Christmas / New Year 2010 - 2011

Adelaide to Perth was the holiday I was going on with my sister. We left her place in Adelaide on 27th December 2010 and headed out north on the Port Wakefield Road. All was quiet and it was a good run up to Port Augusta. Here we stopped for an early lunch and the last fast food until Perth.
We set off and were quickly surrounded by police cars and police motorbikes – and the members of the Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle gang. For a few moments I wondered what was going on, then realised that it was the police “escorting” the gang out of South Australia. For the next hour or so until we reached Kimba (a rest stop with good toilet facilities and pleasant shops) motorcycles and unmarked police cars (bristling with aerials) were a constant sight.
After this it was a quiet run into Ceduna, where we booked into the motel and then explored a little of the town. It had changed a little since Fran had been there in 2004 so we saw a new hotel frontage, new facilities on the foreshore and a redesigned main street. I refilled the car with fuel (the last Shell Express before Perth that I will see) and then went back to the motel and we retired for the night.
The next morning saw us leave early because we had 1200 kilometres until our accommodation for the night at Norseman. There was little of note along the way until – we saw a caravan pulled over to the side of the road (at 259-260 km from the border) with the driver out on the road waving us down. I pulled up and went out to find out what had happened and saw coolant all over the roadside and still dripping from the engine. The unfortunate driver had done in the water pump in his Nissan and required roadside assistance. I got all his details and then we were off to Nullarbor. Here I found a payphone and rang the 1300 number for NRMA premium Assist. I eventually got onto Sydney (after half an hour), explained the situation and was then put through to Adelaide. The RAC agent had no idea of where the breakdown was and certainly didn’t know there was no mobile phone contact out there. Finally everything was worked out so I wrote the details on the back of my card and asked a family going the other way to drop it off to him (so he would realise that help was on its way, even if it didn’t arrive when scheduled). Delayed, but still with plenty of time because of the two and a half hour time we were about to gain, we went on and stopped at Border Village for our quarantine check. All was well so we were on our way within a few minutes. Again, police vehicles were plentiful, waiting presumably for the Gypsy Jokers and not us, and we then continued on until Mundrabilla. Here I stopped to top up with petrol and have a toilet break. We went upon until another break at Caiguna, but we did have nibbles, snacks and some prepared food with us. After Caiguna it was a good and relatively peaceful run into Norseman. We got the key to the cabin at the caravan park we were staying to, had some tea at the roadhouse and then went back for an early (in clock time) and late (in body time) bedtime.
The next morning saw us up fairly early and on our way sooner than expected – no hot water, so very quick shower. I left a note on the key tag when Fran dropped it off at the office. A stop for comfort and petrol at Coolgardie (French girl behind the counter) and then it was a good trip into Perth. I had an marked police car from before The Lakes until just before Mundaring following me, but cruise control kept me legal. As we were arriving in the break between Christmas and new year, there was little traffic in the metropolitan area so we arrived at Madeley quickly and dropped in to see our aunt. After a conversation and an hello to the other residents I knew, we left to call in where I was staying and then to drop Fran off where she was staying. After quick unpacking, we were all out for a pleasant evening meal at Sizzlers in Beldon. After that, for me at least, it was into bed and off to sleep. I had twenty-six and a half hours driving over, so a break was welcome.
Over the next five days we established a routine where I was out at 8:30, got the paper, picked Fran up and then we visited our aunt. With older friends I believe in the “often but short” visits. So we were there each morning for about an hour to an hour and a half. After that we visited some friends: of our aunt, of our parents and of mine. We visited people in Beldon, Mt Claremont, Bull Creek, Bateman, Dianella, Kingsley and Duncraig.
On the last morning, while with our aunt, I received a call from the person we had assisted along the Eyre Highway. He had been picked up and his vehicle and caravan taken back to Nundroo. The wait for the part was less than expected and the mechanic fitted it immediately, even though it was out of working hours. He had then travelled uneventfully to Perth and was settled into a caravan park.
On Tuesday 4th, we departed Perth and headed south. We had a look around Augusta and then went to see a friend just outside the town. Here we were greeted and stayed overnight in the “cottage”, a beautifully restored period cottage but now with mod cons. We were also entertained by peacocks.
We reluctantly left there the next morning and headed cross-country towards Narrogin. All along the way there was heavy, almost torrential, rain. Although it made driving difficult at times, it cleaned all the bugs off the front of DOUG. Narrogin is the centre of farming in this area, had figured prominently in our parents’ lives and was now where some friends were. We booked in to the Albert Facey Motel (author of “A Fortunate Life”) and I tried to catch up with someone I knew, but she was out. Then, after a look around town, we called into visit some friends who had made contact with people who knew of our parents’ farming life (before their marriage). Our initial plans were changed because the lady we expected to meet was now suffering from Alzheimer’s and had moved to Kondinin. However we were given the contact detail of another person. When I rang him, I found I had already met him in 1970. Then it had been brief, but now it was far more important. We arranged to meet on a farm road about 8:30 in the morning. We went back to the motel, had some tea and then had another early night. [For those wondering, as we were only away a total of thirteen days, I tried as closely as possible to keep to the same time as I would have in Melbourne – hence what seemed like inordinately early rising and retiring times.]
On Thursday morning we were up early and left around 7. I had a map of the area and so met up with Bill on the roadside at the entrance to a farm. It wasn’t as I remembered, down the side of a rise rather than over the top. Once we had met and introduced ourselves, we drove in and quickly found where my father’s stable had been. The last time I saw them in 1970, they still had the roof he thatched, but now there was only a number of vertical supports still standing. Of his humpy, which had five uprights visible in 1970, there was no trace. The clearing which had been around was now full of low scrub and a few trees, grown from dirt and seeds washed down in the floods about thirty years ago. For me it was a disappointment. Then we went onto another property, where we saw the remains of dad’s Reo Speedwagon truck [note to music aficionados – it is Reo, not R E O]. It had a six cylinder overhead valve engine, very advanced for the day. He got it very cheaply from another family, when it failed to take a wife to hospital for an emergency. In fact it had only run out of petrol, but the sons who were supposed to “dip and check” the petrol hadn’t done so and weren’t willing to admit it. So dad got a faulty truck cheap and repaired it simply by filling it with petrol. After that we went to Bill’s place and met his wife, Jan. The next two hours was chatting about early life in Kulin and possible contacts to get further information about mum, dad, and our grandfather. We departed and headed into Kulin township along the Tin Horse Highway, had a quick look around and then drove north to Merredin and along the Great Eastern Highway. I stopped in Bodallin to fill with petrol (good price, and I like to support local businesses where possible) and get a snack, then we were off to Coolgardie. As we were going to arrive in Norseman late, we had to notify the caravan park, but didn’t have the number. I called in at the Coolgardie Council Office to get the number and found out that the Information Centre has maps of Coolgardie at the time our aunt was born there (1905). I topped up with petrol at the Eagle servo, and this time it was an Estonian girl on the till! It was a good run down to Norseman, marred by seeing a burned-out car and caravan by the side of the road. After settling in and having tea in the pub, it was off to bed for the second-last night.
Friday morning saw us rise very early; we had 1200 kilometres to drive and we were going to lose two and a half hours along the way.
After a good quick start, we had showers and then heavy rain along the road. We stopped at Caiguna and stepped around the puddles and then again at Mundrabilla. Dry here as I topped up with fuel. Then there was more rain after we entered South Australia. A brief pause at Nullarbor and we were into the home stretch. We arrived late in Ceduna, quickly passed through quarantine, refuelled and booked into the motel for some rest.
We slept in a little and left Ceduna before 9. Then it was a little more rain, a pause at Kimba and a stop at Port Augusta for a late lunch. Petrol was cheap there, so I filled up. After a clear run, we arrived at Fran’s place at 5:30 after thirty-eight hours driving on the return journey.
Christmas / New Year holidays were over.