Western Australian Exploration

Murchison River Source Expedition

Day 2 Friday 10 August 2007 South of Paynes Find to Source of the Murchison With no reason to dally we were packed up and on our way by 7.30 a.m. Paynes Find was just up the track and we took time out to look at the old bakehouse, butcher shop and stone tank at the rear of the Roadhouse. Stopped at Mt Magnet for another leg stretch and again at Cue to take photographs of some of the beautiful old buildings.
Click on photograph to enlarge			Click on photograph to enlarge
After arriving at Meekatharra we headed to the Meekatharra Lookout where we had lunch. The Lookout provides impressive views over the town and surrounds.
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North of Meekatharra we turned west off the bitumen onto station tracks that eventually led us to the old Great Northern Highway alignment. In places this was still in excellent condition. Interestingly many of the creek crossings were marked with quartz stones embedded in the dirt and running parallel with the track – an outback roadside kerb. At times the track disappeared and we did a bit of cross country driving, making diversions around scrub, washouts and/or rocks. It is here that the river deceives. A giant floodout disguises the course of the river leading to the belief that its source is only just upriver from Bilyuin Pool. But one has to go beyond this wide, flat open expanse of rangeland to again pick up the defined course of the Murchison in its early stages.
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Magnificent, tall eucalypts delineate the course of the Murchison River where the track crosses it further on - a sight to see.
Click to see more photographs			It was here that the usefulness of the GPS came into play. From a previous trip Kim knew that a track from the north intersected this old Great Northern Highway. Though marked on the map the track was totally overgrown and not able to be sighted from the main track (old Great Northern Highway). Its point of intersection with the 'Highway" could not be discerned. Undeterred, we turned off the ‘Highway’ at the coordinates indicated by the GPS and drove across country until we picked up the track a few hundred metres from where we expected it to be.
Within a short distance it became more defined and was clearly heading in the right direction. We were now in the general area of the source of the Murchison and decided to look for a suitable campsite. Set up camp about 5.00 p.m. Total distance travelled - 519 kilometres.			Click on pic to enlarge
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