Lake Ballard–Leinster–Geraldton (21 Apr - 1 May)

We departed early the next morning for another long day of driving through the dry red landscape of the Western Australian Goldfield region. For fear of being run off the Great Northern Highway, I was the designated “waver” to the passing road train drivers who greeted us along the way. Our walkie-talkie proved handy for overtaking these gigantic trucks, as well as for receiving requests to pull over to give way to oversized vehicles.

En route to Leinster, we visited the remote “living” ghost mine town of Kookynie which has about a dozen permanent residents. We had a drink at the Grand Hotel (which was packed with memorabilia) where we were served by Margaret, and had a chat with a “local” who explained that old defunct mines were being re-opened with the advancement of technology to extract gold. We also stopped at the ghost town of Gwalia which once boasted US President Herbert Hoover as its mine manager. With the mine moving into decline by the middle of the 20th century, its closure in 1963 saw Gwalia’s population drop from 1,200 to 40 people in just 3 weeks. A large open pit has since been built abutting the township and is operational to this day.

That evening, we spent the night in Leinster, a “closed” town built and managed by the BHP Group to provide free housing for employees and contractors working at its nickel mines. The town also boasted a police station, supermarket, gym and swimming pool.As our meals at the local tavern were huge andreasonably priced,I suspected that theywere subsidised by the BHP Group.Having experienced this bubble community, we left the next morning for the final leg of our journey to Geraldton