Road trip: Esperance to Kalgoorlie

Jenny RinglandBy Jenny Ringland
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Discover Kalgoorlie, a frontier town with a colourful history, and the world’s largest outdoor art gallery at Lake Ballard, WA, on the final leg of our Golden Outback road trip.

Part 4: Esperance to Kalgoorlie

 

Leaving our newfound slice of paradise behind, we track towards the goldfields. It’s only 3.5 hours away but the contrast couldn’t be more dramatic.

 

We arrive at Kalgoorlie’s Super Pit and stare in wonderment at the layers of red and purple earth, listening to the constant hum of the mega trucks 500 metres below.

 

Gold-rich Kalgoorlie produces 10 per cent of the world’s gold and, like any frontier town, it has a colourful past. It’s a surprise to hear about a young Herbert Hoover, destined to become US president, falling in love with a local girl during his stint as a mining engineer in 1897.

 

As the story goes, Hoover promised to return for the girl; even shipping a gaudy floor-to-ceiling timber mirror (now on display in the entrance of the Palace Hotel) back to her as symbol of his intentions.

 

However, we’re told he never returned. It’s at Hannans North Tourist Mine – an open-air museum – that you get a tangible sense of what life was like for these 19th-century gold prospectors.

 

In the morning we’re on the road again, bound for the world’s largest outdoor art gallery, Inside Australia, at Lake Ballard. It was created in 2003 by British sculptor Antony Gormley as part of the Perth International Arts Festival’s 50th anniversary.

 

It’s a two-hour drive, with a coffee stop at Menzies, which, at the height of the gold rush in 1894, had a population of 5000.

 

Today, like many towns in the goldfields, the official number has dwindled. Fifty-one of those who remain were immortalised in Gormley’s installation, including Vashti Sambo who recalls the excitement that gripped the town when residents were invited to take part.

 

“We had to take all our clothes off and (Gormley) laser scanned us, like in the movies,’’ Vashti says.

 

You access Lake Ballard on an unsealed road of red earth. The magic of the installation stuns us as soon as we get out of the car. To walk the full circuit, taking in all 51 iron statues, is 10 kilometres and a sign indicates a three- to four-hour walking time requiring at least five litres of water per person.

 

We only walk part of it, but I feel an immediate connection to the vastness of the landscape. There’s power in the silence and the mirrored expanse of lake.

 

Eventually the stifling heat drives us back to the car, bound once more for Kalgoorlie before we head home. We delay our departure with a sundowner at Goldfields Golf Club.

 

The unnaturally green fairways look out of place against the thick red earth. Soon about 10 kangaroos appear, their silhouettes dotting the horizon.

 

We reminisce about our little adventure. There have been many highlights; it hasn’t just been a holiday but an incredible journey close to nature, with extraordinary contrasting landscapes and many moments of calm.

 

I take a mental snapshot, filing it away to be brought out in times of everyday fluster, to be thought of fondly as that time I discovered the wonderful, calming power of the great open road.

 

BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE GOLDEN OUTBACK ROAD TRIP…

→ Road trip the Golden Outback, WA

 

The details: The Golden Outback: Esperance to Kalgoorlie, WA

 

Staying there: ibis Styles Hotel – As you’d expect; modern rooms, friendly service. 45 Egan Street, Kalgoorlie

 

Eating there: The Palace Hotel – Sit on the verandah and be transported to 19th-century gold rush days. Corner of Hannan and Maritana Streets, Kalgoorlie

Jenny Ringland
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6 reasons the best way to experience the Kimberley is by cruise

    Kate BettesBy Kate Bettes
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    This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

    Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

    The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs.
    Adventure starts where the road ends.

    1. Discover Broome, and beyond

    Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

    At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

    If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

    Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea.
    Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

    2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

    Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

    At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

    Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

    Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

    A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters.
    Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

    3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

    You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

    Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

    4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

    These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

    If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

    Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

    A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs.
    Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

    5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

    Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

    A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance.
    See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

    6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

    You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

    Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

    If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

    aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia
    Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

    Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .