From: Coclebiddy Road House
(WA)
To: Fraser Ranges Station (WA)
Via: Caiguna Blowhole and
Baladonia
Distance: 349km
High: Seeing a piece of the
Skylab (1979) in the Baladonia museum (is it real though?)
Low: Panicking Tom when a
kelpie puppy wanted to play with him. The puppy was told off but meant no harm L.
Quote of the day: From Simon “I love this spaghetti so much,
please cook this more often” when we had just spaghetti and ready made tomato
sauce with herbs out of a glass jar.
Animals: Wedge Tail Eagles (3),
Dead kangaroos (2), Kangaroos (13), Other birds of prey (2), Crows (17), Chooks
(38), Kelpie (1), Gala’s (5), Lorikeets (4)
Colours: Grey/green of the
bushes and trees, red/brown stones and earth, brown tree bark (real trees!),
deep blue sky, white clouds, warm yellow red lime stone of the homestead where
we stay, red granite, colourful little flowers.
Cars: average 21/hour
Weather: early morning frost,
morning average 7C clear, afternoon few clouds, 13C
90 Mile straight
Break in Balladonia
Uploading the blog....
On the road again
Fraser Ranges Sheep station, going for a hike
These are the shearing quarters where we stay
Old car on property
We look
forward to visit the Caiguna Blowhole after we leave Coclebiddy but we find
that we are spoiled by all the things we have already seen in the past days.
The blowhole is interesting in a way that it is a “breathing cave”, meaning
that the air moves in and out of the cave. You can actually see it happen. But
it looks as just a hole in the ground, and ever-one looses interest quickly.
Today we try
to drive to the Fraser Ranges as soon as possible so we can go for a hike. But
we need another stop first, in Balladonia Road House. Here they keep a part of
the crashed Skylab, back in 1979. Sceptic as we are we wonder if it is real,
although it is nicer to just believe it is. The little museum they have a
lovely and a nice alternative to the straight road and ever changing landscape
zooming past. Balladonia is not part of the Nullarbor anymore. And we now drive
through forests of a great variety of gum trees and sandal wood. Balladonia
Road House also has an excellent telephone signal so I can quickly update the
blog from the car.
Then we’re of
to the red granite hills of the Fraser Ranges where we will stay at a sheep
station. It is the most beautiful location for staying so far. We sleep in the
sheep shearers quarters. It is a very historic place in the middle of the
granite hills. We love this place of piece and quiet and dump our bags so we
can set off for a hike immediately.
The landscape
is totally different from what we have seen the last few days and it is like
quenching our thirst for a change of scenery. There is grass, there are trees
and many small and colourful flowers. In the distance we see kangaroos grazing
and eagles are high up in the sky. We walk to the summit of one of the hills, a
walk hat we picked for the children as climbing is what they love most.
Back down at
the homestead we find a well stocked and clean camp kitchen which gives us an
opportunity to change our diet of fish and chips (last 4 days….) with some
spaghetti that I still have in my grocery bag. We even get some fresh
vegetables from the kitchen, as I crave for some. We eat in the historic
kitchen at an old wooden table, the fire blazing in a little potbelly heater.
Outside it is getting very cold, but we feel cozy and warm and happy.
Just perfect.
