into temporary abode and reflect on the journey from east to west. A great achievement from both our bikers and their great support crew. The next phase of the trip will be a bit more relaxed, meandering down the south west coast to Esperance before the long haul back across the Nullabour.





All housemates are still taking to each other and enjoying every day. Going home to normality feels like a foreign concept and one I am happy not to contemplate for a while.



Cheers for now,



Lee, Tim, Andrew, Julie and Craig.

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