Sunrise over Newman’s Rocks campground was spectacular. As the sun rose, we walked along the track to Newman’s Rocks and discovered that the camp ground went a fair way further in from the road.

Newman’s Rocks was a large rock platform overlooking the valley with a river winding through it and an amazing view over the area.

A large waterhole was lying in the rocky area and an old dam wall had been constructed seemingly many years ago in an attempt to trap more water in the pool. As it had been a fairly dry for a few weeks the waterhole was not full but still looked quite clean….

We headed back to camp only to find a slight emergency – it appeared that Gordie had emptied the fire pit from last night assuming it was completely out however when casting onto the ground the leaf litter and caught alight instantly – a testimony to the dryness of the area. Gordie was madly trying to putout the smouldering leaves with a stick and the soil…. Fireman Trev came to the rescue with a kettle of water and the issue was quickly resolved much to Gordie’s relief…

Everyone was packing up when a disturbing event unfolded…. Gordie was seen sneaking into the bush with his cassette …. And a jumbo toilet roll was looking dishevelled in the foreground as if someone had been in a hurry….

Onlookers were very concerned Gordie had done a giant dump in the bush which was clearly NOT OK however it was identified by Branch that he had not dumped in the bush, rather was checking the status of his cassette as there had been a mysterious leak in the Hunter bathroom…

Macgyver went in to assess the situation but pulled back in a hurry not wanting to get in too deep…

Rose was clearly more relaxed after the multiple Wells issues seemed to be under control as she was seen undertaking one of her favourite pastimes – using her baby wipes to clean the Franklin before we left (on a dirt track?)…

We drove out – Matt hot on our tail like a blowfly on a cowpat – towards Norseman with the next stay booked for Bather’s Paradise at Esperance.

Arriving in Norseman we stopped at the Full Moon Café for coffee and cake….

Norseman clearly has links to mining as they have a dedicated area for rock drilling championships…

Driving on the landscape was everchanging from rocky outcrops to bushland and farmland…

The road was busy with road trains going in both directions…

and a storm up ahead looked ominous… but the ensuing shower was a great car/van wash…

We arrived in Esperance early, but Bather’s Paradise were happy for us to check in early…

Sharon was extremely helpful directing the traffic to our sites and ensuring we were all parked appropriately and level…. Trev spent quite some time chatting with Shaz who for some reason thought he was “OK”.

After hitting the laundry and setting up we went into town and grabbed some much-needed fresh produce (for Matt that consisted of meat, meat and MORE meat).

Rose was seen re-doing her van cleaning this time with a bucket and water…. The Franklin never looked shinier…

We ate dinner and then sat together and listened to a podcast on Exodus ch 1-2 – the first in a series of podcasts which should be really encouraging for all.