28.02.2017 Views

Octagon January, 2017

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

discovery in this area. This more or less<br />

abandoned old gold mining town still has<br />

some beautiful old public buildings standing,<br />

however.<br />

of chatting we eventually left for Kalgoorlie.<br />

One certainly doesn’t need to be in a hurry<br />

as one travels around our country, as there<br />

is always something to see, and someone<br />

to chat to.<br />

Kalgoorlie<br />

Entering Coolgardie we were met by very<br />

friendly people, as we drove the length of<br />

the main street looking for some place to<br />

stay for the night. People waved at us quite<br />

vigorously – extremely friendly indeed!<br />

We found an overnight cabin, where<br />

we could have a good nights sleep and<br />

collapsed exhausted. Things were certainly<br />

catching up with us.<br />

Next morning whilst I was standing on the<br />

road kerb side opposite the beautiful old<br />

court house, taking a photograph of the<br />

Y parked in front of it, a voice spoke from<br />

behind me. It said “No – that’s not him!”<br />

I turned to look at the ‘voice’ and my eyes<br />

met those of a wizened old gentleman who<br />

appeared to be a local.<br />

He informed me that that car across the<br />

road looked a lot like one of the locals who<br />

owned “Ye Old Garage” behind where we<br />

were standing. Next thing the said person<br />

arrived. The car the gentleman owned,<br />

which the town’s people had mistaken as<br />

ours was a Post War Rover 75, a P4 Model,<br />

6cylinder – a beautiful car. He opened up his<br />

garage and showed us his collections. His<br />

collections consisted of old mining vehicles,<br />

a bren-gun carrier, a 1918 Leyland truck<br />

etc in the Ye Old Garage, but next door in<br />

another old shop was more collections of old<br />

enamel advertising signs, personal hygiene<br />

items, old movie and airline posters. Etc<br />

etc. Consequently 3 + hours later and lots<br />

Always a favourite spot. One can’t visit<br />

here without taking a drive up to the lookout<br />

which looks down into the city and into<br />

the Golden Mile Super Big Pit – 3.7km<br />

long, 1.5km wide and 480m deep open<br />

cut gold mine, the largest in the southern<br />

hemisphere.<br />

From here we went for lunch at the bakers<br />

at Boulder, Kalgoorlie’s twin city. 2 hours<br />

later we hit the road south for Norseman.<br />

Why 2 hours? Again we found people<br />

wanting to chat to us about the car and<br />

where we were going etc. This time we<br />

received an invitation to be guests at the<br />

local Veteran and Vintage Car Club that<br />

night but we had to decline, as we were<br />

scheduled to be in Norseman that night.<br />

The <strong>Octagon</strong> - <strong>January</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 29

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!