Lakewood Woodlines

Difficulty: Difficulty 4/5 Suitable for: 4WD 
Lakewood Woodlines The Lakewood woodline area is located south of Boulder and east of Norseman and has hundreds of kilometres of bush tracks. You will see the remains of old railway formations, lines of rotting sleepers and evidence of woodcutter's camps.
StartClick to Reverse the Dynamic Map and Driving NotesNorseman
FinishNorseman
Distance146.67 kmMinimum Days2
Average Speed38.96 km/hrDriving Time3 hrs 45 mins
Article By: Member - Phil Bianchi | Page Updated: 30 Apr 2009

In this TrekNote

Description
Camp Sites & Accommodation
Trek Feedback
Interactive Route Map
Environment
Related Travel Journals
Permits
History
Related Pages
Things to See & Do
Driving Directions
Related Shop Items
Preparation

Go to top Description

Almost as soon as you turn off the Eyre Highway you travel on a picturesque well formed track. You are transported to another world, no noise, no cars, no people, yet Norseman is less than 60 kilometres away.

On this trek you will see old rail formations, old mine shafts, remains of spur lines, old woodcutter's camps and much more. These remains have severely weathered since the days when the area was used to cut sandalwood to be exported and used for perfume, incense sticks and such like. Timber harvested was used to provide fuel for steam boilers, engines and other mining equipment. The wood lines concentrated on timber for the mines and up until the early 1940s were cutting some 300.000 to 400.000 tons per year in various areas around Kalgoorlie. In the early years 500,000 tons per year was exceeded on occasion. These woodline operations were huge, one employed around 500 people. Most of the operations shut down in the 1950s and 1960s as oil and coal took the place of wood. The use of timber mine props also diminished as steel and other methods of mining came on stream.

These old artefacts will take you back in time to what was once a unique and thriving industry. Despite almost clear felling of the bush 45 years ago, vigorous regrowth has amazingly almost fully regenerated the forest.

Go to top Interactive Route Map

Loading...
Loading
Selected Item is not in View - Zoom Out, Pan or Click to Show....
Places

Zoom & Scale Help

Point Control


Point Features











Symbols

Linear Features



Overlays


Place Name Search Help

Enter the place you are looking for.

Address Search Help

Enter the full or part address you are looking for.
Locate Address

Lat/Lon Search Help

Enter the Lat & Lon you wish to view.
Show Position

Route/Driving Directions Help

Enter an address in the 'from and to' then click 'Create Route'.
Create Route

Select Data Format

GPX GeoRSS OziExplorer
CSV
KML WKT
NOTE: All downloads are strictly for personal use, all download activity is recorded and limits may be imposed.
Your download is being generated, you will be promoted to Open or Save this file
Full Screen

Lakewood Woodlines Help

From: Norseman
To: Norseman

This trek supports moving map, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button.
Mouse Position:
Map Legend

Go to top Permits

Access permits are not required for the Lakewood Woodlines treknote.

Go to top Things to See & Do

Go to top Preparation

Best times for travel are the cooler autumn to spring months; however take care if heavy rain has fallen because of bogging risks. If you are unsure contact the Shire of Dundas on: (08) 9039 1205 or contact the Norseman tourist centre on: (08) 9039 1071 for information.

There are numerous tracks and rail formations in the area, they are unnamed and a lot of these are not shown on maps. A wise precaution is to get hold of some updated and detailed mud maps of the area or get hold of some digital maps of the region to use on a laptop. If you decide to get some digital maps of the region, you could load these into OziExplorer (which should be installed and running on your laptop) and load the plot file for this trek from ExplorOz. . Another precaution against getting lost is to use a GPS with the track back feature so you can reverse the track and follow it back out again if you do get lost.

Be well prepared with a GPS, HF radio or Satellite phone as you may not see another vehicle for days. We advise that you refer to the latest information and advice about outback communications in the

Puncture risk is fairly high so make sure you have adequate recovery gear and puncture repair kits. Ensure you have sufficient tyre plugs for tubeless tyres and spare tubes or if you have tubed tyres have patches. Note plugs are only a temporary fix - it is recommended that you have permanent repairs carried out by a tyre dealer. It is also strongly recommended to have two spares with tyres on rims and at least one spare tube to get you out of trouble, should you get more than your share of punctures. Travellers should read the for related articles and checklists for vehicle setup and driver awareness.

Towing of caravans into this area is not recommended at all. Camper trailers may get through in some areas, however tight and overgrown tracks will make life difficult and increase the risk of punctures.

Fuel Supplies & Usage

Fuel SymbolNorseman Diesel4cyl 21 litres ULP4cyl 24 litres LPG4cyl 29 litres
6cyl 22 litres6cyl 27 litres6cyl 26 litres
8cyl 22 litres8cyl 24 litres
Usage is averaged from TrekFuel (* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.

Best Time To Visit

Autumn and Spring are the best time to visit. Winter could be boggy and summer extremely hot.

Closest Climatic Station

Norseman
Distance from Trek Mid Point 0.08km SE
 JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean Max. °C 32.531.328.824.6 20.417.416.818.4 21.625.028.130.7
Mean Min. °C 15.815.914.511.6 8.56.35.15.4 7.39.712.314.1
Mean Rain mm 19.625.124.023.6 30.530.426.925.0 21.420.120.521.2
    Best time to travel      Ok time to travel      Travel NOT recommended

Services & Supplies

The following locations have various services and supplies: Norseman

Go to top Camp Sites & Accommodation

Norseman - WA
Populated Place Service Station,Roadhouse Caravan Park Airstrip Fuel Water Supply Toilet Pub Mine Food,Shopping Police Station Medical Services Resort,Motel Point of Interest
This gold mining town lies about 190km south of Kalgoorlie and is often regarded as the western gateway to the Nullarbor Plain. Norseman is at the junction of the Eyre Highway (the highway that heads

Go to top Environment

There are three main tracks leading off Eyre Highway that can be accessed in the area at the 42 kilometre mark east of Norseman. Turning off the highway there are scattered items such as groups of bottles, rusting tins and the remains of woodcutter’s camps.

The general terrain is reasonably flat and sandy, with belts of salmon and other gum trees, tea tree and scrub. Track speeds vary between 5 km to 35 km per hour with the average being around 10 km per hour. Sinclair Soak is a nice place to stop. It is set in an area of wet ground near flat rocks. The soak is a 300 metre walk from the track.

When heading towards the Buldania mining site, the landscape consists of hundreds of mine shafts; costeans, tunnels and trenches and there are also remnants of head frames, sluices, conveyers and loading facilities.

Go to top History

Without the woodlines only the richest Eastern Goldfields gold mines would have been viable. The woodlines were an industry that provided fire wood to fuel steam boilers and gas producers for engines, lighting, pumping and ore treatment.

By 1919, in the Eastern Goldfields alone, a total of 45,000,000 tons of fuel wood had been used and a staggering $278,709,820 of gold had been produced.

In 1938 the W.A. Goldfields Firewood Supply Ltd found it was uneconomic to cut firewood any further south of Cave Hill, so it moved all of its operations from Kurrawang, west of Kalgoorlie to Lakewood, south east of Boulder. The move consisted of shifting 80 houses, the company’s offices, sawmill, loco-workshops, a hall, store, bakehouse, butcher shop, school and 300 people by rail to Lakewood.

The Lakewood woodline ceased to be productive the further it was cutting from Kalgoorlie. The mines had over time moved to electricity and diesel fuel rather than firewood resulting in the Lakewood woodline ceasing operation in December 1964. At this stage it was cutting firewood south of the Eyre Highway, over 100 miles from Kalgoorlie.

Bargain Buys – Don’t Miss Out!
Save at least 30% on these never to be repeated specials on out last remaining stock of selected items.
www.exploroz.com/Shop/Bargain_Buys/Default.aspx
Shop at ExplorOz.com for quality customer service
We remember service how it used to be. Talk to someone who knows the products they sell and then get it delivered to your door with our fast and secure overnight courier service.
www.exploroz.com/Shop/Default.aspx
Find genuine buyers here
ExplorOz readers are genuine buyers. Don’t waste time with tyre-kickers and scammers. Place a listing in the Classifieds and sell your car, boat, caravan FAST. Flat rate, no commissions. No fuss.
www.exploroz.com/Classifieds/Default.aspx
 

Go to top Driving Directions

Time
Direction
Distance
Norseman to Coolgardie Esperance Hwy & Eyre Hwy 0.05 km N N/A
Coolgardie Esperance Hwy & Eyre Hwy to Eyre Hwy & Minor Track 27.8 km NE 64° 18 min
Eyre Hwy & Minor Track to Water Supply Reserve 0.57 km NE 51°
Water Supply Reserve to Eyre Hwy & Minor Track 16.02 km E 84° 12 min
Eyre Hwy & Minor Track to Old Rusted International Truck 33.77 km N 2 hr 8 min
Old Rusted International Truck to Sinclair Soak 0.81 km SW 224° 1 min
Sinclair Soak to Old International Truck 3.94 km SW 226° 14 min
Old International Truck to WS and 65 Painted on Rock 8.22 km S 201° 32 min
WS and 65 Painted on Rock to Old Drays 1.95 km SW 219° 8 min
Old Drays to Creek Crossing (Lake Cowan) 13.88 km SW 205° 39 min
Creek Crossing (Lake Cowan) to Buldania Mine Site 7.57 km SW 210° 21 min
Buldania Mine Site to Eyre Hwy & Minor Track 4.25 km S 194° 10 min
Eyre Hwy & Minor Track to Coolgardie Esperance Hwy & Eyre Hwy 27.8 km SW 244° 18 min
Coolgardie Esperance Hwy & Eyre Hwy to Norseman 0.05 km S 182° N/A
Norseman to Norseman 146.67 km     3 hr 45 min
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
Trek Search Trek Search
ExplorOz Trek Notes are detailed, factual reviews of destinations in Australia to which you can plan a self-drive camping trip. This page will enable you to access these trek notes, [Feature Story]
Holland Track Holland Track
From Broome Hill to Coolgardie, the Holland Track was originally built in the gold rush days as a shortcut to the Goldfields. Hardly ever visited for nearly 100 years,
Dunns Track Dunns Track
Dunn’s Track is a long forgotten route used by the early prospectors of the eastern goldfields of WA. The trek heads south to the abandoned town of Dundas,
Great Western Woodlands Great Western Woodlands
This route offers fascinating insights into the woodline operations that supplied fuel and pit infrastructure to the Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie and Norseman mining operations for the first half of the 20th
DEntrecasteaux NP - Eastern Section D'Entrecasteaux NP - Eastern Section
Starting at Northcliffe, this trek features great coastal scenery with a taste of tall karri forests. The roads and tracks mainly vary from well formed gravel to soft sand.
DEntrecasteaux NP - Western Section D'Entrecasteaux NP - Western Section
Starting at Northcliffe, this trek features great coastal scenery together with large stretches of tall karri forest. The roads and tracks mainly vary from well formed gravel to soft sand.
Dundas to Balladonia Telegraph Track Dundas to Balladonia Telegraph Track
Follow a little known track that runs adjacent to the old telegraph line from Coolgardie to Eucla. Journey alongside pristine salmon and gimlet woodlands, salt lakes, and rocky outcrops,
Donnybrook to Augusta via Black Point Donnybrook to Augusta via Black Point
Starting at Donnybrook, this trek features great forest scenery, from jarrah/marri in the north to tall magnificent tall karri in the south,
Black Point Black Point
The stretch of coast between Augusta and Pemberton is inaccessible to 2WD but if you've got a 4WD you will love this trek. Excellent camping,
Nuytsland Nature Reserve Nuytsland Nature Reserve
This trek takes you through some very remote southern coastal country along Telegraph Track through the pristine Nuytsland Nature Reserve.
Toolinna Cove Toolinna Cove
This trek takes you from Balladonia Road House, across the vast almost treeless grasslands of the Nullarbor, then through the thickly wooded areas to Toolinna Cove at the Baxter Cliffs.
Cave Hill Woodlines Cave Hill Woodlines
This 4WD trek takes you back to the days when the gold mining industry needed timber as its main energy source. Thus, the vast network of tramway lines to carry it was created until the mid 1960s when it
Fitzgerald River National Park Fitzgerald River National Park
This trek takes you through one of Western Australia’s most significant bio-diversity areas. Enjoy the white beaches and access some of the best isolated coastal camping and fishing spots in the state.
Warren Beach Dunes Warren Beach Dunes
This trek, which starts in Pemberton, takes you through the Brockman, D'Entrecasteaux and Warren National Parks and provides spectacular scenery ranging from towering karri forests to endless sand dunes

Go to top Trek Feedback
You must be registered and logged in to 'Have Your Say'



Registration is free and takes only seconds to complete!