Lake Ballard, Menzies and Kookynie

Status
Not open for further replies.

Daver6

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 31, 2011
Posts
10,039
Qantas
Platinum
Virgin
Gold
Thinking of making use of the 30% off Qantas classic reward flights and flying to Kalgoorlie (from Perth) and renting a car. I've always wanted to go see the statues and Lake Ballard.

Seems like the accommodation options in Menzies (I believe the closest town) are either a caravan park (not an option) or The Menzies Hotel. Anyone has any experience with this place?

There is also The Grand Hotel in Kookynie (seems strange to have a hotel in a ghost town). Same question about accommodation here?

If anyone has any thoughts, tips, etc, I'd love to hear them.

Would be going early March.
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Figured I'll post about the trip should anyone in future want some info.

First up a flight first for me. Flight to KGI is just under an hour from PER. However, we couldn't land due to weather conditions (major thunderstorms through the Goldfields). We circled for 30 minutes before having to return to PER as KGI was still out of action and fuel was getting low. Long story short, new crew were called in and we got into KGI 4 hours late. I was just happy that we got there and not too fussed about the delay.

Picked up the rental car from Hertz (no upgrade, even though Presidents Circle its meant to be a guaranteed upgrade). Stayed the night at the Ibis Styles in Kalgoorlie. This hotel exceeded me expectations and would stay there again for the right place. It isn't the best hotel in town but location is excellent. Close to food and drink. Room was a decent size and clean. Paid just over $100 for the night. Had the free continental breakfast at the hotel which was pretty average.

Next morning we checked out the Museum of the Goldfields followed by lunch at Monty's. Food at Monty's was decent enough. Saw a few more sites and drove up to Menzies, where we had booked a night for $90 at the Menzies Hotel. Only reason to stay here is it is the closest accommodation to Lake Ballard (about 60kms away, about half unsealed, but good condition road).

I wouldn't recommended stay at this place. I wasn't expecting much, with shared ablutions, but zero maintenance has been done on the rooms, showers and toilets in at least ten years. The room was dusty. Lighting in the bathroom didn't work. Having said that, the people working there were friendly, the food was good and the beer was ice cold.

We drove out to the lake and due to the rain the night before was mainly flooded. The main reason we went in summer was we wanted to experience the lake dry as its much easier to walk on. Instead it was like walking on wet clay. Thankfully in Kalgoorlie we went to K-Mart and bought an extra paid of super cheap shoes to throw away after.

Lake Ballard is incredibly beautiful. The statues are quite surreal and no pictures do this place justice. It is magical. You can camp by the lake, but there are no facilities or fresh water.

The following day we drove to Kookynie which is a ghost town apart from the pub/hotel. Again shared facilities. We had planned to stay the night there but decided a decent bed and shower was in order after the debacle of the Menzies hotel. We did check out the rooms and they were clean and looked like a much nicer place. Apparently they get a bunch of geos staying there. Food was good and beer cold again.

We had considered staying Hoover House in Gwalia but was closed for renovations. In hindsight, I'd stay there or Kookynie over the Menzies Hotel and put up with the extra drive. My rationale for wanting to be close to the lake was its at the most spectacular at dawn and dusk when the low sun casts long shadows from the statues. I didn't fancy driving around dawn and dusk due to roos. In the end, being at the lake later afternoon and leaving an hour before sunset was fine.

Last night we were going to stay at the Ibis again in Kalgoorlie, but the Rydges was about $40 cheaper and meant to be the best hotel in town. Downside is its about 2.5km (30 minute walk) from the pub/restaurants/centre of Kalgoorlie. As a hotel, it was much nicer. Very well sized room and decent furnishings. Big bathroom too. Nothing fancy. There is a restaurant on site, but was closed. Looked very pricey and suspect they get away with it as its the only dining option near by. Pool looked pretty nice too.

Final night we ate at Balcony Bar and Restaurant which was excellent and I'd highly recommend if in town.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top