Bindoon and north to Mullewa along Midlands road.

We are following this road instead of the north coast road to end up at Mt. Augustus we hope before crossing to Exmouth along another dirt road. When we get to Mullewa we have the choice of joining the coast road at Geraldton or taking the dirt road to Mt Augustus. The cyclone and its following rain has closed some roads as rivers and creeks flooded. We will see!
 
On our way into Bindoon we stop at Black Boy ridge and its walk. 3km to the top of ridge which is covered in black boys/ grass trees. We find red capped parrots, new toilet block in picnic area and tables/ seats. The reserve is 64.5Ha and starts with marri-wandoo trees and the higher up you go the more grass trees there are. The lookout at the top is over the Chittering valley.
There is an RAAF base close by [ Pearce Base], so you can hear jets with their pilot training day and night. 


Bindoon population 4427
The local council provides some parking with power and showers for $22.
We walk around town and the bush walk go back van and while I cook for a couple of days Larry tries to set up our replacement satellite for the TV. He could not find the satellite location we need and it very windy so it got put back for another day.
Sunday morning before we leave I walk around local farmers market thinking how nice to find fresh local fruit and veg. Well they only had craft things and pumpkins, enough said.
Bindoon was the first area settled outside Perth, houses built in 1850. It is part of the wildflower trail and in late winter/ spring/ summer it would be very nice. There are plenty of wineries in the area too. This is the start of towns with sculptures and murals on buildings. Like the black boy at the start of the picnic area and one of the Travelling monk who became the first abbot at New Norcia. 
 
 
 
New Norcia
First settled in 1847 by Benedictine monks brining a bit of old spain to the area. Originally an Aboriginal mission, the monks built a church monastery, apiary, blacksmith shop, olive shed for the olive grove of trees from spain, a flour mill and bakery for the wheat they grew. This place was self sufficient and is now on the cultural heritage list as historic. With the National Trust.
The Benedictine monks still own all the land and buildings but have people to run the hotel and roadhouse and visitor centre. 

 
 
While we were in the visitor centre a man came in with big buckets of honey and I was told that the monks do not keep bees anymore. This man has bees on the land and does the work and brings in the honey for bottling. This was while I was looking at the bottles of honey still labelled as monastery honey. The bread is also labelled as theirs along with the olive oil, port and monastery ale. We go for the walk around and we also do the one that takes in the apiary , olive shed olive grove and blacksmith , but now things are not ringing true as there is no sign of bees where they are supposed to be, no sign of any thing happening for a long time in the olive shed. There are olives on the trees and wheat has been cut on the surrounding private farms. This part of the walk most people do not do they just look at the buildings and go and pray with the monks at set times. Maybe i'm getting cynical in my old age, it is pretty obvious that they are no longer self sufficient and are now just making money. They should change their advertising stuff. Having said this the buildings are good to see and for the religious to be able to meet and pray with the monks would be very good. Everything costs though. I was looking forward to natural organic bread , olive oil and honey.
Monday brings Moora we stop to walk the salmon gum walk 
 
 and then just outside the town a farm house close to the road.has sculptures in the paddock beside the house. I do not know what they are made of but theres an elephant and calf, hippo, panda, frill neck lizard and a cage full of pigs. On the front lawn is a painted pond with flamingos but I do not take photos as I did not think they would like the camera pointed at the house.

 
 
The murals and sculptures in town relate to the area and its history. We walk the walk for the endangered Carnaby cockatoo , its a work in progress so only short couple kilometres finished. The cockatoo comes here to breed, lucky for us we saw some further south as they are not due here until winter. WE did find some more red tail black cockatoos though. We stay the night free on a sealed area next to the pool and opposite the IGA supermarket. Pool not open today .


 
Tuesday is Coorow 
 
 
Visiting Watheroo NP and the Jingamia Cave. I managed to climb down half way but the rocks get to loose for me and with nothing to hold onto. Larry gets down o the entrance and finds people have been hacking at the walls and breaking up lumps. I do not know what is found in this area.
We also visit the Spoonbill lake and find no spoonbills just a lot of flies.


 
Three springs population 395.
They have a short stay area for free it is a RV friendly town.
On the way here you pass through Carnamah so we stopped for a look at their painted murals and sculptures, These little towns do a lot to draw the tourist with these things and the wild flowers in season.

Three Springs is home to the Eucalyptus Rose Mallee- eucalyptus rhodentha, . This is found no where else in the world except this area of WA it is a beautiful low growing tree with big leaves and big reddish flowers. There is also the old fashioned wheat silos as all this area is wheat growing country. 
 
 
We drove out to see the Talc mine, yes talc is a mineral found underground with dolomite. This mine is the second largest in the world and the largest in Australia. The talc was found by a farmer in 1940 while sinking a well. Mining started in 1948 initially as an underground mine. In 1959 to 60 Western mining acquired 50% of the mine and open pit operations started and around 1987 they owned all the mine.
2001 mine sold to Luzenac a subsidiary of Rio Tinto
2006 Rio Tinto merged their Borax operations with the talc operations making Rio Tinto minerals.
2011 Imerys bought the mine and do not process here any more but ship lump talc to sister company in Japan and Belgium. Where it is processed into talc for use in animal feed, cables, sweets, ceramic tiles, chewing gum, cosmetics, fertilisers, olive oil processing , paint ,paper plastics, sanitary products body powder, tyres. You will have to do your own research on its safe use and cancer causing link. The mine averages 150,00 t a year.
Talc in natural state can be white, grey, pink, violet,green and black. It has been used for 15000 years the ancient Egyptians and Indians used it for lightening the skin and Chinese used it in pottery
Talc is a rock formed millions of years ago and is water repellant and the softest mineral in the world. Pure talc is hydrated magnesium silicate . Three springs talc is white to dark green depending on how much chlorite is in it., which is aluminium and iron.
We went to drive to lookout over the mine, but had to park and walk up the 2km road as the creek crossing the road had washed out part of the road.


 
Our travels took us through Mingenew where we stopped for bread and to look at their murals ans sculptures. A giant wheat stalk is outside the bakery, This place started because drovers and miners on their way to the goldfields at Murchison, stopped for the spring water , latter military camps were here for training men before they were sent off to WW11.. Now it is mainly growing canola, lupins and wheat.

 
Just outside Mingenew is the Mobias 5 tracking station, Yarragadee satellite laser ranging station. Set up in 1979 it produces more data than any other SLR tracking station., tracking satellites from 300km to 22,000 km above the earth.

We pulled up for friday and saturday at the Coalseam conservation park. We are the only ones at our camp apart from the birds and wallabies.
This is where the first coal was found in WA in the limestone. It also has fossils in the rocks visible in side walls of the river bed., So we spend time walking ,watching a pair of eagles soar high above us , taking photos and a little bit of fossil looking.


 
We move into Mullewa population 591 on Sunday for power and to watch cricket final of world cup. Also we are waiting to find out on monday [ tomorrow] if we can get to Mt. Augustus or not . WE can get to coast road here close to Geraldton if the gravel roads to the north are not yet open. As at this time rain is forecast tomorrow so it looks like we go to Geraldton and up to Exmouth not Mt Augustus.