Car service in the morning – there is no Subaru service centre for the next 5000km of our travels. We leave at lunch to link up with the Great Northern Highway to begin our drive north through the centre of WA.

Artwork on Northam’s historic 140 year old Flour Mill. “The Last Swans” pays tribute to the only white swans living in the wild in Australia, and their home on the banks of the Avon River.

White Swans at the Avon River – British colonists introduced White Swans to Western Australia in 1896 and shortly afterwards to Northam, which over time happened to be the only place in Australia that the species survived, and currently the only place in Australia that they will breed naturally in the wild. They are a protected species in Western Australia.

For those who have seen the movie ‘Hot Fuzz” – Swan!

Suspension footbridge over the Avon River

Coots were the most common bird on the Avon.

We were parked ouside the local florist.

A large Indigneous Centre highlights Noongar culture. This is an artpiece of the Milky Way emu and stars surrounding it.

This guy looks a bit knackered.

Goomalling’s four huge grain storage domes, locally referred to as the Dolly Twins (there are 4?) are a unique structure, the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The concrete domes built in 1994 can store 44,000 tonnes of grain. Each dome is 40 metres in diameter and 20 metres high, in a perfect half sphere. These domes are an icon to locals in town but are they missing the point?

Christmas Rock walk at Wongan Hills

Some wildflowers from the Christmas Rock walk:

Sundew

Ballidu seems like a haven for pedal powered peloton people. Some of the bikes have stopped working – they are retired.

A brief stop at the Ballidu Tavern. We saw the bikes and tried to get on handle on things, take a brake and have a chat with the well spoke’n publican.

Despite all the bikes, Ballidu is a centre for the local grain industry. We approached the storage area with much anticipation – we could barley wheat to see these.

A narrow band of cloud lit with a fiery glow.

Sunset over the Dalboring Reserve south of Dallwallinu, our stop for the night.