Heavenly Beverley : 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...