We left the coast and our first stop was Peak Charles. The walk to the top was above Class 5 with ability to haul yourself up and crab crawling on your hands and feet so we decided to give that a miss. Unfortunately it was also back to the flies – nearly as bad as in Central Australia. We hid from them and waited for it to cool down before heading up to Mushroom Rock.
We left on the rough Lake King-Norseman road and then up the highway to Norseman and headed west on the Hyden-Norseman road, otherwise known as the Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail, which was in much better condition. We drove all the way to The Breakaways, an eroded colourful cliff. During the night it rained and we sat it out in the morning venturing out to enjoy the enhanced colours brought out by the rain.
We drove 50km in the afternoon and the clay road gave us a good coating of mud. We stopped at McDermid Rock and it was interesting to see all the puddles on the rock filled with the rain. We used the water to give the car and van a bit of a washdown.
It was still overcast the next day as we passed Lake Johnson and on to Disappointment Rock. Both the rocks on this trail have excellent walks with little signs giving information. Even after all the rocks we had visited we were still learning new things. The person who made the signs had a sense of humour as we visited the hour glass rocks creating a table and seats for the gnomes picnic area.
We were now on the home stretch as we headed out to cross the Nullarbor. A side trip to Cocklebiddy cave and then a night spent on the Bunda cliffs where we were buffeted for half the night. It was worth it for the golden hour views. We had a Southern Right whale and calf just below the cliffs when we arrived. A walk along the cliffs and a cautious look over the edge ensured we didn’t get too close as the cliff is crumbling away all the time.
Across the border we headed to Fowler’s Bay on a recommendation. Ray wasn’t so impressed but when I found my way up onto the dunes I loved it. It looks like the town is in danger of being swallowed by the dunes and they were certainly worried back in 2011 until the winds changed.
We detoured south at Penong to visit Lake Macdonnell and finally get a pink lake. We also returned to the granite rocks on the Eyre Peninsula – staying at Pildappa Rock and paid a short visit to Tcharkuldu Rock. We had an overnight at Mowbray Creek in Mt Remarkable NP and then another one at the picturesque Booky Cliffs on the Murray River south of Berri. Our final night was fittingly spent at Pental Island where we had started our trip.
Travels with my camera in Oz 