Friday 13^th July

We drove to Kimba via Iron Knob which was a name we both remembered from school geography days as being a good source of iron ore for BHP. 

From 1899 BHP worked the mining lease at Iron Knob for the next 100 years. And one hundred years of mining has certainly left its mark - with the height of Iron Knob Hill being reduced by more than 150 metres. Iron Knob played a crucial role in the birth of Australia's commercial Steel making industry at nearby Whyalla.  It is now almost a ghost town, apart from what seems to be a very lively progress association that has ensured the playground and toilet facilities are very welcoming for a visitor.

Kimba is known as the halfway mark between Perth and Sydney, so an overnight stop here led us to park beside this wonderful mural.  

We are quite fond of local murals as they are usually painted by local people and always involve themes endemic to the region.  There is a big galah on the highway, and like most of the “big” statues he looks a bit tired and jaded, but there was still a photo opportunity and a reminder of this little town.

The town walk elicited a few interesting facts.  One was that the post office was receiving telegrams via morse code until 1958. 

Another sight which was a pre-cursor to many more of the same from here onwards for many kilometres was the wheat silos adjacent to the railway track. This region grows many grain crops and they are stored here until transported to a port by rail. 

The large expanse of wheat paddocks we passed is confirmation that these silos are necessary.