So, here in WA we have been in a heatwave that seems to have lasted since Christmas. It has been really hot, getting over 40 degrees most days, with some days reaching well above that!
I stayed a while at a little conservation park called Coalseam. It is away from the coast, so was very hot. Here, a plateau has risen up over time and as this happened the Irwin River has cut down through the rock layers, exposing the ages of the rocks in a high cliff face.
This ensures there is around 280 million years or so of history on view in this cliff.
As you can probably tell from the name of the place – Coalseam – there is coal here. In fact this was the first coal mining attempted in WA but the coal was not good quality, so it proved uneconomical. The mine was abandoned in the 1920’s but you can still see remnants of these excavations in the area.
The Irwin River still had a little trickle of water, although there has been no rain recently. There were few animals here so I am guessing that, as the river bed is encrusted with salt, the water is unfit to drink.
Leaving Coalseam, I headed south through the massive Wheat Belt of WA. Here, the country is covered by grain crops that go on for as far as the eye can see, stretching to the horizon in every direction. There are few trees left and very little native vegetation.
I stopped at Buntine Rock where a tiny fragment of native bushland has been spared clearing. Walking to the top of the rock gives a good view of the district. It is nice to see this small patch of native bush preserved, giving a tiny glimpse of what this country once looked like.
I took a drive out to a nearby salt lake called ‘Yarra Yarra’. This lake is a very beautiful uniform white, which impressed me, as most salt lakes are often discoloured by dirt and other impurities on the surface.
Nearby was the old Carnamah station homestead, built of stone in the 1870’s. One hundred years later it had fallen into ruin but has now been beautifully restored by locals.
90 year old George gave me a guided tour of this wonderful building. George is one of the locals who have helped restore this place and he is justifiably proud of their efforts.
You can really feel how it must have been to live out here. Although it was a really hot day, inside the homestead was beautiful and cool, thanks to the very high ceilings and thick stone walls.
The old stone kitchen was separate from the house and has since fallen down, which is a shame. It would be possible to restore the building, as all the original stone is still extant but it will remain a ruin until sufficient funds are available for the work.
I haven’t actually done very much else recently, simply as it has been too freaking hot! It is not pleasant – or healthy – going for a walk in 40 degree heat. As there is no air conditioning in the camper, all I can do is find a shady spot and sit and read a book.
This week has been hotter, reaching over 46 degrees on Sunday.
Then on Monday, it was the hottest day, getting up to a totally hostile 48 degrees.
I was sitting outside attempting to get cool with a beer but unfortunately, in these temperatures, the fridge was not actually able to keep the beer cold!
The local birds were really struggling in the heat and this poor little fellow came and sat on my beer can, pleading for a cool drink. I put some water out for him and his friends, which I figure is probably better for them than warm beer.
Fortunately it did cool down later that evening, which was a welcome relief for everyone!
Then we had a cool front come through, that brought howling, gale force winds. These were picking up dirt from all the bare, harvested fields and creating massive dust storms. These are quite spectacular, but really messy as the dirt gets EVERYWHERE, including in the bed. YUK!
Read Any Good Books Lately?
I read. I read a lot. I enjoy reading and in fact can easily get through a book a day, if nothing much else is happening. There is nothing better than finishing a good book and thinking “Wow, I really enjoyed that”.
Many caravan parks have book exchanges, where you can swap out your cast-offs for a selection of new reads. Some even have access to rejects from the local library, so there is potential to get your hands on some good books.
But… unfortunately, there is also an abundance of really crap books out there! I do try and be a little picky about what I read but I guess it is inevitable that I end up with some crook books!
It seems that every book I see is proclaimed an “international best-seller” and really, some of these “best-sellers” are truly horrible! I am not sure how many copies they need to sell in order to make a “best seller” these days, but I am guessing in some cases, not too many!
The author of one “best seller” I recently read killed off every single main characters in the final chapter; after that, I couldn’t figure out what the point of this book actually was, so I gave up on that one and moved onto another “best seller”.
However, I do read many good books and enjoy thrillers and detective novels. I really enjoy the exploits of Jack Reacher, authored by Lee Child. I have read all the Reacher books and although I think some are better than others, I have just caught up with the latest, which I did like. I now have a long wait until November this year for the next instalment.
If he were real and I was in trouble, Jack Reacher is they guy I would definitely want on my side, going into battle for me.
Another favourite read is Harry Bosche, the laconic LA detective created by Michael Connolly. If I meet a sticky end I would want Bosche working the case, in his unceasing hunt for my murderer!
I don’t just read murder mysteries – all that death and despair can get you down after a while. I do enjoy reading comedy books and I also enjoy an interesting biography. Recently I was reading about the Princess Alexandria, which gave a fascinating insight to the lives and attitudes of the British ‘upper classes’ and royals at the time.
The book I am currently reading is called “The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse” by Piu Marie Eatwell, which is an interesting and fascinating expose of a real-life scandal. It took place in Victorian England and features an eccentric Duke and an apparently equally eccentric merchant. The foundation of the scandal was the accusation that these two men were actually the same person, leading a double life!
It inspired one of the longest and most complicated legal battles of the time. It is fascinating, with lots of mystery and intrigue and a bit of insanity thrown in for good measure. There are witnesses committing perjury and lawyers manipulating evidence. Added to this was the press of the day whipping the story up to fever-pitch, so this promises to be entertaining read!
