1st Day on the road

Well with the commodore packed and two kiddies strapped in, we said goodbye to the old girl and set off on our trip across Australia. Me and the kiddies were on a high as we traveled up over the Darling Rangers, and started the long drive towards Balladonia Roadhouse where we were hoping to stop for the first night.




The first stop was as the sun was starting to rise and we stopped for a photo on top off the water pipeline which runs from Mundaring 500kms to Kalgoorlie . This pipe was layed a while back in about 1903 which for that time was a real beaut effort, by the blokes who did the hard yacka to build the friggin' thing. Then back in the car for the drive to Southern Cross, but on the way we had to stop when we saw a friggin' big pub!




That's right a ETTAMOGAH PUB Mate! It's located in the sleepie little bush town of Cunderdin, which is just up the road from Northam. At this time of the morning the Pub was shut so we had to take just an outside photo, then it was back inside the commodore and set off up the road.











The next rest stop was at Merredin, which is a real beaut bush town that is about 285 km's from Perth. Here the kiddies got a photo in front of the old train water tower, and got a chance to stretch their legs in the park.







After a chip feed at Southern Cross we headed to Coolgardie where we stopped at a park, called Ben Prior's Open air Museum and is located on the Bayley street which is the main street. The little nevilles loved the old farming stuff, and had a real beaut time.


















Real beaut hay!












Coolgardie









Then we drove down the road to we arrived at Norseman, where the kiddies had a chance to look at the some real ridgie-didgie Corrugated Camels. The town is known for having the richest quartz reef in Australia, and is a beaut place to go fossicking for Gems in the river bed's around the town.








Here are the kiddies on the back of the horse himself 'Norseman' which the town is named after, legend has it that one dark night the horse stumbling over a large gold nugget in a river bed, so starting a real beaut gold rush that started the town up.















After filling the commodore with the cheapest fuel ($1.66) that I was going to get before reaching Ceduna in South Australia, we headed for the starting place for the world renown NULLARBOR HIGHWAY. When you look at a sign and think Balladonia 189kms away, well that's okay no 'worries mate' but when you look at a sign and see Eucla 710 kms away.... well that's a different story hay.














One of the roadtrains on the Nullabor.




So after a friggin' long days driving about 984 kms we had made it to our first night's rest stop, the Balladonia Roadhouse which is reknown for one major reason. A fair bit back NASA lost a space station (SKYLAB) which fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the never never..... well okay just out the back off Balladonia, where a single old fella was sitting back enjoying the piece and quiet of the sunset when a fireball came smashing down near him. I can imagine him saying 'Stone the flamin' crows'!





So with the Car set up for the night's sleepout it was time for a shower and a real beaut feed, nothing like an egg n' bacon roll with hot chips washed down with a cool beer to settle ya down after a 984km drive mate.












So that was our first day on the road and the commodore went real beaut (fingers crossed as you don't want to brake down out here mate, or you would be in more strife then a box of worms on a fishing trip!) and I reckon sleeping in the back of a car isn't as bad as it seam's..... yeah right!