We took four days to travel from Gwalia to Geraldton because there was plenty to see along the way that we didn't want to miss out on. Still not tired of this amazing countryside out here even though we're also looking forward to arriving at the beach.
We departed Gwalia early enough to fit a lot in, day one was a very looong day but we managed to cram a lot in by the time we got to our next overnight. Turns out there are a lot of 'London Bridges' out there and this one was located just south of Sandstone near another point of interest, The old Sandstone Brewery. They used to drive carts over London bridge back in the day but of course now they ask people not to even stand on it. Interesting spot and if we'd been there at the right time would have made for some spectacular sunset pictures but given it was morning that didn't happen. The Old Sandstone Brewery was build on top of the rocks and underneath was carved out for beer storage to keep it cool even in the hottest weather. We stopped in Sandstone to have a bit of a walk about, the town has really leaned into it's history with the old cars and the classic buildings in good shape. I highly recommend stopping at the visitor centre in Sandstone, the lady we spoke to in there was very friendly and told us lots of interesting information and local stories.
We pulled in at Mt Magnet to have our lunch and do a little shopping, and I mean a little, as with all the smaller towns we only got absolute necessities due to pricing. I know they likely can't help it but neither can our budget. Totally failed to take pictures here but I did make that up when we got to Cue.
Just north of Mt Magnet we pulled in at The Granites, partly because there were a number of Geocaches in there and partly because it's very much worth a visit. It's culturally significant to the Badimia Tribe and aside from the striking rock formations there is 9000 year old Aboriginal art and a Gnamma well which is a traditional stone covered well.
From there we headed along the road to Que, which was the center of the goldrush in the late 1800's, at it's peak it had a population of 10 000 but now it's lucky if there are 150.
Having said that, there is a free campsite just behind the main street with a dump point and water. The town itself has some very nice parks, historic buildings and information boards that were definitely worth having a look at. We spent a couple of nights here, had a good look about town and Paul wanted to go prospecting for a day in the area.
We spent quite a bit of time at Walga Rock and Big Bell. Not much is left of the town, a few small buildings and landmarks. The most impressive is the old Hotel, you used to be able to wander about inside the ruin but it's deteriorated enough that it's now fenced off, still impressive to see though.
We spent a bit more time at Walga Rock. A very impressive monolith second only to Uluru in size, covering about 50 hectares. We took a bit of a wander to the top which doesn't take very long, it's only 45m high, and had a look at the impressive view.
We got lucky and came across some people having a bit of a cuppa break, an archaeologist from a company wanting to put some cables in around the area and Aunty and Uncle who were hired to show him around the areas of cultural significance to ensure nothing important was disturbed.
They were absolutely fascinating to talk to, lots of information and history. Did you know if you follow the Zebra Finches in the outback they will lead you to water?
This spot is seriously under rated and absolutely worth a visit.
Our last stop before Geraldton was Wolya Well, which was sunk in the late 1800's and became very important during the gold rush years.
Now it's a lovely free campground by the river and while we were there it was a sea of wildflowers so our timing was fantastic. Not much more to add to this bit really, we only stayed a night and then headed for the coast, which is another blog entirely.
I don't think I've mentioned much about the road trains. Anyone travelling out here will encounter them, and to be fair they were only the 4 trailer types (I know they get bigger) but they were still amazing to see and pass!
This was pretty much the end of our inland journey for a week or two, we managed to pack so much sightseeing into every week. Might be nice to go sit at the beach for a while.
Comments