Rawlinna Campground to Cocklebiddy CP.
Left this morning about 8:45 after a busy ‘phaffing day’ yesterday.
We turned onto the Trans Access Road and followed beside the rail line for about 45kms on a good wide road with a few wet patches here and there. A lot more Roos around this morning Red and grey in colour. Some buff looking cattle.
We got passed by a 90 container/ carriage train who tooted each of us as he passed. Steve clocked him at 95km. As the engine got to me the last cart passed Mary and Phil and Stef was in the middle too. We guesstimate it was just over 1km long.
We turned right at The Haig intersection which would’ve once been railway siding and there was a landing strip beside it well maintained – turns out is used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Then a right hand turn onto a different track. It became rocky and dirt again so it was a slow trip picking through the rocks with the occasional flat track dirt. We are crossing the Nullabor plain and it’s pretty much treeless.
There were very few points of interest on this track through a sheep station. We came across a perfectly good big Yamaha Téneré 700 motorbike all set for outback travel and just left standing by the track. The story was later revealed when we met a local Station owner from the other side of the Railway line on the track today. The rider had slipped in a wet spot, put his leg down to balance the bike and evidently hit a rock and ran over his leg and broke it. He was carrying an EPIRB. Kalgoorlie Police came to Cocklebiddy and some other emergency service people drove out to him. His bike was left and he was eventually transported by road to Perth. The accident happened yesterday sometime and he still hadn’t been operated on when we arrived in Cocklebiddy about 5pm. The station owner we met on the tack
was going to pick up the bike and take it to his place where it’s to be collected. Poor bloke – can’t imagine how much pain he would be in. In the middle of nowhere. He was almost hypothermic by the time they reached him last night sometime. (We could have easily come across him had we not decided to have the extra day in Rawlinna – would have been challenging as we couldn’t have been much help and would probably stayed with him. Perhaps we could have bundled him gently into the Tvan and locked him in for a slow drive south. It’s a real “if only” moment.
We had our lunch at benchmark MDU 56. The only point of interest on the map for today. There was nothing there other than a clearer patch of dirt.
The Station owner coming home from a Police and Firies meeting in Cocklebiddy and Steve had a chat – as I went past he told me the pub was open – LOL!!!
Today’s drive we were driving through Moonera sheep station and there were 12 gates we went through, 11 of which had to be opened and closed – thanks to Steve in the lead and Phil as passenger in the tail end Charlie car for respectively opening and closing all the gates.
We passed through another time zone change – Central Western Time which is 45 minutes ahead of Perth and is often referred to as “Eucla Time”. We lost 45 minutes and our phones changed.
We eventually passed through the last gate – stopped to scrape some of the mud which we had all collected then turned right onto the Eyre Highway blacktop and traffic!
Shortly after we landed in Cocklebiddy.
Pulled in at the Roadhouse/Wedgetail Inn and Caravan Park. I filled up again and we booked in for the night. Time for a shower (a magnificent shower it was too) and got a load of washing on before tea at the Inn – their fryer was broken so the menu was limited and it all closed at 8:00pm. A cuppa and biccie back at Phil and Mary’s van while we chased our washing.
It felt lovely to be clean and to get some washing done, dried and packed away.
We have travelled 876.2 km on Connie Sue Highway plus!between Warburton to Cocklebiddy.
Travel adventures with Nicola & co. 