Meckering 18 January 2007

Headed off to Kalgoorlie at last - it feels good to get out into the country again and for the first time we are heading east. We are now following the ‘Golden Pipeline’ which supplies water to all the towns and villages stretching 600 km to Kalgoorlie. Had lunch at Northam, which is a pretty little historic town on the Avon River.
Stopped for the night at Meckering at a very pretty roadside Tourist Park that allows you to park for 24 hours. At first glance it appeared to be a nondescript village, with a general store, road house and a particularly ugly hall. When we had a look around the village we discovered it was the site of the most severe earthquake in Australia – in 1968 it registered 6.9 on the Richter Scale! Virtually all the structures in the village of 200 people were destroyed, including all the shops and public buildings and they were never rebuilt. Some photos clearly demonstrated how the earth moved 5 feet up and down and 5 feet sideways! The epicentre was 2km from this town. The water pipeline to Kalgoorlie telescoped in and both railway tracks looked like soft liquorice strips twisted on the ground. We walked along what is now a park and encountered a row of plaques showing where the butcher, baker, post office, pubs, churches, town hall, etc once stood. It was a sobering reminder of the force of nature!
We looked out for the comet again and the tail seemed longer and brighter. Few more night to go as we head into the flat wide country where the air is clear. Enjoyed our own private rose garden in the park for the evening.