Having experienced the southern goldfields, the northern goldfields region beckoned. It was logical to tag on Karara Rangelands NP to complete a circuit. The teething issues with La Bestia have been sorted so I was ready to venture deeper into remoteness complete with my new roo bar and driving lights.
Day 1 - 17/8/2021
Big day today travelling via Coolgardie to Rowles Lagoon Conservation Park. A wonderful campground on a semi permanent freshwater lake with well serviced long drop toilet facilities. It was a bit of a trial to find the campground as both the vehicle gps and google were sending me on a wild goose chase. As it happens I had left a day late from Perth as I was fitting my first pair of driving lights and they came in handy lighting up a hidden reflective sign.
Drove 625km
Day 2 - 18/8/2021
I intended to spend a few days here to test out the set up for static camping. The pushy came in handy for exploring and retrieving firewood. There was a pair of little eagles nearby so I had to be careful with my new drone. Unfortunately I hadn’t figured out how to carry a water craft yet so the lakeside location was squandered a bit.
Took a pedal down to the entrance at the south end of this lake then onward to the Credo Station Homestead. I also rode across to the northern adjacent lake afterward.
Rode total 26.5km including 49m total ascent
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| Campsite for a few days |
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| Park entry |
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| Lake to the north |
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| Pair of little eagles |
Ride deets
Day 3/4/5/6/7 - 19/8/2021 to 23/8/2021
Pottered about mostly. Drone flights when the conditions allowed. The first day here was far too windy. Campers came and went including the Chamberlain Tractor Touring Club! Sedate travel at 30kmh max. They have an entourage of support vehicles which included another 4x4 Sprinter. First one I’d seen since getting mine.
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| Over the campground |
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| More lakes in the distance |
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| Lake to the north |
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| The Chamberlain mob |
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| An earlier model 4x4 |
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| Main lake |
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| Great night |
Day 8 24/8/2021
Broke camp and set off for Menzies via the back way. Got hold of a frozen loaf of bread to bolster my supplies. Ended up lobbing at Niagara Dam near Kookynie. I arrived early enough to do a couple of short hikes around and about.
Drove 125km
Hiked total 4km including total 66m ascent
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| Menzies town hall |
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| Menzies pub |
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| Campsite |
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| Dam wall |
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| Aerial view of the dam |
Hiking deets
Day 9 25/8/2021
Longer hike today along the breakaway trail.
Hiked 7km including 140m ascent
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| Grey Falcon |
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| Natural bridge |
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| Literal breakaway |
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| Aerial view along the breakaway |
Hiking deets
Day 10 26/8/2021
Decamped today and headed off toward Sandstone, dropping into Malcolm Dam just east of Leonora after fuelling up. Also dropped into Leinster for a mini resupply. Set up camp adjacent to London Bridge rock formation near Sandstone.
Drove 370km
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| Malcolm Dam |
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| Dryish |
Day 11 - 27/8/2021
Wandered around London Bridge then drove to The Brewery, within the Sandstone Heritage Trail, to have a quick look before making my way to Cue, Big Bell townsite, then Walgahna Rock. I snuck La Bestia into an old grader camp site a short distance away after a wander across the rock.
Drove 290km
Hiked 3.3km including 108m ascent
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| The cellar |
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| Air shaft |
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| Top of the air shaft |
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| Art Deco Big Bell Pub |
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| Rock art |
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| The famous ‘tall ship’ depiction, 330km from the coast |
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| Summit |
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| Vegetation up top |
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| The outcrop in the distance. More later |
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| Improvised campsite |
Hiking deets
Day 12 - 28/8/2021
I had spotted another seemingly more interesting rock outcrop from yesterday’s climb so I returned early in the day to have a more detailed look using the drone. It appeared to be an opportunity for an off piste hike to add to my agenda.
Back to the van and headed to Dalgaranga Meteorite Crater. Small but significant enough. I had decided to head back and find a camp site closer to the ‘rock outcrop of interest’ so I headed north again. I located a handy grader cutting which got me well off the road and somewhat hidden by scrub.
I got kitted up, launched the drone to check the heading and set off. Some thickets were a bit of a struggle to push through with one in particular bringing me face to face with a huge bungarra. Yikes! Fortunately we went our separate ways and I continued on.
Launched the drone off the top of the outcrop for a few pics.
Drove 55km
Hiked total 11.8km including total 154m ascent
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| Early morning pic of the target destination |
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| View south from Walga Rock |
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| Dalgaranga |
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| Looking down |
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| Looking back up |
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| Monster Bungarra! |
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| Going up |
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| Walga Rock to the left |
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| The summit of the outcrop |
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| Looking one way |
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| Looking the other |
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| Mountain range in the distance |
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| A few plants about |
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| Steeper than it may seem |
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| Walga Rock from a distance |
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| Wildflower meadow |
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| White pom pom |
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| I am 137m from camp but can’t see it. Flat densely wooded areas can be a trap |
Hiking deets
Day 13 - 29/8/2021
Hung around my improvised site for a recuperation day. Came across a nest of wood swallow hatchlings. I wondered why I was being squawked at by the grown ups.
Day 14 - 30/8/2021
Back on the road again heading toward Karara Rangeland Park via Yalgoo, where I topped up with water (using an inline filter). Toddled out to Jokers Tunnel for a walk through then onward to set up camp just outside Bernerbinmah Gorge.
Drove 210km
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| At the entrance to Bernerbinmah Gorge track |
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| Beauty plus solitude |
Day 15 - 31/8/2021
Kitted up and headed up the gorge via the track and back via the rim. Drone was up.
Hiked 14.3km including 75m ascent
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| Across the creek bed |
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| A bit of water lower down |
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| A decent size beasty |
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| Ever changing surface |
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| Back to red dirt |
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| There’s a goat corral at the end of the gorge |
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| Boulder field at the end of the gorge |
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| Along the gorge |
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| Along the rim |
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| From the air |
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| The end/start |
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| Wildflower field |
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| A former settlement |
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| Snake trails |
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| Emu tracks |
Hiking deets
Day 16 - 1/9/2021
Woke up to a cold morning so I tested out the diesel heater. Nice! Set up for the night at Mongers Lake Campground after stopping off at a few points of interest.
Drove 64km
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| Stick insect hiding from the cold |
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| Good morning! |
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| Field’s Find mining tragedy cemetery |
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| Entrance to Mongers Lake campground |
Day 17 - 2/9/2021
Another short drive to my next campsite adjacent to Warriedar Hill. The climb beckoned. I spent the afternoon scoping out how to find my way to the base of the hill and finding some firewood. It was cooling off dramatically.
Drove 12km (not counting the snooping around trying to find a potential camp site)
Day 18 - 3/9/2021
Onward and upward today.
Hiked 6.1km including 265m ascent
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| The target |
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| A track of sorts |
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| Going up |
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| Looking back |
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| Looking out |
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| Along the ridge |
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| Summit cairn |
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| Mongers Lake |
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| Hills in the distance |
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| Drone’s up |
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| From the other end of the ridge |
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| Interesting breakaway formation |
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| Pretty grevillea |
Hiking deets
Day 19 - 4/9/2021
Social day today as fellow travellers stopped by for the day and night. I had first met them at Mt Augustus Tourist Park in 2019
Day 20 - 5/9/2021
Decided to climb the hill via a different direction which ended up a challenge due to having to scale a tricky rocky slope.
Hiked 7.1km including 230m ascent
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| Climb a different angle |
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| Along the breakaway I saw yesterday |
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| The rock field climb |
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| Reasonably steep |
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| Easy to twist an ankle in this stuff |
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| Native fruit, I know not what |
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| Amazing shape |
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| Blue pom poms for something different |
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| Looking back at the side of the ridge |
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| Thanks Warriedar and good night |
Hiking deets
Day 21 - 6/9/2021
Broke camp and headed to the regional centre of Morawa for resupply. Koolanooka Springs campground was the next target. Now I am in WA wildflower country with colourful blooms everywhere you look.
Drove 270km
Day 22 - 7/9/2021
Two hikes today. The first along the ridges and the second across the other side of the main road.
Hiked total 7km including total 143m ascent
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| Wildflower fields |
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| On the ridge |
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| Looking down on La Bestia |
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| Into the distance from the ridge |
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| Wood swallow |
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| Quite a few Orb Spiders about. Careful of the webs |
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| Looking across the creek bed |
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| Big hornet having a drink |
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| Budgie |
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| Corella |
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| The target on the other side of the road |
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| Looking back toward camp |
Hike deets
Day 23 - 8/9/2021
Upped stumps and headed along the Lochada Track to Damperwah Sate Farm and then to set up camp at John Forrest Lookout (long drop toilet). Not a lot of level sites here. Walked up to the lookout for a look see.
Drove 50km
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| A sea of flowers |
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| Different colours |
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| Ex homestead |
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| Signpost |
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| State Farm at Damperwah |
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| Cairn at John Forrest Lookout |
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| From the lookout |
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| Campsite at John Forrest |
Day 24 - 9/9/2021
Another short drive to the next campground at Camel Soak on the Rabbit Proof Fence Road. I was testing out all the campgrounds in the area for future reference.
Drove 21km
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| The artificial soak hole |
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| Top of the outcrop with natural gnamma holes |
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| Campsite |
Day 25 - 10/9/2021
Heading home today.
Drove 400km
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Another great trip covering locations unfamiliar to me and providing further variation of roads and tracks. The Karara Rangeland is worth a look and is not that far north of Perth. Wildflower season was a bit of a bonus. The drone provides differing perspectives and is useful to aid in navigation while hiking in dense scrub.
Drove 2600km
Hiked total 60.6km with total 1230m ascent
Rode 26.5km with 49m ascent
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| Karara Rangeland Park map |
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