A total of 17 cars, with 1 more TCWA member to join us at Kulin and 5 cars from the Mitsubishi club to join us at Jilakin Rock late afternoon. The purpose of this trip is to examine future collaborative projects involving TCWA and the Mitsubishi Club WA, specifically the restoration of historic rock tanks in the Lake King region, which will require a range of skills.
Day 1 Sunday, Depart Caltex Karragullen. A bit of a slow start as Someone (?) left his key in the ignition and turned on. Result, One flat battery…
K1 and I decided to split our convey in two, to alleviate traffic congestion. Heading East and our first stop the Old Brookton Railway station.
Onto Gorge Rock, past Corrigin. Stopping for Lunch.
Google map satellite view of Gorge Rock below, you can see the water trapped in the Gorge, by a man made wall
George Rock aerial view of dam
A walk through the sheoaks
Flying Fox for the adventerous
George Rock dam
Next stop Kondinin
With a small stop opposite the Memorial Garden and Town Hall
Yeerakine Rock. View from the top. Interestingly, J.S. Roe walked through here on his 1848 excursion and past our rock tank a few weeks later.
Steel sculpture of a horse and rider. Flag poles, used for the ANZAC dawn service.
Tank Mural, telling the story of a young man away at war, writing back to his family.
We left Yeerakine Rock Via Young Road, and headed to Kulin.
Stopping at “Butlers Garage”
We were met with a full contingent of museum staff blokes who proudly showed us around and started up the old “Hit n Miss” engine.
We then headed out along the “Tin Horse Highway”. The girls first.
Then all of us, bar the Mitsi mob.
We camped our first night at Jilakin Rock Camp Hart. Jilakin Rock City as it’s known, hosts the annual Kulin Bush Races.
Next morning we awoke to a very light mist of rain coming from the east across Jilakin Lake.
We headed east on the Kulin- Holt Rock Road. Turning north onto Lake Grace-Karlgarin Rd. K1 and I did a quick reccy to see if we could get through the bush to see this…
A crashed “Ag Wagon” crop sprayer. The pilot suffered a major engine failure. He managed to pancake the plane in some heavy timber. He then walked to the nearest road where a local found him and took him to Lake Grace Hospital. Some months after recovering, he returned to the crash site and removed the engine. The rest is still in situ.
Onwards to Karlgarin, with a quick drive though. Mural on the Famous Country Club wall.
Next stop is Hyden at Katter Kitch Gallery & Tours. Run by Michael Ward
Recent Mural painted at Hyden, depicting wave rock and changes in agriculture machinery.
We now headed south towards Lake King, or at least the K2 group did. K1 headed east towards Norseman, but was soon catching us up.
We popped into the Strother family farm, and did a drive past the “Holt Rock Hoedown” shed.
Heading south again, we stopped at Varley. Where I explained the story behind the “Chicken Ranch”.
Back in the day, most farmers came to town (Lake Varley back then) twice a week to fetch stores and parts. The shop also had a liquor licence, and street drinking was common.
The police from Ravensthorpe would occasionally visit and would frown upon such behaviour. The shop owner at the time (Little Murray) didn’t want to lose business, so he encouraged the men to drink their fill at the side of the shop on his private property. This was behind the cyclone (chainwire) fencing around the boundary. Thus the “boys” looked like “Chooks” fenced in. Hence Chicken Ranch.
This is Varley’s take on the “Silo Art” run through the wheatbelt.
Heading south we passed by the “Stuck Truck”. A story later that evening about Dooley.
Google map satellite view of the stuck truck (circled). This place was a granite quarry back in the 1970’s. The blue metal was used to bituminise the new road from LK to Hyden, through Varley and Holt Rock. It had a large ramp for out loading, or seconds, I’m not sure, but that’s what the truck is now parked on.
At Lake King TCWA got to show one of our upcoming projects being the circa 130-year-old “Hatters Hill Gold Stamp Battery” Cam shaft, with Cams, and Bull Wheel (Driven). In the foreground.
Next, onto the LK “Bush Engineers Museum”. This is a collection of homemade mid 1970’s 4WD Tractors, built in the district. They were made from multiple parts to suit.
Onto the “Hole in the Wall” Nightclub. Again, I explained some of its history, and why it became the “local”. Similar story to Varley, but earlier. The Shop had a Gallon Licence and men bought beer and street drank after picking up parts and stores twice a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Coppers from Ravensthorpe, under pressure from others in the community, had to crack down on this illegal behaviour. The Sergeant at the time, noticed on some old maps, that the Good Shed across the road was on Commonwealth land where the police had NO jurisdiction on such area. And so, we moved.
The name “Hole in the Wall” came about by the fact that some of the wall boards occasionally fell off, (due to lack of maintenance). About this same era, there was a theatre in Perth (Leederville) called “The Hole in the Wall”. This was apparently popular with many from 1968 to 1984. Another story I heard was this same theatre had some major renovations done, to enlarge the seating area, so a wall had to be knocked down. The workmen fell behind, but the show had to go on (as they say), and so the story was that patrons had to move through the partially knocked down wall to use all the seating, hence the name “Hole in the Wall”.
Onto Mt Madden Rock and dam site, for our 2nd night of the trip.
Google map view of the Dam at Mt Madden.
Day 3 Tuesday 11th March. Up early to get an early start. Its warming up a bit, so best to make the most of the cool morning.
Today we are going to see two “Rock Tanks” and explore some of Hatters Hill.
We headed of up north about 50km to what I have proposed naming “Rhodes Tank”.. The word “Tank” is the correct nomenclature when referring to a water reservoir or storage. A (farm) dam as we know it was called a tank back in the day.
The fence today is called The State Barrier Fence. (SBF) It no longer halts rabbits. But serves as a barrier to dogs and emus.
Quoting Bunty King (dec) a “Dogger”. Dogs (Dingoes) would not jump over the fence but would go through damaged parts or attempt to dig under. This was where they set a trap, laced with strychnine. As the dog would always go back through the fence at the same spot.
Rhodes Tank.. Named after this bloke William (Dusty) Rhodes.
Picture below, is of dusty with his “Lizzy”at the Hatters Hill Shed, (you can just see the stamps in the background). He and others like him, would have used to water from these Tanks to survive whilst mining gold at Hatters Hill.
William (Dusty) Rhodes
This Rhodes Tank had a large fenced area around the water. This was used for the camels to graze, as no poison grew on the rock area. This place also had a Hut and yards for the Boundary Riders.
The original steel post below, has a twist near the bottom, and all the steel posts used in construction of the RPF and around water was imported from Spain.
At “Penny’s Tank” Restored 2022. Named by Phil Bianchi.
Phil Bianchi (centre) OAM Perth historian, gave us a history lesson on the Number 1 RPF.
This is a Type 5b Flask style covered Gnamma.
Cover meaning flat rocks used to stop animals from getting stuck in.
Professor B.V. Timms (Royal Historical Society). Undertook a large study of Gnamma’s right through the WA wheatbelt. (not these though). And he made note that flask style Gnamma’s are very rare. You can download and read the full study on my private Facebook site called East of the Number 1 RPF. Search and ask to join. There is also plenty more information.
Heading to Hatters Hill, via Mt Gibbs (Comet Rocks)
Map of Hatters Hill below. (named by F.H. Hann 1901) Once called Mt Purchas. Gold was recorded here in 1901, and possibly fossicked much earlier.
The North end was the original Mt Purchas, whilst the south end was mined in the 1930’s.
Our attempt to reach the Old Battery site failed, as the scrub and fallen timber were just too great.
We lost one Mitsi in the ruts made from winters past. Bellied out, no damage done.
We did find the remains of Weston’s Stone Humpy.
Weston Humpy 1932.
Weston Humpy again in 1979.
We lunched late, and I decided to head back to Mt Madden as my maps weren’t working, and only relying on memory. As it turns out we were not far from the Hatters Hill bench mark and Cairn.
Top circle, the HH. Middle circle lunch park. RH circle is Westons Humpy.
Mt Gibbs, with the moon over.
Top of Mt Madden Cairn. In recognition to J.S. Roe and party Oct 29th 1848.
That night a few lightning flashes
Day 4 Wednesday 12th March.
Away early again this morning, dropping into the Old Mt Madden Goods Shed.
Across the road, Steven Tilbrook (dec) had put on display a Pederick BIG 6 Root Rake (mallee root). The factory for Pederick was at Wagin. The Brothers Pederick (surname) built many machines in the day.
I explained the workings of these machines, and the fact that I (and most others) pulled them in Tandem. (two hooked together).
These machines cleared most of what is known as the light land from the mid 1960’s to about the mid 1980’s.
Next headed south to the South Coast Hwy, and turned west to the Kukenarup Memorial.
We met up with Andy Chapman. Pres of the Ravy (Ravensthorpe) Historical Society and deeply involved with the Fitzgerald River NP.
He gave us a quick rundown of the area. This place was the scene of a Massacre by the Dunn Bros, after the spearing death of John Dunn.
Next, we headed to Ravensthorpe past the Silo Art in town
We wound our way through the streets to the Ravy Museum.
Andy Chapman opened the museum and we got a special tour with him narrating.
After lunch at the Old Train station, we headed for Hopetoun. After parking up at various points in Hopey, we all met up at the Port Hotel, for a cooling ale or two.
White Pointer 5.181mt. Caught in a net 1949.
Day 5 Thursday 13th March
Starting from the Groyne. We explored Dunns Cottage. Dunns cottage was a shearing shed, where sheep were shorn after being driven south from Cocanarup station. The wool was packed and floated out to a sailing ship using a small barge type vessel.
Then onto the Fitzgerald River NP
Again, Andy Chapman came and did a talk overlooking Culham Inlet with East Mt Barren behind us.
Some of the scenery further west into the National Park.
Then it’s time to tackle the Hamersly Dunes.
Up on the dunes, with one tyre deflating quickly. No, I wasn’t looking for shade. (Get the jack under quick!)
I tried to find a way to the east end of Hamersley beach, which has a beautiful rocky enclave.
Alas, I couldn’t find an easy way for the 16 vehicles in tow. In fact there was even rumours that one of Toyota’s finest, an LC 300, becoming bogged.
There ensured a discussion between the two Tojo owners, that if in the awful event that Both Tojo’s should succumb to the sand, then both vehicles would be set alight, rather than suffer the ignominy and embarrassment of being rescued by another manufacture of 4WD. Nothing to see here.
We get a botany lesson to boot from the Boss.
Our last night together at the Wave Crest Bar and Bistro
That night, It rained..
See you again soon Hopetoun! You were wonderful.
To wrap up quickly, we struck it very lucky with the Weather Gods. We managed to get 5 of the best days in March for our travel. We also had very large contingent, that a lot of people wondered if it was ever possible to manage, but we did magnificently so! Everyone smiled, then took on each day with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure.
I want to thank each and every one of the group for being polite, fun, and attentive. It was your good heartedness and ability to fit in with others, that made our trip Epic!!
Kevin Penny (K2)