TrailTales

Special GuestPosts

The Golden Quest Discovery Trail guidebook provides travellers with an historical account of life in the goldfields. We are delighted to provide the following excerpt for your enjoyment.

Golden Questers – R Anderson

Published 3rd December 2020 Author: Category: Special Guest Posts

Since its launch in 2003, tens of thousands of adventurers have embarked upon the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, making it one of Australia’s most popular self-drive trails.

With so much to do and to explore, we asked some ‘Golden Questers’ about the highlights and tips for fellow travellers. Goldfields Local, R Anderson shares their experiences of the trail.

 

How did you complete the trail?

Over the years, when the kids were little, we would go to different sections of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. We loved listening the to audio stories when we went.  Now our sons have left home, my husband and I still go. We like to go each year, to search for wild flowers too, so each spring we will do different parts of the trail, and a few years ago, visited John Apinall’s grave, at Hawks Nest.

We are big fans of the diary of John Aspinall, and his wonderful book “And some found Graves”

I always remember he said in his diary, that “He cleaned his plate, with one teaspoon of water” (page 24)

 

Where were the best photography spots along the trail?

The trail is a photographers dream, with the amazing sunrises and magic of the sunsets.  Especially night photography at Lake Ballard of the milky way, and so many stars.

There are so many wonderful spots to take photos, and different places change each year, if there has been more rain fall, for example Niagara Dam.

The country, changes, and you never know what you will find.  We actually saw a Donkey watching us from a distance.

 

 

 

What are your tips for other travellers?

There is a great App to download, that gives you so much information.  And it depends if you have plenty of time, to explore. Old roads have signs to the Cemeteries too.  These tempt you to go and learn about the history of the cemeteries.

There is so much history to discover, with Gwalia and Leonora.

 

 

Footprints, Lake Ballard. Image Courtesy R Anderson

Sunset at the Gwalia Museum. Image Courtesy, R Anderson

 

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