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- ROUTE OF ROAD TRIP FROM BALLADONIA ROADHOUSE TO PEAK CHARLES VIA OLD COACH ROAD.
Yadadinia Rockhole
I decided to ‘cut the corner’ to get to the Old Coach Road via Yadadina Rockhole, rather than just return 12 kilometres south along the Balladonia Track . The decision was the start of a long and tedious drive that should have taken no more than 20 minutes but in actuality took nearly two hours.
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- Winding through burnt out country to get around fallen trees.
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- At the beginning of the Yadadinia Rockhole track we had to make many diversions around fallen trees.
As a result of the devastating fire of 2020 that caused the Eyre Highway to be closed for 12 days many trees had fallen across the track, necessitating numerous diversions. Nothing if not different.
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- Yadadinia Rockhole
Old Coach Road/Telegraph Track
After Yadadinia we turned west onto the old Coach Road/Telegraph Track. Today it still serves a vital function as the corridor for the Optus Fibre Optic Cable that connects Western Australia with the eastern states.
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- Optus Fibre Optic Cable Marker
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- Optus Fibre Optic Cable Marker Information
The 195 kilometre (Coolgardie Esperance Highway to Eyre Highway) dirt road is in reasonable condition, if a little dusty at the eastern end.
Abandoned Dundas, 21 kilometres south of Norseman, has a rich mining history that is well explained by a series of information plaques.
We pushed on south-west along the Coolgardie Esperance Highway for 33 kilometres and turned onto the Peak Charles Road.
After one false start (and a staked tyre on Jo and Andrew’s Prado) we made our way into Moir Rock and Tank for the night.
Moir Tank
This is a great campsite. Little visited, numerous sites and a good view of Peak Charles from the top of the Rock.
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- Campfire at Moir Rock.
The next morning we drove to the top of Moir Rock. One can see Peak Charles 35 kilometres to the south-west.
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- Peak Charles can be seen in the distance. It is about 35 kilometres away.
Moir Tank was an important water source during the goldrush years.
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- Graham climbs the ladder to check the amount of water in the Tank.
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- This pipe carries water from the harvest walls to the storage tank.
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- The source of the water inflow is higher than the side of the tank.
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- DUNDAS TO PEAK CHARLES
Peak Charles
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- Peak Charles
The weather was more friendly for climbing than what we had at Mount Ragged.
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- Mushroom Rock is part way up Peak Charles. It is an interesting example of halocasty.
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- View from Mushroom Rock.
Scott, Greg and Pete climbed to within 30 metres of the peak. The last stretch requires more specialised gear and, in its absence, the risk was considered unacceptable.
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- Scott nearing the top of Peak Charles.
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- Scott near the peak of Peak Charles.
On the way back from Mushroom Rock I came across some Processionary Caterpillars. Said to be dangerous. Their needle like hairs are sharp and brittle. They can easily penetrate and break off in human skin and contain an irritating protein that produces a highly allergic response in most people.
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- A caterpillar procession.
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- The procession came unwound.
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- Still trying to unwind the procession.
We departed Peak Charles through Annes Pass and along Dunn Track (actually an old shotline) to search for the ‘difficult to spot’ Lake Sharpe Track.
© Kim Epton 2021-2024
592 words, 17 photographs, three images.
Photographs
Kim Epton
Lone Neilsen
Graham Howe
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