10 Jul, 2020
We followed Katherine Seddon and her family as they made the 2,500km journey through the far reaches of Central Australia and Western Australia. Katherine is a mother of three cute ratbags, an ENJO lover, wife and desert dweller. She likes sharing leaf tea with friends, camping and coming home for a hot shower. If you missed Katherine’s previous instalment visit here. Part 6: Kalgoorlie Ah civilisation! Kalgoorlie! Skimpy bars! Brothel tours! A “man-made wonder” aka Super Pit aka humungous gold mine on the edge of town! A great family destination! Actually, once you look past the less desirable aspects of town, you notice the old hotels and houses which are all quite beautiful, and the Super Pit is gob-smackingly huge. Staying in caravan parks really is the pits. Pros are the running water, hot showers, being able to charge the iPad and wash your clothes. But having to sleep side-by-side with strangers in the middle of a car park full of caravans, and then see said strangers in their pyjamas the next morning is really a bit much to bear. Especially after the serenity and beauty of bush camping. Having said that, when the strangers end up being quite nice, it’s a real treat. The family in the tent next door have kids a similar age and this has been the highlight of the holiday for the kids so far. It’s interesting on a holiday how kids can crave the simple and mundane things. Our four-year-old wanted to spend all day at the caravan park. We reached a compromise and spent the afternoon there. Next time we might just book a few nights at the Alice Springs caravan park and see how we go. We all needed a break from the daily preparations and the driving so we’re staying two nights in Kalgoorlie. The thing I’ve learnt about camping on a self-drive holiday is that everything takes so much longer! Doing the washing, going to the toilet, brushing teeth, showering, making dinner, breakfast and lunch, washing up, finding clothes to wear, blah, blah, blah. In the past I’ve found satisfaction in the completing of mundane tasks while camping, but when you have a greater purpose to the trip, like, say, driving across half the country, it’s just plain annoying. I’ve logged the amount of time I’ve spent taking the three kids (who happen to be on different toileting schedules) to the facilities and it adds up to two whole days.* Our final destination is near, Perth, 600kms away. The kids are excited about reaching our destination and I am going to bring out some new snacks, muesli bars and new blank scrapbooks! What treats! *anecdotal evidence only.