Norseman to Leonora (includes Lake Ballard and Gwalia mine)

Hello all
Heading North from Norseman, it was a quick restock in Kalgoorlie, before heading futher North, trying to beat the heat.

Lake Ballard Sculptures

Lake Ballard

Lake Ballard

These sculptures are by Anthony Gormley and placed at Lake Ballard in 2003. The sculptures were made using scans of local Menzies residents.While they are worth the visit I am puzzled why they weren't  placed on a perfectly good salt lake a few kilometres out of Menzies, instead of 51km along a gravel road.

Lake Ballard

Next day it was off to Gwalia, a couple of kilometres from Leonora. Sons of Gwalia mine operared from 1896 until 1963 and produced over 2.5 million ounces of gold. The mine has reopened and is still being mined underground now.

Sons of Gwalia Mine

Gwalia Mine Museum

Most of the mine workers were immigrants  from Italy and Yugoslavia. Berwick Moreing & Company bought the Mine in 1898 and appointed  Herbert Hoover as Mine Manager, he was later to become the 31st President of the United States.

State Hotel Gwalia

General Store

Guest House

After Gwalia, it was back to Kalgoorlie and the Super Pit.

Super Pit Kalgoorlie

Super Pit Kalgoorlie

Since January it has been a steep learning curve with my Solar. I thought I had solved the issues I was having by mounting the panels on the roof. I partially have but not totally, Parked up in Gippsland, where Summer was a Wednesday, and temperatures just over 20c the panels were putting out over 21volts. Travelling in 39-40c temperatures, with inside camper temperatures  I guess well above 50c, the panels are harvesting 12-13volts. This is enough to sustain my usage, but not charge my battery fully. I now understand that the hotter it is the less efficient the solar panels are.
I  am heading down to Esperence tomorrow, so the cooler temperatures down there will give me a better indication. I am harvesting between 60-85 amp hours but my consumption because of the heat is sky high. In saying this though, camped up with just the freezer running off the battery should be better.
I had forgotten what an amazing place for sunsets Western Australia is.....every night is amazing.
Bye for now