The Banker-Mt Day track will bring you out at the Hyden Norseman road. From here we headed east to the Queen Victoria Rocks road where we turned off that road onto the "Old Hyden Norseman" rd. A very easy drive in the dryer months but could become a bit of a handful in the winter months. The old road does get blocked by fallen trees so be prepared.
Arriving at Norseman the Dundas Heritage trail is located to the south on Old Coach rd which runs alongside of the racecourse. The information boards along this trail will give you indepth view of the early days with all the points of interest along the way. The trail is not suitable for caravans and is a good gravel rd.
From the Dundas Heritage trail you can jump onto the Telegraph Line that will take you out to Balladonia rd. You will end up 14kms south of Balladonia. The track descends out of the hills and over Lake Dundas and onto a good track that is flat and easy to traverse. Along the way remains of the metal telegraph poles can be seen.
There are old linesman camps along the track which are roughly 50km apart. The track can also require detours around fallen trees. Information about the telegraph track can be found on the Dundas Heritage Trail. At the time of travel it looked like someone was surveying the area with regards to a heritage trail. There are a series of salt lakes along this track, it is wise to travel around them.
The road that takes you from Higginsville to Cave Hill is a good gravel road with a few minor wash outs. There are a few points of interest along here namely, Sunday Soak and a variety of old mining camps. Please be aware that the area is littered with old mine shafts and is classified as a mine shaft risk area. They are easy to spot so be aware that the areas around them can be unstable.
As the crow flies it is about 50km from Higginsville to the junction at CH11. The ruins at CH08 lie near a large rocky outcrop. The ruins are an excellent representation of what it is like back then, as you can wander around the area to view the artifacts lying on the ground.
The granite outcrop at CH08 like others in the area abounds with small lizards. The old mineshaft at CH09 can be seen from the road. It lies just before a creek bed which is defined by the dense vegetation on either side of the track.
After the old mineshaft you will follow the road till you come to the junction at CH11. The information bay (CH12) and camping area 's (CH13) are to your right and continuing straight will take you to the aptly named Cave. There is a short walk from the parking area to the cave itself. The rock faces have similar charactistics to Wave Rock, though no where near the size. There is a walking platform provided as the area is unstable and is classified as a " Cave Risk Area ".
The camping area (CH13) lies near the dam that was a major water distribution point in the gold rush days. Walking to the dam area you can see how the natural stone walls were used to divert the water to a low point in the rock and create the dam. At the CH16 junction further north turning to your left(west) you will come across another granite out crop also. The road to Burra Rock changes to a track now and water affected tracks are more common (CH15).
Travelling north of Cave Hill you are actually following the old railway line to Burra Rock. The track passes over some low country and you can see how the foundations were built up to form a causeway over these areas(CH18). The track over these areas is also a tight single lane in places so I don't know what you do with regards to an approaching vehicle. Washouts are common and the track will be closed during winter or times of inclement weather.
Burra Rock announces itself at a T-junction, where you will turn right. Upon arriving at Burra Rock (CH21) you will find reman ants of old vehicles etc and another dam. The road north of here takes you to Coolgardie. You can get to Victoria Rock rd if you track back south to the T-junction where you turned right and turn right again and head east, this is Cave Hill Road. Cave Hill Road is an excellent gravel rd and you will turn right(south)at CH26. At CH22 you can turn right again (west) and follow this track to Victoria Rock rd (CH25) where it is only a short trek north to the beginning of the Holland Track.
Right click mouse and use scroll wheel to zoom the map below. You can also access the free map at maps.bushtrax.com where you view and download the map in the .mbtiles format. We have provided information about some apps that will handle this map format. Using your mobile to view in landscape mode is best.
The track to Butty Head is a very easy track for its length. At BRB08 if you wish to stay away from the beach it is best to turn right. The next junctions after BRB08 are on your right and take you to the large dune areas that are to your north.
The quickest way to the beach is to continue straight at BR08. The sand track is not steep, though it may require low tyre pressures to get back up. The other way to the beach is at BRB12. The direction of the wind can change the physical shape of the coastal dune that the track goes over.
A short distance after BRB12 you will have to tackle the small hill climb (BRB13) and then pick your way through the low dunes as you approach the main dune area. The way through the main dune area is well defined. From BRB16 to Plumpudding beach the track can be quite tight with thick scrub sometimes right up to the edge of the track.
There are a couple of points where cars may pass, other than that just hope no one is coming the other way (BRB18/19/19a). The descent to Plumpudding Beach is a easy track though you will have to swing hard left across the rocks to get onto the beach at the bottom.
The track that takes you out to Butty Head has a very soft section at the bottom of the hill at BRB26, there is no run up off the beach. There are shifting sand dunes at BRB28 that may make the track impassable.
Roses Beach (east) can be accessed at BRB16 or 15. The track will bring you to a hilltop that is made up of capstone and drifting sand. From BRB38 there is no defined track until you pick your way down towards the beach. The drift sand can be very soft and the drop-offs quite sudden.
Roses Beach (west) can be accessed at the end of Murray rd which is about 35km west of the 11 Mile Beach rd and SW Highway junction. At the end of Murray rd the track starts straight ahead behind the trees (BRB40). The sign says it all from here for about 1.1kms where at BRB41 the track will swing to your left and travel along a fenceline. From here on the track will begin to open up and it a very easy drive to the beach.
Right click mouse and use scroll wheel to zoom the map below. You can also access the free map at maps.bushtrax.com where you view and download the map in the .mbtiles format. We have provided information about some apps that will handle this map format. Using your mobile to view in landscape mode is best.
One of the northern entries off the Eyre Highway begins about 85 km east of Balladonia. It lies at the eastern end of a truck bay. From here you follow the track across flat terrain till you come to the old water tank at BBT048. The sign will point you in the direction of the continuing track that takes you to the coast.
As you travel towards the coast the track changes from gravel/clay to sand and pockets of limestone. Access is uneventful in the dry though wet weather will affect the clay sections of the track. The remains of an old well can be seen in a vast clearing as you near the coast. It is only about 350m to the T junction from the well.
Turn left (east) at the T junction and follow the track till you come to another sign, pointing south. It is about 5km as the crow flies. Another 350m and you land at the Toolina parking area.
From Toolina you can follow the Old Telegraph Line back to the Bilbunya Dunes and the Wylie Scarp where the cliffs meet the beach. There is another track that does run along the top of the cliffs, though it consists of rough limestone and may be hard on tyres etc. The Old Telegraph track follows the line and remnants can be seen along the way. At times high winds will bring down trees across the track. You will need an axe as the scrub is quite thick and driving around may not be an option.
There are a couple of spots that enable a campsite along the track, BBT70 and BBT71. These are clearings with no amenities etc. BBT72 is an intersection where the northern branch takes you back to the Eyre Highway (65km). BBT73 has a track which entails dealing with a hill climb over a sand dune. The dunes characteristics may change due to the wind etc. This track will take you to the Head of Bight.
There are 2 recognised campsites that lay on the track where the Wylie Scarp meets the cliffs. BBT76 which is the highest and quite an open area and one that is part way down, with camping amongst the trees. There are 2 options of getting to Isralite Bay from here. The first is to follow the original Telegraph track(BBT77) that starts near the high camping ground. We travelled part way down this track once and to put it simply its overgrown and will do some damage to your vehicle or stuff hanging off it.
The second is the beach run from BBT78 to BBT80. There is about 32km of beach to travel, it used to be about 60km but the buildup of the weed over the years now extends well past Wattle Camp. An important coordinate to remember is -33.080610 South and 124.168010 East as this is the exit off the beach.
If you take the beach it may be a good idea to check the tides prior to going as the water will come right up to the dunes and there only a few spots where you can get off the beach. The BOM has the tides listed here. At low tide it is an easy drive.
Once you have left the beach and find your way to the mud flats it is pretty much easy going along here. Wattle Camp is a sheltered spot that Professional Fisherman use. The only time it does gets rough around here is if the weather has changed for the worse and you get caught in it. The weather can come from the tradional southerly direction or it can come from the north. The entire area from Wattle Camp to the start of the gravel at Fisheries rd can get wet and muddy.
There are 2 points east(BBT100) and west(BBT101) that spilt the track in two. Turning in a southerly direction at these points takes you towards the coast. The coastal track only has a couple of small mud flats to tackle and is generally a sandy track. The Telegraph track will travel across some big flats that could be detrimental to your trip if you get caught in the weather. Some mud flats between Wattle Camp and BBT100 may also have to be traversed around the edges at times. There is also a decieving water hole at BBT102 that can be bonnet depth. There are detours around it.Then again it could be 30 degrees with a light easterly, you never know.
The track (BBT084) to Balbinya starts about 12km south of the intersection of Parmango rd and Balladonia rd. From there it is about another 12km to the homestead(ruins). Balbinya was estabilished in 1883 by John Paul Brooks and the building are still in a good state of repair, being away from the coast.
From the homestead the track heads towards the eastern end of the cleared land. Following it to the end brings you to a junction. At this point you want to head in a southerly direction as there may be a track to the north that will probably take you to Murtadinia Rock. This southerly track will take you to the Wylie Scarp and then onto the Telegraph track just east of Wattle Camp.
The track is 75km in length from BBT084 to BBT082. About half way along the track a wildfire had been through and made navigation quite difficult due to the new growth and changing from clay tracks to sand. It would be wise to load the track file into your GPS as this track is not on a map. It is also quite a fatiguing drive with lock to lock steering the norm. It will take you all afternoon to get to the campsite at the top of the Wylie Scarp as speed can be limited to 10/15 kmh. The descent down the Scarp is very good and only a slippery rock right at the top may have your vehicle breach slightly, Low Range only.
The acsent does not look like much but judging by the star pickets in the ground at the top there may be more to it than just driving up the hill. Once at the bottom the track and terrain changes to sand and low scrub as you approach the coast. Trees across the track are common, some are big.
Right click mouse and use scroll wheel to zoom the map below. You can also access the free map at maps.bushtrax.com where you view and download the map in the .mbtiles format. We have provided information about some apps that will handle this map format. Using your mobile to view in landscape mode is best.