Bullfinch to Goongarrie Station

StartClick to Reverse the Dynamic Map and Driving NotesBullfinch
FinishGoongarrie Station
DifficultyDifficulty 3/5
Suitable For4WD 
Distance386.44 km
Minimum Days2
Average Speed51.17 km/hr
Travel Time7 hrs 33 mins
Page Updated: 5 Dec 2023

Description

The WA Goldfields are not all about mining – there are vast areas of woodlands to explore, filled with majestic Salmon Gums and very few people.

This Trek starts at the small township of Bullfinch, which offers cheap and friendly hotel and caravan park accommodation. It then passes through Koolyanobbing before heading north into the remote Mount Manning Nature Reserve and through the lesser known Helena and Aurora Ranges.

You’ll experience the remoteness of the area around the mysterious Yowie Rocks, before getting back to more well known points of interest such as Lake Ballard and Menzies.

Goongarrie Station is the end point for this Trek. The DEC provide homestead accommodation or campsites – plus a welcoming warm shower to wash off the dust.

How to Use this Trek Note

  • To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.

TIP

ExplorOz Traveller now features the NEW EOTopo 2024 mapset!

Environment

The Trek meanders through mainly flat country, but still provides the opportunity to climb the various ranges and granite outcrops the trek passes through. The environment consists of Eucalypt woodlands for most of the trek until you reach Lake Ballard, where you are greeted by a unique salt lake.

If the track between Kurrajong Waterhole and the Evanston to Menzies Road has not been cleared, this section of the track is extremely overgrown and scratchy. As of April 2010 a DEC team was opening up the track and grading it, which will make the travelling much more enjoyable and less challenging to keep finding the track and avoiding scratches.

History

The small mining town of Bullfinch falls within what we now know as the Shire of Yilgarn. Pre colonisation the Yilgarn was inhabited by Aboriginals from the western desert and south west areas. The name 'Yilgarn' is aboriginal for 'white stone' or 'quartz'. Gold was discovered in Bullfinch in 1910 and it subsequently became a gazetted town in the same year. For the next 60 years Bullfinch had multiple mining lease holders and by 1950 the Copperhead mine was employing 130 men, which subsequently built a new town. Production ceased in 1963.

Gazetted in 1895, Goongarrie is an abandoned goldfields town site with a rich cultural history. It has multiple graves and a long history of prospecting and mining. A short drive from the Goongarrie town site is Goongarrie Station - This homestead was once a functioning sheep station but now a conservation reserve managed by the DEC.

TrekID: 204

Preparation

MUST READ: You are strongly encouraged to read the following articles prepared by the knowledge experts at ExplorOz for your safety and preparation before undertaking any published ExplorOz Trek - Outback Safety, Outback Driving Tips, Outback Communications, and Vehicle Setup for the Outback.

TIP

Please refer to Road Reports published by the local shire and/or main roads for the area you intend to visit. Road/Track conditions can change significantly after weather events. Travellers must be responsible for their own research on current conditions and track suitability.
The section of the trek between Koolyanobbing and the Evanston to Menzies Road is remote and not well used. Up to April 2010, this section was heavily overgrown. Normal preparation for travel in such areas is essential. Good tyres with strong sidewalls will be an advantage over the freshly graded sections where sticks are turned up and can easily stake a tyre. This section is on a track through the bush, not a gravel covered made road. It can deteriorate with bulldust in dry weather and soft boggy areas in wet conditions. Care needs to be taken around the rockholes and soaks, they can be soft, leading to dangerously boggy in the wet.

Travel from the Evanston to Menzies Road to Lake Ballard, and on to Menzies is on wide well graded gravel public roads. Menzies to Goongarrie station is primarily bitumen, apart from the station access road which is a well maintained dirt road.

Navigating with a GPS will assist in finding the correct track. There are many tracks that lead to mining camps, some of these tracks are in better condition than the main track of this Trek, and digital mapping will provide a great deal of security, as well as ensuring you are on the right track.

Permits

Although no permits are required for this Trek, there are costs involved should you wish to make use of the facilities at Goongarrie Station. Goongarrie Station is now run by the DEC, who provide a range of camping facilities (including warm showers). On arrival, a volunteer DEC camp host will provide guidance and collect the minimal fees ($8 per night as of April 2010).

Fuel Usage

DieselULPLPG
4cyl 54 litres4cyl 63 litres4cyl 77 litres
6cyl 48 litres *6cyl 70 litres6cyl 68 litres
8cyl 59 litres8cyl 64 litres
Usage is averaged from recorded data (* specific to this trek) and calculated based on trek distance.

Best Time To Visit

Closest Climatic Station

Southern Cross Airfield
Distance from Trek Mid Point 108.33km SW
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean Max. °C34.833.830.626.221.517.916.618.521.426.329.932.7
Mean Min. °C17.717.615.011.47.54.63.43.45.09.112.915.3
Mean Rain mm29.724.135.723.429.527.334.628.221.813.418.517.6
    Best time to travel      Ok time to travel      Travel NOT recommended

Map

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Directions

Bullfinch to Lake Julia
Driving: 28.59 km
Heading: 99°
Avg Speed: 35 km/hr
EST Time: 49:00
  • Head northeast on Manxman Road for: 0.09 km time: 00:06
  • Turn right onto Dorothy Street for: 0.38 km time: 00:22
  • Turn left onto Shallcross Street for: 0.53 km time: 01:02
  • Turn left onto Jones Street for: 0.05 km time: 00:08
  • Make a sharp right onto Wyalkatchem-Mukinbudin-Southern Cross railway for: 11.09 km time: 11:59
  • Turn left onto Perilya Turkey Hill Road for: 14.65 km time: 31:32
  • Continue onto Turkey Hill Road for: 0.6 km time: 01:18
  • Continue onto Burro Road for: 1.2 km time: 02:35
Lake Julia to Koolyanobbing
Driving: 60.75 km
Heading: 39°
Avg Speed: 35 km/hr
EST Time: 01:44:08
  • Head west on Burro Road for: 1.2 km time: 03:01
  • Turn left onto Turkey Hill Road for: 11.36 km time: 28:16
  • Turn left onto Corinthia East Road for: 8.54 km time: 21:16
  • Turn left onto Guerini Road for: 4.6 km time: 11:26
  • Turn right for: 3.47 km time: 08:39
  • Turn left at the end of the road, onto Koolyanobbing - Southern Cross Road for: 30.28 km time: 30:06
  • Continue onto Dowd Road for: 0.46 km time: 00:29
  • Turn right onto Robinson Drive for: 0.3 km time: 00:21
  • Turn left onto Smith Street for: 0.14 km time: 00:10
  • Turn right onto Fitzgerald Street for: 0.4 km time: 00:24
Koolyanobbing to Kurrajong Rockhole
Driving: 90.51 km
Heading: 26°
Avg Speed: 37.08 km/hr
EST Time: 02:26:27
Kurrajong Rockhole to Curara Soak
Driving: 29.59 km
Heading: 48°
Avg Speed: 18.76 km/hr
EST Time: 01:34:38
Curara Soak to Yowie Rocks
Driving: 18.79 km
Heading: 70°
Avg Speed: 22.34 km/hr
EST Time: 50:27
Yowie Rocks to Mulline
Driving: 40.78 km
Heading: 55°
Avg Speed: 40.87 km/hr
EST Time: 59:52
Mulline to Evanston Menzies Road & Riverina Snake Hill Road
Driving: 8.04 km
Heading: 41°
Lake Ballard to Menzies
Driving: 53.21 km
Heading: 123°
Avg Speed: 55.99 km/hr
EST Time: 57:01
  • Drive southwest on Lake Ballard Access Road. for: 0.58 km time: 01:26
  • Keep left to stay on Lake Ballard Access Road. for: 0.39 km time: 01:09
  • Bear right to stay on Lake Ballard Access Road. for: 0.28 km time: 00:50
  • Turn left at the end of the road, onto Menzies North West Road for: 51.56 km time: 51:47
  • Turn left onto Brown Street. for: 0.33 km time: 01:17
  • Turn right. for: 0.03 km time: 00:17
  • Turn left. for: 0.04 km time: 00:15
Menzies to Yunndaga
Driving: 9.21 km
Heading: 157°
Avg Speed: 75.2 km/hr
EST Time: 07:20
  • Drive west. for: 0.04 km time: 00:13
  • Turn right. for: 0.03 km time: 00:17
  • Turn right onto Brown Street. for: 0.08 km time: 00:27
  • Turn right onto Goldfields Highway. for: 9.06 km time: 06:24
Yunndaga to Goongarie Rd Junction
Driving: 20.62 km
Heading: 163°
Avg Speed: 108.21 km/hr
EST Time: 11:25
  • Drive south on Goldfields Highway. for: 20.62 km time: 11:26
Goongarie Rd Junction to Goongarrie
Driving: 12.56 km
Heading: 163°
Avg Speed: 99.43 km/hr
EST Time: 07:34
  • Drive south on Goldfields Highway. for: 12.35 km time: 06:59
  • Turn right onto Goongarrie Road. for: 0.15 km time: 00:22
  • Make a sharp left. for: 0.06 km time: 00:13
Goongarrie to Goongarrie Station
Driving: 13.79 km
Heading: 301°
Avg Speed: 35 km/hr
EST Time: 23:38
  • Drive north. for: 0.06 km time: 00:04
  • Bear left onto Goongarrie Road. for: 13.74 km time: 23:35
Distance is based on the travel mode shown (Driving, Straight, Cycling, Walking etc), Direction is straight line from start to end, Avg Speed & EST Time is calculated from GPS data.

What to See

Facilities

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

No Services & Supplies available for this trek

Wildflowers

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