Day 14.08

A few miners’ shacks stand disheveled behind the ‘Widgiemooltha’ roadhouse. (‘Widgie’ – to the locals, for short.) Back in 1931 a lucky lad of only 16, Jim Larcombe started a gold rush into this area. No small wonder when, in the middle of the depression, he found the ‘Golden Eagle Nugget’, which measured 26 inches by 11 ½ inches by 2 ½ inches, weighed 13,035 ounces and was worth $11,000.

There is little to report on the journey to Kalgoorlie. The road is lined with high bushes which cannot be seen over or through, as they are spread quite thick. Every so often a small break in the shrubbery provides the view of a long pipeline running along with the road.

It is not because there is not much to be seen of the magnificent scenery that disappointment comes to bear. But that the road is lined, nay ruined, by scattered debris. There is broken glass and empty bottles and cans everywhere. And not just here, where the eyes cannot be swayed to focus into the distance. It is sad to see, especially when there are many signs inviting the road users to “Keep the scene clean” and parking bays along the road with litter-bins, usually empty, at regular intervals. It is not something we are used to seeing in Victoria. Most of us take our rubbish away with us. It is rare to see rubbish just discarded out of the vehicle windows, especially in National Parks. The Western Australians may have the biggest state, but, along the main roads and some way off into the bush, it’s a big rubbish dump. The “Keep Australia Beautiful” campaign does not appear to have sunk in yet, though it’s been running for a whole generation now.

Nevertheless, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Behold, the countryside is still breathtakingly beautiful.

‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder – but please “Keep the scene clean”’