Bullfinch to Goongarrie Station

The WA Goldfields are not all about mining – there are vast areas of woodlands to explore, filled with majestic Salmon Gums and very few people.

This Trek starts at the small township of Bullfinch, which offers cheap and friendly hotel and caravan park accommodation. It then passes through Koolyanobbing before heading north into the remote Mount Manning Nature Reserve and through the lesser known Helena and Aurora Ranges.

You’ll experience the remoteness of the area around the mysterious Yowie Rocks, before getting back to more well known points of interest such as Lake Ballard and Menzies.

Goongarrie Station is the end point for this Trek. The DEC provide homestead accommodation or campsites – plus a welcoming warm shower to wash off the dust.

Environment

The Trek meanders through mainly flat country, but still provides the opportunity to climb the various ranges and granite outcrops the trek passes through. The environment consists of Eucalypt woodlands for most of the trek until you reach Lake Ballard, where you are greeted by a unique salt lake.

If the track between Kurrajong Waterhole and the Evanston to Menzies Road has not been cleared, this section of the track is extremely overgrown and scratchy. As of April 2010 a DEC team was opening up the track and grading it, which will make the travelling much more enjoyable and less challenging to keep finding the track and avoiding scratches.

History

The small mining town of Bullfinch falls within what we now know as the Shire of Yilgarn. Pre colonisation the Yilgarn was inhabited by Aboriginals from the western desert and south west areas. The name 'Yilgarn' is aboriginal for 'white stone' or 'quartz'. Gold was discovered in Bullfinch in 1910 and it subsequently became a gazetted town in the same year. For the next 60 years Bullfinch had multiple mining lease holders and by 1950 the Copperhead mine was employing 130 men, which subsequently built a new town. Production ceased in 1963.

Gazetted in 1895, Goongarrie is an abandoned goldfields town site with a rich cultural history. It has multiple graves and a long history of prospecting and mining. A short drive from the Goongarrie town site is Goongarrie Station - This homestead was once a functioning sheep station but now a conservation reserve managed by the DEC.

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The section of the trek between Koolyanobbing and the Evanston to Menzies Road is remote and not well used. Up to April 2010, this section was heavily overgrown. Normal preparation for travel in such areas is essential. Good tyres with strong sidewalls will be an advantage over the freshly graded sections where sticks are turned up and can easily stake a tyre. This section is on a track through the bush, not a gravel covered made road. It can deteriorate with bulldust in dry weather and soft boggy areas in wet conditions. Care needs to be taken around the rockholes and soaks, they can be soft, leading to dangerously boggy in the wet.

Travel from the Evanston to Menzies Road to Lake Ballard, and on to Menzies is on wide well graded gravel public roads. Menzies to Goongarrie station is primarily bitumen, apart from the station access road which is a well maintained dirt road.

Navigating with a GPS will assist in finding the correct track. There are many tracks that lead to mining camps, some of these tracks are in better condition than the main track of this Trek, and digital mapping will provide a great deal of security, as well as ensuring you are on the right track.

Permits

Although no permits are required for this Trek, there are costs involved should you wish to make use of the facilities at Goongarrie Station. Goongarrie Station is now run by the DEC, who provide a range of camping facilities (including warm showers). On arrival, a volunteer DEC camp host will provide guidance and collect the minimal fees ($8 per night as of April 2010).

Fuel Usage

Diesel	ULP	LPG
4cyl 54 litres	4cyl 63 litres	4cyl 77 litres
6cyl 48 litres *	6cyl 70 litres	6cyl 68 litres
8cyl 59 litres	8cyl 64 litres

Best Time To Visit

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

No Services & Supplies available for this trek