Julian & Ali Travels


Laverton to Bishop Riley's Pulpit		August 1 - 3 2025

		We left Malcolm Dam by the back road.....

		..... but soon found our way to the big wide road in.

		Turn left (east) towards Laverton. There are many road trains. Many of them carrying ore or products from mines to wherever. Tractor plus four trailers. More than 50m long. We decide not to overtake. It took a long while to reach 80 km/hr. It left us further behind until it turned off to a mine.

		There's been a high concentration of mines through the Goldfields. We will progressively leave them behind as we head east into the desert.

		The sign for White Cliffs, where we are headed, says "OPEN to 4x4 & 3T AND UNDER" We interpreted it as 4x4 or 3 tonne and under.

		We nearly missed the fuel pump. A lot cheaper than BP a couple of hundred meters away. We had filled up in Leonora (even cheaper), this was a top up. Its a long way to Coober Pedy. Fuel at Ilkurlka along the way .... above $3/litre.

		We extricated ourselves from Laverton, past the hotel, towards the Great Central Road ....

		.... then White Cliffs Road towards Anne Beadell Highway.

		"OPEN TO 4x4 AND UNDER THREE TONNES" A little more ambiguous, or at least common sense defying.

		We've been driving through Mulga (Acacia) for a couple of days. We notice a change to Mallee (Eucalypt).

		Then back to Mulga.

		A roadside stop for the night.

		Past White Cliffs. Lots of prospecting activity, with a couple of mines.

		We are headed to Ilkurlka.

		We never did find the open road speed sign.

		A well maintained airfield.

		Mallee.

		Mulga. The height changes. The lower the bushes/trees the more diversity.

		Near to Lake Yeo.

		And the abandoned homestead.

		With an abandoned well. Complete with warning sign. There is water in the well, but we couldn't make the pump work.

		Avenues of mulga.

		Not Bishop Rileys Pulpit. Though it looks a bit like this.

		The real Bishop Riley's Pulpit. Named by Haan after a bishop of Perth.

		We camp.

		Circumnavigating the pulpit before settling down for the night. Its 1.4km round the base.

		A dingo during the evening. A camel in the morning.

		A weak sunrise. We expect cloud and a little rain.

		The rain holds off long enough for us to charge batteries and walk up the pulpit. A well trodden path.

		All sorts of plant life hiding in the crevices.

		A rest and pic half way up.

		A narrow cleft leads to the top.

		The trucks look small.

		The road behind flat.

		The road ahead also flat. Flat all round.

		A bit cautious on the way down. The small stones not round, but a bit slidy.

		Under almost all the rocks scattered around the base a single home. We have no idea what may live here.

Neale Junction and Neale Breakaways		August 4 - 5 2025

Gateway

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