Thursday 10 September 2015
Last night we made it to Lake Johnston on the Norseman to Hyden road for an overnight stop. We have camped here previously and find it a nice spot on the edge of a salt lake. There are concrete tables and chairs and fire pit. There was just another couple in a caravan and us so it was very quiet and peaceful. Jim and Pat came over and introduced themselves and said they had seen our convoy in Birdsville. It was the second time that day that someone had said that they had seen us in Birdsville. A chap from Bunbury was in Norseman at the service station when we were refuelling and he said the same thing.
We travelled to Hyden for our morning tea stop mainly on an unsealed road. Repairs are being done where the road had been damaged by the storms in July. We could see why the road had been closed and we had to take an alternative route at the beginning of our trip. It was sad to see that a fire has destroyed quite a large area of the bush and it will take some time for it to recover. The grevilleas were in flower and quite a number of other bushes but nowhere near the showing when we last went through. The closer we got to Hyden the windier it got and the old vehicles were getting a hammering. A visit to the Hyden Bakery is a must if you happen to venture out that way. Gary does lead us astray at times! ! He knows every bakehouse from here to Queensland I'm sure.
We had decided yesterday that we would stay overnight in a caravan park rather than make it too long a day by driving all the way home. We farewelled Gary at Corrigin and made our way through strong winds and rain to Beverley. When we returned from our trip to Alice Springs in 2005 we had similar weather conditions. We are camped by some 100 year old peppercorn trees in the Beverley Caravan Park. It is Jim's old home town where he was born and went to school. These old peppercorn trees hold special memories for him as this is where his old teacher used to sit the school kids under the trees while he read them poetry by AB (Banjo) Patterson. The old school yard is now part of the caravan park.
We went for a walk through the town and were impressed by the amount of improvements that have been made to the town since our last visit. There appear to be some innovative people around who are doing something to the town to attract visitors.
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