Geelong to Pannawonica
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 22:46
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darylcarson1@bigpond
Hi all, plaining to drive from
Geelong to Pannawonica in about 5 weeks time.
Trying to find out which way from Leister to
Meekatharra - dirt 150km shorter
or black top or would it be easer to go to
Perth & follow the coast up.
FYI we have a landcruiser cab/s & off rd c/t + 3 oldish blue heelers, & were not looking for a scenic root.
Any advise would be grateful, Daryl.
Reply By: Im.away - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:01
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:01
Blacktop.
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Follow Up By: darylcarson1@bigpond - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:03
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:03
Thanks for the reply.
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Reply By: Member - Ron R (WA) - Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:27
Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 at 23:27
Hi Daryl
I was in the area last week and the road from Leister to
Sandstone is good bitumen, (just before you hit
Sandstone, go and have a look at the '
London Bridge', it's worth the 30 minute diversion).
From
Sandstone, follow the signs to
Meekatharra, the first 27 kms is along the Willuna Road, then you turn left towards Meeka, it is all gravel/sandy all the way from
Sandstone, but it good condition, we were in a GUIII Patrol, but I won't have any problems doing it in my GT Forester, it's a good road.
We left Meeka the morning after a heavy storm and there was a fair bit of water on the road for the first 20 kms, but it don't cause any proplems as the road drains pretty
well.
Cheers
Ron
PS: Also before you leave Leister, go and refuel at the BP, it's the cheapest fuel in the Goldfields and the Shell at Meeka takes Coles shopper dockets, buy a couple of choc milks and you get an extra 2 cent off.......
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Follow Up By: darylcarson1@bigpond - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 00:29
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 00:29
thanks for taking the time to reply Ron, all sounds like good advice that i will follow.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:46
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:46
From Meeka you can either go via Mt Augustus or take a left 74km north of Meeka along the Ashburton Road which brings you out at the bitumen 80km west of Paraburdoo. All good roads.
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Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 01:21
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 01:21
Leinster is the name ...not Leister and it is sealed via
Sandstone to Mt Magnet , but if you would like the shorter run from
Sandstone to
Meekatharra then the dirt road up past the
Yarrabubba Meteor Impact site is a reasonable maintained road.
And don't expect to see a crater at
Yarrabubba , all that is left is the Melt core above the surface , still worth a look though,Crater was 30klm wide but erosion has taken 30m of the top of the surrounding country to expose the core,The core is not the meteor remains but the molten
rock and soil from the explosion
Doug
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Reply By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 07:15
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 07:15
G'day Daryl,
what's doing in Pannawonica? (if i may ask?)
some of my old stomping ground there, very fond memories. Still got my "Pannawonica Speedway 1990" t-shirt. Wonder if the drive in is still operating?
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Follow Up By: darylcarson1@bigpond - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 07:31
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 07:31
Work work work & some camping, wife & i just got a job with Rio. We were there about 5 weeks ago & the drive in looked like it was operatioal (hard to tell). personal Q. if you had a chiose between Panna or Parra which one would you perfer to live/work. which one is better for camping? Sounds lie you enjoyed it.
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:47
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:47
yeah i was working up there too but not living there. installed/maintained the radio/tv transmission sites, Pannawonica was just one of the
places we worked but i enjoyed it there. Being a 'closed' mining town there are adequate facilities and tnings to do but apart from the rodeo, it would be a bit quieter than Paraburdoo so that could be a good thing eh?
I don't know if you have kids but we have four so my wife would probably prefer the large size of Paraburdoo, it also has a hospital. It rains a bit more in there too I believe. I would probably prefer
Tom Price to Paraburdoo. Both are a fair distance from Pannawonica if you were working there though.
Camping, don't know what it is like restriction wise up there now. Been ten years since I was in the Asburton. Plenty of beaut spots, someone local may pop up here and give you a contact number to welcome you and show you around. :)
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Follow Up By: Im.away - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:26
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:26
My brother works at Panna and I used to work there years ago. We both call it "Pannadise" because it is a great little town and the 4WDing and camping around there is excellent.
Mind you I have heard others refer to it as Panna-F**king-Wonica.
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Follow Up By: Go Fishing - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 23:23
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 23:23
Grew up in Goldsworthy 1977 - 1979.
Pannawonica 1979 - 1983 (11yo in 83)
Great memories... the best. I thought Panna has been a ghost town for a while?
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Reply By: Willem - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 09:05
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 09:05
were not looking for a scenic root ??????
LOL
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:59
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:59
speak for yourself....
i remember last year on the
Goulburn River....
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Follow Up By: Des Lexic - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 13:35
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 13:35
Is a scenic one root, one thats pretty, or challenging tracks to cross. I guess what with the drought there wouldn't be much moisture around. LOL
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 13:57
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 13:57
Uncle Donut haven't you heard of KY(the WD40 of the bedroom)....LOL
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:05
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:05
well okay it was nightime with a cloudless sky, fulll of stars
i was on my back....my beloved had her back to the campfire and her beautiful self was silhouetted against the stars....kids were asleep....
main squeeze man....unforgettable....
don't think that's too much information.....:)
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:16
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:16
Bushfix
And this happens every year??????
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:51
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 14:51
well not always on the
Goulburn....
but even "if it only happens once a year, it's a goodyear"?
mate I'm still going,but I'm only 38.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 20:19
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 20:19
When I was 38.....no we better not go there. T'was 1981!!!!...lol
Mainly goodyears...hahahaha
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Follow Up By: Des Lexic - Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 at 16:22
Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 at 16:22
Willem, You can't remember back to 1981 LOL
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Reply By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:37
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:37
Leinster to Meeka. Keep heading north to Wiluna then turn left to Meeka.No need to travle 00s of ks to find bitumen it is a decent well used gravel road
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Reply By: hare'y - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 16:11
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 16:11
Daryl, I also worked in Panna for 10 years basicaly all the eighties and most xmases drove back to sydey for a months holidays, on the return trip we would turn north at Meriden (WA) and follow the back roads and come out just south of Geralton I could not tell you which roads I took as I think it was a different route each time.
That would be the most direct route, beleive me after living in Panna and studying the map continualy for a short ct out of the place, that was the shortest and quickest way.
Panna was good to me, two of our three kids were born in the Pilbra, one in Hedland and one in Wickham, the kids can remember trips to Gregories gorge and Milstream and
camping near Pannawonica
Hill and other quite
places along the
Robe river. I could never get that red dirt out of the cars I had.
All the best in Panna its only what YOU make it.
Hare'y
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Follow Up By: darylcarson1@bigpond - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 17:16
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 17:16
Thanks for the reply Hare'y i think your last sentence sums it up pretty good.
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Reply By: Member - Brian (WA) - Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 19:06
Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 19:06
Hi.When I first went to Pannawonica there was a sign just after turning off the main hwy.
It said, No swimming,
fishing,and something else in the pot holes. If anyone went in
you got a free meal in the camp mess. Yes it was a dirt track that was in the 70's
Any know if that sign is still there. I think there is a track from there to Millstream
Great
camping spot, the Pub was good also but I think that is now gone, The drinking hole at Millstream that is. I would say the route would be to
Perth and
up the North West Coast hwy.
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