A life on the edge - where gold is found in "nothing"
We land in Melbourne early in the evening. After due questioning, we convince the immigration authorities that we come in peace and are good people. Plus - and not least - we will probably go home to Denmark again.
They let us enter the country again, and we are happy about that – otherwise it was a bit challenging, now that the car is in Melbourne waiting for us.
The car has got a few small dents in one of the front doors while it has been in storage. But it all works out now. We will unpack our things and get the car ready for travel. Now we are going west – to Western Australia.
We find the Eyre Highway which connects South Australia with Western Australia. With 1664 km, it is not only long – but also quite desolate. It's just the nose in the track and out on the road.
It runs along The Great Australian Bight, the very edge of the Australian continent.
The edge is quite dramatic, it is a vertical drop of 50-60 meters. In season, you can stand on the edge and scout for whales that are going either to or from Antarctica.
Part of the area down here is called the Nullarbor Plain. It is completely desolate outback and as the name suggests there are no trees here. It is completely flat and only some small bushes here and there. Lack of fresh water means that we don't see any animals at all. There are a few birds, but that's it. It is actually quite fascinating to drive in. We spend four days crossing the Nullarbor.
There are Roadhouses along the way, where we can sleep in the "backyard". Lack of fresh water is evident. Max 1 liter of water per person and it is absolutely forbidden to fill a 5 liter can with water. If you do, you will be kicked out. A shower must take MAX 5 min. It's almost easier to get a Coke than water here. It is completely new for us to drive this far – in such a desolate area. We enjoy every second – even if it is long.
The Eyre Highway also has the longest straight stretch in Australia at 146.6 km, without a single bend. However, we thought that there have been many such stretches along the Eyre Highway, but they have probably only been 146 km without bends. The wasteland is really big.
On our last leg of the long trip into Western Australia, we see an LR Defender 130 pulling up on the opposite side of the road, with its hazard lights on. This is not where you want to go to the beach - far away from everything.
We stop and ask if our help is needed. There sits a young guy, probably in his early 20s. Yes, my gearbox is broken, he says. It's a rather unfortunate situation, so we offer to take him back to a Roadhouse 20 km from us.
He wants that. His father is on his way with a car trailer, but will not arrive until 4 days from now. Poor guy. We have him hauled the 20 km over to a Roadhouse and installed in the camping area. He is really nice and has a good mood despite the situation. At one point during the towing, he calls us over the radio "Did we just run over a snake?" he asks. But we can reassure ourselves that it was just a piece of car tyre. We say goodbye and continue towards the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie.
Kalgoorlie is known for having one of Australia's largest open pit gold mines. It's called The Super Pit. It is possible to stand up on the edge and look out over the area and see the big machines at work. Up here, they look like little Lego cars, but the hole is 3.5 km long, 1.5 km wide and 360m deep. The size ratio is deceiving.
Super Pitten also produces 28 tonnes of gold per year, so large quantities are handled.
We visit the Kalgoorlie tourist mine. Here we can see the case. Both a loader and a dump truck are on display. Although they are extremely large, the new types used in the Super Pit are even larger. It's a little wild to imagine.
An old tram is used as a sightseeing bus in the city. We will buy a trip with it. We pass a small museum with stones and minerals - see the old town hall and a collection of effects from the past on their gallop track. It's a good mix that jumps around the themes. The trip also goes to a woodworking craftsman and of course also to The Super Pit. A pleasant afternoon with the tram.
