#4: [16-Jan-18]

#3: [25-Oct-08]

#2: [16-Jul-01]

11-Jul-2001 -- This confluence is a little way off the beaten track, but I managed to drive to within 1.3km of it and walk the rest of the way.

From the Dukes Highway at Tintinara (NE of Keith) I turned south, crossed the train tracks, and turned immediately left. Soon after the road split and I took the turn left onto Two Wells Rd (marked as going to Bunbury and Mt. Charles).

After 4kms the road became unsealed, and 1.2kms later ended at a T-intersection. Turning right and following the road for 3.2kms I came to the intersection with Lucas Rd, just after a farmhouse with lots of rusted machinery scattered in front of it. Lucas Rd ran for 9kms, but just before it finished in a dead end had brought me to within 2.2kms of the confluence. I considered leaving the car and walking, but found a nearby farmhouse labelled "Hillview". Unfortunately no-one was home, but to drive up to the house I'd had to open a farm gate and close it behind me.

I noticed an internal farm road heading out towards the confluence (between sheep paddocks) and followed it to within 1.3kms of the confluence.

The land here is rolling hills - ancient sand dunes that have been colonised by plants (and then stripped back to short grass by man's introduction of sheep). In places the tops of the hills are eroded back to sand. The confluence was at least over the next hill. I was out of sight of Lucas Rd and the farmhouse, so I left a Degree Confluence Project letter on the dashboard of my car with a handwritten note explaining which direction I was headed in and the time I had left (just in case I broke my leg or something and people later found my car :).

I stepped over the barbed-wire fence (ok, so I'm taller than a sheep) and headed off. Near the top of the next hill I met another fence which made a suspicious humming noise (I think broken insulation on the electrified strand was causing leakage). I found a large gap below the fence, with sheep wool caught on the bottom strand of barbed wire. I figured that if the sheep could get through, so could I: it was easy - I didn't even touch the wire. The next fence (about 15m further on) had an open gate - again no problem. In the next valley I met a final fence, and again I was able to simply step over it.

In front of me was a hill with low trees and blackboys (yukkas) growing on it. I climbed that hill and as I got to the bottom of the other side the trees cleared out and more paddocks continued on. The confluence seemed to be at a tree at the edge of the grass.

By the time I'd then trekked back to the car I'd been gone for an hour. I headed back to the farmhouse but still no-one was home. I was hoping to meet the owners and explain to them where the confluence was, but no luck.

The EPE On the GPS fix was 11m.