The trek begins in earnest when crossing through a
gate in the Vermin Fence. Please ensure you shut the
gate again after you pass through.
On the eastern side of the
gate through the fence and to the north are two water tanks and an old Rabbit Proof Fence boundary rider’s
camp. The
camp is a dilapidated corrugated iron three sided structure with an earth floor, its well worth a look.
The country quickly changes to rolling hills and gullies and the scrub is low and almost impenetrable.
At around the 35 kilometre mark, on the eastside of that creek, leave the vehicle and follow the creek bed south to the remains of a small dam and
rock cairn. North of the track at the same point are some stone footings of a building.
At around the 58 kilometre mark on the north side of the track there is a low lying
granite outcrop. Here you will find a number of
gnamma holes; these may hold water depending on the season. These should not be relied on and the water quality would be dubious at best.
Peak Charles (651 metres) and the nearby
Peak Eleanora stand out of the plain and can be seen up to 40 kilometres away.
There is a walk trail to the top of
Peak Charles, however it is not for the faint hearted, those taking the walk will have the most fantastic 360°
views of the surrounding countryside. There is a 2 metre high
rock cairn at the top.
The vegetation changes to the typical goldfields woodland as you approach
Peak Charles. The main access to
Peak Charles is from the north east via the well formed but gravel
Peak Charles-
Norseman Road that leads to the park from the
Coolgardie-
Esperance Highway. Two wheel drive vehicles can access
Peak Charles via this access way.
The upright stone walls around
Moir Rock were constructed to funnel water into a tank on the southern side of the rock. W. Moir took out a lease on the area that included this rock in the late 1880’s; the rock was subsequently named after him.
Stennet Rock also has a rock wall to harvest rain water, however at this rock the water is fed into a well constructed turkey nest dam. The rock is named after Thomas Stennet who prospected this area with Moir in 1892.
Next stop is
Dundas, an abandoned goldmining town 22 kilometres south of
Norseman. Although all buildings have gone, the layout of the streets can be seen and occasional signs provide detail on the town.
A well prepared vehicle will take you to a pristine environment that has its own natural beauty; this area has seen little changes since the first
explorers visited the area.