Short trip to Lake Coogee

 Today was a short trip I went and did some metal Detecting at the Beach, and stopped in at Lake Coogee, it was a first visit for me here today just wanted to stop and have a quick look it was getting warm so I never stayed for long. I have been looking at some old maps and noticed that Lake Coogee has not really changed since the early 1800's rumours of an early planned settlement that never happened, I believe its on private property, a Settlement was established late 1800's for War Veterens or for the men who had retrurned from the war,  some of the ruins of the old buildings are around along Cockburn road and the Army Barracks At Woodmans Point, not 100% sure if the story or how it was established or when it was active, The old Landscape at Lake Coogee amazed me I need to go back and take some better Photos the following photos were just a few snaps from around the lake, I am amazed how crystal clear the lake is although I think it may be a salt lake. There is a Walk path that goes around the Lake and there is a Gym / Picnic area on the other side from the Lookout 

 

 

All Images are Copyright Mark A. Gray

Daytrip out towards the Outskirts of the Wheatbelt

 Today I had decided that I would go for a drive out in the country a bit I had looked at some places I wanted to get photos of and made one trip out of it overall the trip was around 280km which took me most of the day as I had a few stops to do. My first st was a place I wanted to go detecting, so I made that my first stop I stayed for just over an hour didn't find anything great so I packed up the detector had something to eat and headed of to my next destination.

My Site finds nothing exciting

As I was heading to the next destination Found a big boulder that had split in the paddock on the side of the road there was a small granite outcrop so I stopped for some photos.

After a short drive along the highway I came across and old home it was fenced off and on private property so I couldn't get a closer look.

 

My Next stop was an old church St John of God in the Wilderness, there is also a grave yard and the ruins of an old farmehouse where pioneers use to live.

  

  

After taking a few photos and a wander around the cemetery where some of the pioneers from the area are buried, I headed of to the Giants which is a large granite outcrop on the side of the road I think they are also used for rockclimbing. Before arriving at the giants I had noticed a display paddock with old Machinery and an old car so I stopped again for some more photos.

I had stoppd for 5 mins to take a few photos and headed off to the giants

I stayed there for a while had a drink something to eat took a few shots and headed of to Boulder Rock I have been meaning to go there for ages but everytime I did there was lots of people around and 4WD vehicles climbing boulder rock, which they are not supposed to I believe just another example of people not obeying the laws which eventually affects everyone espescially when places like that get closed down or ruined for that reason. Anyway here is a few snaps of boulder rock when it was quiet and not a person around.

    

There was arest area I came across during my trip which was quite nice no amenities or anything but plenty of shade and room to stop and stay overnight

 It was getting late in the afternoon by the time I got to Boulder rock still a 40 minute drive home

All images are Copyright Mark A.Gray

Quick Stop at Jarrahdale POW Camp

    Today was my day off, so I wanted to revisit the old homesite where I went last week to do a bit more detecting around there and check out another potential site for detecting , my first stop was and the mid to late 1800s site I swung the detector around for a couple of hours not getting much at all got some more building material a rather large U clamp or something which I brought home to clean up cause it was just so big never seen one like that before,  a couple more bottle tops and what looks to be a rusted key but it could just be building material again plus a couple what could be modern drawer handles on the surface made of glass but accidently broke one, I will post the finds another day haven't photographed them yet, there was also like a keyring when I first pulled it out it looked like and old ring then I cleaned it up a little and realized it wasn't.  

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   I left the site to check out another one I found on Google Earth but it looks like it not a homesite just where people have been camping and riding motorbikes etc, So I decided to take the long way home and Check the POW camp again I always check in there every couple of years to see how much the landscape has changed, it is starting to get overgrown now the pathways are still there but the trees are getting bigger and there are more of them, I had a quick look around grabbed the camera and went for a walk, here are the shots from the POW camp, I was also keeping and eye out for Wildflowers along the way.

Good to see the old Chimney is still standing

A View of the Munda Biddy Trail from the POW camp

I had thought of going for a detect around here but don't think you are allowed as it is a heritage site, the ground looks real hard to so might be difficult to dig, I did see some old dig holes while walking around looks like someone has been detecting there and not filling their holes in.

     On the way home I stopped at Jarrahdale oval and the old Wood Milling sheds to have a look and a few snaps.

The old Wood milling Shed in Jarrahdale

All images are copyrigh Mark A. Gray

Sunset at Woodman Point

    After a days detecting out in the bush I wanted to get home for the Sunset at Woodman Point don't think I have ever been there for the Sunset yet. I haven't taken the camera out for a while it is usually with me went I go out exploring or detecting but I don't always get it out, we headed out for the sunset to a location at Woodman point where I don't recall going for the sunset before, I have been fishing from there when I was younger but hadn't taken the time to explore, I was on google earth the other day looking for a location to go detecting, and noticed a rocky sand bank on the other side going out to sea on the other side of woodman point must of been a reasonably low tide cause the pictures I had seen of this bank there was a lot more water on the banks of it then there was today,

    We parked up and went for a walk lots of Kitesurfers around here which made for some interesting shots.

   Here are a few from this trip

A Tern with fresh catch just pulled it out of the water 

All Images are Copyright Mark A. Gray

Out in the bush Detecting

    I have always wanted to get a Metal Detector and a few weeks ago I purchased a cheap one to get me started, so the thought was give it a go if I like it will get a better one in the future. The first day out with the detector was at the beach never found anything. a week or so later I recieved a drone from my wife for my birthday again it was a cheap one if I liked we will get a better one later. so I took it out to a local oval for some flying practice and went for a detect after, only found a few tent pegs and bottle tops and a couple ring pulls. 

  I have been doing some research and recieved my Miners rights, I  went for a drive out the bush where I believed there used to be and old mid to late 1800's homesite, I have been to the site years and years ago with the camera hoping to get some good bird shots and find some ruins, my first challenge today was finding the right track to get there after driving for nearly and hour trying to find it I finally found the track I am glad at least I had an AWD and a bit of clearance as the track is a little worse for wear these days, it doesn't look like the roads have been maintained for a while now even the area is all over grown and tracks dug up by Motor bikes and offroad vehicles tearing it up.

   After Parking the car having a walk around swinging the detector for nearly and not getting anything apart from bottles tops and ring pulls, I was about to give up and go home, while heading back to the car I noticed what looked to be old foundations about 50 metres away, as I got closer it was more and more evident there used to be a homesite there, so i starting swinging  the detector around and getting a few signals, I kept digging up old bolts and nuts plus other building material, and then got a signal and dug it up it was my first old coin I had found with the detector, feeling a bit more confident i was about to fill in the hole and there were 2 more coins there, I had dug up a 3 coin spill all one pennys from 1933 to 1948, after checking again with no ore signals i filled in the hole and about 10m away another signal it was another coin about 6 - 8 inches deep, checking it again there were no more signals.

   By then it was starting to get late it was still and hour or so drive home thinking I will have to go back there on my next day off for anothere swing, here are all my finds for the first day out in the bush

The Household Building Items and Junk I found

Some random stuff lead, piece of glass and a part of a hinge or something 

The four pennys 1933, 1934 and 2 x 1948 Roo Pennys

 Overall it wasn't a bad first day out in the bush