Wednesday 13th July 2011
Norseman to Kalgoorlie, 189km then Menzies and Lake Ballard 180km
We both woke at an obscene hour this morning (somewhere
around 3am), but managed to stay under the covers until about 5:30.
We had breakfast, showered and got everything packed up
ready to go by 6:30am. The sun was up enough for travel by 6:40am and we were
gone.
Our first stop was Kambalda West and the Golf Course for
Hole 16 of the Nullarbor Links 130km up the road. 8:00am at the golf course and
I was confronted by a sand/diesel tee and the same sort of “green”. Interesting
challenge first thing in the morning!! It’s a Par 4, 392m of gravelly sand! On
the “Green” in 3, and then the sand green got me for another 3, (yes Phil,
motor boat strikes again)
We arrived at the caravan park in Kalgoorlie at 9am and were
lucky enough to be let in early. We got the van all bedded down and were on the
road again by 10am. First stop the Visitors Centre, to book the last 2 holes of
golf and get some information about Kalgoorlie, like Super Pit Blast times,
etc.
After we were all sorted we got back in the car and headed
out for Lake Ballard via Menzies, some 180km NW of Kalgoorlie to see the Inside
Australia sculpture display by Antony Gormley. The road out to the Lake from
Menzies was a very good dirt road, we managed to average around 90kph along it,
only slowing for the odd mud patch at creek crossings.
The display is a series of 51 laser cut sculptures of people
(taken of the silhouettes of local Menzies residents) set in a vast salt lake, Lake Ballard, way
out in the middle of the outback. The sculptures were amazing, very eerie, standing
out in the middle of the lake, alone yet somehow together. They reminded me of
alien life forms, stranded in the middle of nowhere, their feet stuck in the mud
of the lake and almost beckoning for help. I know Deb got a very spiritual feel
from them, especially the female statues. It is amazing how such a composition
can evoke some many different feelings in people.
To get to some of the sculptures was a real struggle. The
lake had just a bit of water in it, just enough for the salt crust to disappear
and a thin very sticky mud layer to take its place. At times we had a couple of
kgs of mud on our shoes, it was all we could do just to remain upright, rather
than face first in thick brown mud!!
We weren’t alone out there, besides us and the 51
sculptures, there were about another 10 people, which is amazing considering
they are literally some 180km from the nearest “Civilised” town, Kalgoorlie. While we were out there we took in the view
over the lake from Snake Lookout, a further 3km west from the lake. It was
amazing to see such a large salt lake way out here.
We got back to the caravan park around 5pm, had a short
rest, cleaned the mud off our shoes and were out for dinner at the Palace Hotel
at 6pm. The meal was amazing, soo tasty. If you’re ever in town we highly
recommend it. The serves were large, miners meals I would say.
Tomorrow is now a free day, we had organised to have our windscreen
replaced, but apparently there aren’t any windscreens like ours in WA and it
would take 5 days to get 1 in from the “East”. So now we have plenty of time
for exploring Kalgoorlie, and for me to finish my round of golf. (I can’t
believe it will have taken me 6 days and over 1300km of travel to complete a
single round of golf!)
As I sip on my port, it’s time to say good night all. 🙂
(Hi this is Deb, just wanted to say how much I loved Lake
Ballard, one of the most sensory things I have ever experienced and seen, much
better than MOMA so good to be out in the middle of nowhere viewing art more or
less on your own – I will remember it forever.
Mmmm and the duck last night sitting on the balcony of an
old pub – best I have ever had)
