Kalgoorlie to Lake Hart (via the Great Central Road)

Before we left Kalgoorlie to prepare for the reportedly smooth drive along the Great Central Road (GCR), Jayne wanted to do some washing. However when the washing machine got to it's spin cycle the machine tried to jump out of the van.

We had a few panicked phone calls to BushTracker, and then Camec to find out what to do. Instructions were simple - take the cover off the back of the machine as the springs that hold the drum up must have come off the mounts.

That sounds easy enough, but we couldn't get the machine out of the cupboard.  Another call to BushTracker who also didn't know how to get the machine out and asked for photos of where it was mounted. These were sent off, but in the meantime we worked it out, and had to remove the top shelf and the slides.  Then tilt the machine forward and through the opening that has max 1 micron clearance on all sides and lift out the machine. This machine weighs 47kgs! If this sounds a little crazy, once we opened up the back, we discovered 2 lumps of concrete inside which keep the machine balanced. With Jayne and I straining ourselves well past our capabilities and in very close quarters!

Take the door and hinges off, remove the slides

Then tilt it forward and lift 47kgs up and over the lip of the opening

Take the rear cover off

Inside the washing machine - the spring is completely pulled through

The other side was nearly through

When we spoke to Camec about this, they said it couldn't be repaired. We also checked with a local washing machine repairer in Kalgoorlie and they also said it's irreparable.

It seems like it's a known issue, because Camec agreed to replace the machine under warranty, even though it was outside the warranty period. All we have to do is go to Melbourne to pick it up!

Thankfully the Kalgoorlie caravan park agreed to us throwing the machine into their rubbish. We doubt we could have got it back into its hole anyway.

It was time to find the hot weather, so we headed north onto the smooth Great Central Road. We achieved our aim - it was 29ᵒ on our first overnight stop.

Our first nights camp on the GCR

The Great Central Road is 1,073 kms long and we were informed that the first 50kms was very rough, and then rough for another 100kms but after that it smoothed out.

They were 100% right about the first 150kms. Then it turned into a smooth dirt highway for about 100kms! After that it went bad, very bad. We were again being shaken like a milkshake. I slowed right down and at one time was going that slow that a moth flew past us, I kid you not! We got overtaken by a moth, not a big fast one, an ordinary everyday moth!

Water holes appear at various places. We didn't sample the water.

Lots of nothing

There are always lots of dead cars along outback roads but the GCR had more than it's fair share

One of the activities as you drive along is to count them! Sounds like a good thing to keep the kids busy

Giles Weather Station is along the GCR, and has to be one of the most remote weather stations around.  We really wanted to see the weather balloon being released so planned our driving accordingly.

Note the clock states "Giles Time" is "Central Standard Time", CST

They release weather balloons twice a day. The big one at 8.45am CST.

This is posted at the Weather Station. Clearly states balloon is launched at 8.45am CST = 9.45am CSST

There's a 2 hour time difference between WA and NSW. NT is normally on the same time as SA, which is 30 minutes behind NSW or 1.5 hours in front of WA, called Central Standard Time (CST), which goes to 3 hours when NSW has daylight saving

SA has daylight saving Central Standard Summer Time (CSST), whereas NT doesn't.

Giles Weather Station is in a town called Warakurna, which is in WA but Warakurna works off NT time, i.e. no daylight saving.

Giles Weather Station works on SA time, daylight saving, even though the town of 15 people it runs on NT time. The weather station sign says they work on CST, but the clock is on CSST!

Confused about times? Well the staff at Giles Weather Station certainly are!

So we missed the balloon launch by 30 minutes.

Giles is on the Gunbarrel Highway, part of the Len Beadell highway road network.

The Len Beadell grader which worked about 50,000 kms building the Gunbarrel

The reason Len Beadell built these outback roads was so they could test rockets from the Woomera Rocket Range

One of the directions on Wikicamps is to turn at this Hub Cap Tree

Lasseter lived in this cave for 25 days in January during his search for gold. Just crazy stuff.

The lengths you need to go to stop petrol sniffing in the local communities

One of the reasons we travelled the GCR is to see this amazing view of the Olgas at the end of our 3 day journey.

You certainly have to slow down with one of these heading towards you

Ayers Rock

After 1,073.1kms of dirt road, 20% of which was smooth we hit the tar between the Olgas and Ayers Rock.

We camped for 3 days at Yulara, and we enjoyed the cleanliness of no dust.

Just behind our van was a sand dune, climb to the top and there it is!

We rode around the rock again, most enjoyable. The Parks closed the rock to climbing as the forecast was for 37ᵒ

This is a free camp on top of a dune. We're not sure if you really can camp here, but some people do

You wouldn't think you'd need to tell caravanners not to use the fire hose reel to fill their vans with water would you?

On the way out of Ayers Rock the pole tube fell off the back of our van.  Thankfully a bongo van with European backpackers madly alerted us to the fact that it was hanging off the back and we were able to rescue it before it rolled off into the red dirt.

We have broken every white good that's in our van this trip.  The TV needs a loose wire fixed, the washing machine died, and we had to invest in a new microwave.  This has been an ongoing issue but we've fixed that now.  When we go onto dirt roads the microwave gets snuggled up on the bed surrounded by pillows and cushions. In Fremantle we had to get all the dust and junk removed from the diesel heater. The refrigerator needed a new fan, but so far the air conditioner is working okay!

Lake Hart

Lake Hart is a salt lake on the road between the NT/SA border and Port Augusta where we camped for the night.

Sunset over Lake Hart

Bailey talking to us

Remnants of the old salt works from 1930

All this space and they have to stop real close to us! People just must like us