Travel the Great Western Woodlands with Geoff Lewis

A Walk in the WOODS

Undoubtedly, Western Australia has the greatest diversity of ecosystems than any other part of Australia. The Great Western Woodlands, which is found in the southwest region, is the largest Mediterranean climate woodland in the world, covering some 40,000,000 acres. The woodlands survive on less than 300mm of rainfall per year and are home to over 3,500 plant species, 215 bird species, 138 reptile species and 49 species of mammals. How can such a large ecosystem survive on so little water? And how did the early pioneers travel and survive in this part of the world? These questions were the inspiration for this adventure.

So with sufficient provisions for a week and the Series 2 Land Rover’s oil and fuel topped up, I ventured deep into the woodlands down the corrugated Victoria Rock Road (so named after Queen Victoria). My destination was the granite dome of Cave Hill Nature Reserve. Turning off the gravel road and onto a wellformed track, I slowed the speed of the Land Rover considerably to negotiate the violent corrugations up ahead. Due to the slow nature of the journey, Cave Hill would not be reached today. Fortunately, there is always a tomorrow. Stretching and looking forward to a quiet evening by the campfire, I gazed up at the sky, which had now turned from light blue to black. I then cast my eyes to the horizon where a large column of rain could be seen, criss-crossed with flashes of fork lightning. So much for checking the weather! It was phenomena such as this that the early drovers looked out for, as they guided their herds to places with fresh water and plenty of feed.

Waking late the next morning after a rough night due to the storm, I decided to spend the day around camp. I was thankful I had packed my canvas tarpaulin; it had saved me and most of my camp from being flooded by the rain. I ran through my checks on the Land Rover, as the steering had felt a bit sloppy and I had attributed this to possibly being a loose wheel bearing on the front axle. However, on closer inspection, I found that the bolts holding the swivel hub housing were very loose, and by rocking the front lefthand hub I could see the entire swivel hub assembly move. This definitely was not great! Fortunately I always carry a well-prepared toolkit – within half an hour the bolts were all tightened up again and the Landy was good as new. The next day with the camp packed up and the Land Rover ready for another stage of the adventure, I set off down the track towards my next stop. Cave Hill is one of the most prominent landmarks in the Great Western Woodlands. It is one of many large granite domes, which due to their hard resistive nature, have stood up to the effects of weathering over billions of years, while the surrounding rock above and around them has weathered away leaving them the most elevated outcrops in the area. The granite plays another important role; the smooth uneven surface acts as a catchment area in times of rain, and the cracks and crevices channel this water into small and large rock holes, providing water practically all year round.

Landy troubles front hub.

Cave at Cave Hill.

Cave Hill from the air.

Door tops off provides natural air con.

After climbing to the summit of the dome and checking out the cave, it was time to continue down the track to a place called Sunday Soak. The track follows the remnants of what is known as a woodline. This formed part of an extensive narrowgauge railway network that was used to deliver wood to Kalgoorlie to be used in the mines for ground supports and to provide fuel for the steam-fired boilers to run the gold mines. The Series 2 bumped down the track at 15 to 20 mph and the tyres brushed against the leaves to the sides of the track. There were very few signs that anyone had travelled down the track recently, with no corrugations to be found. With the door tops off and the day warming up, it was great to sit back and listen to the monotone purr of the 2.25-litre petrol engine as I entered deeper and deeper into the Great Western Woodlands. The drive to Sunday Soak soon turned into even more of an adventure, as there were signs of the aftermath of a thunderstorm that had passed through a few days previously – trees had been blown over the track, some of which were too large to move by hand, and this left me with no choice other than to allow the Land Rover to forge its own track around the obstacles. The storm had obviously been accompanied by heavy rain, and there were large sections

Track ahead to Sunday Soak.

Forging our own tracks.

of the track covered in deep bodies of water and mud. This provided me with a challenge, however it was not an issue for the Series 2. Crawling through the deepest of the water crossings yet encountered on the trip, the Series 2 entered the ruins of the settlement of Sunday Soak. Similar to Cave Hill, Sunday Soak is a granite outcrop that in the past had provided sufficient water for a small settlement to flourish. It is also very close to the railway that connected Kalgoorlie to the township of Norseman at the start of the Nullarbor, which further links Western Australia with the rest of the country. These soaks and granite outcrops provided milestones and hubs for wouldbe prospectors travelling from Norseman to Kalgoorlie or vice versa with soaks and granite outcrops being given names such as ‘10 Mile’ and ‘20 Mile’, indicating the distance away from the township of Norseman. Except for these soaks, there is very little water to be found elsewhere in the area.

Sunday Soak. Settlement ruins at Sunday Soak.

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Lake Cowan near Widgiemootha.

After filling up the canvas water bag and washing the dust from the track off my face, it was time to make the final leg to the last important site on this trip. Other key features in this landscape are the salt lakes and one of the largest in the region is Lake Cowan. Many regard salt lakes as being somewhat of a wasteland, however they do serve an important purpose. All the run-off of water during the storms of the summer months, which are caused by monsoons from southeast Asia, drains off from the elevated areas such as Sunday Soak and slowly makes its way down to the low-lying areas of the salt lakes. The salt lakes themselves mark the remnants of river systems that once ran out to sea thousands of years ago, though with less rain nowadays there are no longer sufficient water sources to create flowing rivers. Therefore, the diminished amounts of water that do reach the salt lakes evaporate over the hotter, dryer months and a small salt residue is all that remains. However, beneath the salt there is life to be found in the form of a salt shrimp. The eggs of this little shrimp lay dormant during dryer times, often up to several years. Once the mud in the lakes moistens, the shrimp eggs hatch and the shrimps make their way to the surface to where the salt lake is partly or fully covered with water. The shrimps play an important role in the ecosystem and attract many migratory birds. As these salt lakes act as a basin there are also riches and wealth to be found beneath the salt, as over thousands of years fine particles of gold have drained into these lakes and many people have found some interesting colours and nuggets beneath the salt. After scouting the shores of Lake Cowan and sadly not finding my fortune, and with the sun setting low on the horizon, it was time to make the trip back home. This trip was a fantastic adventure, and all my thoughts and questions were satisfactorily answered. I hope this article helps to prove that there is more to owning a Land Rover or a four-by-four; by venturing into the natural environment you will be amazed as to what you are able to discover.

Lake Cowan.

Scan QR code to view Geoff's video of this trip: Seriously Series: Land Rover off road adventure - Golden Quest Episode 4.