WELL,
What a weekend. Linda and i arrived on Thursday around 11am....... after checking the campground out on wednesday afternoon and weather was semi fine but NO WIND !!!! ( we had parked up at Sheffield on Wednesday............ sorry we didnt catch up Phil but we were accosted at the campground by some old travelling friends ) and just as we were about to set the 5th wheeler down close to the river near the bridge , a local lady came up to us and advised us of impending heavy rain, snow and rising river levels , so we quickly moved back up the campground ( still no winds at this stage ).
Harry and Renda arrived next and we all sat around and had a coffee and made our aquaintances, it was great to put faces to the conversations of the forum.
Spoke with Starry about 3 pm and advised conditions and he arrived at about 5-6pm by which time the winds had started. A fire was lit but i reckon most of the heat ended up in Triabunna as we certainly didnt feel much of it.
A disturbed sleep ensued with the wildest winds i have ever experienced.
We all enjoyed a bacon and eggs breakfast and waited the arrival of the others who all arrived by around 9.00am.
We all prepared and set off for the Poverty creek ( 3 creeks meet up area described by Phil ) with me and Harry taking up the rear when just as the vehicle 20m in front of us hit the bush line a large wattle tree came crashing down missing their vehicle by inches . LADY LUCK arrived at an appropriate time thank goodness.
Well not only did we now have to battle the windy weather but we had to move this damn tree. Fortunately i had brought my chainsaw, so i reversed back to our van and collected it and returned to the tree ......................Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, then i find that i had reattached the chain the wrong way around last time i had cleaned it and the saw was not cutting but just wearing away the tree. Grrrrrrrr.
Well at that Harry says to me as i am about to reverse back to the van to correct the chain that he noticed my drivers side rear wheel was wobbling a lot and i should check it.
Thank goodness he had noticed it as when i checked it, i found that all 8 nuts were very loose almost to the point of coming off ( all four tyres were replaced only 2 weeks before so i assume that the dealer had not put them on properly).
Anyway after correcting that and fixing the chain i returned and we were able to cut up and move the tree to allow us passage.
We breathed a big sigh of relief but it was shortlived as we then had to do several more which had fallen across the road after the others had passed ( unbeknowst to them ) before we finally met up an hour and a half later at the top of Mt Gairdner road.
It didnt end there as we had to negotiate 2 more trees across the road which had fallen after the council had been down there while the others were waiting.
Eventually we all made it down to the dam wall gate and then down to the area we thought Phil was describing and set about detecting and panning.
It was great to see all the looks on everybodys faces doing what we all love to do. Not much was found but we all got to meet one another and put faces to names, exchange stories and lies and it doesnt get much better that that.
Those that were only up for the day left and the rest of us headed back to the campsite ( starry declaring thet he would head back home and come back the next day as it was just too windy to be comfortable in the camper and we all understood.
Harry decided he would stay which left us the only ones there.
However on the way back to the campground we all had to battle through half a dozen more trees which had fallen across the road in our absence. By the time we got back to the campsite we were al pooped and i've never seen anyone move so fast as starry to get out before anymore trees fell.
There was another vehicle left in the campsite and we were perplexed as to how this could be the case but about an hour later TRENT arrived looking a little worse for wear and told us that he and afew others had gone looking further after we left the dam area but when they arrived back they couldnt get through as between starry leaving and them returning several more trees had fallen. STARRY.........you can thank your lucky starrs.
Nedless to say that trent ended up staying the night
but we all endured another night of hell as trees could be heard falling all around and the winds were horriffic.
The weather next day was much better with little wind and signs of improvements so we headed out to check out the road and came across SIMON who was pulling out of his property in his tractor filled with chainsaws and other forrestry type equipment ( enough to put a STIL store to shame ) and dressed to kill in all the correct forrestry gear ( goggles, Headgear, gloves, front pant covers, earmuffs etc etc etc ) and he advised there were several more trees down ( as per Trents earlier advices ) so we said we would go with him and assist with the clearing.
Well a BIG BIG thank you to him as we would NOT have got out without his efforts and he is just one of the local property owners so no payment for his efforts and use of equipment etc. A top chap and we will return there again and express our gratitude by treating him to a nice meal or something similiar.
Once the roads were clear again we returned to the campsite and decided to go golding again as Simon had given us some advice how to get to ther spot Phil had advised by accessing it through property off Lake gairdner road and armed with an actual weather report from some firewood gatherers (who had mysteriously arrived ) saying the forecast was for no further winds and becoming fine.
We headed to the place as per simons directions and spoke first with the landowner ( Mick) who gave us ( and club members ) permission to access the spot we were looking for through his property and also through his neighbours ( Tony ) property at the rear. His only request was that we call at his house beforehand and let him know we are entering but if he is not home just go ahead anyway. His neighbour was not at the property at the time we went but he asssured us he would be OK based on his OK.
His details are as follows..... Michael Ohalloran,67 Lake Gairdner Road, Moina,7320 Ph 6492 1428.
The adjoining property at his rear is Tony ( Bindi ) Loone and he can be reached at his home address of 2467 Willmot Road, Wilmot, 7310 Ph 6492 1323, he comes up the the property at the rear of Michaels place on regular occasions. Michael has said if Tony is at his property to just introduce yourself and inform him of Michaels advice that he has authorised us to access the creeks below his property and then just go by any decision he gives but he asssures us he will be fine with his permission.
Now to locate the property is as follows..............turn down Lake Gairdner road ( opposite the Sheffield/Devonport intersection at Moina and drive slowly down the road approx 600m or thereabouts and look for an entry track where there is a sign which says " Private entry or similiar )....this is the track which leads to Terrys property at the rear and therefore access to the creeks below. If you drive past that entry the next entry is the one to Michaels place.
The track into Terrys place is best described a 4WD only but if you have to walk it is not that far ( certainly less than we all walked from the gate where we parked our cars.
Well Harry, trent and i had a good day with Trent finding his first speck and harry finding some fine gold as well. I was most fortunate to find 3 good flakes in one pan and another single and some fines in my others ( Photo attached). Clearly there is gold in these creeks and so another club meet up that way in good weather will be a good thing.
We returned back to camp and on the way we encountered as Simon again who was still clearing up the firewood supplies from our earlier endeavours so we assisted him again and he also made sure we could get our 5th wheeler out the next day by cutting some of the logs back further so we could pass by without mishap.We extended an invitation to him to have a beer with us over a campfire later.
Well with the bad weather long gone, the sun setting and beers callung we set a marvelous fire going, determined to burn as much wood as we could to make up for lost time and we did just that. Trent stayed for one beer before heading off, linda delivered up a delicious meal which Harry and i polished off with relish and Simon arrived and filled us in on his life and stories of the local area till about 8pm when we all retired for a calm and windless sleep.
Harry , Linda and i departed the campsite at about 11am and we waved goodbye to Harry at the Moina intersection where we parked up and unhitched having decided to try out the creek near Lemonthyme Lodge where trent had advised a local had informed them that there was sapphires there. Unfortunately after 15 sieve loads with no sign of any gems of any size and no blackjack whatsoever we decided there was none there but we would do further research before discounting.
We had a great time meeting you all and hope there will be many others in the future. To those who have swapped contact details we will keep in touch and no doubt do some prospecting together as well at some time in the future.
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