Gus Luck Track and Goldfields (2-9 October 2021) Trip Report
What is the Gus Luck Track?
Until March this year I had never heard of this track, I only came across it while looking for side tracks from the Holland track (which isn’t close to the GLT at all). Gus Luck was an explorer from whom it is said David Carnegie learnt his bushcraft skills from.
The track was created to allow supplies to be taken to the gold find at Goongarrie. There are trip notes available from the Explorers’ Wells and Tracks website that proved to be a valuable resource in preparing for this trip
Day 1 – Perth to Karalee Rock and Dam
We all, well most, arrived at the meeting point at the Bakers Hill Pie shop on time. We all bought a bit of something to keep us going before we hit the road. We were going to meet Michael S and Screech at Karalee that night as Michael had managed to get on the road a day early. Screech and his kids were only going to be with us for one night before making their way back to Perth.
We had to make an emergency stop at Merredin for coffee as someone (no, not Vicki) had forgotten theirs. We then headed for Southern Cross for fuel and lunch before heading out to camp. I note that the fuel in Yellowdine was cheaper than Southern Cross.
We arrived at Karalee and after setting up camp headed up onto the rock to admire the view and then follow the drainage to the dam. A great fire was made and conversation was had.
Day 2 - Karalee Rock and Dam to Wallangie
After a quick stop at Yellowdine to drop off some rubbish we headed north past the Yellowdine Railway dam to Duladgin Well. It took a few minutes to locate it as it was actually right against the edge of the road, not down the little track that the sign seemed to point down.
We wound our way along the track stopping at some lakes and the grave of Thomas Davidson who apparently took his own life. The track impressed me right from the start. The countryside was continuously changing from open country to wooded areas. We even had to cross the Trans railway line.
There were still plenty of wildflowers around to keep the cameras clicking.
Many of the wells were covered and contained water. We arrived at our campsite near Willangie Dam mid-afternoon and set up camp. It was a great clear night with a bit of time spent looking for satellite's.
Day 3 – Wallangie to Split Rock Dam
The day saw us crossing a couple of access roads for mines in the area. We visited many of the rocks and wells along the route. Some of the wells were hard to spot while driving but luckily some eagle-eyed passengers spotted those places I missed.
When looking for wells around the base of the rocks you sometimes need to look for the subtle signs pointing you in the right direction such as arrows made from rocks. Difficult to spot at times.
Care needed to be taken around the uncovered wells as the edged were less stable. Interestingly most of the uncovered wells were also dry.
This day found us driving on tracks that had been recently graded. I suspect this was more for access for mining exploration than us intrepid travellers. Parts of the original GLT are no longer accessible so you have to take alternative tracks in places.
As we passed Turturdine Rock we located a commemorative plaque to Gus Luck at the base of the rock.
We made our way to Split Rock Dam for the night which is just south of Davyhurst.
Another great fire was had and Vicki continued her nightly ritual of cooking a damper.
Day 4 – Split Rock Dam to Lake Ballard
After leaving Split Rock Dam we continued east Wangine. It was along on old fence line where Steve unfortunately staked a tyre on an old fence star picket that was lying on the ground. After changing it we continued on towards Wangine.
This was in interesting mix of breakaways and old mine where we could have spent considerable time exploring. From here we headed towards the Pipeline track that would lead us towards Lower Goongarrie.
It was at this point the track became considerably overgrown. After some exploring to find an alternative route we decided to cut out losses and head out to Menzies. On the way we stopped in Siberia (which isn’t as cold as you think) for lunch and a look around the cemetery.
In Menzies those of us who needed it fuelled up before we made our way to Lake Ballard for the night. This is the first time I have been there and it is quite an amazing sight. Vicki and the two boys climbed the ‘island’ twice after writing their names in stones like many before them.
We managed to camp right on the edge of the lake making for a fantastic sunrise the next day.
Day 5 – Lake Ballard to The Terraces
Happy Birthday Adam!
We took the long road to Leonora visiting the old mining area of Mount Ida along the way. In Leonora we took the opportunity to have showers at the local caravan park and re-supply from the local shops and pub.
Michael had told us about this great place to camp called the Terraces so we headed there for the night. Once there Vicki could no longer contain herself and bought out her NEW abseiling rope and gear to go and jump off a cliff.
I must say that we definitely saw Vicki in a different way that afternoon. She pulled out her professional hat (well it really was a helmet) and set about sorting out her gear before going over the edge. Now it wasn’t a big drop but boy waws she excited. Soon Kathryn was geared up and ready for her turn too.
As Vicki did not have any gear suitable for us novices, we gave it a miss. She did reset her equipment for Thomas and Jarod to have a try going down a steep slope with the ropes attached. They both thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Another great campfire was had and there were dampers made by Vicki and myself to indulge in to celebrate Adams birthday.
Day 6 – The Terraces to Sandstone
From The Terraces we followed some tracks along the breakaways for a while before finding ourselves on the Leinster tourist loop. We stopped and looked at a number of sites before making our way into Leinster.
Some people took advantage of the free swim and shower at the local swimming pool before fuelling and airing up and having lunch. After lunch we headed towards Sandstone with a plan to camp just ease of the town for the night.
We had to overtake a very oversized load on this road. The pilots were very good and coordinated with us to have the group split into two groups of three for passing. We were soon around them and making our way along the road.
We found a nice little campsite about 20km east of Sandstone for the night. Plenty of firewood around so we had another great fire and damper.
Day 7 – Sandstone to Warriedar
This morning we headed into Sandstone to have a look around the town and find a bin to dispose of our rubbish. After a short look around town we headed out to London Bridge (Siberia, London Bridge. This is turning into an international tour) for a look. From here we visited the Brewery (of course) and the Battery before heading towards Paynes Find.
We arrived at Paynes Find about 2.00pm. Vicki, Adam, Kathryn and Jarod left us here and headed back to Perth. The remaining vehicles headed out to Warriedar Station for our last night in the bush.
The old homestead is still in great condition. Some of the long dry grass could do with being knocked down just to make the area a bit safer from fires. We missed our damper tonight. We even managed to spot the Hubble Telescope in the night sky tonight.
Day 8 - Warriedar to Home
Homeward bound. We all know what that last day of an extended trip can be like. We had an uneventful trip home although were diverted through Piawaning from Bindi Bindi due to a grain truck roll over.
Thank you to everyone who came along and made this a great trip
Andrew & Thomas
