From Kalgoorlie to Nullagine

DESERT DASH

Kalgoorlie to Nullagine

BY LARS P WANG

One of the attractions of winter in the Goldfields and the Western Deserts is the dry weather.

We had planned a trip from Kalgoorlie to Nullagine travelling via the Sandy Blight Junction Road (SBJR). However, the Four-Wheel Drive Club of WA had also organised a trip starting in Kalgoorlie a few days before us and their Facebook posts told us about lots of rain and some very wet days. From Laverton, the first 50km of the Great Central Road were a race against the westerly wind and rain. We called in at Giles Breakaway and found that the accessible camp area had been much reduced in size by a line of big rocks blocking off the track along the top of the breakaway. The next day and 300km further east the sky cleared and the temperature rose to a pleasant 25°C. Happily driving towards Warburton, the dashboard suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. Most 4W drivers are aware that electric or computer faults can be troublesome in the outback. Mechanical faults we can deal with, but if the ECU plays up it can easily become the end of the trip. Having pulled over, I turned off the ignition and restarted the car. The same seven warning lights came back on so that didn’t help. I have previously noticed that the ECU in modern cars can have a memory which can be reset only if the cranking battery is briefly disconnected. That did the trick; now only the diesel particulate filter (DPF) warning light came on. Following the instructions in the manual, the DPF was cleaned ('burnt off') and we could carry on. Once in Warburton, a phone call to Toyota in Perth confirmed that occasionally multiple warning lights come on when the DPF warning light is activated. Unable to make it to Warakurna, we camped at the Yarla Kutjarra campsite. Only one other camper pulled up during the evening and we had a peaceful night. Firewood was of course sparse around this overnight site. Furthermore, most of the ground is rock or rock covered by a shallow layer of sand. This caused the ugly Australian to rear its head again and leave copious amounts of toilet paper in the bush. Fortunately, there is a toilet in the centre of the large camping area!

Warakurna visitors.

Warakurna Roadhouse had a good feel to it and with several public water taps available, we topped up on both drinking water and diesel. Hundreds of zebra finches had also decided to get a drink at the roadhouse. The Great Central Road around Warakurna is very pretty. It runs just south of Rawlinson Range and Schwerin Mural Crescent and in the distance, we saw the Gill Pinnacle so we knew we were close to the SBJR turnoff. There were no road signs indicating the name of the road, the communities along it or the distance to the next fuel stop at Kintore. The original Sandy Blight Junction Road started some 24km SE of Warakurna Roadhouse. The SBJR can be driven in one (long) day. It is 330km to Gary Junction Road from the start of SBJR. In his book Outback Highways, Len Beadell describes how he discovered the Bungabiddy Rockhole and how the Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party made an effort to construct the road near the little gorge. The

Bungabiddy Rockhole.

SBJR starts out as a well-defined, wide and graded road. However, the fun starts after the last turn-off to the Tjukurla aboriginal community. Following the recent rains, the washouts on the SBJR were massive and multiple detours had been created. The going was slow, but the road was indeed beautiful. We gave Sir Frederick Range a miss as we'd had enough challenges along the track already. Several Beadell markers made it even more interesting and towards the northern end of the road Mount Leisler becomes visible from 30km away. It is an impressive and majestic sight. Tietken’s tree is now somewhat underwhelming, but it is still fascinating that this part of Australia was unexplored when he passed through 133 years ago. Camping opportunities along the road are sparse. Bungabiddy Rockhole, Davenport Hills and the area near Tietken’s Tree under the imposing silhouette of Mt Leisler are the best options. We met only one other car on the SBJR. Many people have towed camper trailers along the SBJR, but with the current state of the road we were grateful that we had left the camper at home. Towing would have been possible, but it would have been tough on the trailer and possibly stressful for the driver. The SBJR finishes at the Gary Junction Road (GJR) just east of Kintore in the NT. Kiwikurra, on the other hand, is the most easterly community in WA on the GJR. This fact may explain why the road from Kintore to Kiwikurra was as rough as guts. NT hardly maintains the road west of Kintore to the border, and WA seems to do minimal maintenance and grading east of Kiwikurra. Anyway, once we were heading west from Kiwikurra the road improved. However, we did pick up a tek screw in the rear tyre when we fuelled up in the community. Fortunately, the tyre pressure monitor picked up the slow leak. After a change of tyre, we were very happy that we had brought two spares.

The long red sand dunes dotted by plenty of green spinifex made the run from Kiwikurra to Jupiter Well and beyond a spectacular part of the trip. Jupiter Well provides a large camping area and wonderful, clear water from the bore. We were observed by other campers who flew their drone over our camp several times. It was surprisingly unsettling and intrusive. Heading further west, we stopped at the Gary Junction and signed the visitors’ book in the box welded by Ron Moon onto one of Beadell’s fuel drums. We also photographed the beginning of the now abandoned Calawa Track. Gary Junction was quite a historic location. Then we crossed the Canning Stock Route shortly before arriving at Kunawarritji. Despite arriving on a Sunday, store and accommodation managers Jo and her partner opened the accommodation facility to us and we were able to shower, sit on chairs and sleep in beds. Such luxury! Kunawarritji is a small community and although we had the necessary permits for the lands we travelled, access into the

Jupiter Well. Gary Junction marker with plaque and visitors’ book.

Canning Stock Route, Well 33 residential area of the community was not permitted. It was peculiar and disturbing to realise that the restriction referred to non-indigenous visitors. We heard the bird (and camel) life around Well 33 was worth having a look at, so we motored out to see for ourselves and enjoy the sunset. The camp area around Well 33 is large and has one of the famous Track Care toilets. Track Care deserves much credit for the work they have done along the CSR despite the huge logistical challenges. The toilet facilities are greatly appreciated by many a traveller. The only travellers at Well 33 had camped right next to both the windmill and the tank so there was no hope of wildlife spotting, but it was otherwise a spectacular and peaceful place.

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After fuelling up on Monday morning, we headed further west. Stopping at the intersection of Wapet Road and Gary Junction Road by Lake Auld, we arrived at Punmu Community. Punmu was established in 1985 and provides the same services to the traveller as the other communities in the Western Desert (fuel, mobile phone signal and a store). Diesel fuel was available 24/7 from automated pumps at Kintore and Kiwikurra and within opening hours at Kunawarritji and Punmu. The longest distance between fuel stops is 411km from Punmu to Nullagine or 396km from Punmu to Marble Bar. We were keen to find a camp site in the afternoon, but once we had passed Lake Dora it turned out to be difficult. Having further passed the Telfer mine site and turn-off, we decided to press on to reach Carawine Gorge. And what a great choice it was. Although there were another 8-10 cars, the camping area is huge and we found a beautiful spot to ourselves. The gorge is on Warrawagine Station land. There were plenty of indications the camp area gets flooded most years. Trees and bushes are 're-located' by the water and many succumb in the process. This provides some firewood, but there was plenty of evidence of previous campers having cut down a large number of trees and large branches from most free-standing trees. The extent of chainsaw activity was staggering and the destruction must surely be unsustainable and unacceptable to the station managers.

Running Waters Waterhole on Skull Springs Road.

The following day was one of rest. We visited Running Waters near the eastern end of Skull Springs Road. It was a picturesque spot with clear turquoise water ideal for a swim. True to form there were several campers right on the water’s edge although getting the trailers there must have been a struggle. We knew that the trip was about to come to an end and we would be in Newman the next day. Driving the Skull Springs Road was slow, but scenic. Once we reached Nullagine, we were back in mining country. The area between Roy Hill and Newman is being mined with gusto. New roads and mine sites everywhere, huge bulldozers and trucks clearing the land and water pipelines large enough to make CY O’Connor blush. For the first time I accepted how the indigenous people may feel offended by what is happening to the land - it seems overwhelming. Back on the bitumen, we started to digest the impressions from the trip. It had been extremely scenic, probably more than expected and more scenic than previous drives in rural and remote WA. I believe Len Beadell was right; the Sandy Blight Junction Road really is the prettiest and most scenic of the 'bomb roads' built by the Gunbarrel Highway Construction Party 60 years ago.