Mid-west run day 5 (and last)

After a leisurely breakfast at The Old Convent in Dalwalinu, the group travelled a very short distance indeed to the farm right next door. The owner of the farm (the sprightly, 80+ year-old Jim) proudly showed us his fantastic collection of windmills. He has them in 2 huge, brand-new sheds built just to house the windmills. He is obviously quite a craftsman because often the restored windmill was accompanied by a photgraph of the original piece of junk he started with. The variety of designs from both Australia and the USA was quite amazing.

Time was getting-on by the time we left Dalwalinu, so a change of route was decided and we just came home the shortest way – straight down Great Northern Highway (probably to the annoyance of quite a few truckies!). We stopped for lunch in New Norcia where everyone said their goodbyes as people would start to disperse as they got closer to their homes in Perth (and Northam).


A double-header windmill than Jim re-created just from photographs


we could have listened to Jim’s tales of windmills and farming for quite a time


Jim talking to the group


one of the first patented windmills from the late 1800s


more windmills


a small part of the collection, with Ross admiring a particularly attrractive wooden-sailed model


the cars outside one of the windmill sheds


a few club members admiring Jim’s 1912 Darracq


we were forced to pull over and stop for this load to come past (a base for a very large crane I suspect)

the last day’s drive

the total trip (blue=day 1, green=day 2, blue=day 3, red=day 4, purple=day 5)

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