Western Desert Meanderings 2007

This trip report covers a trip that visits much of the Gibson Desert and surrounding areas, which was undertaken in 2007.

The first section I was by myself and left Perth for Newman on Saturday 9th June 2007. I camped near Paynes Find and got a donga at Capricorn Roadhouse before arriving Newman to do some last minute purchases on Monday morning. Then I went north east along Marble Bar Road and east along Balfour Downs / Jigalong Road which was in good condition. The track east was good with a few sandy patches until Talawana Creek. From Len Beadell’s plaque the road gets corrugated but there are nice views of the sandridges. I took the 28km short cut road into Rudall River National Park and camped near Tjingkulatjatjarra Pool.




























I headed east on the track that runs parallel to the river. There is very good views here of the surrounding detached hills and breakaways. After the track leaves the river is becomes a little used spinifex track and I followed it all the way into Cotton Creek where I purchased some diesel for $2.65/l. As I was heading once again to the Talawana I noticed 3 or 4 Aboriginal Smokes in the distance. These were visible for some way to the east. The Talawana east of this area is very corrugated. I camped at Well 24 on the CSR.

I headed east again. Where the track leaves the CSR is deteriorates and is overgrown in some sections. Drove to the centre of the Connolly Basin Crater, and Windy Corner on the Gary Highway. In this area I would keep an eye out for Carnegies "Stony Banks", his 5 September 1896 camp and pointer to Patience Well which I hadn't found by the time I camped about 20kms north of the corner.




























After looking at some breakaways a kilometer or two north of the Patience Oil Well Track I visited the Oil Well which was decommissioned. From here to the south now I would be travelling "Off Track". To the immediate south and beyond I performed several unsuccessful traverses, on the lookout for any signs that would indicate the position of Patience Well before camping. I spent most of the next day looking as well before giving up.

I then proceeded to head south east as I wanted to claim the Degree Confluence of 24S 126E which I arrived at the next day. Then I visited and camped at Nipper Pinnacle. This was a rather isolated feature that I had been eyeing off on the maps for some years now. There was no signs of anyone ever being there, certainly no vehicle tracks (except mine) though there was a grinding stone in the spinifex some hundreds of meters away which I only noticed by accident. I left a message with my details and reason for being there in a sealed plastic container and put it amongst a pile of rocks I had brought to the summit of the pinnacle for just that reason. Nipper Pinnacle is a three tiered granite outcrop which is at the southern end of an unnamed breakaway range of which I fully encircled. There where animal tracks around but I could find no water.















I determined to make it back to the Gary Highway before sunset. I would have made it too, had I not coat-hangered the ute on a small sandridge just west of some unnamed hills halfway to the highway. This was a time I wished I had diff locks but had the ute jacked up on two sides and free after about 45 minutes of swearing and cursing. I arrived at McDougall Knoll 15 minutes after sunset.















In the morning I thought I would give it another shot at finding the Stoney Banks whilst I was on this side of the Patience search area. These I found at long last, and was pretty happy at the time too. Without going into much detail the finding of these banks significantly reduces the size of the Patience Well search area. I would have to search another time though, as I headed south to cut the Eagle Highway and camped at the intersection.

The Eagle Highway had no signs of recent tracks. Some sections were completely overgrown and it would be easier to drive adjacent to the track. I saw 5 bush turkeys in this 66km rarely travelled section. At the next intersection I had to spend some time clearing vegetation from around the ute. I headed south and visited Ngarinarri Claypan and Karrinarri Rockhole where I spoke to Willem on the phone after finding one of his cards there. South now, still down the Eagle, where there were camels, emus and cats seen along the way. I camped on the Gunbarrel highway.

















Now into Wiluna where I stayed Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights. My brother will fly in on Monday morning to join me. I might add I stayed out of town at Gunbarrel Laager Travelers Rest as advertised on Exploroz and I found Gill's and Mal's hospitality wonderful. Breakfast too!! Spent the spare time doing minor chores on the ute, restocking etc.















I wanted to visit the Carnarvon Ranges to the north so on Friday I started up the Canning Stock Route and camped at Well 4B. That night Donkeys Stampeded about 60 metres from camp and the noise was louder than the Melbourne Richmond Afl game on the radio. In the morning I went as far as Pierre Spring (Well 6) before heading west on the track to the Cararvons. The Carnarvon Range is very beautiful and has been unspoilt. I went down every track leading in. I went to Goodcamp Rockhole. There are two unnamed ranges north of the Carnarvon Ranges and I headed towards them on a track. The first 500 metres is very rocky. I visited Talbot Rockhole which he visited in 1908 and has the inscription on the rock face to prove it. Virgin Springs, where spring water leaks out of the mountain and runs down the smooth faces was a treat. I climbed this mountain and got good views of Mount Methwin and Mount Salvado and Lake Kerrylyn.




























Next day along the Neds Creek Station track to Johnson Cairn then into Wiluna.

Monday I picked up my brother at the Airport and headed east where we camped at Carnegie Station. Next day we arrived at Everard Junction and headed up the Gary Highway and camped about 15kms north of the Young Range near a big tree. Then onto McPhersons Pillar. The goal from here would be to try and attempt to get to the Alfred and Marie Range perhaps via Lake Blair. The first two hours was hard scrub but we made it to Lake Blair to camp. The lake had water but was far from full.




























From Lake Blair we headed east to investigate some outcrops in the distance. Then an old track was crossed which I followed to a rockhole. This rockhole was a depression in the surrounding rock surface and had some water in it. There were birds everywhere. In the distance I noticed what at first glance was a white anthill. Upon investigation a white rock, such as one from a river many kilometres away was protruding upwards maybe one and a half feet high.


















At its base was Mulga branches within which there were 4 to 5 rain making boards surrounding the base of the monolith. These looked antique and would have taken many hours to carve to such detail. I also found a small stick weapon and a ceromonial stick discarded nearby. In this region we came across another two waterholes, all special by their singular locations but only the first had artefacts that were found.















We approached the Alfred and Marie Range from the north hoping to drive south parallel to the eastern side of the range. Once again the bush was very thick and it was slow going. We went a fair way out east of the range to avoid the thick scrub before coming in to camp in a small almost textbook, valley on a creek near the highest point of the range. I explored the area on foot but I could find no water. I looked to the east to where Ernest Giles had first seen the range and the view was most desolate.




























The next day our goal changed. We were heading towards Mount Cox when we crossed a track heading north south that had been graded maybe 3 years ago. We thought we would see if it would keep going to the Gunbarrel Highway and thus give us more time to look for Warri Well north of the Young Range. This track went as far as a lake east of Lake Gruszka when it ended. There was a solar powered water supply there which I think a mining company may have left. Now we looked for a track to the south but the tracks went from the lake east of Lake Gruszka eastward which I thought may have been an extension of the cleared line to the west on some maps. We camped on the shotline on an easting which was further east than our camp in the Valley last night.

Next day we eventually got out of our entanglement of old lines, bush etc and came out a few kilometers west of Mount Beadell on the Gunbarrel Highway. There was significant wildlife at the lake east of Lake Gruszka. We camped on the Gary Highway that night at the Young Range ready to try and find Warri Well the next day.

We went in first to the Warri Well on the map and found nothing. Then had a look at Mount Colin and the other hills at the end of the range before going on a bearing of 318 (with 4 degree variance epoch 1896) for a few miles to try and find the well. We did not find it, and camped on the spinifex flat.




























The next day, after one final pass of the search area we headed back to the Gary, Gunbarrel, and made our way to Windich Rockhole, just off the David Carnegie road. The rockhole was maybe 60 percent full. We camped another 20km down the road. The next day we made it to Empress Spring where we both went down to the third chamber to the water. It’s pretty cramped in there and I drew blood twice on my head from the sharp adjacent rocks. Then we went out to the Great Central Road and stayed at the motel in Laverton. The Explorers Hall of Fame was a nice surprise.

The trip concluded by way of Menzies, Pigeon Rocks, Windarling Mine and Kellerberrin before arriving back in Perth mid afternoon.

10 punctures were had all in the off track sections.

Total kilometres driven was 6793 including 483km offtrack.

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