Australia So Much to See

Ten kilometres south of Yalgoo on the Paynes Find Road, Joker’s Tunnel was carved though a hill of solid rock by early gold prospectors. Named after the Joker mining syndicate, the tunnel shows many different rock types.  This tunnel, which yielded very little gold, was cut by pick and shovel right through the hill.  It is not even tall enough to stand upright in.   

Western Australia 2008.  We see a colourful display of wildflowers in the Mid West in one of the best wildflower seasons in years.

From the small mining town of Mount Magnet where a number of gold mines were closing down, we headed further west towards Yalgoo and roadside wildflowers became more frequent and colourful.

Roadside wildflowers became more frequent, and we stopped on tracks beyond a rest area amidst a sea of colour. 

The Mount Magnet Caravan Park is a good one for a night or two.  From the small mining town of Mount Magnet where a number of gold mines were closing down, we headed further west towards Yalgoo and roadside wildflowers became more frequent and colourful.

Extract from signage at Joker’s Tunnel: 

William Nottle discovered gold in the Gnow’s Nest Range in 1894, and when the Yalgoo Gold Field was declared the following year his gold mining lease became known as Yalgoo Joker.  A small settlement popularly known as Joker developed, including a licensed Inn and a twenty head gold battery.  Sixteen other leases were registered within a year of Nottle’s find. 

This tunnel which is over 100 metres in length was not actually on the Joker lease, but one the nearby lease called Star of Bilbertha. Gold was found in pockets and with no definite lode to follow and many shafts and tunnels were sunk.   Returns were disappointing returning only three kilograms of gold for 550 tonne of rock processed.   During 1898 the battery and the Joker Hotel were both moved to Fields Find. 

Entering the tunnel.

Looking back out the tunnel entrance.

The railway ran from 1898 to 1978, and now the former Railway Station building is used by the community for sporting clubs who maintain this historic building.  There is also a part time Post Office in the building, and fuel bowsers operated by card in front. The sports ground and race track area were lovely and green. 

Views across to a salt lake from near Joker’s Tunnel entrance. 

Yalgoo is a tiny town with a population of 110 in the town and 350 in the 33,257.9 square kilometres Shire.  Main industries are mining and pastoral stations.  Mining includes gold, iron ore, tantalite, bauxite and copper.  This town had seven hotels during the gold rush.  Now there is only one. 

As we neared Mullewa, we could see in the distance the distinct line of change from scrublands to cultivated farms and the first cereal crops we had seen since leaving the wheat belt at the start of our trip four months earlier. 

The Court House, which was moved from Day Dawn near Cue in 1921, and now houses a museum.

By the time we reached Mullewa, it was starting to rain; too late for many crops here, but for the rest of the state it was just in time to save crops following a very dry spring.  The rain was widespread throughout the agricultural areas of the state. 

We stopped overnight at Wongan Hills Caravan Park, before heading home the next day through rain all the way, travelling through Goomalling, Narrogin, Williams, Arthur River and Boyup Brook.  This concluded our four month holiday featuring the Kimberley and Central Australia. 

In between the very wet first and last days of our trip, whikle in between we had enjoyed many fine and often hot days touring just some of that wonders that North Western and Central Australia have to offer.  Looking forward to continuing the adventure the next year. 

No more photos of the roadside displays of colour, but more than compensated by the very welcome rain.