I headed North on a prospecting trip from Kalgoorlie to the Pilbra leaving the cold winter months behind and looking forward to the winter weather that those living above the tropic of Capricorn enjoy so much. Nights of 15-20 degrees and clear sunny days of 25-30 with very little wind is just perfect. I arrived at Marble Bar a week prior to the races to find some gold and help pay for the trip, it was quite different country from the southern goldfields but I still managed to find gold close by town on leases held by the the town for prospectors travelling through the region. The service station which is also the general store, the grocery store and the...
The first event on the Western Australian run was a rodeo and camp draft at Halls Creek. This small town is situated 380 k's south of Kununurra on the Great Northern Highway, real Kimberley country and a pretty staunch mob reside out this way and they have to be, it's a long way from anywhere so are somewhat isolated, they just get on with life the way they know best. We were given a warm welcome on arrival and told that if we needed assistance in any way then just give them a call. That's how it happens in the outback. Down south they don't even say hello, instead its, you can't park there, tie your dog up and make sure...
] It was time to hit the road again leaving the cold dusty Brunette racetrack behind and looking forward to the park like show grounds of Alice Springs. It was a 680 k drive and I was travelling with Steve Arney from Circle B so we didn't rush off and planned to camp at the old Barrow Creek race course, get a fire going and have a few quiet beers then enjoy an easy mornings drive into Alice next day. This was a very pleasant change from the last five days on the Barkly. With the Alice show a week and a half away I had plenty of time to catch up much needed repairs and maintenance to the truck and gooseneck. Firstly I...
The 102 year old tradition of a race meeting held on the vast open plains of the Barkly at Brunette Downs has just occurred.Arriving there on a fine sunny warm day without a breath of wind had me wondering if the winter Barkly weather had changed. These perfect conditions didn't last long and as we opened for business on day one the dust was being whipped up by a bitterly cold wind blowing at its best, it starts just on sunrise and blows everything inside out until five in the evening, then eases off for the night. Regardless, a good crowd rolled up to enjoy the four action packed days of racing, rodeo, camp-drafting, the bar and the battle of the Barkly and...
Having finished the shows along the Great Dividing Range and moved further west I feel more relaxed knowing there will be few hills of any consequence until I return via Qld, NT and WA to Stanthorpe next January. Back out on the Western Plains not only the landscape changes but more noticeable the people, they seem to be more relaxed sorts of characters and regardless of being townsfolk or from stations they are keen to have a yarn and tell their story. Betty Bunyan is one of those people. I met Betty last year and again this year at the Dirranbandi show/rodeo and camp draft. She lives at the Ridge but the Dirran show is one event she rarely misses and...
