West Australian Wildflower Trip. Day 16, Indian Pacific to Kalgoolie. 24 Sept 2014.

So far we have been travelling by plane and bus, today we start the train section of our holiday.

We board the Indian Pacific about 11:15 am and are away about midday. The green hills of the Avon Valley, with the occasional flash of pink everlastings, are soon replaced by the vivid pink of pigface (Carpobrotus sp) in salt degraded country of the wheat fields. Beside the track grows, what seems to be  the Orange Flame Grevillea, plus a low growing yellow-flowered plant and what like hakea and wattles. 

About 10 pm we pull into Kalgoorlie where our buses are waiting to take us on our night/early morning tour of the town, open cut mine and mine museum. It was then back on the train and some sleep.

                                                       

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Looks like a good day for a train trip.

Indian Pacific, our transport back to Sydney.

It would be great if this was our engine. The S-class were the first locomotive type to be designed and built in Western Australia. The S-class carried the names of Western Australian mountains and S 542 received the name "Bakewell" and was built by the West Australian Government Railways in 1943.  S 542 "Bakewell" was withdrawn by the WAGR in June 1971.

Our home for the next 4 days.

Well this is it, now on on our way home.

The loo is vacant.

Dome Cafe, Maylands, once known as the Peninsula Hotel which was built in 1906.

Guildford Road Bridge over the Swan River at Bassendean, Western Australia.

A little bit of north Queensland in WA.

It was very green around Brigadoon heading into the hills.

The Avon River.

The Avon River.

Following the Avon River.

Salt plains near Mekering / Cunderdin.

Salt plains near Mekering / Cunderdin.

Salt plains near Mekering / Cunderdin.

Water pipeline to Kalgoorlie

Sheep country and those distinct tall Eucalypts again.

Salt plains near Mekering / Cunderdin.

Buzzed by a crop-duster.

Not barley, but still Fields of Gold.

These Emus have nowhere to go.

Nice colours in the trunks of these eucalypts.

Harvester droppings.

Looks like Grevillea excelsior  -  Orange Flame Grevillea.

Plant number 306.

Wild colours beside the track.

(Collga ?) Wind Farm near Merredin.

A typical homestead's 'old equipment' collection.

What it looked like before wheat.

Wheat swirls.

This tree should help the wildlife.

The sun may be sinking........

............ but the job is still not finished.

As the day comes to an end.

The tour starts at Kalgoorlie Town Hall at 10:30pm.

This way you miss all the tourists.

Activity in the 'Super Pit'.

Activity in the 'Super Pit'.

The 'Super Pit', Kalgoorlie at night.

Should have brought it home for a planter.

Some shovel.

Back on the bus to go to the next place on the night tour.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum, 11:30 pm.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum. Big boys toys.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum.

Flying high. Seemed strange, was all very quiet, going through a museum at midnight.

I stood looking at these old photos for quite a while, I wanted to ask the men questions.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum.

Mining Hall of Fame Museum. It's now nearing 12:15 am, we hop on the bus to continue our tour and return to the train.

End of Day 16

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Cameras:  Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and Sony DSC-W690.