Road Trip – Day 9 – Day 14 Charles Darwin Reserve to Canna

9/9 After checking out of Charles Darwin Reserve we make one more trip to the spot on the track to Mongers Well, to see if the sun orchid had finally flowered. Yeehah it has. It is very small Granite sun orchid (Thelymitra petrophila). Nearby is another one not 100% open, but a darker colouring, so I took photos of it as well.

A rock dwelling blue sun orchid 100 – 350 mm high with a narrow leaf 80 – 250 mm long by 4 – 6 mm wide.

Distinctive column

Size comparison with my index finger

Bluer colouring than it’s neigbour

Smooth, yellow or purple crested mid-lobe and white tufted lateral lobes

Blue, purple or pink flowers 10 – 20 mm across

I couldn’t pass up some last photos of a Dainty blue orchid (Cyanicula amplexans)

Short horizontally spreading petals and lateral sepals

Tri-lobed labellum with a short mid lobe, long lateral lobes which curve over the column and almost touch

First day we travelled North up to Paynes Find before heading East towards Sandstone. We camped just off the road this night.

Checking out the abandoned townsite

Campfire blazing

Vibrant colours

10/9 In the morning, Deb and Richard tried their hand at some prospecting using a very old metal detector. We lunched at the National Hotel in Sandstone, then after filling up our water tanks, we took the tourist loop around Sandstone before heading West to our next overnight stop at Jundoo Dam on the road to Mount Magnet.

Sandstone – Paynes Find Rd

Sandstone

Sandstone – RV Friendly

This was the old Brewery

350 million yr old rock

Overnight camp 10/9

Jundoo Dam

11/9 After stopping at Paynesville cemetery we made it to Mount Magnet for an awesome hot beef roll in the Grand Hotel. After a visit to the Dept of Mines for maps etc to help with the prospecting, we take the tourist route with a planned overnight stop at Garden Rock, near Cue.

In the middle of nowhere

Lunch stop

On the Mt Magnet tourist drive

Very sparse cemetery

Old train station platform

Overnight camp

12/9 After a walk over the granite rock we head into Cue to check out the town. Very nice old buildings but very empty streets. We now head south looking for the spot we picked from the maps for some prospecting. After having a go finding gold mid afternoon, we find at place to camp for the next 2 nights.

Club Hotel

View back down to where we camped

Some of the amazing old buildings

Bank of New South Wales and Gazebo in the medium strip

False alarm 😦

Richard and Deb trying to make a fortune

Got phone signal

Silhouette at sunset

13/9 Deb and Richard have a day gold detecting nearby, whilst I remain at camp. Writing notes for this blog and just relaxing.

Campsite

14/9 Today Deb and Richard show me some of the areas they visited yesterday and then we make tracks for Yalgoo and further south, Canna for our overnight stop.