Tjukayirla Roadhouse (WA) – July 2013

I was fortunate enough to get an invite to join Doc (Overlander forum) on a run out to Chooka for an extended weekend. We departed Perth a tad after 6pm on Thursday evening and headed east in his dual cab Nissan Patrol.

The run across to Coolgardie on the Great Eastern Highway was a retrace of my steps a few weeks earlier. Funnily enough it felt about the same too, being dark and all.

After Coolgardie I really started to have more interest as this was area I hadn’t explored. It is only a short run across to Kalgoorlie where we topped up the fuel tanks and I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee. Travelling through the town was an eye opener at 1/2 past midnight where I strongly suspect that much alcohol had been consumed.

Turning north onto the Goldfields Highway we made really good time to Leonora, where we turned east towards Laverton (pronounced laYverton over here…..)

Arriving onto the gravel of the Great Central Rd at 0430h the fog started to cause issues. The road had recently been opened to 4WDs however there was still enough water about to catch the unwary. Eventually however it cleared into a fantastic morning making it all worth it.

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The last 100km’s seem to take forever but eventually we arrived at Chooka at 8am. It had taken us 14 hours to travel just under 1300km’s which to me was a very good run.

After stretching the legs and downing a cup of coffee I retired to watch a bit of TV whilst Al & Serena were working (although according to Serena she is the only one that works!).

The next thing I know its mid arvo so I must’ve needed a kip. Shouldn’t have slowed down (oops).

The evening was spent enjoying a couple of quiet beverages with a good campfire and some good music as well.

Sunday dawned and I must admit that I didn’t see the sun rise at all. I made the mistake of watching some of the cricket the night before and didn’t wake until nearly 0900h – must admit that I felt good after a decent sleep.

I had a late breakfast and managed to go for a wander to have a good look around. The road out the front is looking quite good, although I did hear a rumour that it’s called Al’s drag strip…..

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There is a good little information sign out the front, with the good information on how to pronounce the name properly rather than my half-hearted attempts!

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The shop front itself is set back from the road a little bit which in itself is a good thing IMHO.

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I loved the vehicle loading ramp. In this day and age of everything needing to be bloody certified etc, it is good to see a good old fashioned ramp that no doubt does the job without any help from WHS people.

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I also found Al’s spare parts vehicle, although I thought Toyota’s were unbreakable.

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The gate into the camping area looks absolutely fantastic painted.

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It was also good to see a well set-up camping area:

Shaded area:
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Camp Kitchen:
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Spoilt with fridge, microwave, crockery & cutlery:
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And a bloody good stove as well!
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Sneaking around out the back I managed to find the power generators for the roadhouse. I nearly felt at home listening to the diesel turning over, with the spare ready to go when needed.

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And found an old tractor that looked in better nick than the Toyota.
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Another evening was spent around the campfire, although I only had a 6 pack due to driving first leg in the morning. I must say that the hospitality shown was absolutely brilliant, and I felt welcome and at home the whole time I was there. I really look forward to taking the whole family out there when I get a chance.

Departing Sunday morning we made quick inroads into a journey back to Perth. A quick stop at Leonora for a late breakie was followed by a visit to the SuperPit at Kalgoorlie. I’ve spent a lot of time around pits etc on the west coast of Tassie, but this is another scale altogether.

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The run across to Southern Cross is quite possibly the most boring part of the trip, although without a schedule to keep I have no doubt there would be plenty to see and explore. With the Patrol fuelled up I relaxed in the passenger seat with a coffee and a good book whilst Doc drove the last 3 or so hours back to Perth.

Arriving just before 8pm we worked out that it was basically a 13 hour run which isn’t bad at all.

Overall I had a great time and a big thanks must be said to Doc, Al & Serena. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and recommend anyone to visit.

Cheers
Chris

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