Gold in Them Thar Hills

May 22, 2021

Norseman to Widgimooltha

The 160km from Norseman to Coolgardie was a stretch too far to ride safely, so we aimed for Widgimooltha Roadhouse. Ian had managed to ride the 160km a few days ago but messaged us that the many road trains and soft edges made it a very difficult ride.

This area is famous for its gold rushes and gold mining but many other minerals, such as nickel, are mined in the slightly hilly region.

Being a Saturday we hoped the mine traffic would be less than during a weekday, and this turned out to be the case. We found the 92km ride to Widgimooltha to be fairly comfortable with only a few awkward incidents with other road users.

Widgimooltha Roadhouse was a very pleasant, friendly place to stay. Caz and Gary who manage the roadhouse are also from Canberra. They are here helping out a friend for a few months. The cooked meals were excellent, and Caz even offered to make us a packed lunch for the following days ride.

The donga accommodation was very basic but for $45 for a single room, it was good value with access to a clean kitchen, laundry and good showers.