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Day 8 - Gunbarrel Laager Wiluna to – Geraldton Bore - Mon 19 Oct 2015
Driving out of the Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest on a red dusty road next to a vineyard that never survived the outback sun, it’s time for reflection as Neil Young softly plays his guitar in the background. It’s a week since the guys flew in from Melbourne and we started up the coast to Steep Point, and four days since we actually started the crossing. We have got to Wiluna which when you look at the map is not far as the crow flies, and some of the tougher stuff is ahead of us. However, the mood is good, the confidence is high and there is an eagerness to get on the road. Everyone is still getting up at around 5.30 and packing and preparing is getting down to a fine art, led by Dan Ripley who is doing a sterling job for a first time Trekker (who incidentally looks like Matt Damon and is trying not to get too stressed about it all).
The intent today is to get past Carnegie Station and try to catch up a few more of the miles we dropped with the tricky trailer issues back at Steep Point. Carnegie is 341 kilometres away on the Wongawol Road. It is actually the Gunbarrel Highway, which runs the 826 kilometres from Wiluna to Warburton with some used and un-used sections. Pegged out and constructed by Len Beadell and his Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party, the road is described as such in HEMA’s Great desert Tracks Atlas:
“The more popular route across the Great Victoria Desert is the Gunbarrel Highway – just make sure your tooth fillings are well secured. The Gunbarrel is the most heavily corrugated road in Australia: making the corrugations of Cape York look like billiard tables”
The local knowledge suggested that the Highway to Carnegie was good and the worst was after that, so we set off at 7.30 with enthusiasm. A few fines had been levied at Gunbarrel Laager; Carl was now the most fined trekker due to Max and the bike trailer throwing a few wobblies; he had also had some bladder issues that morning (luckily it was his camelback bladder, not his internal one). Ferg was awarded the Anything But Average award which he accepted with acknowledgment of the team of people now working on social media and the website, Sharon and Cynthia back in Wang and the feed of photos from Trekkers like Scotty and Hector.
The road out of town was broad and wide and in very good condition, as was the weather. Fine and sunny with some building heat (it got to 38.5 maximum) and a nice side/tail wind that moved away the dust quite nicely from the tails of the bikes. Brock stopped early for a splash of fuel and reported close to perfect conditions. We continued at good pace, stopping here and there for a look at a few things, some stunt riding and quite quickly we knocked down nearly 300kims to Mingol Camp. Reports had been heard of thunderstorms in this area and there were some wet sections of the track, with water filling run-off drains and on some parts of the track. It had helped however with sections of bulldust that we encountered.
After the short break we continued up into Carnegie Station where we created a new TTT record by paying 270 cents per litre for diesel. We had lunch, snacked on oranges and mandarins from the trees on the lawn and met a grumpy prick, similar to the one at the Overland Roadhouse. Brock needed to weld up part of his foot peg and was given permission by the station hand but the Manager wasn’t such a happy chap. Carnegie Station is owned by a family who also own Wongawol but they don’t live on them. Each station has a Manager and station hands; Carnegie is 1.5million acres and has three people working full time. Extra staff are brought in for mustering but day to day the three mainly look after water supplies for stock across the station and help out tourists like us. Like many locations we had visited, Carnegie looked a bit like its glory days had moved on.
We looked up our maps and then set a plan to head for Geraldton Bore. This was another 200 kilometres which would give us over 530 for the day and set us up to be pretty much back on track from the time lost to trailer troubles. Again local knowledge was good, advising that the track was great for around 160 kms and then it got bad. A road gang was currently working on the track to the east of Carnegie. We blasted out and worked away at the end of a big day. The bikes did well, arriving well before the cars, which slowed on the tighter, rougher track, especially after Mangkili Claypan Nature Reserve. A highlight was some of the native animals with a couple of dingos spotted, several lizards and couple of kangaroos.
Geraldton Bore was the right place at the right time at the right distance and made a great spot for us to throw out our swags on a very warm night. Larkey prepared his venison stew which we ate with mashed spuds and followed with bananas done a ’la larkey (wrapped in foil with a dash of whiskey and cooked on the fire). Big Scotty brought out some oral history for us of particular pertinence and interest; he played a tape of Len Beadell speaking at a Rotary function about his experiences in the bush. He sounded like just the sort of bloke that would get on well with us. This was a fitting end to a big day.
Driving out of the Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest on a red dusty road next to a vineyard that never survived the outback sun, it’s time for reflection as Neil Young softly plays his guitar in the background. It’s a week since the guys flew in from Melbourne and we started up the coast to Steep Point, and four days since we actually started the crossing. We have got to Wiluna which when you look at the map is not far as the crow flies, and some of the tougher stuff is ahead of us. However, the mood is good, the confidence is high and there is an eagerness to get on the road. Everyone is still getting up at around 5.30 and packing and preparing is getting down to a fine art, led by Dan Ripley who is doing a sterling job for a first time Trekker (who incidentally looks like Matt Damon and is trying not to get too stressed about it all).
The intent today is to get past Carnegie Station and try to catch up a few more of the miles we dropped with the tricky trailer issues back at Steep Point. Carnegie is 341 kilometres away on the Wongawol Road. It is actually the Gunbarrel Highway, which runs the 826 kilometres from Wiluna to Warburton with some used and un-used sections. Pegged out and constructed by Len Beadell and his Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party, the road is described as such in HEMA’s Great desert Tracks Atlas:
“The more popular route across the Great Victoria Desert is the Gunbarrel Highway – just make sure your tooth fillings are well secured. The Gunbarrel is the most heavily corrugated road in Australia: making the corrugations of Cape York look like billiard tables”
The local knowledge suggested that the Highway to Carnegie was good and the worst was after that, so we set off at 7.30 with enthusiasm. A few fines had been levied at Gunbarrel Laager; Carl was now the most fined trekker due to Max and the bike trailer throwing a few wobblies; he had also had some bladder issues that morning (luckily it was his camelback bladder, not his internal one). Ferg was awarded the Anything But Average award which he accepted with acknowledgment of the team of people now working on social media and the website, Sharon and Cynthia back in Wang and the feed of photos from Trekkers like Scotty and Hector.
The road out of town was broad and wide and in very good condition, as was the weather. Fine and sunny with some building heat (it got to 38.5 maximum) and a nice side/tail wind that moved away the dust quite nicely from the tails of the bikes. Brock stopped early for a splash of fuel and reported close to perfect conditions. We continued at good pace, stopping here and there for a look at a few things, some stunt riding and quite quickly we knocked down nearly 300kims to Mingol Camp. Reports had been heard of thunderstorms in this area and there were some wet sections of the track, with water filling run-off drains and on some parts of the track. It had helped however with sections of bulldust that we encountered.
After the short break we continued up into Carnegie Station where we created a new TTT record by paying 270 cents per litre for diesel. We had lunch, snacked on oranges and mandarins from the trees on the lawn and met a grumpy prick, similar to the one at the Overland Roadhouse. Brock needed to weld up part of his foot peg and was given permission by the station hand but the Manager wasn’t such a happy chap. Carnegie Station is owned by a family who also own Wongawol but they don’t live on them. Each station has a Manager and station hands; Carnegie is 1.5million acres and has three people working full time. Extra staff are brought in for mustering but day to day the three mainly look after water supplies for stock across the station and help out tourists like us. Like many locations we had visited, Carnegie looked a bit like its glory days had moved on.
We looked up our maps and then set a plan to head for Geraldton Bore. This was another 200 kilometres which would give us over 530 for the day and set us up to be pretty much back on track from the time lost to trailer troubles. Again local knowledge was good, advising that the track was great for around 160 kms and then it got bad. A road gang was currently working on the track to the east of Carnegie. We blasted out and worked away at the end of a big day. The bikes did well, arriving well before the cars, which slowed on the tighter, rougher track, especially after Mangkili Claypan Nature Reserve. A highlight was some of the native animals with a couple of dingos spotted, several lizards and couple of kangaroos.
Geraldton Bore was the right place at the right time at the right distance and made a great spot for us to throw out our swags on a very warm night. Larkey prepared his venison stew which we ate with mashed spuds and followed with bananas done a ’la larkey (wrapped in foil with a dash of whiskey and cooked on the fire). Big Scotty brought out some oral history for us of particular pertinence and interest; he played a tape of Len Beadell speaking at a Rotary function about his experiences in the bush. He sounded like just the sort of bloke that would get on well with us. This was a fitting end to a big day.
