After returning to Perth/Fremantle and getting our car serviced again, we took off east towards Kalgoorlie, the gold-mining town in the desert famed for producing most of the world’s gold from within it’s kilometre-squared “Super Pit” mine. More on that tomorrow, once we’ve had a look around.

It’s been a six days since we left Exmouth, which is where I acquired a nasty bite on one of my left toes. I presume that it happened underwater, but can’t be sure. The pharmacist in Freo advised me to just down a handful of Ibuprofens every few hours and monitor it, to check if the venom spreads. After arriving in Kalgoorlie, 600 kms from Perth, now I can tell that it’s infected: my whole left foot has turned fuchsia.

Happily, Kalgoorlie has a hospital and so we spent our first evening in the town eating pizza in the waiting room and having my toe cut open, swabbed and puss removed between the male nurse’s forefinger and thumb. It was and still is bloody painful, thanks for asking.

I’m on antibiotics now and so hope that the swelling appeases within the next day or two, to let me explore what looks like a really cool town.

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