Lake Ballard Day Tour
Come and enjoy an outback discovery tour to Lake Ballard with Linden Brownley from Bush Ghoodhu Wongutha Tours. Listen to stories of the Dreamtime, visit sites of significance and see first-hand some of the bush tucker that the Kalgoorlie Goldfields has to offer. At Lake Ballard see the striking Gormley Sculptures, a display of stark black steel sculptures scattered across seven square kilometres of the vast, flat salt lake.
Take an informative bush walk where you will learn how to recognise the tracks of local wildlife including kangaroos, emus, goanna or dingoes. Stop to gather bush tucker and learn about medicine plants and their traditional uses. Some of these ancient medicine plants are today used in modern medicines and pharmaceuticals. Your guide will share with you the Wongutha names of places, animals and plants. Lunch, bush damper and billy tea included.
This tour operates from April to October each year.
We have closed for the season and will be back in April 2023.
Location
Lake Ballard, near Menzies.
What to expect
Your local Wongutha guide Linden will meet you at 8:30am at the Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre before you adventure to Lake Ballard. Travel in the Bush Ghoodhu 4WD or the comfort of your own vehicle in a tag-a-long option. Lake Ballard is approximately one and a half hours drive north of Kalgoorlie.
On the way to Lake Ballard, visit the town of Menzies on the way which was once a thriving gold mining town in the 1890's and has an interesting history. Along the way you will visit culturally significant places and hear the ancient Dreaming Stories that are connected to them. You will learn bush survival knowledge like what is ‘Gnamma’ and why they were so important to Aboriginal people.
Enjoy an unforgettable experience at Lake Ballard see the striking Gormley Sculptures, a display of stark black steel sculptures scattered across seven square kilometres of the vast, flat salt lake. As you approach, the sculptures appear ghostlike on the horizon, shimmering like mirages in the heat.
During the two hours at Lake Ballard you will learn about traditional tools and hunting weapons, even getting hands on with a spear throwing and boomerang throwing demonstration.
Take an informative bush walk where you will learn how to recognise the tracks of local wildlife including kangaroos, emus, goanna or dingoes. Stop to gather bush tucker and learn about medicine plants and their traditional uses. Some of these ancient medicine plants are today used in modern medicines and pharmaceuticals. Your guide will share with you the Wongutha names of places, animals and plants.
Before heading back you’ll get the chance to enjoy lunch and some authentic bush damper and billy tea.
Depart Lake Ballard at approximately 2:00pm for arrival back in Kalgoorlie around 4:00pm.
Itinerary
8:30am Meet at the Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre
Visit the town of Menzies
Spend two hours at Lake Ballard see the striking Gormley Sculptures
Take an informative bush walk
Enjoy lunch and some authentic bush damper and billy tea.
Depart Lake Ballard at approximately 2:00pm for arrival back in Kalgoorlie around 4:00pm.
What is included
Tours run every second Friday and Saturday or on demand. Maximum 8 people per tour unless you’re a tagalong guest which means you’ll be joining the tour in the comfort of your own vehicle (4WD preferred).
What’s included:
- Aboriginal Guide
- Lunch, bush damper and billy tea
- Hotel pick up and drop off by arrangement
- Tagalong in own 4WD option available
What to Expect
A one and a half hour drive to Lake Ballard where we will visit several sites along the way including the town of Menzies. Toilet breaks along the way are at the town of Menzies and Lake Ballard.
Tour departs Kalgoorlie at 8:30am and arrive back around 4:00pm. Total time spent at Lake Ballard is approximately 2 hours with stops along the way to break up the drive with stories and sites and at the town of Menzies.
Corporate and Private Group Bookings available by enquiry.
Meeting point
Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre, 316 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie. Please arrive 10 mins prior to departure time and wait at the front of the Visitor Centre.
What to bring
- Drinking water
- Hat
- Sun protection
- Appropriate warm clothing closed in (old) footwear (*We’ll be driving out to Lake Ballard and taking a short walk in the dried salt lake which can be muddy at times.
- Camera
- A sense of adventure!
- You may wish to bring some light snacks.
YOUR EXPERIENCE PROVIDER
Bush Ghoodhu Wongutha Tours
Hear the first story of ‘Kulgooluh’ Kalgoorlie with the Brownley family.
Bush Ghoodhu Wongutha Tours is a family business and are passionate about their Country and culture. They offer a range of cultural experiences both in and around the town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The Brownley family are also well known for their sweet sounds of their southern and country gospel music and earned the family the 2017 West Australian Music (WAM) Award for best Indigenous song for The Man of Calvary. Their music is also a legacy to keep their Wongutha language alive.
Kalgoorlie (Kulgooluh meaning ‘place of the silky pears’) is one of Australia’s most iconic gold rush era towns, but there is another side to this legendary town. With an Aboriginal history that dates back many thousands of years, it is a place of great cultural significance to the Wongutha people, with many Dreaming Stories connected to the land.
Bush Ghoodhu Wongutha Tours gives you a glimpse into both the modern and ancient history of Kalgoorlie on a range of tours. We invite you to join our Wongutha guide and hear the ‘first story’ of Kulgooluh.
Welcome to Country
Cross Cultural Awareness Training and Workshops
School Excursions
Tailored Experiences for Groups