Stock up on water, fuel and picnic supplies and head north from Menzies (on the sealed and unsealed road) to the living ghost town of Kookynie. Look out for flowering mulga trees and perennial shrubs, and take a couple of detours along the way. Follow the 2WD route to heritage-listed Niagara Dam for a closer look at the local flora, including everlastings, purple and green mulla mulla, sennas, eromophilla and hop bush. Continue north to Leonora on the unsealed road, or return to the Goldfields Highway to reach Leonora, where you can lunch at the legendary State Hotel or head out to Malcolm Dam with a picnic and enjoy the birdlife. Take the unsealed road from Leonora to the historic gold rush precinct of Gwalia, where the historic Hoover House and the Gwalia Historical Museum offer you a window to an era when former American President, Herbert Hoover, managed the local mine. The Agnew Loop tells the early settlers’ fascinating stories of survival in this remote region, while the Darlot Loop explores the varied landscapes and seasonal wildflowers of the north-east Goldfields, from dramatic breakaways to samphire flats, mulga plains and salt lakes.