In a short distance I was pushing through 8 ft shrub.  There was no clear path and I had to check my compass regularly to stay on course.  Eventually the scrub cleared and the following 8km or so was a landscape of constant change.

I was amazed at the variety of vegetation along the way – most of it was boring and difficult to walk in.  I had envisaged the walk to be through forests of salmon gums and granite outcrops – this was far from the truth.  The ground was littered with fallen branches and low scrub.  It was a constant game of weaving the gaps and trying to find patches of sand.  The rain had made the ground sodden and I encountered soft patches along the way – in a few cases my foot would unexpectedly sink deep down.

Any idea of extending my walk to Victoria Rock was quickly put to bed.  There was no way I could bare this for another 20km.  I set myself the goal of making Toonarrie Rock and deciding once there what I would do.

(refer my blog: “A Goldfields Con” for more details on the trek to Toonarrie Rock).

I arrived at Toonarrie Rock around 1.30pm and set up camp.  With little to do but hang around, I put up my tent and took advantage of time, peace and quiet to make lunch and read a book.

By 5 pm I started a fire and prepared dinner.  It was clear that my walk was an ambitious pipe dream and all my illusions of finding the Goldfields full of old mines, prospector graves, wildlife and points of interest were quickly evaporated.  Although the plan was to head north to Dulgulyie Rock the next day, having passed it on the road in to Burra Rock (and not really being excited by it) I could see little to be gained.  The vegetation and terrain was unlikely to improve and I could better use my time exploring more of Coolgardie or other landmarks on the way back to Perth.

At 6pm I hopped into my sleeping bag.  Keen to get to tomorrow morning as quickly as possible, I found my emergency stash of sleeping pills (which I carry with me in case I ever need them to ignore a snorer in a Bibbulmun Track campsite), took a couple and slept like a baby until 5am!

continued...Final Word (refer separate blog)