The World's Biggest Rock!

I decided to visit the world's biggest rock, Mount Augustus, in January this year. As it is only 1000 kilometres north of Perth I examined the options available to me as I didn't wish to subject my motorhome to 600 kilometres of corrugated dirt roads to achieve my goal. A very short search via Google provided the answer - Casey Australian Tours, a well established Perth firm with over 40 years experience in Outback tours.

Day 1  15th September, 2014

We departed East Perth Railway Station from the coach area smartly at 7.45am.  Our coach was a MAN 4-wheel drive truck fitted with a very nice airconditioned coach body with very comfortable upholstery and complete with toilet - all this in lieu of the usual truck body or  tray.  It was quite a pleasant run out of the city against the peak hour traffic destined for New Norcia (115 kilometres) for morning tea - home of the Benedictine monks in Australia.  I'll discuss New Norcia elsewhere as this is an unique location. 

Continuing on the Great Northern Highway, our next stop was Dalwallinu for lunch.

The main wild flower season had ended early this year so there was little to see except we made a detour at Mt. Gibson to see the famous Wreath flowers on Penjori Road, only 3 kilometres off the Highway.  It was well worthwhile as these flowers have defeated the botanists at King's Park in Perth for propagation and only occur in a few locations.

Paynes Find, more than 400 k's from Perth, was our stop for afternoon tea.  We arrived at 3.20pm and didn't depart until 6.25.  One of our party had a fall in the Roadhouse and it was necessary for the Ambulance to be called and her evacuation by the Royal Flying Doctor Service was necessary.  The next day we learnt that she had broken a femur.

While we were waiting for the drama to unfold about ten of us decided to visit the local battery.  Here we discovered the only licenced battery in Australia operated by a lady.  This battery has been in use for 80 years and in the hands of the same family who have lived in the area for over 100 years.  A very interesting location and you could buy gold nuggets there too.

We finally arrived at Cue, 625 k's, just on 8.45 and we were all looking forward to the dinner.  There was no disappointment and to our surprise we each received a printed menu from the Murshison Club Hotel.  The food was excellent and I enjoyed pumpkin soup (almost a full meal on its own), grilled Red Emperor (a reef fish) and a lovely icecream dessert, Peach Fantasia.  There were many choices including oysters, prawns (shrimps) or chicken.

It was 11pm before I hit the cot and I didn't take any rocking!

Day 2   16th September, 2014

Up at 4.30am - can't stop in bed, a dangerous place (people die there) - showered and out to explore Cue.  Once a busy metropolis of 10000 souls, it now straddles the Great Northern Highway and no longer boasts a railway station as the line was closed in 1978.  Gold was the main attraction here, found right in town in 1892.  There are many magnificent building still existing with many Heritage listed and also very well maintained.  There are many empty shops but there are plans afoot to refurbish some and re-open them as eateries and craft places.  The central point of the town is the band rotunda located in the middle of the Highway on the site of the town's first well.  The whole place is very clean and tidy.

Breakfast was ready by 6.45 and we left at 7.30 heading for Meekatharra 196 kilometres up the Highway.  This was one time a very busy town but now falling into much decay.  Arrival was 9.45 and we had a break as the coach replentished fuel and water prior to leaving the Highway and heading north-west for Mt. Augustus.

The tar strip lasted a considerable distance but we then hit the dirt.  No traffic was encountered but there were plenty of dips and a lot of corrugations to contend with as we travelled.  The suspension of the coach handled it all very well and there were no problems maintaining a steady 90 kilometres an hour.

156 kilometres out we arrived at Mt. Gould Lockup, a restored Police Outpost no longer in use.  Absolutely in the middle of nowhere, we enjoyed a light lunch under the verandah.  After lunch we crossed the Gascoyne River at Landor Station and stopped at Landor Racecourse for a break.  The horse races are held here every year during the first weekend in October.  The facilities are good and we were advised that participants travel thousands of kilometres to compete and the visitors number in thousands too.

Finally we arrived at Mt. Augustus Resort at 5.30pm.

A great barbeque tea was partaken by all and after several brown ales we retired at 10.30.

No startling accommodation here only old style 'dongers' - ex-mine site quarters with very adequate share showers and toilets and a tea room.

Day 3   17th September, 2014

It was a 4am rising for me.  With not a cloud in the sky to add any character I went back to bed and rose again at 5.30am.  There were quite a few up and about as we tried to capture colour changes on the mountain but it was difficult as there were no features in the sky for reflections.  You also need more than a panorama camera to capture the size as everything is so large.  Just imagine Ayres Rock (9 kilometres around the base) and compare it here as Mt. Augustus is 49 kilometres at the base.  AR (Uluru) is a monolith but this is a monocline.

At 7am we took off to do a portion of the Summit Track (35ºC forecast) in the cool of the day - only a portion as the return trip to the Summit is 6 hours (40 minutes will get you to the top of Ayres Rock going slowly).   I took dozens of photos as there is so much to see there.  There were only 13 people in the party.  We returned to the Resort at 9.45.

After a short break we returned to the mountain and did the short walk to Flagstone Rock where we had to crawl under to see the Aboriginal rock carvings on the ceiling.   We also visited The Pound where cattle use to be mustered and could be kept confined by only a couple of horsemen.  Edney's Lookout was also visited - just  a stroll.

We returned for lunch then took a drive out to Cattle Pool - permanent water on the Lyons River.   Three people went swimming - it looked very inviting.

It was then back to the resort for a spell then we went out to Emu Hill Lookout for sunset.  We had nibblies and beer/wine according to taste as we looked for colour changes in the sunset.  It was a little disappointing as there were no clouds to give an accent.  There were no emus out there either and I don't blame them as that area looked more like Sturt's Stony Desert.

We had a very nice tea of honeyed chicken and salad and a beaut dessert (I had two!).

I had a late shave and shower at 11pm and did some reading before bedding down at midnight.

Day 4    18th September, 2014

Up at 4am for coffee I found a couple of other bodies about as well so we had a good yak until about 6am.  It was going to be a busy day.

We left at 7.30, had a smoko break at Mt. Gould Lockup, lunch at Meekatharra and arrived at Cue at 2.30pm, back at the Murchison Club Hotel.

After checkin we went out to Day Dawn, once a thriving town just outside Cue but nothing is left except a couple of concrete slabs and remnants of the railway embankment.  Outside the town the Great Fingall Mine Office built in early 1900 still stands.  A beautiful building showing great workmanship but it is not open to the public.  The mine closed about 1918.  This mine was world famous as it was worked to 700 metres.   Day Dawn grew to 3000 people with 7 hotels, a railway station and even a soft drink factory.  Ironically, in 1942 a mine beside Great Fingall produced 1002 ounces of gold per ton of ore crushed.

Returning via Cue we then proceeded west to Big Bell.  This town survived from 1937 to 1955.  When the mine closed the town died and the only surviving building is the hotel which stands as a testament to the opulence of the time.

From here we continued on to Walga Rock, the second biggest monolith in Australia.  Arriving at 4.30 we immediately started to set up for tea.  All the time we were watching for colour changes in the sunset.   There are numerous rock carvings and paintings at the Rock.  The most controversial painting is of a square rigged sailing ship - subject to much speculation and interest.

We had a lovely barbeque tea and rolled back to the hotel arriving at 9pm.

I had a couple of beers at the bar and had a bit of a yarn with several locals before hitting the cot at 11pm.

Day 5    19th September, 2014

A late rising today at 530am.  Nobody seemed be stirring early but we were all up and at it for breakfast and departure was set for 7.30.

We travelled down to Mt. Magnet then turned west to Yalgoo where we stopped at Joker's Tunnel to view the workings which was a tunnel through the mountain with several drives into the sides.  This exercise had proved unsuccessful so the workings were abandoned.   Continuing west we came to Mullewa, called the heart of wild flower country, but with no flowers for us.  Now we were in wheatbelt country and turned south for Morawa and lunch.

Next we cut across country to Carnamah and had a break at Moora.  Our next stop was Bindoon where we rejoined the Great Northern Highway for the final run back to East Perth - just on 800 kilometres covered in the day.

A very enjoyable trip!