T'was the Night Before...

This time, six years ago, Michael and I were preparing to leave on our first Goldfields trip. We had known each other for only four months, but I was about to undergo an important test. Having been married twice before, Michael wanted to make damned sure that the next woman he might hook up with would love what he loved, enjoy what he enjoyed and travel where he wanted to go.

I must admit I was a tad dubious when, at nine thirty at night, Michael turned south from Yellowdine onto a gravel road that boasted "Danger! Enter at Own Risk" and "Not All Weather Road" and "Warning! 1080 Poison". In stunned silence, I rode with Michael twelve kilometres down a straight track ...to paradise.

Waking on that first morning, in our swags, at Mr Palmer, I was instantly smitten. Mt Palmer had existed between 1934 and 1944 as a town and a mine. When the gold ran out, the pub was dismantled, brick by brick, and the rest of the town vanished, swallowed back into the Goldfields scrub. The setting was beautiful and surreal and eye opening. And embarrassing. We discovered we'd camped about fifty metres from a very tidy couple, who had organised a doormat to their tent, neatly arranged shoes, a private shower cubicle and a sensible firepit. In contrast, we'd set up out swags, consumed a reasonable quantity of very good wine, howled at the moon and engaged in some fairly noisy rumpy bumpy!

We apologised to the couple with rather shamed faces. They swore they hadn't heard anything. Except I saw the glint in the good lady's eye...

That trip, all those years ago, started with the wedding of Michelle and Graeme at the Joondalup Country Club. This trip was beginning with the Steampunk wedding of Gina and Andrew at their property in Chittering. We are really really excited. The organisation has been a lot of fun. This is going to be the Event of the Century (up till now!).

And so, we are leaving at some stage tomorrow to head for Chittering. I am surrounded by bags and boxes, ready to load into Kermit tomorrow morning. Roger the motorbike has already been secured onto the trailer. Patrick has been briefed to housesit and I have created a three-page document this evening to hopefully deal with any eventuality.

The plan is to rise early and leave about midday! I'll believe it when I see it. We are the most unpunctual couple on the planet and that we ever go anywhere relatively on time is always a surprise to us both.

Outfits - check. Utility belts - check. Hats with decorations - check. Steel capped boots - check (but still to be polished -will happen in the morning).

Tally ho!

Mt Palmer - October 2009

The dangerous road to Mt Palmer!

Michael inspecting the bakery oven at Linden October 2009

An approximation...

of what we are hoping to emulate at Andrew and Gina's wedding!