Heavenly Beverley : 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.