25-Feb-2002 -- I was in the area so decided to “collect” a confluence. The first one I looked at (33°S 121°E) required traversing a 4WD track to get close – which I am sure my sedan would not have appreciated. I then looked at 33°S 122°E and saw that roads went to within 1 km of the spot (located on vacant Crown land).

I turned off the Esperance – Norseman Road about 10 south of Salmon Gums onto Circle Valley Road, a well made limestone road. I travelled down this road until the GPS indicated I was just over 1 km due south of the confluence. I got out of the car and proceeded to head north towards the control. The area is reasonably flat and given the nature of the ground and vegetation I suspect subjected to regular flooding. As adjacent land is farmed, with wheat and sheep, I think the flooding problem is why the land is not farmed.

The vegetation, which consisted of scrub 2 m high and trees up to 10 m high, was quite thick in places making it quite a fight to get through (see photograph #8). Occasionally following animal tracks, probably made by kangaroos, made the going a little easier (see photograph #9).

Finally, lots of scratches later, the GPS told me I had made it. Time to take a few photographs. Photographs #1, 2, 3 and 4 look north, east, south and west respectively from the confluence. Photograph #5 shows that I actually made it. Photograph #6 shows one of the trees after which the area was named – a salmon gum. Photograph #7 shows clearly the colour of the trunk.

Having successfully reached my first confluence it was time to head back to the car – a task which the vegetation again made difficult.