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Kylea Harvey

‘West to East Adventure 2024’ - Caiguna to Norseman to Southern Cross


Waking yesterday I was still feeling mild irritation at the $30 campsite fee for a patch of unpowered dirt, an extra charge to use the shower & snakes in the loo. So after pulling back the curtains to catch a pretty purple sunrise (those that know me will laugh at the fact I’ve called any form of purple pretty - but it kinda was 😆) we went for a walk to find the beauty in the morning.



Apart from the sunrise & some wildflowers, we discovered a graveyard for cars that didn’t make it across the Nullarbor. Flowers & sunrises are pretty but I really do have a thing for rusty old pieces of shit 😆 So much more character.



Back at Beryl, we had a slow pack up - after the HUGE driving day the day before, we only had 377km to get to our next stop so there was no need to rush.

Me & my irritation (which I declared I would leave behind on said $30 dirt patch) decided we’d be brave & head over to the snake infested amenities (& yes… there was only one snake sighting but that’s more than enough of an infestation for me) & have ourselves a $30 wee.

Well…. (This is where I might be heading into TMI territory so feel free to skip to the next paragraph NOW) what unexpectedly erupted from my body made every cent of that $30 worth it to not have that demon travelling with me in the bus 😳😆 Irritation was well & truly left behind!!! 😂



With the demon exorcised we were away. As we hit the 90 mile straight it looked like we were driving towards a tornado 😬. Thankfully we didn’t & although I missed the sign at the other side it was a thumbs up as we hit the bend at the end. (This is the first time I’ve driven it end to end as the other 3 crossings I camped along the way)



The winds were pretty gnarly & while we’ve been lucky so far with little to no headwinds, our luck definitely ran out. Whilst I’d been thinking I wouldn’t want to be towing a caravan, as we approached Norseman, we passed a 4WD on its roof with a caravan (still upright) attached. Ouch!!!


Parking up at the free RV park we walked into town to hit up the supermarket to restock our vege supply after losing our fresh produce contraban at the border - Unfortunately the local IGA had no budget for broccolini this week (literally what I was told by the girl restocking the vege section) so had to make do with asparagus, mushroom's & lettuce.

Then it was back to Beryl (where we were joined by another Coaster) for a bit of sunshine time (when it wasn’t too windy), a FaceTime with my granddaughter & a zoom with my group coaching circle The Corner with Callie Brown



After a good nights sleep, we woke to discover the wind today was just as bad (if not worse 🤪) but thankfully we had another shortish (358km) drive ahead of us.

Another slow start had us out for a walk (check out the roots of the trees exposed from the erosion 😲) before operation sponge bath, hair brushing & mascara application to alleviate the infiltration of feralness.



Back on the road around 8.30, passing the salt lakes & using the trucks as wind blocks as much as possible.



I had a reminiscent stop & wander thru Coolgardie - where Paddy Hannan discovered gold (he’s kinda a big deal in these here parts) & the streets are literally wide enough to turn a camel train. As a kid growing up in Kalgoorlie (a half hour drive away), I used to love visiting the old pioneer park, the grand stone buildings, old pubs & especially the date palms & fig trees that seemed so out of place in the park.



Back on the road, playing fuel tank chicken with the strong wind (we won btw), we made our way to Southern Cross. Another glorious patch of dirt to call home for the night but this time for free 😁



We’re getting so close to home now 😭

You know the saying ‘Go where the wind blows’‽‽‽…. We definitely aren’t doing that right now…. Is it a sign to turn back around & head east again???



ROADTRIP STAT TALLY

Distance covered - 7354km

Fuel cost - $2150.11

Camp fees - $207.46

Repairs - $829.62

Maxibons eaten - 24

Incense cones burnt - 106


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