Saturday, Aug 06, 2022 at 18:06
Hi 1392, yep the Winu copper mine is a major reason for vehicles and people to be out here but no travellers at all. Unfortunately the permit has very strict stipulations about where you can and can’t go and you may only
camp at the 2 designated spots. Both had drillers there. We got as far away as we could but every hour a truck would rattle up the track pull in for 10 mins whilst engine running then drove off again. We spoke to some of the workers and one guy was doing a very interesting job on another taskforce to take seismic readings on 5x5 grids measuring the earths gravity at each spot using a little device he put on the ground. He was on a Polaris type quad bike.
Beyond the Nabaru Roses Track (50km to the emergency
airstrip) the Kidson track becomes overgrown and the rest of the drive is pushing through scrub. Very scratchy. We are the first travellers to have come through the whole track in over 2 years. There was a convoy of 15 vehicles that came up from the Telfer Rd to the
Sgt Tony (Squire) Moriarty Memorial and then tuned around to go back a month before us (according to the visitors book) but it was already overgrown again for us coming through that section. In many sections the shrubs are over the height of the vehicle and growing right across the track. There’s been recent fire alongside the Kidson Track almost the entire way and the vegetation is very green and lush, there’s been new growth after fires. I can see that the Martu rangers also came through a few months ago and I suspect they may have made the fires.
Other than the overgrowth the drive is not hard. we are a solo vehicle with camper trailer. Land cruiser 200 & Ultimate camper. David just found the driving mentally tiring due to the overgrowth and wishing to ensure our bikes made it through as they are on the roof of the camper and the handlebars can catch on a branch etc.
Also, we are still at
Well 33…no one has gone past. The Canning is dead quiet! The
shop confirmed no one is coming along the track north to south or reverse but only east/west. Interesting! It’s lovely here but nights very cold.
FollowupID:
920519