After a morning attending to domestic tasks, albeit not in any hurry, we decided to explore the Marble Bar Road for about forty kilometres northwards. Fortified by icecream each from the shop, we toddled our way out of civilisation.
The gravel road deteriorated almost immediately. Speed became undesirable, due to excessive jolting and bouncing. Which meant we didn't miss any opportunity for adventure. Within five kilometres of Nullagine, we followed a track to what we assumed would be a dam. So such creature in this neck of the woods. Nullagine was supplied by underground bore water. The infrastructure was there and gave us food for thought. And the bores made sense. In this country when temperatures are high for six months of the year, a dam would be pretty useless, due to excessive evaporation. First lesson for the day.
We continued. We were looking for a turnoff to the Lionel Mining Centre. We were fairly sure the mine was operational, but we were hoping for some accessible ruins and relics, such as we'd discovered at 20 Mile Sandy.
No such luck. We were greeted by a firmly locked gate and all the evidence of current mining activity.
We were not fazed. The drive along the track to the Lionel Mine had passed through some exceptionally beautiful country. We found a shady tree not far off the road and proceded to enjoy a most agreeable picnic lunch perched on Lily's tailgate.
I went wandering down each side of the gravel road after I'd finished eating. Walking unveiled a host of wildflowers all astonishingly surviving in this harsh environment. I photographed as many as I could to savour this lovely experience. I never would have seen them if we'd whizzed past in the car.
Only thirty kilometres north of Nullagine, we bumped back towards the town at an exceedingly leisurely pace. We stopped on several occasions just to step out into these majestic and timeless surroundings. Michael was almost beside himself. He made use of every lens and filter he had in his voluminous camera bag, delightedly snapping photographs from every angle and direction.
We were almost sorry to return to the bitumen. However, we hadn't finished our snail's pace sightseeing. Up to the cemetery, with graves dating back over one hundred and twenty years. One of the inscriptions at a particular gravesite added the unusual epitaph of "Go Bombers". Plus we stopped to pay our respects to Bill Lynas, remembered as a Pilbara legend, serving in two World Wars and only living until he was fifty-nine. Rest in peace, Bill.
Our last stop for the day was Garden Pool. What a paradise. The waterhole still contained some water, which gave the impression of coolness. The adjoining picnic area was well shaded with beautiful eucalypts and actual soft grass. Just to reinforce the essence of an oasis, a very contented and unworried cow was munching her way through a substantial green and juicy smorgasbord. She did cease chomping when I called out to her, so I could take her photo. She posed agreeably and then returned to the job at hand.
We were back in Digger just before five. We'd had some delusions of grandeur that we were intending to photograph from the top of Lynas Lookout at sunset. Instead, we attended to the washing and then relaxed with a drink each. Maybe, we'll do those photos on our next visit to Nullagine.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to slow down time.
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