Headed north from Toodyay to New Norcia, the home of Benedectine Monks. Marvellous buildings, didn't manage to convert us though. Fantastic that all these buildings have been built in WA, and the town still exists. All they need to do is build a new road to bypass the town. Did the city tour and checked out 5 chapels. Then off to the pub for lunch, but did not try the Abbey Ale. Declined to buy their bread and oil (multigrain fruit loaf was $9.50 and the award winning olive oil was $25 a small bottle).
After a night in Goomalling, with the Sandgropers caravan club, and a musician playing his harp and other medieval instruments, we headed east to Merriden, then south east to Hyden, where we climbed up Wave Rock. we think we have been there before, need to check the old photos.
Took to the unsealed roads from Hyden to Kalgoorlie, via the Breakaways, McDermid Rock and Victoria Rock. The rocks have little eco systems, with some water in hollows (complete with tadpole), moss, and some vegetation. Not very high, so easy to climb.
In Kalgoorlie, we are staying in Boulder, which still has a lot of earthquake damage for the earthquake early this year. Most of the pubs are under repair!!! we checked out many of the old building, visited the ghost town (kanowna) about 20k east of Kalgoolie. What a joke. It was all demolished, and they just have signs saying what some of the buildings were. No foundations, no photos of individual buildings. A great disappointment. Today we did the Mine tour to the superpit (very interesting watching the huge Tonka trucks do their work), then headed to the pub for the grand Final replay. Left disappointed on 2 counts, St Kilda lost, and eddie didn't have a heart attack.
Tomorrow we will be heading down to Norseman, then east towards home. Hoping for westerly winds.
