Esperance to Norseman

1st October 2014

Left Esperance for the homeward leg today.  Norseman is a good place to fill the water tanks, fuel the car, check the tyres etc before leaving on the long trek east across the Nullarbor.

Salmon Gum blossom

There are lots of little ghost towns on the route to Norseman, all of them were founded on gold prospecting. They came and went very quickly and now the only sign left is a few tracks through the bush.

Norseman statue

Norseman was reputedly founded when a prospectors horse, called Hardy Norseman, scratched the ground and found a huge gold nugget just under the surface.  There is a statue of Norseman on the corner of Ramsay and Roberts streets [significant names].

Camel art in Norseman

The town has wide streets, they had to be big enough to turn a camel train, common through here until the late 1920's.  Now the town really just survives because it is a convenient stop for travelers arriving or leaving the state from the east and also a handy north south stop off.  The caravan park is very busy tonight but fortunately John phoned ahead and booked a drive through site which means it wasn't necessary to unhitch. So a really quick start in the morning.