Poor old Mount Magnet, established as a gold mining centre since 1891, is losing its shine at a quickening rate. When we were last here it boasted a Chemist Shop, Foodworks, a seven day a week hardware shop, newsagent and cafes. Sadly the Chemist Shop is gone, the hardware shop opens at reduced hours. The newsagent /post office is still going but only one cafe remains and its temporarily closed, at least the Foodworks opens Sunday as well. Of the three hotels only one seems to operate any normal trading hours, the others looking eerily abandoned but one appears to have some accommodation available.
As the Cafe was our intended destination for the Big Breakfast we had to improvise and cook up bacon, eggs and baked beans for lunch. We’ve enjoyed the rest day, taking the opportunity to buy some groceries and to top up our fresh water tanks, as well as check over the vehicles before we move on tomorrow. We will head North into new territory for all of us, exploring the township of Cue and the outlying attractions of the area. Tomorrow marks three weeks on the road and we’ve ticked up about 4000 kms. to this point.