Sunday 14 April 2019

2019 - 2020 Esperance, South WA, New Norcia, Kalgoorlie


Things have slowed down so much these days - well - at least as far as travelling goes.  I spent 2 months in Esperance house sitting on 12 acres. Just a lovely cat to look after, and birds to 'water'. It was so lovely to see and hear so many birds all day - not something I have experienced much in Australia. Lots of frogs around also.  Did many more beanies and managed to sell 20 of them to the local Mermaid Leather shop. I gave another 30 to friends in Waroona to sell as fundraisers.
I spent a month wandering along the southern coast. Stopped at Stokes Inlet for 5 days. A National Park and really well set up. Nice private sites. good for fishing and swimming I gather. On to Hopetoun [via Jerracutup Road] to do laundry and wash the dust of vehicle then to Wealstead. Great big flat area on a farm. Very tidy facilities although would be a problem if all the sites were full as there are only a couple of toilets, and a shower. The farmer is planning a kitchen area. Drove to Chester Pass for groceries at Woolworths. Plenty of parking there.  On through Albany to Ayr Sailean cp for a few nights. Very uneven sites if you dont want to unhook but great for the price. Rained while I was there which set the crickets off - SO noisy, then they suddenly stop!

Next stop was Shannon NP. What a change since my last visit. There are now 68 large drive through sites, new toilet/shower rooms and a kitchen, dump point and skips. wood, and axe and chopping block are provided to light the donkey for a hot shower. The old forest sites are still there but lots of Marsh flies I was told (in March). Was damp for the 2 days I was there also, and with no TV/phone or internet I managed to make more hats and read many books.

Next stop was Bridgetown CP for water, long hot showers etc. Quite a noisy park as the main road is above it and trucks start early in the morning!  Nice not to have to unhook though.
On to Nannup. I was going to check Workman's pool camp but Google showed Mowen Road beyond there as gravel so carried on to Alexander Bridge. What a lovely - and popular spot. Good toilets and drinking water. Had 6 days there, 3 of them with family trying their new camper trailer for the first time. We called into Sue's Bridge - very few caravan sites and the 2 camp hosts were using 2 of them! Heading up to Donnybrook I see that Mowen Road is a great sealed road now - somewhere to go another time.
Back to Waroona to catch up with friends. 3 of us went to Opera at the Mill at Jarrahdale. Did the VIP dinner and had a wonderful night. Stayed in an AirBNB there. 

Back up to New Norcia for 2 weeks volunteering in the archives again. So much needs doing. I have been scanning old records, and managed to sort and check about 1,500 photos. There are thousands to do. They have been numbered and scanned and put into boxes but all need checking and sorting into manageable packets. I was also shown the rooms full of donated books that need to be catalogued. I now have the house keys and will move in for a 5 month stay when I finish my 2 week house sit, so will probably not be writing much more in this blog this year.

 Update as at Sept 2019

Had a wonderful 4 months at New Norcia. Am in a house but doing 35 hours a week in Archives. Scanning letters, sorting and checking old photos, sccanning old admission records from the orphanage etc. Also so many laughs with the Archivist, and good company at the pub when I go there once a week. Have finished sorting 30,000 photos and only have 6 more folders of letters to scan. Lookng forward to a few more months  work when I get back in October.


September was a month off as the archivist was away so hitched the van and took a week to go to Kalgoorlie. Was going to camp out at Lake Perkolilli for the vintage car races but when the heat got up to 35 I decided that camping in the scrub with hundreds of others was not really my scene. So - hitched up and headed up to  Menzies with the intention of staying at Niagara Dam. Unfotunately I got side tracked with taking photos of great old cars and forgot to plug in the lights. By the time I got to Menzies the plug has disappeared. Luckly I got one sent down from Leonora and managed to wire it up. 2 days in the caravan park was not a problem with power for the AC in the heat, good company next door and meals at the pub!!!

Spent a night at Niagara Dam. No water and the loo is very full unfortunately. Only stayed one night as it was very hot but somewhere I would like to camp again especially if there is water in the dam.  Back to Broad Arrow Tavern for a night. Plenty of room out the back near the big tank, but was really surprised that the kitchen shuts at 5.30 so if you want one of their 'famous' hamburgers [average!] make sure you get your order in before then. The tavern shuts at 7! Had a couple more nights at Kalgoorlie and went out to see the races for a few hours. Thousands out there camping in the scrub. So pleased I didnt take the van out there.... DUST!!!! Some amazing old cars and motorbikes racing. There is an airstip in the centre of the lake and several small planes flew in as well. 
 

From there to Southern Cross then a lovely quiet drive on great sealed road via Bullrush to the Beringboodin Rock [only 10 km of good gravel road] where I stayed for 4 nights. The camping area has been set up with 8 flat sites and you can no longer drive further back around the rock. But have the luxury of a flushing loo! Lovely easy walking all over the rock.
Next stop was Beacon caravan park where if you book in at the great community shop you get a $10 voucher to spend in the  shop or for a pizza on a Friday at the Bowls Club. The info centre has lots of interesting stuff for sale.
I checked the Mollerin Rock camp but decided not to stay. Lots of room, toilets, firepit and good road in also. Suitable for caravans but might not be so good if the road was wet.
Spent a very quiet Saturday night at Cadoux camp instead. Beside the Recreation centre - and a golf course over the other side of the oval. It does say to get the key from the shop but not sure why as the shop is shut in the weekend, and there are unlocked public toilets beside the shop just a short walk up from the camp.
I am now back at New Norcia for a couple of months.

December update:
8 months working and still really happy to head off each morning to sit at a computer!!!! The letters are done! What a mammoth job, although there are still 5 boxes of the really early ones that I need help with as they have not been translated or summarised in a form that I can deal with. Might try again next year now I have had more 'experience'. I have learnt so much working here. "How hard can it be scanning letters " I thought.  That is easy enough but it is the absolute care needed in getting number/dates etc absolutely right that I now appreciate having decided to go back to check and having had to correct a few errors. I have also catalogued a donated collection of personal letters and photos - even that has a format to follow. Interesting stuff.
A couple of weeks holiday over Christmas and then back for a few more months - all new projects to start I am told.
2020
How life can change in a flash. I had starting packing up the van mid March ready to leave the house that has been my home in New Norcia for the past 11 months  when the virus put a stop to life as we know it. I had decided to get back on the road and spend 2 months travelling to Mackay to see the family there. Fortunately I am able to stay here in the house and keep working, all be it for one of the Monks rather than the Archivist. All good and I am able to 'work from home'. I have had to unpack the caravan athough am not having so much wtuff back in  the house now!
The whole town has shut to tourist, with just the roadhouse open for food and fuel, plus the Post Office.

Update June 2020.
 Seems I will be here for a lot longer - WA borders are still closed and plenty of work for me it seems. So much for my big road trip = but very happy to stay here, and more interesting projects to do. I am helping to finish an enormous index of people and their activities from the 16 Salvado's diaries [1847-1900] and typing up the daily chronicles that the monks wrote - working on 1973. There is more scanning to do - pre 1900 wage & account books which will also need to be typed up - makes searching so much easier. I have written up info for display boards for the museum, and have more signs to make now the museum is being updated. I helped 'decorate' the old hotel with potties and lanterns, and will probably spend time in collections soon as the data base there needs updating.

In the past year I have scanned almost every letter in the archives, [the Salvado Collection of 20,000+ documents from 1837-1901], checked them off with their summary, written a few summaries where needed [not the Spanish/Italian obviously]; sorted into packets and checked the info on 40,000+ photos, scanned a few that were not done, digitised aboriginal orphanage records, made a pupil database.... This has been an amazing learning experience for me as archives require great precision and care. These archives are privately owned by the Monks and the information only available to researchers through the Abbot, but Salvado's sincerity in caring for and educating the Aborigines was very deep. Many children were given to him by their parents in those early days  to live here and be educated.  A fascinating place to spend my time - and to be able to sit at a computer most of the day is perfect LOL. I have a comfortable furinshed house in exchange for my volunteer work 










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