The Nullarbor Muster

Yep, what Willem said!
We've done that road a couple of times lately.

Thanks Willem.
I knew about the Kal/ Rawlinna Rd, it's the road that the muster organizers promote as the way in, but I wanted to see if there was another road in just for something different.
By the way, I discovered your web site a couple of weeks back. It makes for a good read and I look forward to your next story. I started my own site up a couple of months back and coincidently my main catorgies are also Genealogy, Travel journals and short story's about my life. It's nowhere as comprehensive or as interesting as yours however but I'll put a link here if you want to have a look sometime.
Steve

users.bigpond.net.au/stevespages/

Phil - Willem

Help please.

The time we whet through there it was around dusk and we could not fined the road south. so that is why we went to Hiag then south.

We will be out the end of Apr-May planing on GB & CS hwy then Esperance.

We found a locked gate were GPS and screen (PDA) told us where the road should be the only other road south lead us to the show grounds LOL...

Also we where looking for the wool (deport) road south

Regards

Richard

I forgot to mention in my followup that my Hema Great desert tracks map has the Cocklebiddy rd marked as "Private station track, no public access". Is this a mistake or have things changed since the publisation of the map?
Steve

Steve

I believe that Hema made an error. I too have 'old' digital Hema maps. Not sure if the new one has changed.

Had a look at your website and you have done a great job there. It is very gratifying when one is able to trace the family history. Unfortunaterly not everyone in the family is forthcoming with details. I am still way behind with my writing but hopefully will pull the finger out this year...:-)

Cheers

Richard

I will try to relate the track.

I was in the lead as usual when we were travelling along the track and I wanted to camp at around 4.30 after finding an open piece of ground. But my mate and his missus started at me about this and that and talking about a caravan park or maybe a motel at Rawlinna. I got annoyed but being a tad tired I said OK but you can lead the way.

Now one could eventually see the lights of Rawlinna from about 30km away. And it looked impressive. Little did we know it was but a mine site. But our companions got excited again when we arrived at the last gate. Tracks went west and east but not north to Rawlinna. So went east first and after 5km we were pointing in the wrong direction...so we backtracked to the gate. Then set off to the west and after about 3km the track started to wind its way to the north and we were heading for Rawlinna. Ahh! the metropolis at last. We eventually found a donga which looked like it was inhabited and knocked on the door. A middle-aged voluptuous lady answered the door with an Emu Bitter in her hand and replied " Hahahahaha!!! a Motel??? there isn't even a Caravan Park here. Guess you can camp in the Muster Yard!!"

We made it to the Muster Yard in the dark and set up camp next a large building(next day we found out it was a hangar and we could have camped inside out of the bitterly cold south wind). The missus was ill after eating some dangerous roadhouse food at Cocklebiddy and me mate and his missus were still going on about something when I blew me lid. Mates missus said ever so quietly " Please don't scream at us!!". I got hoarse after that. I was angry with myself for not being strong and camping at 4.30 which was the sensible thing to do instead of now falling around in the dark.

We were all much subdued after that.....LOL and my mate did not offer any more suggestions for the rest of the trip

There are no services at Rawlinna

Cheers

Back in '97 dad and myself fronted up to Rawlinna tired, and in need of shelter.

For $10 we got a 3 bedroom house with facilities, including a table tennis table with equipment and a pool table as well. Had a good time and certainly left the place in better shape than when we found it.

Richard,
Its a bit of a maze out there. When heading south, you cross the railway line at Rawlinna, then head west towards Kalgoolie for about 1.2km and then there will be a gate where you turn south est for Cocklebiddy. Pretty devoid of signposts :-(

the following is lifted off Ozi and I've put some waypoints in to mark it.
!MPG:25!

waypoint 5 is where you cross the railway line and waypoint 1 is the turnoff

Thanks Phil

Thats was the gate we found if you zoom up on Rawlinna you will see our birds nest..lol.

Site Link

Regards

Richard

And thank you Willem

Or this one you'll get a better Laugh

Site Link

Hehehehe
Richard, Both those track files gave me a laugh. Last time we did it was Nov 2005, and I've got a vague recollection of having to go somewhere slighty different, maybe because of the gate you found. Unfortunately, I didn't bother recording a track file that time, but we were soon back on the main drag.

OT
Equinox i looked up the track in your prifile. if you enjoyed that there is another going from thursday rock and meetin the eastern highway just west of Woolgangie.
Just dont bother trying to find Nallerine rock tho. I punctured 2 Mtr through the sidewalls looking. Ended up walking in and came to the conclusion there is no rock there

Hi Davoe,

I did enjoy the track and would like to head back there for a couple of days over Easter if I can get time off, to explore some of the rocks.

I see that track you mentioned on the map, that rock has to be over 1km wide. Surely it must be there somewhere.

Cheers

Nope i couldnt find it. i took a gps co ordinate that i recently confirmed with OZI walked out there and around the area. it is granite country with mainly wattles growing but there is only the odd weathered piece of granite laying on the surface

Trekkie,
Go to this site. It will tell you all you want to know.
Steve

www.nullarbormuster.com/

Steve,
thats the way it is with bush maps.
The Hema map was wrong. We phoned up Arubiddy Station to ask them a few years back and they said it was a public road. Hema map also said there was camping at Rawlinna, which is also incorrect technically.

The road from Rawlinna to Arubiddy is just track with plenty of side tracks to confuse you and about 2 signs painted on bonnets or oil drums. Not graded, and can be slippery in the wet. Its flat, bit stony, and you often see lots of roos who are trying to travel faster than you, which isn't hard :-)) Arubiddy - Cocklebiddy its a 3 lane dirt highway.

Road from Rawlinna to Kalgoolie is well maintained gravel road.

Cheers
phil

Thanks Ed.c,
I was considering this track as well. Though according to my maps there is a couple of different ways to go. One map has the Balladonia Zanthus road as the main track. I'm guessing this is the one you are talking about. But another map has a main track going from Balladonia direct to Rawlinna. All very confusing.
Steve.

i think the Zanthus track gos past lake booderoo which became an inland sea after cyclone Bobby in 95. i was there in 04 and there was still over 2m of water in it. There are dead trees as far as the eye can see which were once completly underwater but now stick out of the vast lake and the previosly flooded area. when camped there some guys rocked up who had come from the eyre highway on there way to the muster