Kalgoorlie - Boulder, Western Australia, AustraliaCredo Homestead. November 2019
Got here on 30 October 2019 for a 1½
day hand over.Not many campers here its getting too hot , over 38
most days and into 40s.
We have a satellite TV which is solar
run. Every thing is run from an array of solar panels but there is a
generator back up that is meant to switch on if there is not enough
solar. If it dose not have to start then once a month you have to
check it and start ti manually.
So we have cooling and power from solar
in the house and to the research building and rooms.
The house is about 100 years old and
the floor is on a slop and in some places can throw you a little of
balance if you forget.
We have a landline and satellite wifi
for the volunteer use only. No mobile coverage.
We have the old house for us and can
have visitors like family to stay if we want. The shower is inside
but the toilet is outside .
We have rain water tanks with one just
for drinking , and a large dam for water supplies to rooms , gardens,
camping area. The water for drinking has to be taken inside and put
in a filter ceramic pot .
There is a big conference room with
kitchen for use by the people , scientists or groups staying in the
ex mining dongas. Which are portable joined rooms with single beds
with toilets and showers.
These are charged at $30 adult, $20
pensioner, and $10 child between 5-15. supply your own bedding but
beds have mattress covers I have to wash after each person stays.
Other rooms you use communal kitchen,
showers and toilets so are cheaper at $11 adult, $7 pensioner and $3
for child.
The campground only has communal
toilets and wood fired hot water showers. At $8 $6 and $3.
There is Rowles lagoon where you can
camp for free with only bush composting toilet. This area is a
wetland reserve on the old Credo station.
Our first couple of days are quiet. By
Monday morning things were different. We woke at 5.30 am as usual to
the smell of smoke. We could see plumes of smoke coming from the
direction of Rowles lagoon . We rang the ranger on duty to let them
know and he asked if Larry could drive out and have a look as nothing
was showing up on his warnings. Look in case there was a fire and any
campers in the area to worry about. He rang back after awhile to say
he had had some calls from miners in the area but still no warnings
of fires showing up.
By 9am Larry was back and could not
find any fires , and no one knew anything .
As the day passed the smoke left and it
was a typical hot sunny day.
All went good until the 13 nov when we
had a run in with some people who had on previous occasions been
allowed to stay in rooms free for a few days at a time. We did not
know anything about this and told them they would have to pay and see
the office in Kalgoorlie to get an exemption from them.
Some locals if they are doing cultural
things can stay for free, but need to see the office to get a permit.
The only other people to stay free are
the Rangers or the young fire rangers or work group.
And the people who come out and gather the plants to dry to make the fox poison.
So anyway things went back to quiet
and on one cleaning and checking Rowles lagoon we picked up heaps of
rubbish left there. In amongst this was a box which had contained a
crockery camping set so I used it too put rubbish in to tack back for
ranger pickup.
So the rubbish was put on the trailer
at the homestead ready for the ranger pick up . The next day Larry
was doing something in the the shed and heard a noise on the trailer
, he found a western Blue tongue lizard that could not have climbed
in there but had most proberly been in the box I put rubbish in as
all other bags we could see in.
After photos it was released back to
the wild. We have seen a few around and they are calm and very
pretty.
There are a lot of them around . One came in the laundry and we had a very young one at the back door .
Lots of other lizards here too.
The next time to Rowles lagoon we found
a dead Pelican and an arrow from a bow beside it. Some one had shot
it.Pelicans are not usually here this time of the year. Any how the
arrow and photos were handed to the rangers.
On the 18 November storms hit us on a
44 deg day. Plenty of lightening strikes and this time 5 seperate
fires started. The closest to use just 20km and heading this way.The
Mines where all evacuated and we hooked up the van ready to leave.
The wind changed a bit and the Rangers said we were safe as its all
salt bush around the homestead and it dose not burn to easy. If
needed we could go to the station airstrip as the roads out were
blocked by fire. A plane was sent from Perth to check the area and
bring in rangers to show us photos from the air of the fires. Parks
and wildlife kept us well informed . The next station has 2 brother
running it and they rang as one was out fighting fire that crossed
the road we used to get in here. He said the flames where as high as
trees either side of the road.
As it happened these where the worst
fires of the Credo station history. That did not make me feel any
better seeing smoke still around the area and knowing the fire crews
where still out fighting fires around the area.
We got two dead roos in the house dam
probably coming in to drink and slipping on the mud and drowning as
water levels were dropping.
But all was good again and over the
next few days we got to visit a few of the other dams and things on
the station. One of these places is called Musson soak . Its a clear
drinkable hole in the rocks where water soaks into . Its been here
for a long time and was used by early settlers. A bucket with old
rope attached is there so you can try the water. Evan after the
fires the water is not bad, but the old rope is leaving fibers in the
waterso they will change it on their next working B.
After one of our trips out we found new
snake tracks around the gate and then new car tyre tracks but no one
around. We did see a tabby cat appear on the veranda close to one of
the water tanks . She did not look afraid of use and did not look
like a feral cat. We thought maybe the car had dropped her off. And
the next morning when I went to water the veg garden I saw 3 kittens
playing . They run under the house so I guess we were right they had
been dumped.
The Rangers were informed and the new
camp host had arrived and we all decided we could not set the feral
cat trap as we had also kittens to catch. They would die slowly
without mum around. We left water for them and some food.
The new camp host took over after
handover was completed and they would have to deal with them, I'm
glad its not us .
As for the veg garden I put a months
work in it weeding and mulching and watering to get 2 tomatoes and a
zucchini . The next hosts Deborah and Andy will get the capsicum,
corn, eggplant, tomato .
[PHOTO_ID_L=vegatable-garden.jp
We left on the 29th morning
as we had to get to Adelaide for a meeting and training with SA parks
and wildlife.
We called in to Kalgoorlie office to
say goodbye and then do alittle shop as we were to cross the boarder
and fresh fruit veg not allowed across.
Its 80km Credo homestead to Kalgoorlie
909 km Kalgoorlie to Border-village
480km border to Ceduna SA
772 Ceduna to Adelaide thats a total of
2241km in 4 days
We were tired.
First stop in Wa side of Nullarbor
then a stop on SA side. With a short walk to strech our legs along
the cliffs
3rd night half way between Ceduna and
Port Augusta then last day to Belair national park in Adelaide hills
for the meeting on the 4 Dec.
Thats over 500km a day with stops to
stretch have lunch etc. It was windy crossing Nullarbor so not f good
or me to drive so Larry had to drive . We saw a fox and 2 dingos as
we crossed the Nullarbor and did not stop for photos, thats not like
us.
On our way from Port Augusta to
Adelaide all along the hills the wind farm now stretches at least
50km. Thats good to see.
2025-05-22