Today a 422km run along the Great Northern Highway.

Commercial Hotel (The Commie to locals) at Meeka built in 1907 – our accommodation and dinner venue last night.

Meekatharra Hill Lookout

Ptilotus on Meekatharra Hill

Open cut from the old Meekatharra Gold Mine

On the way to Peace Gorge

Peace Gorge was named after World War I in the hope that peace would prevail after the devastating loss of 20% of younger men in the district who enlisted and didn’t return home.

Rocks at Peace Gorge

Female Crested bellbird at Peace Gorge. They have a small, unraised black crest line on the crown.

We are used to seeing signs for award winning pies in many towns as we travel but never award winning toilets! Sadly the seat went missing in the last 6 years so there has been a drop since then.

Ptilotus in abundance

I went into the mulga to find this Wedgie after it took flight from some roadkill.

Waterhole on the Gascoyne River

Whistling Kite patrolling near the Gascoyne.

A big nest.

The Ringnecks were here too.

We even found Spongebob beside the highway in the West Australian Outback – although he is a holesome guy, he is a bit self-absorbed.

More daisies…

… more Ptilotus…

… and different species of Eremophila.

Collier Range National Park is north of Kumarina – it has spinifex plains and some dunes – the western most point of the Little Sandy Desert.

I was happy to find another Desert kurrajong – one of the arid lands Brachychitons – relative of the flame tree found in the Australian east coast rainforests.

Collier Range National Park dunes

If you drive the Great Northern Highway, be prepared to pass many long road trains, oversized vehicles and very oversized vehicles like this one.

Other road hazards include lots of wandering cattle close to the road like these bovine beauties above.

This stretch of road was where the radioactive sample fell off the truck in January 2023. The sample has affected some wildlife including the feral cats – they now have 18 half lives.

Tropic of Capricorn – into the tropics we go.

Newman Visitor Centre – large mining truck. The tyres alone are very expensive, they come at an inflated cost.

Newman – Radio Hill Lookout looking over the town…

… and towards the Mount Whaleback Mine.

(For Seinfeld fans, we haven’t seen Newman but saw the postal service, some Jerry cans on the back of a 4WD and a E-laine way.)