Week 5 of full-time travel - Beverley to Nyabing

We set off from Beverley on Monday and our next stop was the free camp at Brookton. This is a lovely shady camp by the (currently dry) river, only five minutes walk from the local supermarket and diy store. 

Steve decided that we should finally hang the wallpaper over the bed, that we had bought back in August last year. It’s a self-adhesive vinyl that is rustic plank effect. After much sweating (it was a 35 degree day) and swearing (air bubbles and creases) we finally got the decorating finished.

Before (old pic - excuse the Xmas decs!)                        After - much cozier           .                     

We had a lovely quiet evening, and the following day we set off further south. 

We arrived in Narrogin and found the free camp by the old railway sheds and got set up. We went for a walk around town in the afternoon and did a bit of grocery shopping at the Coles Supermarket. That evening we looked at the map and decided that our next stop the following day would be Wagin.

I stayed in Wagin years ago for work at a really old hotel that was incredibly creepy, but this time we opted for two nights at the Caravan Park. We did all of our washing at the site laundry, and thankfully it was dry before the lawn sprinklers came on that evening.

We went for a drive around town and found that they even had a cinema here!

The next movie night was in two weeks time!

Wagin is known for wool and because the annual Woolarama was in two weeks time, the RV camping area at the Showgrounds was closed, while they prepared themselves - apparently, the Woolarama is a huge event in these parts. But, we could still view the Giant Ram sculpture, which is on the main road into the town.

It really is a Giant Ram!!

Behave yourself, Steve!

We found the Share and Care Op Shop at the back of the town, over the road from the hospital. They hav a fantastic book shop, where the first 4 books per person are free, then $3.00 per book thereafter. I managed to get a couple of virtually brand new paperbacks and a little recipe book for free! They also have clothes for $1.00 per item (although they were having. Sale that day so the ladies wear was 50 cents per item!) and a bric-a-brac/gift shop on site too. They also had a small workshop there where they produced wooden pickets and kindling for really good prices too. An excellent surprise find, that provides a fantastic service to the community.

Friday we found ourselves at Dumbleyung. This area was made famous back in late 1964, when Donald Campbell broke the World Water Speed Record in The Bluebird on Lake Dumbleyung. We drove out to the lake, which is spectacular when viewed from Pussycat Hill Lookout, a hilltop on the north side.

Pussycat Hill, so named for all the feral cats in the

area in days gone by

We met a couple in the lower car park who were over from the UK to visit their son, and they were touring for a couple of weeks in a camper van. Because of the steep incline, we offered to take them up to the viewing point in our car. Once at the top, they agreed that the view was fantastic.

Panorama from Pussycat Hill Lookout

Map of The Bluebird’s record breaking run

We dropped the couple off back at their camper van and met their son. They were saying that they planned to stay in Dumbleyung that night, and we said we would probably run into them at the pub that evening.

Turns out that the couple were also named Tracy and Stephen - such a coincidence! - and we chatted with them and their son, Adam, for most of the evening. (Adam has travelled a lot and has an insta - ajay_adventures - check him out!).

Saturday we made the trip to Katanning, for groceries and a look round the town - Steve did a great job of talking me out of adopting a kitten from the pet shop. The town has many beautifully maintained old buildings, including the Katanning Hotel, the Commonwealth Bank building and the Flour Mill.

On Sunday, on the recommendation of Heather from the Dumbleyung Mini Mall, we made our way east to Nyabing. The Caravan Park is by the town sports oval but we couldn’t fit our caravan under the canopy covering the parking bays. We reversed up as close as we could, so that we could still access the power and water points.

That afternoon, we walked over to the Community Hub. This is a new building that was financed by locals - they are very proud of this and rightly so! The building is bright and modern, with all mod cons. We had a few drinks and the best vegetarian pizza we had eaten in a long time.

We missed the sunset, but the sky later on looked like it was on fire.