Heres hoping

Submitted: Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 19:13

ThreadID: 20219 Views:1886 Replies:3 FollowUps:8

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Member - Davoe (WA)

Currently there is a tropical low situated north of exmouth which is expected to turn into a cyclone. So far it has been a really weak cyclone season as has been the last 5 years. This year has been particlary bad with the lack of cyclonic activity being blamed for the dry conditions which have pushed temperatures up averiging in the mid 40s in many gascoyne and pilbara areas. Rains from these cyclones are relied upon to bring runoff rains to many inland areas for pastoralists and recreation. Here in Kalgoorlie lakes that I have swum in while others waterskied are bone dry (and they now also have mines on them but thats another story) Rowles lagoon is bone dry, one thing in the back of my mind was the last time it dried up was just before Cyclone Bobby which dumped over 300mm of rain to inland areas causing ponton creek to flow for its entire lenth and creating an inland sea at lake boondaroo

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Reply By: Member - Anni M (SA) - Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 20:08

Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 20:08

Hi Davoe,

Heres hoping too. We have friends with a property in the Gascoyne who haven't had proper rain for at least 5 years, so I really really hope it rains for them. Mind you could you hold off on the cyclones until after we have been back to Broome next week!
Perhaps we should stage an EO raindance!
Cheers
Anni

AnswerID: 97141

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 20:12

Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 20:12

not that hopefull, the best ones start cooking nth of broom and head west before hooking down the coast and crossing land Exmouth/onslow area. Cyclone Vance was actually still a catogory 1 cyclone and only petered out about 70km from Kal with plenty of rain

FollowupID: 355756

Reply By: Bob of KAOS - Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 22:09

Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 22:09

Davoe,
all the good oil is here http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/cyclone/
Last year the north west looked like the wet tropics - even water birds in the Great Sandy Desert. I wonder if the Telfer Rd is open again yet?

AnswerID: 97167

Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 23:06

Monday, Feb 07, 2005 at 23:06

yep, I checked a few days ago and it was.

FollowupID: 355783

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 09:37

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 09:37

yea there was a bit of rain last year but the cyclones crossedthe coast to far North to bring anything significant to Kalgoorlie

FollowupID: 355807

Reply By: Bilbo - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 00:19

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 00:19

Before I retired, it was part of my job to keep a track on cyclones - offshore oil 'n gas industry. This year has seen an absence of the buggers. Strange that the eastern coast of "Oz" is copping it??

Davoe - don't talk to me about Cyclone Bobby. That bloody "tropical depression" hit Cue on its' way down to Kal and cost me in the region of $60,000.00 in lost nuggets at Lake Austin. One of 'em was a 65 ouncer, right in the patch I was detecting in when the heavens opened. It was found 2 years laters when Lake Austin dried out - by someone ( whom I know) who was sneakily watching me and what I was picking up!!

Bilbo

AnswerID: 97187

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 09:38

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 09:38

hope you have been getting into it for the last 3 years - the lakes have never been drier

FollowupID: 355808

Follow Up By: Bilbo - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 10:19

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 10:19

Davoe,

Cyclone Bobby was back in '95 (?), the year the SD2000 hit the market. I was the third guy in WA to get one and we killed the pig on salt lakes at Lakes Austin, Annean and Carey - big time.

Unfortunately we had the best of it and even though the lakes are now dry, the pickings are slim by comparison. If we couldn't make 3 to 5 ounces each ( 2 of us) in a MORNING, we were very disappointed. These days it's hard to make an ounce a week! Thus, I've been working for the last few years.

HOWEVER - I retired last Friday and that's me done for good. So I may go back 'n check out a few old spots - juts for laughs.

Bilbo

FollowupID: 355812

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 10:25

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 10:25

sounds about right a couple of years before I got here but everyone still talks about it and I have seen what it did to the ponton creek - Boondaroo area. People ask me why I dont go detecting on w/ends (eastern states freinds) But it looks to me too much like fishing 000k worth of gear and alot of time in between finds and in the end cheaper to buy it from shops - But somewhere different to go and drink beer with mates. Like fishing also 10% of the people get 90% of the fish - sounds like the guys like you wouldnt leave much for us tryhards :)

FollowupID: 355813

Follow Up By: Bilbo - Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 23:58

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 23:58

Davoe,

There's still good gold out there, but the obvious spots are all thrashed to death. These days you have to put in a lot of hard yards to get anything more than crumbs.

As for "guys like us" - the "rush" lasted until about 1997/8 with "detecterrorists" and "tourists" all over the place - worse than bushflies! But eventually the known spots petered out and it was left once gain to the "old timers".

However, this old timer got wise and went back to reality and back into the oil and gas game for another 5 years before retiring last week - yeehaah - for good.

I'll go back out there again, but this time, to spots that I found a long time ago and they are LONG way out!

Where are you located when you're working?

Bilbo

FollowupID: 355965