Yesterday at 6.45 am, I pulled out of my driveway in my trusty VDub and left summer behind. By the time I got to Merredin it was raining, being the tail of Cyclone Rusty that dumped deluges of rain in the Pilbar. Fortunately it was not that heavy but the temperature had cooled sufficiently for me to look about the van for where I put my jumper. Rain continued through Southern Cross where I stopped for lunch and onto my campsite at Koorarawalyee which is in the Goldfiels Woodlands CP 114 km west of Coolgardie. Rain continued overnight but by dawn had ended. Still full cloud cover. Due to the rain I will bypass Kalgoorlie enroute to Menzies for the Gormley experience at Lake Ballard. A do not want to get bogged at the beginning of my trip on the dirt road from Menzies to the Lake. Tonight I plan to camp at Fraser Range on the Eyre Highway so I will be well and truly into the desert by then. So far I have travelled through the wooded hills of the Darling Range, the dry stubble of the wheatbelt and the salmon gums of the more marginal areas where gold mining has had its heyday. At dinner before I left, the children made me promise that I would photograph any wildlife that I came across. Alice was however disappointed to hear that I did not expect to see a giraffe. I passed on the many dead kangaroos on the road as I figured they didnt qualify and was relieved that I had not caused their demise. This free campsite is very well done. Toilets, lots of shade if needed, table and chairs in both wood and concret, campfires set up with billy overhang and plenty of bays to park. When I arrived at about 2pm, I was the first. Others dribbled in and there are now 5 campers and a huge truck rig. Only one other campervan, the rest are caravans. No eyeing each other off at this ground as it is too wet and we all remain in our vans except the occasional run to the toilet through the rain.