Our Trip

Day Seventeen

Part Two 

Okay, so here is the rest of day seventeen. 

Last post, we ended up at the official

sign for the end of the Canning. 

A sad time, but also an exciting time

as we didn't know what lay ahead on the 

trip back home. 

Our first stop was the town of Wiluna.

"There was a time, back in the 1930s, when Wiluna was a thriving mining town with a population of around 9,000 people. Today it has a single function: it serves the 4WD enthusiasts who drive through on their way north on the Canning Stock Route or east across the Gunbarrel Highway.
Wiluna is located at the southern end of the Canning Stock Route and the western end of the Gunbarrel Highway.Wiluna is located 1,127 km north-east of Perth via Kalgoorlie and 1,047 km via Mount Magnet and Sandstone. It is 183 km east of Meekatharra and 518 m above sea level." (taken from www.aussietowns.com.au)

We arrived in Wiluna at around lunch time.

We were all ready for some fatty take away food

and a nice cold, fizzy, sugary drink! 

But first, to get fuel. 

First things first. 

We fuelled up and finally paid

a half decent price for fuel

(after the recent exorbitant prices we had paid)

We took a quick look around the little store

that was an 'everything' store. I love these

little outback stores, they're like all your

services rolled into one. 

And after being in the desert for a while,

you don't mind paying the crazy prices

for a few treats. 

Our next stop, of course,

was the local take away and fast

food outlet. Yes, we bought fish and chips

and happily ate them, sitting of the verandah 

watching the locals come and go. 

The local dogs were very happy to get 

some of our scraps, and once again, 

we caught up with our old mate of the Canning

chase game. They were headed on the Gunbarrel Hwy 

while we were taking a different route. 

But, on a sour note, one of the dogs

was overly protective of a pram belonging

to its owner and when our friend went to 

throw something in the bin close by the dog, 

it decided to bite her and caused a nasty puncture

and bruising. This meant we needed to find a clinic

to get it seen to in case of infection. 

What an end to a great 17 days. 

In the end, our friends told us to go on

ahead to the next town to organize a place 

to stay and they would chase up some 

medical attention. They were able to get

things fixed up and catch up with us later 

that evening. 

Before leaving Wiluna,

we went and had a look at a monument

to some indigenous Australians from days gone by.

Previous to our trip, I had read a book 

called "Last of the Nomads", by W.J.Peasley.

This is a true story of Warri and Yatungka, 

the last of the Mandildjara people of the Western Gibson Desert

region of Western Australia. 

I was very excited to learn that there was

a monument in Wiluna as I had really enjoyed

the book as it told so much about the region 

we had just passed through and the hardships 

these people faced through severe drought. 

Well, we were finally on the bitumen

again, after a long absence

and it felt quite strange.

We travelled through some more 

beautiful country, but this time minus the 

rattles of the old girl and the continual 

bumping from the corrugates. 

We were in mining country now

and the great mounds of multi-coloured rock

and soil were everywhere to prove it. 

After travelling for about an hour, 

we got our 2nd flat tyre for the trip.

Once again, it was on a good road. 

But this meant that we were really going

to need some spares for the trip ahead as we'd soon

be back on the dirt and crossing into the Northern Territory. 

Tyre changed and we were on our way. 

We saw various mines as we travelled on

towards Leonora. We even got to see a huge

dump truck tipping its load.

The sun was beginning to go down 

over the horizon, so we hurried on to 

try and make it to town before nightfall.

Finally, around 5pm,

we arrived in the adorable little town

of Leonora. We were able to find a caravan park

and set up camp and await the arrival of our friends. 

We set up in semi-darkness and were content

to go to the local roadhouse to buy some

delicious burgers for tea. It was getting very

cold once more and we were all very ready for

a nice hot shower and a warm bed.

Tomorrow, we would set about to find

some more tyres for our old girl, buy supplies

and have a quick look around. 

To be continued...………….