And Now For Something Completely Different - Lexi Has Joined Our Family!

After all the chaos of last Monday, followed by four very busy days in the Gallery later in the week, we set off bright and early yesterday morning to fetch our newest member of our quirky family. Lexi, originally named Luna, until we thought of a livelier name, had been bred by Sharlene at Apache Park Groodles, south of Donnybrook, a good four hour drive from Heavenly Beverley.

We stopped for fuel and lunch at Williams, a quaint little farming community. The day was grey and cold, with occasional sunny shafts warming the car. We drove on, unexpectedly enjoying the countryside with green rolling hills, brilliant yellow canola, lots of sheep and forrest reserves. At Donnybrook, famous for its spectacular apple orchards, we sent a message to Sharlene to let her know of our imminent arrival. Their property, away from the highway, and behind a buffer of forrest, was on a slope with the house up high taking advantage of the surrounding view. We came through the gate, meeting Chester, Lexi's handsome silver Poodle dad. and their Stella, a caramel Groodle, their resident dam (not Lexi's mum).  We watched Lexi playing outside on the grass, marvelling at her 12 week old stamina, keeping up with the bigger dogs. After some amiable conversation, we collected her vaccination and microchip records and her kibble and popped her in the car on the back seat with Stella.

We had been concerned about any problems travelling, but she turned out to have no issues whatsoever. She settled without a whimper and after about half an hour , fell sound asleep and remained that way until we pulled into Station House's carport. We spent the next hour allowing her to explore and rewarding her with very loud praise when she performed a wee outside. After keenly chomping on her kibble with some yoghurt, she settled on the couch with me. 

As I was exhausted, I was in bed at 8.30, leaving Michael with our girls. I slept and slept. Michael left her in our living area, having brought in the extra dog bed she seemed to like. Thus, we are now sporting two dog beds inside, with the large wooly blanket draped over both.

I woke around 7 in the morning. I fed Lexi her breakfast, gave Stella her allergy medication (!) with some pate and placated Chop with fresh water and his kibble. I retired back to bed about 9.30 for a post breakfast nap, as my cold was still troubling me. Michael joined me for a short time, but Lexi's cries sent him out of the bedroom to the couch and she settled happily on his legs for a mid-morning snooze. 

This afternoon has passed most agreeably. Chop has accepted her with amused disinterest. Stella was initially decidedly frosty, which was a surprise. However, Stella has thawed as today has passed and we hope that she won't view Lexi much longer as an interloper but rather as a partner in crime. Lexi, with her enthusiastic puppy cheerfulness, is working to win Stella over and I am pretty sure they will be best buddies before long.

Both the dogs and Mister Chop have eaten dinner, we have been sipping before-dinner drinks and the ABC news is on the telly. Stella is relaxing in the crate, Chop is grooming himself on top of the couch and Lexi is curled up next to her Daddy.

All is well in our world.

 

 

Lexi - first morning -

 

 

Those eyes!

 

 

Already in love with Daddy -

 

 

Looking to bond with Stella - 

 

 

 

 

 

With Dino...

 

 

On the couch...

 

 

Chop is unperturbed...

 

 

The jury is still out for Stella!

Full Circle...

Sunday afternoon, I travelled to the Big Smoke, to stay the night with Cal, Bron, Immy and Violet. Even Ragnar was civil towards me. Fun with a jigsaw, cuddles with my beautiful grandchildren and a marvellous dinner were all trying to mask the approach of a circumstance that had been hanging over me since the end of 2022. Callum and Bronwyn worked hard to boost my confidence and discuss my hoped outcome for the following day. I slept fitfully in their theatre room, trying very hard not to dwell on the coming storm.

 Monday was one of the most difficult days of my life. I was in an unfamiliar environment, mostly on my own. I was also without knowledge, hence I was powerless. I have always prided myself on research and investigation in order to understand my place in the world. The NDIA/S is a great example of being able to decipher a wholly foreign concept over time, abandoning the laptop screen for hard copy, arming myself with a highlighter and perseverance to navigate this very complex system. I am not quite there yet in comprehending all the intricacies of this juggernaut, but I believe that I will sooner rather than later. I also think the NDIA/S will become successful and inclusive, given enough will and patience. But on Monday, I had none of that optimism or sense of self.

And so, I wept and raged with grief and a lack of hope. Callum had taken a day off work to be with me, but given circumstances out of our control, we decided that I would enter this particular lion's den on my own. I will never forget that he was witness outside a door to my anguish and despair.  The morning wore on. I just wanted this terrible experience to end. So, I caved in on my principles and allowed another person to dictate conditions that had previously been anathema to me. And in a final bittersweet moment, agreement was reached on a point that had previously been subject to much conjecture.

I fled from this place to lunch with Callum at the Mount Street Breakfast Bar for comfort food, a margarita and a chance to debrief with my beloved son. I took my leave of them mid-afternoon and prepared to travel two hours home with an hour of shopping thrown in for good measure. 

I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Road rage by others seemed to chase me and I was involved in a couple of near misses, much to my dismay. I arrived home to my darling Michael, Station House and our quirky home just after 6pm. Michael helped me in with all the shopping, I burst into tears and he held me in his arms until I was calmer.

I revived enough to unpack and organise some dinner for us. And almost immediately, I was inundated with love. Callum wanted to make sure I had returned home safely. My Autistic Superstar, Alex, rang to check I was okay. Michael was my shadow and Chop the cat, Stella the dog and Red the parrot supplied me with much comic relief.  Paula, our housemate and pet sitter extraordinaire, brought in my washing, held me close and let me know how much I was loved by her. She calls us Ma and Pa and she has become, most definitely, my adopted daughter. She is returning to the Big Smoke to care for her Mum for a while, but she has promised she will not be a stranger. 

As Monday evening moved to Tuesday morning, my distress eased to be be replaced by a warm sense of love and belonging. I am part of a fantastic tribe. I have my sons, my husband, our pets and our treasured friends. We have the East End Gallery, our fantastic home, the wonderful community of Heavenly Beverley and our continuing adventures.

I am not quite recovered from my ordeal as yet. But with belief and acceptance comes a full circle. How lucky am I.

 

 

 Callum...

 

 

 Bron with Imogen and that jigsaw...

 

 

Immy with new books... 

 

 

 Miss Violet Ella...

 

 

Bronwyn with Violet getting ready for bed...

 

 

A man and his cat...

 

 

Michael, with Stella and Chop...

 

 

A man and his dog...

 

 

A cat who thinks he's a dog...

 

 

Our resident feathered lunatic, Red!

Leonora At Our Crossroads...

We have always loved coming to Leonora. This was the place I first saw Mister Camel and his harem chomping contentedly by the edge of the highway, paying absolutely no attention to the passing traffic. The town I met first Margot and then Jim Epis, absolute local legends. The scene of my introduction to the neighbouring settlement of Gwalia (pronounced Gw-or-lia), which had been Leonora's rival neck-and-neck until the Sons of Gwalia mine closed in December 1963. The oasis of the caravan park with clean facilities and plenty of shade. The food van that ran in the open niche next to one of the pubs. This was the Leonora of my memories and affection.

We were so looking forward to returning to Leonora. And some aspects of the surroundings lived up to former expectations. Gwalia has remained a wondrous ghost town. The museum has been enhanced and expanded. Hoover House, the former mine manager's home, still echoes with a multitude of memorabilia. A cafe now operates within Hoover House, providing delicious sweet treats and light lunches. Mount Leonora, the local high point, affords fantastic views of the landscape. And Leonora is still a fossicker's playground, particularly for people like Michael and me.

But...the caravan park is riding the crest of former recommendations. Booking online and asking to be placed close to the amenities, we were not. The cleaning of the ablutions was substandard. I needed to show the young man tasked with this job the dirt and hair gathering in the corners of the shower recesses, inside and out.  He did try harder, but soap replacement was haphazard, the drains blocked up and litter was ever present. Such a pity. The manager had just come back from being unwell and gave the impression she really didn't wanted to be there. The tariff we paid did not secure the services we expected.

Leonora town centre appeared tired and neglected. The local cafe is looking for a buyer, so that Fiona, the owner, can move onto new projects. She is still passionate about the town, but she is spent after 12 years of 12 hour days. The supermarket was reasonable and well patronised, also with a cafe. 

The Visitors' Centre was being run enthusiastically by Kerry and Cheryl. This was by far the most positive establishment in Leonora and they were extremely proactive about the promotion of the town. The Gwalia Museum was also being run with enthusiasm and good humour. Unfortunately, the shire appeared to care little about the neglect of the Leonora Loop trails, even though they are heavily advertised in the tourism literature.

So, we left Leonora with somewhat heavy hearts. We had enjoyed fabulous times in Gwalia and in our newly discovered fossicking spots. Whether we will return or not in the future is questionable. As we are transitioning into old farts, we are expecting more bang for our buck in caravan parks, rather than less. We hardly travel in luxury, but we do believe having clean and dry floors to place our feet in shower cubicles is not asking the impossible. I had to ask multiple times about better hygiene in the bathrooms. I gave up my hope of the soap cannisters being refilled. For whatever reason, that was a bridge too far... 

We hope that Leonora pays heed to some constructive criticism and strives for improvement. We would like to come back for more fossicking, whilst appreciating the other attractions that both Leonora and Gwalia have to offer.

 

 

The restored headframe at Gwalia...

 

 

 

 

The Gwalia winder...

 

 

Hoover House, on the edge of the precipice...

 

 

Note the machinery and structure on a lower level...

 

 

 

 

Fossicking at sunset...

 

 

 

 

Fabulous find - my anti-Covid/5G/Donald Trump metal helmet...

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Jack's cottage...

 

 

The front of Jack's camp...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Mister Ludwig Leichardt caused a lot of fuss!

 

 

Gwalia from the water tank on Mount Leonora...

 

 

The Food Van Cafe's treasures -

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back at Hoover House - a rather impressive water tank...

 

 

the garden courtyard, where you might catch a glimpse of Michael...

 

 

The President's Room overlooking the mine...

 

 

The dining room...

 

 

The sitting room - 

 

 

And an unexpected guest in the garden.

The Slow Boat To China Heads On A Southern Trajectory

Nullagine was an absolute joy. The ablutions were new and clean, Mary the manager was efficient and cheerful and the atmosphere most relaxed. This tiny town is neat and clean with parks and a spot or two of history in a stunning location. The only disappointment was the river, which had been reduced to one small pool due to lack of rain. We also look forward to the blacktop extending all the way to Newman. That would be the icing on the cake.

We had the laziest of mornings, catching up on the washing of dust laden clothes. Armed with the local guide, we set off in search of Blue Spec Mine along the dreaded Skull Springs Road which headed east from Nullagine. The road was still pretty dreadful, but we were neither in a hurry nor were we towing Will. He had stayed safely behind at the caravan park.

After following a few random but ill-advised tracks, we stumbled across the entry to Blue Spec mine and drive into the site. Apparently named after a racehorse, Blue Spec was spread out over two areas, with the latter being decidedly modern. Some of my research stated Blue Spec had been abandoned in 1979; other information claimed the mine was worked until 1995. And still other documentation suggest the mine may be reopened again. Such is a common story throughout all of Western Australia, along with numerous drilling programmes testing for new finds. 

We spent a very satisfying few hours exploring the site. We also discovered the concrete foundations that delineated the accommodation blocks. All that was left was a most artistic dunny, on a decided lean, which reduced us into helpless giggles.

We farewelled Nullagine rather reluctantly, having not had time for other interesting historical spots. Once more, the road towards Newman was dusty and somewhat tiresome, though there were sections of bitumen before Roy Hill. When the bitumen commenced in earnest, we were too busy staring at the colossal scale of this mining juggernaut to notice the welcome change in road conditions. Roy Hill, along with Hope Downs, are two massive iron ore operations in the Pilbara. Their sizes are mind boggling. Michael. who had spent 12 years working with conveyors of all sizes, was blown away by the size of Roy Hill's conveyor system, which we drove under...

Newman is a town of complexities and contradictions. The Visitors Centre is one of the best I've ever seen. The East Pilbara Arts Centre is impressive. One shopping precinct is vibrant. The other is in desperate need of renovation. There are attractive parks and other community centres. There is also poverty and litter and vandalism. There are neat houses and gardens and others that appear to be neglected or abused. The Yurlu Caravan Park still strongly resembles the mining camp of its former life and needs softening with more grass and more trees. A repaint of the ablutions, camp kitchen and games room would also be a welcome improvement.

We moved onto Karalundi, a caravan park north of Meekatharra that is affiliated with an Adventist boarding school for indigenous students. Karalundi is a green oasis just off the Great Norther Highway. Its original school building actually was transported from Big Bell, a community close to Cue that was deserted after the gold ran out.

Then Sandstone, only for one night. This is a mistake we have made before and we won't be repeating this error again. Sandstone is another fabulous hamlet with history oozing out of its surroundings. From a hidden brewery site to the natural rock formation named London Bridge, the Post Office Cafe, the amazing night sky (incorporating the local Astrodome which will reopen in 2024) and the spotless Alice Atkinson Caravan Park, run by manager Margaret, who arrived from Melbourne to Sandstone eight years ago and never left, The National Hotel, as a country pub was not bad either - the rump special was tender and tasty.

And onto Leonora, in the Northern Goldfields. We chose to travel via the old Agnew Road, which had provided us with much pleasure a number of years ago. Not any longer. The old Lawlers Police precinct was missing half its roof, but had a state-of-the-art tourist panel. We couldn't see the permanent pool at Poison Creek and the Doyle's Well only had a fragment of its hotel's mud brick walls remaining, graffiti in the pool and the death of the surrounding bush, including a magnificent old Bougainvillea.  Were the mines drawing too much water? We have received no answers. Much of the road was reduced to one lane, which was a tad concerning, given the combined length of our car and caravan. There had been absolutely no warning on the various webpages that the Old Agnew Road was not fit for purpose.

We drove into Leonora with more than a few concerns...

 

 

 

Mary, Nullagine Caravan Park's splendid manger...

 

  

 

A open cut pit at Blue Spec...

 

  

 

The Blue Spec loo...

 

 

 Michael on the steps to the vanished Blue spec accommodation and loo...

 

 

South of Nullagine...

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Roy Hill -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newman Visitors Centre -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Karalundi -

 

 

 

 

 

And to Alice Atkinson Caravan Park, Sandstone - 

Sandstone Post Office Cafe -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And onto Leonora -

 

 

Wind turbines near the Agnew mine ...

 

 

 

 The information...

 

 

 

The state of the building...

The only happy creatures on the Old Agnew Road seemed to be the cattle!