Track Conditions - Late October 2025

What every explorer needs to know.

Our big signature Canning Stock Route 22-day Tagalong Tour is a long journey; therefore, we are considering adding another two-week 4wd tagalong tour option. We planned for a famil heading into the northeast Goldfields – via Laverton to Warburton – The Hann Track.

The past fortnights rain band had created lightning strikes & fires in the Hann Track region.

Inclement weather was not in our favour with lighting and the wind changing the fire direction on the Hann Track.

The designated meeting place for our travel buddies was the historic Karalee Rocks camping site north of the Goldfield’s Pipeline (Mundaring to Kalgoorlie). Karalee dam and Granite wall catchments were installed for the Southern Cross to Coolgardie Railways to supply much needed water for life & steam trains in 1896.The Gold rush was underway with $20.67 or 4.25 pds an ounce. 13.11.2025 Aus price $6,311

With Starlink communications aerial on our Nissan GU roof rack, we were able to confirm with the lovely staff at Great Beyond Visitor Centre in Laverton, that it wasn’t wise to head along the Hann Track.

Waiting on the arrival of our travelling Toyota friends to readjust the trip, our afternoon wildflower walk came upon a fabulous display of Verticordia, these plants capture the delicate beauty of Western Australia's biodiversity known commonly as Feather flowers, members of the myrtle family painted

the landscape in shades of pink, yellow, white, and red during flowering season. 102 different species call Western Australia home.

Searches of outback tracks & trails east of Kalgoorlie, with our first stop being the ghost town of Kanowna, at its peak in 1890s it was a massive town of 12,000 people.

We passed the famous saltpan racetrack of Lake Perkolilli, thus the same rain fall that had us going east also flooded Perkolilli lake earlier in the week, making the dismantling of the race event very challenging.

Onward - 200km east of Kalgoorlie is Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve with the spring itself was named by Ernest Giles in 1875 after enduring 17 days without water on his first successful east west crossing. Tommy Oldham an Aboriginal was the one to find water after tracking an Emu. Sixteen years later after 21 days without water the Elder Expedition had to do some exhaustive digging. This is probably one of the driest areas we have visited, with very little water holes & points on our Exploroz mapping system.

Here we discovered another species of Verticordia, a pale white to baby pink feather flower with its roots deep in the muted yellow sand & standing out against the stark blackened Grass tree trunks. Distinctive colour and texture of Western Australia sand dunes are part of what makes each desert region unique. Personally, I could have spent a few more days in this nature reserve after the 2019 Black Summer fires is was building its own life again.

The stations that dot the landscape further south tell stories of perseverance, adaptation, and deep connection to country. Many families such as the Cooks, Ponton, Sharpe, Dimers, and Brooks have histories stretching back over a century, with families who have learned to read the land, anticipate the seasons, and work with rather than against the natural cycles of this ancient continent.

Dimers - Nanambinia Station Homestead captures the sunset

Some of these buildings to the north of Israelite Bay have been renovated & rebuilt by Stonemason craftsman Roger Robertson & Tim Laycock.

Being a privilege to stayed at Booanya & Mardabilla which are self-contained camp friendly.

The wool clip & other items such as Botanical collections from Sarah Brook were delivered by Camel wagon to the now ruins of the Israelite Bays Jarrah constructed jetty and the non-rooved Telegraph Station. We traversed this in 2 days and what would of taken them weeks if not months.

This country also represents a transitional zone where the muted yellow Sandy deserts of the interior gradually change to low Banksia & Eucalyptus giving way to the coastal scrublands, eventually the shorelines and beaches of the Great Australian Bight.

Further to the south we travelled onto the ruins of Israelite Bay Telegraph Station. Established in 1877 as part of the overland telegraph line connecting Albany to Adelaide, this remote outpost represents one of the most isolated duty stations in Australia's communication history.

The history and camp sites at Israelite Bay in Nuylas Land Nature Reserve are a great reflection of how it would have been once upon a time in this busy coastal port.

We are very privileged to be able to visit these heritage homesteads with prior arrangement & others like Roger & Tim, who have spent countless hours rebuilding these local outback Granite stone dwellings for others to experience the late 1800s lifestyle.

At the conclusion of exploring this outback journey, we visited the Esperance Museum which is housed within three large Rail Sheds. It totally brought the experiences of the last eight days all together - the people, culture, equipment and photos on display showcased a life preserved for all to see. A marvellous capture of the past.

A joy to share another part of this diverse state with friends from Perth, Western Australia.

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