Tuesday 13th March 2012 meeting Wally at Wirulla......

Well, we are on our way to the Nuallabor plains. We know its going to be hard. We have been told to carry fuel and water and to stop regular for fuel and keep hydrated. So the journey begins... if we are honest we are both a bit nervous but also looking forward to the challenge, ... Early afternoon we decide to start looking for a place to stay. The camp book shows loads of free sites. Now just tom educate you, the free sites often don't have loo's water or cover. They are in affect stopping/parking areas where if you want you can camp overnite

. Am I keen ????? Nope. Is John keen, oh yes... boys camping, adventure and all that tosh!!!!!
Well we are on the Eyre highway.. and after going through a number of 'towns' one being 'Iron Knob' yes thats its name. The town is an old mining town, where most people have left, the mine is barely operating. Actually we saw only one boy about 12 years old in the whole town. The doors were shut, the windows closed, no shops, no garage, actually it had nothing and was quite depressing. WE pulled over to drink some water and made a quick exit from the place. We carried on stopping at Kimba, where we meet a young couple who were moving and now live in a motor home. They had their bike on a trailer on the back and the chap was going to Gerardton for work. We go into the garage to get an ice cream and by mistake our ice cream gets put on the couples bill, I spot it and sort them out the money. We sit down and chat for while. Its fair to say the chaps speech was colourful, the girl was lovely and kept calling me 'doll'.  WE say our goodbyes and get on our way.

This is the burning outside the Nullarbor Road house, DON"T panic, its a controlled burn to help save the farmers crops should there be a bush fire....

We get back on the road and pass through Kyancutta and Yaninee and stop for fuel as advised and finally arrive at a place called Poochera. What a bloody experience, laugh , I could of cried.

We drive behind the factory flumes of Poochera as the camp books shows a hotel with free camp site attached. We arrive at the Hotel Poochera. Now let me set the scene.

The name of the hotel is 'carved' out of a tree trunk that is balanced on two upright trunks, a bit like Bonaza
used to be on telly (ok, yes you will need to be about 50 to remember it!!!) The sign is just about uprite.
The hotel.... well John keeps on about 'The Bates hotel' it takes  ages for me to catch on. So John parks up and I  go to the front door.  Is the place open ???? I'm thinking ..... its very run down, but time is getting on and we need to find somewhere to sleep the nite.  I won't camp tonite as its too open, so I knock again and call out loud a couple of Hello's. Then my Hello is answered, not sure if by male or female, but it turns out to be a female.

You need to read this with the voice of Forrest Gump as the hotel owner. 'Hello', I call out. 'Hello' she answers.. She then appears at the door, smiling with about three teeth, a base ball cap, shorts and a polo shirt. She's about 65, smiling and quite a large lady.  Do you have a room ? I ask, 'well,....... Yeeapp. (now this yep becomes an Ozzie thing, we hear from many over and over again.  You have to put your deep voice on and start with the 'Y' in a really low key and then raise your voice to about 4 levels higher to finish with the 'eaap'.

How much I ask?, $70 (about £55). 'Ok, I ask if I can have a look, ''yeaaap' she replies, I will just open up as I've been fishing and need to unlock''. Oh I reply did you catch anything?  'Yeeeapp' I caught some crabs and had a swim. Oh, you had a swim?? I ask. Yeeeeeep, well no, actually I wuz in me tinnie (her row boat) and I went to step in it and fell in, so yeeeep, I had a swim.!!!!, it was't planned.  WE have a giggle and she goes in to unlock.

By this time John has parked up, surveyed the grounds and joined us. Eventually the front/side door creaks open and in we go. Its a dark as hell inside, every floor board creaked and the wallpaper is hanging off halfway down the walls, the carpets are thread bare and looks like the place has not been touched for about 50 years, there is cob webs and stuff everywhere. The lady shows us to the room. No ensuite ??? I ask.... ''Nope you'll be sharing the bathroom with the 5 sheep,shearers I have stayin''... ummmmmm (lol with nerves) I don't think so!!!!!! I'm thinking, as I look at John. The lady must of seen my face, well why don't you go to Wirulla, the hotel there has been done up a bit and their rooms are nicer and its the same price as here. I smile with relief and quickly agree, yes ok. We have a drink before we leave and a quick chat. The lady was lovely, she been there running it on her own for years, the owners are selling it and won't invest ( well they must of been selling it for bloody years!!!!). So out of the Bates ( yes I get it now, Jack Nicholson, Psycho!!!!!) hotel we go. Back on the bike, at which point John is telling me how he had picked out a tent pitch site outside on a free site !!! yeah right! .  So back on the bike and off to Wurilla we go its about 40k, so should only takeabout 25 minutes and true to form Wurilla appears and off the bike we get again.

I go into the Wirulla hotel and theres the Manager 'Wally'. A lovely ozzie, who used to sheep shear!. We tell him the story of the lady at Poochera, and he smiles and says yes here it comes.. Yeeeep. Its a bit run down there he says. I can do you a room for $60, but not onsite and no doubles. So In John and I go to look at the single on offer, ok we'll take it. Its now 5pm and we need to be off the road and safe. WE unload, go into the bar and have a drink and crisps.  We have Wallys undivided attention, properly cuz we are the  only ones stain there. WE have showers and go to the room as it has a TV. About 7 a couple of truck drivers pull in and John has a fag and a chat with them. Its getting late so off to bed John and I go. Both in the one single bed.

I'm laying there, lights out all quiet and I feel something on my arm, I flick it as it literally cracks against the wall. Up I jump, creating a noise, up gets John, I am now shouting my orders 'John get the bed out, John get the chair out, John get the ........ well next minute he's caught the one I flicked and two more under the bed. They are what Wally called Egyptian Beetles (stab beetles to you and me), large as anything. John out sone out and the other two he ties up in the waste bin liner and puts it outside the door. So I won't be getting up for a wee in the nite. The ladies is at the end of the hallway....

Ok excitement over, I calm myself down, get back into bed and we both go off to sleep.

The Wirulla Hotel.

Poochera, the signs ........lol