![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Kalgoorlie - The Trip - Part 2
Friday, April 28th, 2006 05:45 pmSo I'd made this deal with myself that I wasn't going to travel over 100km, so that I could conserve fuel and therefore money. Towns and civilisation trickled past the car as I drove. Every so often there would be a sign stating how many kilometres to go, and I'd calculate how much longer to go until I reach Kalgoorlie. Hit Southern Cross and stopped for the photo of the quarry-lake I'd glimpsed. Driving past there, there was nothing. Nada. It was suprising how I didn't noticed there had been regular civilisation on the road until there wasn't any. No towns, no occasional farm. Just me and the long, winding road. Dusk started to fall about an hour earlier than I was expecting. Whether this was because I was further east or if I simply hadn't noticed it getting darker earlier now, I'm not sure. Made a decision then to go the speed limit of 110km/h, get to Kalgoorlie a bit earlier. Dusk and dark is extra kangaroo time, apparently, and I didn't want to invite any happenings.
The only way I made it through that long stretch was good music and recalculating the amount of time left at each kilometre marker. The markers happen every 10km or so, roughly 5-6minutes. Started driving down the main drag of Kalgoorlie at 6:40pm or so. Would have been sooner if there hadn't been so many long roadworks in the first few hours of the drive, forcing drivers to 60km/hr, often when there was almost no point to be driving that slow. Pointless slower speeds annoy me, almost as much as the idiot that decided roadworks durng an Easter break was a good idea.
When researching how much the trip might cost me, I came across backpacker type accomodation for $25. All I remembered was the name started with "Kalgoorlie". I figured there would be an information centre that would point out accomodation and I would be able to find the $25 place there. Back up plan was sleeping in the car. I had a pillow and plenty of warmth, and I'd save like $75 that way - $25 per night for three nights. Drove up the main drag and saw a sign saying the information centre was 100m down the road. Kept driving, ended up at the T junction at the end. Did a u-turn, still found nothing. Hm. Very annoying at this stage. So I go back to the motel I saw whose name started with "Kalgoorlie". They were all like, "$25? wtf? no yuo! you ain't getting nuttin like that anywhere we know, honey." Asked for a phone book, called another place who had the same reaction. Mentioned to the lady it was kinda like a backpacker place, and she handed me a brochure that said there were two places on Hay st, parallel to Hannan St, Hannan being the main drag that Great Eastrn Hwy becomes. Drive down to the backpacker starting with "Kalgoorlie." They were all like, "wtf, $25? Pfffffft. Besides we're all booked." They were pretty callous and not polite either. Thought I'd try the other backpacker and then give up and sleep in the car. The place was called Goldust Backpackers. They were all like, "$25? Hm, not here. ....yeah, we're $20 per night. You booked at this other place?" Nope, I hadn't, asked them if they had any vacancies, and wound up in a dorm for the trip. Yay cheap accomodation!. They lady was all wonderful and friendly and the place had .... well just had good vibes I guess. That place would be a good reason to go back to Kalgoorlie.
Watch out for Part 3 at an undetermined time in the future.
The only way I made it through that long stretch was good music and recalculating the amount of time left at each kilometre marker. The markers happen every 10km or so, roughly 5-6minutes. Started driving down the main drag of Kalgoorlie at 6:40pm or so. Would have been sooner if there hadn't been so many long roadworks in the first few hours of the drive, forcing drivers to 60km/hr, often when there was almost no point to be driving that slow. Pointless slower speeds annoy me, almost as much as the idiot that decided roadworks durng an Easter break was a good idea.
When researching how much the trip might cost me, I came across backpacker type accomodation for $25. All I remembered was the name started with "Kalgoorlie". I figured there would be an information centre that would point out accomodation and I would be able to find the $25 place there. Back up plan was sleeping in the car. I had a pillow and plenty of warmth, and I'd save like $75 that way - $25 per night for three nights. Drove up the main drag and saw a sign saying the information centre was 100m down the road. Kept driving, ended up at the T junction at the end. Did a u-turn, still found nothing. Hm. Very annoying at this stage. So I go back to the motel I saw whose name started with "Kalgoorlie". They were all like, "$25? wtf? no yuo! you ain't getting nuttin like that anywhere we know, honey." Asked for a phone book, called another place who had the same reaction. Mentioned to the lady it was kinda like a backpacker place, and she handed me a brochure that said there were two places on Hay st, parallel to Hannan St, Hannan being the main drag that Great Eastrn Hwy becomes. Drive down to the backpacker starting with "Kalgoorlie." They were all like, "wtf, $25? Pfffffft. Besides we're all booked." They were pretty callous and not polite either. Thought I'd try the other backpacker and then give up and sleep in the car. The place was called Goldust Backpackers. They were all like, "$25? Hm, not here. ....yeah, we're $20 per night. You booked at this other place?" Nope, I hadn't, asked them if they had any vacancies, and wound up in a dorm for the trip. Yay cheap accomodation!. They lady was all wonderful and friendly and the place had .... well just had good vibes I guess. That place would be a good reason to go back to Kalgoorlie.
Watch out for Part 3 at an undetermined time in the future.
