The pre-dawn light didn't wake us as usual this morning because there wasn't any. We awoke about 7 am to another dull, cloudy day. Anyone would think we were in Victoria, but at least there they have four seasons in one day, here it's more like one hour. Greg questioned our sanity; coming this far South in Winter! We really can't complain as we've had a dream run up until now and it can only get better.
The 79 km felt like a drive around the block and to stretch it out a bit we pulled over for mornos about 9:45 am. Once again the road was, you guessed it, perfect. Obviously the royalties the WA Govt is raking in from all the gold mines (saw another three today) in this area is being put back into the regions. In fact they have a program called Royalties for Regions. Well done again WA, Qld just puts the royalties from the mining in our regions into building even more useless tunnels and freeways in Brisbane. Rant over.
We pulled into the MM Caravan Park about 10:30 am and as we were staying hooked up we were set up in no time. Got rugged up and off on shanks pony. The bikes have remained firmly attached to the back of the van for the past few days; it's not that pleasant riding in this wind. Besides the places we've visited have been all quite small.
If Cue was quaint then Mt Magnet is a gem. It's as neat as a pin, immaculately clean and very well maintained. Yes, sadly there are a lot of shops permanently closed but there are many still open too. They call it the Geographic Hub of the Murchison and it's the longest continuous mining centre in WA. During the first alluvial gold rush in Jul 1890 "250 ounces of gold nuggets were dug up like potatoes". The biggest nugget was over 100 ounces. Everything in the town still seems a little more prosperous than the other old mining towns we've been in thus far. The wind and our stomachs saw us back in the van for lunch and a rest before heading out again to finish the heritage walk and visit the local Museum. It was the best one we've seen on this trip, everything was clean, very well restored, labelled and beautifully displayed. They told the complete story of the area, which of course started with the local aboriginal tribes. From the many photos and items you could clearly see that it was a thriving and bustling place. Late afternoon saw us back in the comfort and warmth of our van.
We wanted to do the MM Tourist Drive, however, due to the recent rain, all roads were closed, or were marked 4WD only and didn't really feel like getting mud all over the truck, or worse, getting bogged. Maybe next time.
Sometimes these smaller towns have more to see than the 'bigger' ones. That is certainly the case with MM.
Lake Austin with sheep cut-outs, and a dog (below)
Some water in Lake Austin
Look carefully and you will see a rainbow
Mornos
Arriving at Mt Magnet
Not sure what this child did to be locked in this cage
MM War Memorial / Cenotaph
MM Reconciliation Wall
Masonic Lodge
MM Catholic Church
MM deserted shops
The pieces of art in here were quite ordinary
MM original Post Office
The Hearse - originally horse drawn, later modified to be drawn behind a motor vehicle; built in early 1900s
MM's first copier; Edison's rotary mimeograph No. 78
Gold measuring weights
Headframe
'The Hut' a movie set replica constructed by Taylor Media for their movie "3 Acts of Murder"
The room where the murder allegedly occurred
Dining / Lounge
Kitchen
Thunder box
Hill 50 Winder Installation
Look closely and you will see Greg driving the Winder Installation
The list of miners who have lost their lives on WA mines; the list is not yet complete
Old School Master's Residence and School Room
Old Primary School Heritage Precinct
Old Railway precinct
Rail ticket office
Railway Cottage
