Heavenly Beverley : And the Clouds Finally Parted.

Our third morning dawned with a gloriously blue winter sky. The grey and the drizzle had gone. Our spirits soared.

A quick check on the weather map did not promise much in the way of warmth. The Big Freeze was continuing. We dressed in multiple layers and left the hotel. Deciding that we would return to the familiar, we had breakfast back at Blaze in Boulder. We left absolutely stuffed about an hour later.

Leaving the Big Smoke behind, we ventured west towards Coolgardie. As Kalgoorlie's almost twin, Coolgardie is tiny in comparison, with stunning federation architecture, very wide streets and a less hectic feel.

We chose not to savour Coolgardie's delights right then. That would come later. Instead, we turned the borrowed Honda onto North Coolgardie Road and travelled the short distance to the first of the deserted town sites. Bonnie Vale was gazetted in 1897, supposed named after a prospector named Bonnie who found a nugget in the vicinity in 1894. The town was not to last, but enjoyed its moment of fame as the site of a miner's rescue after nine days underground in 1907.

We gently turned the Honda onto the track leading away from the main road. Being very much a sophisticated city car, there was not a lot of clearance underneath the vehicle, so we picked our way carefully and slowly to avoid any unnecessary or alarming bumps.

We spent a very happy two or more hours, starting and stopping, walking and fossicking, looking and discarding. Mindful of our limited storage (the trusty trailer was nowhere in sight), we chose a few little delectable metal artefacts to add to our collection. Feeling seriously satisfied with ourselves, we left Bonnie Vale to return to Coolgardie.

Following ice creams, we set out to explore some of the local sights. The old railway station is now closed, apparently a museum, but there wasn't a soul around. The platform was dark and cold, but the train, two carriages and various pieces of equipment were sunlit and bright. We took photos and wandered here and there for a very pleasant half hour.

No trip was complete without a drive to the lookout and the expansive view from the top. Coolgardie is surrounded by giant mullock heaps, the waste material of a hundred years of mining. Many of the mullock heaps have been revegetated, so they now resemble low hills. Some of them were quite difficult to pick as artificially located, rather than genuine geographical features.

We drove lazily around the generous streets, enjoying the local historical buildings. The Cremorne Hotel, on the main street through town, had been beautifully restored and had become a private residence. Since our last visit, the verandahs had been reinstated, so the hotel had now been returned to its previous grandeur.

We cruised back through the late afternoon sun to Kalgoorlie and the warmth of our room. Knowing we were attending a BBQ with Wayne and his family, I jumped into the spa bath for a wonderful bubbly soak. Michael joined me after I teased him that we couldn't go home without having christened the bath. He gracefully gave in. We both left the bath pink and deliciously toasty.

Wayne's family BBQ was a casual, easy gathering on his Mum and Dad's back verandah. Semi-open. Although I was sitting almost on top of one of the outside gas heaters, I remained chilly for the majority of the evening. The sensible guests attended with scarfs, beanies and gloves. The company made up for the cold, but I was still glad when we retired to our cosy little enclave.

As I thawed out, I drifted off to sleep, comfortably cuddling my beloved Michael. We'd had another wonderful day.