With the CSR again open for business and a bunch of jobs to attend to after last year’s Audit Report, it was time to assemble another group of volunteers lead by Rod Durston (me) to take on the task of maintaining the facilities along the CSR up to Well 33. Accompanying me was Phil Harrington and Frank Martinelli from Track Care and Andre & Dot Hoareau from the Toyota Land Cruiser Club.
The tasks for this trip included repainting all the CSR related signs, clearing vegetation around wells and toilets for fire prevention, emptying toilets and general maintenance as set out in the 2022 Audit Report.
The group gathered at BP Muchea, except for Andre & Dot who we were to meet at North Pool. The first few nights of camping were typically freezing and the use of trackie dacks, coats and beanies was mandatory for sleeping.
After a delayed start from Wiluna due to fuel pumps not accepting credit cards and a phone call of encouragement from Peter Grundy, the Shire President, we meet A & D at North Pool as arranged. After we had discussions about job descriptions, we set off, only for me to lead the party along the wrong track to Well 1. Not too bad a start, as we got to the well in good time, but it was to prove fatal to one of Frank’s tyres a short time later with a large stake through the tread. We attempted to repair it but 6 plugs later and it still leaking it was decided to swap it over. They started to call me Graham after that and anyone who was at Narloo station a few years ago will know why.
The trip was to serve as a sight-seeing activity as well, as only Frank and I had travelled the CSR before, so we dutifully stopped at each well for photos for the album but also to update any information on the 2022 Audit Report as well.
Well 3 was the first major stop. We attempted to pump out the well as the water was very smelly but after 2 hours of pumping the water level only went down 1m and it was 5m deep! The pump did not perform as expected as the discharge is not very high. Possibly due to the length of hose or the small capacity of the pump but this needs to be addressed before the next trip if it’s to be used again. We removed a lot of vegetation, repaired the fencing and removed the whip pole that was laying on the ground due to termites.
We also meet up with Matt a Youtuber from Overland Travellers and we did a piece to camera on what Track Care does. They took a lot of footage of the guys working on the well and me emptying the loo (although I don’t think that will make it to the final cut). He and his crew also gave us a $250 donation. Great guys and gals!
Next major stop was at Well 6 to catch up with the Birriliburu Rangers, who were doing some burns and weed control, to discuss matters of concern on the CSR from their point of view. Two items came out of the discussions, the major one being unauthorised visits to sacred sites and the second, litter. Track Care can help with both through education and setting a proper example.
Because of the time it had taken to pump Well 3, we decided not to do any more pumping as the water from Well 5 onwards all tasted fine and was clean, so that was one job off the list. We did however clean the toilets and replaced the vinyl skirt at 6. Fortunately for us there are some pre dug holes out at the dump point making it a quick process to empty the cart and return it to its rightful place.
Well 9 was overgrown with weeds so it took quite a while to clear out and burn them to kill the Buffel seeds. The water is very good in this well but there is no cable to lower the bucket, so you need to BYO.
After long day on the track we made it to Well 12 which is a very picturesque place to camp and the well was all good with no weeds and good water. The next day we emptied the toilet before heading off again.
After arriving at Well 13 we had the misfortune to discover that Andre’s 200 series had a leak in the main fuel tank and required urgent repair. We estimated it was losing about 1L every 4 hours and we still had 600km and 5-6 days to get to Parnngurr. We used soap to block the leak, which was a split on the weld seam and then use Steel Weld to make it a bit more permanent. This seemed to work ok but there was still a drip and we needed to keep an eye on it.
We also meet with Exploring WA tour group of 9 cars and they warned of a 3m King Brown snake in Well 15 they saw that morning. Yikes. So it was with great trepidation that we approached 15 to do our tasks only to find the snake had gone. I don’t know what’s worst, seeing the snake or not seeing it.
We checked on the fuel leak only to find the Steel Weld had fallen off. Bugger. Andre is a resourceful guy and found some sheet metal in the bush which was fashioned into a right-angle brace which he then used straps to hold this over the newly replaced steel weld patch. This seemed to do the trick and it held for the rest of the trip.
The next stop was Derba Springs to find that the shredded tyre we discovered from last year’s audit and was supposed to be replace by the KJ Rangers, was still shredded, so we couldn’t empty the toilet. Fortunately it wasn’t that full and we continued our work of weed clearing instead.
Onwards to service Well 18 and continuing to paint the signs along the way, we then took a detour to Onegunyah Rockhole to make camp. This is a very nice place with plenty of open space and a small escarpment to climb to look over the country out to Lake Disappointment and the McFadden range. We had rain over night but not too much and this would help with the sand dune climbs and dust suppression so was a welcome occurrence
I spoke too soon. The rain didn’t stop and had settled in for most of the day, making our sightseeing and work at the wells a little more unpleasant. It rained some more, and then a bit more and more and kept on going as we made it into Georgia Bore late in the afternoon to meet up with Kevin Hogg and his bother Bob doing a N-S trip. With them, he picked up some other travellers, Mike and Michelle, who had a Starlink, so we could check on the weather. Not good. A thick cloud band heading straight over the top of us. It rained all night soaking everything including the inside of my swag. We waited out the next day and after checking my fry pan in the afternoon, I measured about 25mm for the day. Add that to the same amount overnight, we had a serious amount of rainfall.
There was still work to be done at the bore and so rain or not, we got those done. This included a rubber mat around the bore casing to stop animals falling down, which had happened last year. I was rather proud of this simple solution, but we’ll see how long it lasts.
More overnight showers put paid to our quest to reach Well 33 and it was decided to abandon the trip as the Talawana track is a good exit point to fuel, Newman and the way home. Fortune has it about 45mins after leaving camp and near Parnngurr the skies were clear blue and you would have no clue as to the amount of rain that fell.
On the way out, we left Phil to explore Karlamilyi Park by himself and Andre & Dot in Newman to get repairs to their fuel tank. Frank and I made from Newman to Perth the next day to end what was a productive and eventful trip. Thanks to my fellow travellers for a great time with lots done. Next year’s trip should be from N-S to finished what we left off.
Below is an interview with Matt from Overland Travellers I did at Well 3. The next video is the full Overland Travellers episode and the last clip is a rundown on the tasks we undertook on the trip.