Travelling Australia: Big Bell! Exploring and Camping an Abandoned Gold Mining Town!

My last episode of this shirt trip sees me leave Meekatharra and head toward the abandoned mining town of Big Bell. After exploring this forgotten town I set up camp and free camp the night there before heading off in the morning back towards home to finish this short getaway!
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[@BradGryphonn]

That pub at Big Bell would have been a grand thing in its day.

[@JS_Adventure]

Certainly would of been! It’s still a bloody big building now!

[@ivanolsen8596]

I was in the railway when the trains DID run through those abandoned platforms. Was acting fireman on old X class loco's that cringed their way to Meeka from Mullewa at the speed limit of 25 MPH, due to very poor track conditions, we changed crews at Yalgoo and Cue, and I was stationed at these depots at various times. We carried passengers, iced goods, iron pellets for Hill 50's ball mill at their gold mine at Mt Magnet and general goods for all sidings on the way. Thank you for showing these wonderful places as they are now, looking forward to your next series!!!

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻 They would’ve looked a lot different to what they are now! And 25mph would’ve been a long trip!

[@brianhutchins3933]

What a building that hotel was, especially for the year it was built. Another interesting video of passed history and an amazing art gallery. See you after some work.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@danedge5180]

Gday Jack, I love going out to those old towns and just wandering around wondering what it would be like back then. we don't realise how good we've got it now adays. cheers Dan and fritz lol

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 We’ve certainly got it easy compared to those days! For me it’s good fun just having a walk around and seeing all the history left behind and how hard it must’ve been for them! Hope your doing well mate and can’t thank you enough!

[@Mechknight73]

Big Bell and Bluebird mines are interesting cases. As I've delivered to a lot of mine sites, both of them have been on my list. Both had been dormant for 10 or more years. It's in recent years that a company called Westgold has been reactivating a lot of these dormant mines. Like Koolyanobbing, the town may have died, but the namesake mine lives on. There are two more ghost towns on the way back to Mt Magnet, Lennonville and Austin. Austin is right on the road, Lennonville is 10km north of Mt Magnet. Both are about the same type of ruins as Nannine, but both have stories to tell

[@JS_Adventure]

It seems WestGold are snapping up everything out this way at the moment, I managed to get over to Lennonville but just couldn’t fit it in. Will have a look into Austin as I can’t remember seeing anything on it!

[@Mechknight73]

@@JS_Adventure You'll see a brown "tourist" sign on the side of the road near a truck parking bay. The main remnants are a railway platform and a cemetery not far away. However, when you look around, you see trees in what I'd call "Unnatural" configurations, as in may have once been part of a garden, or are surrounding the edges of former buildings. The sign itself actually says "Austin Townsite," and there is some information on it near those signs

[@ianparmenter1704]

Love your “work” mate. Was in meeka a few weeks back. Wished I’d known about the free shower and coffee. Never mind, next time.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 A lot of the little towns still do them for the truckies but don’t really tell anyone!

[@Australian_Outdoor_man]

Some great history in these old towns. Love your work mate. ❤️🍺🇦🇺👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@karenfrench4094]

Another great video Jack. Wow that hotel at Big Bell was massive. If only those walls could talk 😀

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers! 🥂 There’d be a lot of stories to come out of the hotel!

[@Lee-bx5vc]

Great Video Jack, brings back a lot of memories lived all around that country off and on for over 25 years.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@neilrobertson6535]

Hi Jack was interested in your video when you mentioned going to Big Bell. A uncle of mine was a engineer there some 70 or more years ago. Unfortunately he was killed there in some accident, I don't know the details. My Aunty returned to Perth with her baby ,my cousin and his name was Jack. Great video keep up the good work.

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

Only just discovered your channel. Great stuff. We camped 3 nights at Big Bell, really great place.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers guys, it’s a bloody ripper spot!

[@1963Macky]

Hi Jack - lov,d yr video - me & the wife stayed at big bell about 15 year ago - dos,ent look like it’s changed much lovely/lonely spot - not sure if it’s true but the hotel boasted the longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere- will keep an eye out for yr nex vid👍👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate!! Your right about the lonely spot! I believe I’ve heard that rumour as well about the bar which is a pretty interesting but of history!

[@shortmanaut1736]

Exactly what I like doing,your coverage was fantasic & ya living the aussie dream,good onya mate!👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@grahamjones504]

Great episodes Jack, really enjoy old historical old towns.👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 They’re a bloody great walk around!

[@stevenicsadventures]

Great stuff .. love these old towns 👍🏻👍🏻

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers guys! Good little look around just off the beaten track!

[@ronrogers9610]

Good video jack it was good to see that the pub is still much the same as when i was there in the late 1990s but there was a few more of the houses left than now i also stayed at the rock and was able to do the walk to the top great views thanks for the reminder all the best Ron

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻 Would’ve been great to see a lot more of the town still standing but still great to just see whats left!

[@DavidKing-jx3sg]

Legend has it big bell had the longest bar in Australia at the time

[@JS_Adventure]

Yep! Have also heard rumours that it has ended up somewhere around horrocks!

[@offcampnandy7727]

Awesome as always Jack, cheers for sharing 👍👍👍 Cheers Andy

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@raz5326]

Good video jack 🔔

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers!

[@brentmcd12]

very nice and interesting historics well captured ! 📹 🏜️🌄😎🤙🛻

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@ClissaT]

Maybe other people have been doing their own mining at Nannine since and finding a bit here and there obviously or they would not dig such deep holes. The hotel at Big Bell has been significantly vandalized in the last year or so. Photos of it from not too many years ago show it still in reasonable condition for a building with no roof. Someone still owns the actual property and there are lots of other privately owned house lots around the pub too. Used to be houses on them. The mine owns a lot of it now probably in their mining lease.

[@dougneville9097]

G'day Jack,top vid mate, we've seen a lot of old mining towns and lived in a modern one for a few years always interesting places.Thanks mate.👍😎

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 There’s a lot of great hidden history in these little mining towns and I’m also in the same boat!

[@chriskinkead9045]

Amazing. .all. You. Have. Shown. Us. Places. Ive. Never. Heard. About. .as. Ive. Not been. Travelling. In. Those. States. Thank. You. Eye. Opening. Huge. Hotel. At. Big. Bell. Eh.

[@fluffykitten8181]

Great episodes Really enjoy your work 👍 I do miss Sophie sundays

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers! Unfortunately we’ve both been pretty flat out work wise and she hasn’t had the time to get a video going

[@rayjack49]

Great to see been there big bell and the rock 10 years back thought you may have said something about the sailing ship on the rock drawings have they still got the goats running around on the rock

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! Yeah wasn’t sure about the sailing ship, i did say something about it but it didn’t make the cut in the end.

[@DavidKing-jx3sg]

Lots of history around cue also ,Yalgoo

[@leepizarro]

The night time lapse was really pretty.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers!

[@philhurn1114]

Thanks for showing us around.. amaising place. Great also watching your driving footage showing road conditions and scenery

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@mattmcewan5806]

Great video Jack surprised you didn't mention the sailing ship on Walga rock .I've never seen it but I've heard thats one of the historical parts of it .

[@mattmcewan5806]

Might run into you in Gero mate .I live here with my family

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 Unfortunately I filmed it and didn’t get the info right so it had to be cut from the video. It’s an incredible bit of art the really does stand out from all the other art!

[@johnbergeron7208]

Gooday mate just to let you know big bell hotel has a sister pub at como in perth

[@ventura9513]

great vid mate,,,,, have you thought of taking a metal detector on your travels,,,, relics and gold in those old towns

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! I’ve taken one before but really need the training to understand how to use it properly, and is also very bulky in the car. One day with a caravan I’ll get out and into it!

[@trackexplore]

Great video mate. We loved having a look around Big Bell. We too were surprised by it's size.

[@JS_Adventure]

🍻🍻 Great spot out there and great to see it still standing and not just bowled over!

[@trackexplore]

True that

[@ericsebasio681]

Good vlogs bloke...

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@thelazyoverlander]

Didn't know you were from Gero mate. we lived and worked there for 3 years, still miss the place. Nice video Jack, subbed and G'day from Merredin.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers! 🍻 it’s a good little town gero! And hopefully won’t be that long and I’ll be getting down that way!

[@Jellybean00001]

Loved the series 👏👏👍👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻

[@d4dan734]

FYI you could get a lot better mileage if you switched the engine off.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate, the amount I stop and start while filming I’m happy to lose the couple of cents and preserve the starter motor

[@stevelawrie9115]

Yep, interesting looking at the old mining towns but not so sure about the beautiful view.

[@waynevivianboof]

awesome stuff, and in your back yard it is so cool. Living in Queensland I haven't been to the west "YET" but it's definitely on the list. Keen to do a lap soon but work and life seem to get in the way. Keep up the awesome stuff. 👍👍

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate!! They certainly do! Counting down the days until we get back on the road to finish our lap! My opinion is west is best! 😂😂 but I’m a little biased!

[@simonscott1121]

The WA govt really should put a levy on mines that is set aside, so that when a mine closes they can pay to have them backfilled and rehabbed. So tired of people mining the shit out of everything and then just walking away leaving a massive eyesore.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

How come these mining companies make those bloody big holes but never refill them back in ?

[@JS_Adventure]

🤷‍♂️ For some reason they all just get away with it

[@leeashton4328]

Modelled on theComo Hotel

[@nzmarkb8713]

Was that your camera crews car in the drone shots of Big Bell 😉😉😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@JS_Adventure]

😂😂 They got a little bit scared of the drone when it went up!

[@chaffcutter58.]

There are some graves at that church.

[@TedBear1954]

The sheds at around the 10 to 11 minute mark look new?

[@brentonguy4772]

Whered the second car come from?

[@davidriggs5116]

Hi Jack Great video mate we'll done and thank you. Mate what sort of drone do you use? I'm looking at buying one soon. Cheers

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate! 🍻🍻 I’m using a dji mini 2, it’s been a great little drone but we are looking to upgrade to a mini 3 soon

[@davidriggs5116]

@@JS_Adventure yes that's the drone I'm looking at...cheers for that

[@nataliemay415]

Anyone who knows, knows. Did you go from Meekatharra, to hospital, to jail?😂

[@JS_Adventure]

A couple of times! 😂

[@joffa5555]

What was the second car when you did a drone shot at the big bell also what machine noise. Big bell shutdown and owned by Aragon Resources. There’s no active mine there

[@joffa5555]

My bad. Other mine active to the left of weld range yes

[@JS_Adventure]

West Gold are reopening a lot of older mines out this way and big bell being one of them, little car was a couple of photographers from Perth just having a look around like me

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

Too many bloody ads, mate.

[@JS_Adventure]

Cheers mate, it’s set automatically by KZbin

[@muzza566]

Better hurry up an get that metal detector

[@JS_Adventure]

Got the detector, just haven’t had time for the training or a dedicated trip for it yet! Maybe in the coming weeks I can bring it out and just have a go and see what happens!

[@ronpancik7908]

It's all been done mate your to late

[@JS_Adventure]

?? What’s all been done?