Sandstone

Left Meekatharra & headed back down the highway to Mt Magnet, spent the night there & headed east 15okms to Sandstone another gold mining town that started life in early 1900's. Spent two nights here as it rained heavily & decided to stay off the highway while it was raining.

Plenty of road trains on the highway

Very wide load

Tuckanarra homestead just north of Mt Magnet. Looks abandoned but not sure if it is or not!!!

Sandstone park


Beautiful stain glass window in the Black range chapel


Post office


National hotel

Landscape along the highway

Tourist information & museum (old photos etc)

Black range chapel

Leaving Meeka

On Wednesday morning we decided to take the short cut to Wiluna 185kms of gravel road. We checked with the Shire council office & were told it was a good road. Off we went & 20kms down the road decided to turn around as it was so corrugated & shaking the van badly + the road trains were flying along the road & thought we could loose a windscreen as well.




Trucks have to stop before they get in town & dust off their wheels when they've been travelling on gravel road

Meekatharra town walk

An early morning walk around town on Tuesday 28th, we discovered some the historic sites of this town. I must say we were very impressed how clean the streets & park were considering the very large number of indigenous people living here.


Old rusty ute in the town park

Royal Mail hotel

Meeka river walk

Not sure when the last movie was shown here, looks a little sad these days

Old crushing machine, breaking down the rock to a help extract the gold

Old Meeka house, used as a saddlery & blacksmith out the back

Sign says it all!!!

Nice swimming pool undergoing a makeover ready for the hot months to come

Old bakery

Commercial hotel

Bob sitting in old ute in park

Ralph's takeaway. Not sure when this shop sold it's last hamburger!!!!

Cowboys & Cowgirls @ Meeka Rodeo

Sunday was rodeo day. When we arrived on Friday there was NO RODEO arena & we thought where in hell are they going to hold the rodeo. Saturday the trucks arrived & the arena was up & running. Next the cattle & horses turned up & we ready to go play cowboys.



Cowgirls came from far & wide, couple from the USA & eastern states to try their luck at barrel racing, steer de-decorating, team cattle roping

Eye candy COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!

Cowgirls

This was a qualifying round for the cowboys for the big event at Burswood casino complex in November. 110 cowboys registered for all the different events @ $130 for each event


Cowboy gear hanging on the fence

Crowd control!!!

Rodeo clown

Bob enjoying all the action & dust

Bull riding




Calves ready for calf roping


Local kids enjoying the fun of rodeo