Well, Wild Adventure 4 is done and dusted…. 3 months disappeared in the blink of an eye….and it is now time to settle back into the routine of everyday life.

On reflection, there are a few outstanding moments… many memorable days…. overwhelmingly beautiful landscapes…. Days of joy, anxiety, frustration and hilarity…. Memories that none of us will forget…

At one of our last caravan parks, the owner remarked when he heard that 4 couples had travelled together for the last 3 months…. and were still travelling together…. that it was a rarity – he had seen so many groups start out together and split up as they could not get on with each other long term…. He was quite amazed…

What makes the difference you may ask…. Well it is simply summed up in Jesus’s words: “ A new command I give to you – love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.

How did Jesus love each one of us?? Sacrificially – in His life he came as a servant to show us how to live and in His death he took the punishment for our sin to give us forgiveness and life eternal… thus as Christians, we love others as Christ loved us – serving, helping, forgiving and encouraging one another…. Of course none of us are perfect…. And we did not always agree on things…. And I am sure we irritated each other at times…. However as those who have been forgiven much, we love much – and we have a strong bond with each other in Christ which is amazing…. And we love each other as family…the last 3 months has strengthened our love for each other.

To Matt and Sharon the newbies to our crew – thanks for coming with us…. Even though we gave you heaps about your carnivore diet and corrupted you with cheese, bikkies and scones – we loved having you along…

To Rose and Dave – old hands at Wild Adventures… the cleanest of our crew – no one could keep up with your “Home Beautiful” van and sparkling clean “Pearl” (although the environment has suffered under an extra load of baby wipes!!)… a trip would not be the same without you!!!

To Gordie and Kerry – “Titans” of the trip – thanks for not having too many accidents causing self-harm Gordie… and thanks for the car issues that inadvertently saved us from being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with road closures due to weather – and for your spiritual encouragement as we shared around God’s Word…and Kerry’s bad hair days that helped Trev not feel like he was the only one with hair issues…

To Klaus and Beryl – second round adventurers – after the last one it was amazing you wanted to come back for more… and longer… Thanks for your dry sense of humour and perceptive comments which created a lot of laughs… and FYI Beryl you guys are NOT too old to come with us – we loved every moment of your company…. though adjusting the end of the itinerary at the last minute will not be permitted next time 😊

But the fact that we lived and travelled together for the last 3 months and are still close friends is not really the most incredible aspect of our trip….

In my last blog, the wonders of God’s creation really spoke to us – and this was still the case this time – the amazing landscapes, natural phenomena, starry nights and incredible underwater experiences were a daily reminder of God’s majesty.

But even more than that, this time some of the events that occurred really spoke to us of the providence of God and how He cares for us in the smallest and biggest ways…. In the good and the hard times…. The adventures and the anxious moments… He is there….

The events of the last week of the journey are just one of many occurrences on our trip that bear testimony to God’s graciousness… and guidance through trouble…

Klaus’s journey could have had a very different outcome for him and his family…. However God’s provision and purpose were clearly evident…

Klaus could have sustained a catastrophic sudden bleed during the day he was behind the wheel…. However the bleeding was very slow and intermittent…

The bleed could have occurred when we were very remote with no medical assistance nearby… or at least a long delay before we reached help…. But the small town we were near had a tiny hospital…

If the doctor had not been delayed at a training morning, and had seen Klaus first thing, he could have been sent on his way with just some medication for pain – as he did not develop any really significant symptoms until just before she arrived after we had been in the ED several hours…. And thus we could have left the hospital…. Trev would have driven Klaus’s car and van while Klaus rested…. All the while with the developing bleed…. And he may not have had the treatment he needed in time to prevent a worse outcome…

Once the decision was made to transfer Klaus to Port Pirie for the CT scan, the ambulance retrieval occurred quickly – which is not always the case – patients can wait hours if the service is busy…. And the same can be said for the speed at which he was then retrieved by the RFDS to Adelaide – again in a short timeframe… and in amongst all this Klaus stayed stable and the bleeding did not escalate…

In the RAH ED Klaus again was stable overnight, and things did not worsen until the neurosurgeons were present…  at which time they were able to take him immediately to theatre to perform the life-saving surgery…

The surgery went well, and Klaus is recovering well – with no physical or mental deficits due to the pressure the bleed had placed on his brain.

The caravan park at Peterborough was able to fit Beryl, and us on sites despite most areas being fully booked out most of our trip..

The owners of the park were extremely helpful – able to store Klaus and Beryls van indefinitely until all was sorted and at no charge…

Klaus and Beryl’s friend, Bronte, happened to be in Adelaide on a week’s holiday, and was able to pick Beryl up when we took her to Roseworthy… and take her straight to the RAH.

Glen Hackfath happened to have the week off and time to catch a plane and bus to get to Peterborough to drive the Weiss car and van home…. Their rig has arrived home before them 😊

In Romans 8 v 28 it says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him..” This verse is not always easy to hear when you are faced with difficult circumstances…. And often things happen in life that we may never understand the reason or purpose God has for them until we reach Heaven…. But we know and trust that God has our best interests at heart and He is working for our good in all things…. Klaus and Beryl have been through a very difficult and uncertain time, however God has been faithful and in the difficulties He has brought blessing and the ability for Klaus to share his faith with many of the hospital staff… who knows who may be touched by this and be led to faith in Christ… and the surety of eternal life when this life ends…

The Bible which contains God’s plan and purpose for this world, and for each one of us is God’s Word to us – and the strength and perseverance to get through difficult times for a Christian comes from Christ – on our own we are lost…. The assurances in the verses below explain this….

In Psalm 91v 14 it says “Because he loves me”, says the Lord “I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name.”

Isaiah 41v 14 says “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

And in Nahum 1v 7 it says “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

Through the challenges and scary, anxiety-provoking times, we were comforted by God’s Word, and we were continually in prayer relying on God to answer us according to His will as we trust that His purpose in all things (which may not always be the outcome we think is best) is for our eternal good.

For those who do not yet know Jesus, and do not have a faith in God, the 16^th and 17^th verse in John chapter 3 is the essence of the good news:

 “For God so love the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him”

Our trip may be over, but life’s journey is not… and as we travel through this life we all look forward to the next life…. Where sin, sickness, sadness and death are no more… and all those who have put their faith in Christ are united together with Him…

It was a long drive to Gundagai that day… on reflection we spent a lot of time talking about the events of the last few days…. We got to speak to Klaus on the phone – it was so good to hear his voice…. And he had not lost any of his sense of humour and quick dry wit… Branch was there in spirit keeping him company….

He had acquired a new hairstyle (the pink rinse was NOT OK…. Branch could not cope with the colour…. 😊)and had 2 scars to tell the story….

He was cleared to go to the ward from ICU … made progress with the drain being removed…

and has definitely brightened some nurses’ days…

enjoying all the attention…

(All hospital pics courtesy of Beryl and used with permission)

We stayed the night at Gundagai then left the next day for home along familiar well-travelled roads…

with the traditional stop at the Big Merino and Trapper’s Bakery at Goulburn…

Trev could not resist a Rosie clean at the bakery…..

It was a grey and cold day as we made the final run towards Helensburgh and home….

As we reached Helensburgh, the skies cleared…..

We had been in contact frequently with the Hunters and Wells who made it safely to Condobolin – the planned last destination before home….

Everyone finally arrived safely to their homes on the weekend thankful to God for a safe trip home, wonderful holiday and great time of fellowship….

Beryl and Klaus will be able to fly home next week…. Their car and caravan have been picked up and driven home by one of our good friends and past travel buddy – Glen Hackfath… thanks Glen!!

All that remains now is for the epilogue to this Wild Adventure to be written – so watch this space – coming soon!!

We were up before daybreak and on the road driving Beryl to Roseworthy on the outskirts of Adelaide…. It was cold wet and dark as we set off… and we were praying the Klaus was stable and well cared for….

Beryl called Royal Adelaide Hospital and was put through to the ED where Klaus was… he had been stable overnight – perhaps a little confused – and they were awaiting the neurosurgeons to come and review him…

As we continued on the sun rose…. The fields looked tranquil in the early morning haze….

Beryl’s phone rang and the neurosurgeon was on the line… he had examined Klaus, done a second CT which indicated more bleeding, so they were taking him straight to theatre to drain the blood and stop the bleeding…. Best case 2 burr holes, drain out the blood and a small drain left in post op – however if they needed to, they would have to remove a portion of the skull so they could access the bleeding vessel to stop the bleeding… They were reassuring that they felt the outcome would be good but there is always a risk of complications with any surgery….

We drove through Burra, a lovely town full of old, well kept buildings…

….and arrived in Roseworthy at about 0845…

Bronte was waiting for us at the BP Truckstop… after a brekkie of bacon and egg rolls and coffee, Beryl headed off to the hospital with Bronte…

and we continued on our journey towards Mildura… and home. Our thoughts and prayers were always with Klaus and Beryl as we awaited news of the surgery…

At Truro we stopped at Sunrise Bakery for some comfort food and coffee to keep us going…..

We drove across several branches of the mighty Murray River….

Edged in some places with a multitude of houseboats….

Then arrived in Mildura and crossed over the border into NSW, reaching our caravan park in Gol Gol not long before sundown….

We set up and went for a walk to stretch our legs – the Riverside Caravan Park was on the banks of the Murray…

there was a large flock of pelicans floating lazily along the river….

The caravan park has a huge fire pit right on the river bank – Gordie and Dave would have loved it!!!

Beryl called us with wonderful news that the surgery went well, only burr holes needed, Klaus was now in ICU awake and talking!!! Praise God for answered prayer!!

The sun went down and we had an early night in preparation for the long drive to Gundagai tomorrow…

Well you never know what a day may bring…..

After a freezing night at the free camp outside Peterborough we woke to a sunny but windy day… the plan was to go into town for a coffee and brekky and then continue on to Broken Hill – not as long a journey as yesterday….

However, Beryl came across and let us know that Klaus had had a bad night – the pain relief I had given him did not touch the headache and he had not slept well at all… I was starting to get concerned about the cause of the headache – Beryl also said he had now become quite nauseous – so I said that we should take him to get looked at… Fortunately there was a small hospital in Peterborough with an Emergency Department, so Trev drove Klaus and Beryl in their car with their van hitched and I followed them in with our ute…. The others stayed at the campsite as we planned that we would see what the initial outcome of the ED visit was, and then drive back – collect our van and we would all return to Peterborough for coffee and brekky while Klaus was being seen in ED….

We walked up to the ED after parking. Klaus still had the headache and was dry-retching by this time.

Trev and I left them in the ED and went back for our van and the others… and drove into town to the coffee shop where we all ordered coffee and brekky…

The coffee shop was very eclectic – with a great collection of interesting guitars which Gordie was fascinated by….

By this time, Klaus had been seen by the nurse, and Beryl was told that the doctors were not onsite – in fact they were in a neighboring town at an educational morning and were expected back by 1230 – so there would be no further news till he was seen by a doctor… Trev went and picked Beryl up and brought her back so she could have brekky… We were all praying that there would not be anything seriously wrong, and that the doctors would come quickly and make the right decisions..

After much discussion over coffee, we all decided that the Hunters and Wells would leave for Broken Hill (in particular as Gordie’s lights were still not working so they needed to get there during the day) – it would be too late to wait til Klaus had been seen by the docs… Trev and I would stay with Beryl and work out next steps as info came to light…

So we farewelled the others anticipating we would join them later that night after Klaus was sorted….

Trev, Beryl and I then went back to the ED to wait with Klaus for the doctor…. It seemed an endless wait, and Klaus was becoming drowsier and now unsteady on his feet…. Fortunately, the doctor arrived, did a thorough examination – Klaus’s vitals and bloods were all fairly normal, but she was concerned that he had become unsteady while in ED even though Klaus now said the headache had seemed to ease…

Providentially the doctor was cautious and said she felt she would like to do a CT of Klaus’ head just to be sure there was nothing untoward occurring…. Which meant that he had to be transported by ambulance to Port Pirie – 1.5hrs away – as there was no CT facility closer… If the CT was normal he would then return to Peterborough and be admitted overnight for some rehydration, observation and pain relief… If, however the CT showed something that needed further intervention he would be transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Beryl would stay in Peterborough as she would not be able to be transported with Klaus to Adelaide if that was the outcome – so rather than be stuck in Port Pirie she did not accompany Klaus in the ambulance.

While Beryl was waiting with Klaus for him to be picked up by the ambulance, Trev drove Beryl’s car and van to the Peterborough Caravan Park…. the long way (country towns have interesting side streets 🙂 )….

and spoke to the owners who were overwhelmingly helpful – they gave Beryl a spot and thus she was sorted as far as accommodation went for the coming night. Trev set up the van so it was all ready for Beryl once Klaus had left for Port Pirie…

We were all hopeful that the CT would be fine, Klaus would come back and after a night in hospital he would be discharged the following day – and we could then continue on and meet up with the others…. We were concerned however that Klaus would not be OK to drive having been quite fatigued with the headache, so we also decided to stay the night at Peterborough with them and our contingency plan became Trev driving Klaus and Beryl’s van with them in their car…and me following driving our car and van… As I had not driven and towed our van prior, Trev gave me a crash course driving around Peterborough while we were waiting for news of Klaus….

Once Klaus had left in the ambulance (Beryl managed a farewell pic) Beryl joined us at the caravan park to wait….

A bit later, Beryl, Trev and I went out for dinner to the Junction Hotel… a local pub…. I had squid schnitzel – an interesting concept and actually really delicious!!

While we were eating, Beryl got a call from the doctor in Port Pirie…. Not great news… the CT showed a small subdural bleed that had developed slowly possibly over a couple of days… the blood was causing pressure on his brain hence the headache, dizziness and nausea… however the doctor was reassuring as Klaus had not deteriorated further, but he needed to be retrieved to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for assessment by a neurosurgeon with the possibility of surgery (burrholes) to drain the blood and release the pressure….

The doctor at Port Pirie had already organised the Royal Flying Doctor Service retrieval and Klaus would be picked up shortly…

After discussing various options, we decided that we would arrange with the caravan park owners to store Klaus and Beryl’s car and van at the caravan park, and we would drive Beryl to Adelaide first thing in the morning so she could be with Klaus… providentially again, a good friend of theirs, Bronte, was in Adelaide on holiday and so Beryl organised for him to meet us in the outskirts of Adelaide at 0830 so we did not have to drive the van into the CBD to the RAH.

We spent the evening helping Beryl pack for Adelaide, empty the van of perishables and packing valuables into our car for us to take home for them…. The night was wet and freezing and we all finally went to bed hoping to get some sleep before a long day ahead…. Praying that Klaus would get to Adelaide safely and there would be no further deterioration in his condition…

We were on the road by about 0700 today – just after the sun broke through – as we were aiming to make the free camp in Peterborough before sunset…. It was freezing today and we knew we needed to stop to collect some firewood as a fire would be necessary in the free camp tonight!!

Our first fuel and coffee stop was at Wuddina – the bakery where we stopped on the way over 😊 Klaus had the mandatory vanilla slice…..

We were quickly on the road and pushed through toward Port Augusta…

The road again seemed to stretch endlessly before us….

Arid landscape dotted with saltbush was intermittently interrupted with farms…

The mine at Iron Knob was in full swing…. It loomed large to our right….

We arrived at Port Augusta….

sandwiching Gordie in between us so his lack of caravan lights would not be detected… and stopped for fuel and to make lunches in our vans on the east side of the town…

Klaus had an annoying headache that was proving unresponsive to panadol – but he swallowed a couple more and bravely soldiered on…

Trev grabbed some coffees for the road….

A large sheep carrier packed with sheep left the fuel station…. Not a good thought about the destination of those poor sheep crammed in….

We left Port Augusta and the bottom of the Flinders Ranges was in sight…

The first sign with Sydney on it was a sad reminder that the holiday was coming to an end ☹

As we drew closer to the ranges we were amazed at how green the slopes of the hills were – they had certainly had plenty of rain and the farmland and hillsides were really velvety!!

We started up Horrocks Pass…..

and did not get far when we came upon the sheep truck and a road train going up at 15km/hr!! It was a slow journey up and the narrow road made it interesting when oncoming trucks – such as the Explosives carrier below – needed to pass the road train!

The drive through the countryside was broken up by the many small towns such as Wilmington that we drove through – all with their quaint old buildings and a history to tell…

We made it to Peterborough before sundown and drove out to the free camp just on the eastern outskirts…. It was blowing a gale and absolutely icy so there was no way we could have a fire….

Everyone jumped in their vans to have dinner…. Klaus was exhausted and still suffering with a headache so he went to bed to get a good night’s sleep…. We all got together in the Hunter’s van after dinner to listen to the second last podcast on Exodus…. Thankfully the Hunters have a gas heater so we were all toasty warm!!

We went back to our vans…. And Beryl came across letting us know Klaus still had the headache – so I gave him a couple of stronger painkillers in the hope he would get a good night,s sleep and be refreshed in the morning for our drive to Broken Hill… we reassured Beryl that she could knock on our door any time overnight if he got worse as by now he had had the headache for quite a while with no relief – and that was a little concerning…..

The sun rose this morning over the Nullarbor and over towards the ocean, a storm was forming with a beautiful rainbow visible as we were packing up to leave Head of Bight and drive to Ceduna.

The drive was not too lengthy and went uneventfully although the road seemed to stretch out endlessly…….

Along the way there were ruined farmhouses – reminders of another time….

Gordie had called an auto electrician in Ceduna in the hope of getting the Titan sorted…. But the autosparky was out of town and no one else was able to assist… so the Hunters teed up Josh in Condobolin – a friend of Joels – who was able to squeeze them in when we get to Condo at the end of this week – and hopefully get the electrics sorted once and for all….

The Ceduna Foreshore Caravan Park was very well appointed with luxurious amenities and a pool – and easy flat sites… it was located opposite the bay and the shops were walking distance! It was great to have some luxury after a few days free camping – everyone made the most of it…

Dinner that night at the Foreshore Hotel next to the caravan park was delicious – Kerry and Gordie tucking in to an enormous seafood platter….

Dave tackled a huge schnitty (Matt would have been proud) …

the other meals including slow cooked beef cheeks were culinary delights!!

We had an early night as tomorrow was a long day driving – we were hoping to reach a free camp near Peterborough so needed to leave at first light to get there in daylight… around a 600km journey!!

After a fairly restful night (apart from a truck generator going all night)  at Jilah Rockhole, we were back on the road heading across the Nullarbor with our planned destination the Head of Bight and a free camp close to the whale watching centre.

The drive was not a particularly long one, however as we drove out, an alert came on Trev’s GPS saying the highway was closed in both directions at Eucla…. A bit concerning seeing there was no other way to continue heading east…

I checked online, and the closure was due to a “Police Support/ RFDS landing”- so it must have been a medical emergency requiring the Royal Flying Doctor to land on the highway to do a medical retrieval….

As we continued on towards Eucla there were now no cars coming in the opposite direction… and about 10 K out of Eucla te traffic slowed… we were hoping it was as the internet had indicated – as if it turned out to be an accident of some description the road could be closed for a very lengthy period….

Fortunately, just after we hit the traffic, we saw the RFDS take off….

And then suddenly a large amount of traffic coming our was (unusual sight on the Nullarbor 😊 )… we started moving again, got to Eucla and filled up with fuel… and continued on thankful that the delay had only been short.

We crossed the border into South Australia…

In the distance we could see storm clouds… and rain – not a very frequent sight in the desert area….

The highway got closer to the ocean and we could see the sea from the cars – it was incredibly calm and glassy… no wind at all….

Wide loads were less frequent than on the Goldfields Highway – but one very large one passed us – the road was quite narrow and the shoulders somewhat soft so it was tricky pulling off to let him pass…

Gordie was always on the lookout for firewood – and stopped on the side of the road as he located a dead tree which looked promising…

so we gathered enough wood to ensure we could have a fire tonight – the only way you can sit outside together as the nights are really cold now….

We hit the “Western end of the Treeless Plain” and drove on…..

reaching the Nullarbor Roadhouse for lunch…

In the distance to the north, rain continued to fall on the Nullarbor Plain…. But the sun was shining where we were…

The Whitewell Free Camp was only a few kms further up the road, and a right hand turn along the road to the Whale Watching Centre – so we got to the camp and unhitched so we could drive out without the vans in tow…

The campsite was great with level sites…. And a deserted building of sorts with no purpose….

A short drive out to the Whale Watching Centre… and an admission fee of $15pp… and we walked down to the viewing platforms to see quite a few whales playing in the bay!!

The centre is located at the start of the Bunda Cliffs – and you could see the spectacular cliff-edges coastline to the west….

To the east were huge rolling sandhills – a shiny white backdrop to the turquoise blue of the bay…. A beautiful wild vista of the coast around South Australia….

The whales were quite close to shore and so we got some interesting pics…. There was a mother and calf swimming around in the waves together…

A few other whales were playing…

showing off their tails….

And breaching further out to sea…

If you didn’t know what you were looking at some images could be mistaken for another large sea inhabitant!!

When we got back to the camp, we sat together and listened to the next instalment of exodus as today was Sunday – and there were no churches around to visit 😊

During the day’s journey, it was noted AGAIN that the lights on the Hunter Lotus were non-existent…. despite all the attempts by auto-electricians, MacGyver, Gordie, Branch they and all and sundry… they were still stubbornly unreliable – so yet another inspection of the 12 pin plug was warranted…. Branch by this time was over the pin and could barely crawl over to take a look – his posture said it all 🙂 … still no result – so Gordie decided to see if he could call an auto-electrician in Ceduna on the way there tomorrow….

 Gordie got the firepit out and lit the fire so we could sit around that evening….

Trev went for a bike ride to stretch his aching knees…

Sunset over the Nullarbor – with the storms and clouds on the horizon – was glorious in its own way.

Today’s journey was an average length to our next free camp at Jilah Rockhole…

As we got going a loud cry was heard from Gordie….. his caravan lights were not working again…. Branch had a quick look…. Gordie was very unhappy as he had just spent $500 at the auto electrician…. Anyway the decision was made to continue on as the road was straight – not many turns would be needed and we would sandwich Gordie in between us and the Weiss van… Macgyver would take a look with Gordie at the camp tonight – probably just a loose wire or fuse – hopefully simple…

Gordie was really keen to stop for firewood so after looking for a while, we stopped at a small rest area to try and collect some… Gordie and Trev cut down a small dead tree and loaded it into the back of the Titan….

In the process, Gordie sconed himself on a dead branch (not the blue kind)… fortunately with his sunnies on he did not get poked in the eye!!

We passed the derelict Balladonia homestead…

The familiar warnings about stray animals appeared….

As we commenced the section of the longest straight section of road in Australia it was interesting to see on the GPS when our next turnoff was…. The road did seem endlessly straight!!

To the left of us was the long range of rocky hill… and then we drove through Madura pass looking toward our right over the plains below – after the long straight and flat journey it seemed impossible that there would be a drive down a pass….

Road trains were quite frequent – and happy to overtake us as we were sitting on approx. 98kmph average trying to be economical on fuel…

We found Jilah Rockhole without too much of an issue – it was quite full already with vans however we were able to make a wagon train of sorts with a fire in the centre….

Branch and MacGyver took another look at Gordie’s 12 pin plug – Gordie opened it and a lot of rock and debris fell out – so a good clean was in order then a spray with the autoelectric lubricant…. and the lights on the van were working again!!

After happy hour and dinner, Rose led us in a devotion on Luke ch 1 and Zechariah’s reaction to the news that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child – John the Baptist…

Toward the end I noticed a black thing on Dave’s precious Uggies…

At first, I thought it was a bug, then noticed it smouldering – his Uggie was on fire as a hot coal had landed on it and was burning through…

Dave quickly removed it and extinguished the fire… and Branch could not resist an inspection…

We had found out that the road from Hyden to Norseman was closed due to the heavy rain – it is an unsealed road – and thus we had a long detour around to reach our next campground where we were reuniting with Gordon and Kerry. We had planned to meet at Afghan’s Rock rest area but due to the length of the drive, and also the ease of location we decided to meet at Newman’s Rock where we had camped on our way over….

The detour would take us south via Ravensthorpe… then almost to Esperance but taking a shortcut on a minor road to Gibson, then north to Norseman and on to Newman’s Rock… the length was almost 700km (as opposed to around 400 on the currently closed dirt road) – but as there was no choice we buckled in for a long day driving….

We decided to leave Wave Rock at 0700 to get some kms under our belt early… it was foggy and cold as we hitched on and left…

The fog did slow the journey somewhat initially as visibility  was not great….

However, there were some great photo ops of the ethereal landscape as the sun rose and the fog swirled around the trees and farmland…

The road was great and wound through beautiful farmland – a lot of grain is grown in the area….

The “Stuck Truck” was an amusing landmark along the way….

As we got close to Ravensthorpe more big mines were evident….

We drove into Ravensthorpe and fuelled up – and grabbed a coffee and homemade baked goods at a small café on the left hand side as you drive out towards Esperance – the coffee and food was delicious!!

Continuing on we drove under a bridge conveying ore from a mine….

through farms of brilliant yellow canola….

And turned off onto the minor Dalyup-Gibson Road – which was again a great sealed road though farmland…. Lots of sheep and lambs….

At Norseman we stopped for lunch and fuel, then continued on the last 1.5hr leg of our day’s journey to Newman’s Rock… the road seemed to be endless as it stretched out in front of us…

We finally arrived at the turn-off to the free camp… and drove in to the welcome sight of Gordon and Kerry who had picked a great spot for us to do a wagon train.

We all needed to stretch our legs so we went for a walk to Newman’s Rock – it was much fuller with water than when we were here a few weeks ago.

The outlook across the valley was lovely….

and the waterhole made a stunning foreground to the backdrop of the setting sun….

Gordie had done a great job getting firewood for the campfire which we were soon sitting around having happy hour….

We started the day with a relaxing communal brekkie of bacon and eggs etc as the campsite had great BBQs and undercover seating areas…..

There were plenty of walk options around the Wave Rock area and we had decided to do a few as the next few days we will be just travelling back to NSW with not many opportunities to exercise!!

The first walk was out to Wave Rock itself – it was close by – and was just as spectacular as described….

Wave Rock is 15m high and 110 m long. It is just one face of Hyden Rock, a 100ha rock formation. The shape has been carved out of Hyden Rock by the weathering action of water in soil that abuts the rock.

It is hard to get perspective on the size until you see a human standing next to (or riding) it!!

The colours in the rock were incredible in the morning light…the colours are caused by rain washing chemical deposits (carbonates and iron hydroxide) down the face forming the stripes of greys, yellows and reds…. and photo opportunities abounded 😊

As we walked along, we noticed a small man-made wall running along the edge of Hyden Rock – this had been built in as a wall to channel water running off the rock into a dam that locals had created on the edge of Hyden Rock to use as the town’s water supply. These catchment walls were constructed in 1951 – extending the earlier ones built in 1921 – they catch almost 45% of the water falling in the 66 acres that they enclose – and the water is funnelled into the dam which is still in use.

As we climbed up the rock you had a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside…..

…farmland that was verdant,

the township of Hyden to the west,

the golf course,

and the multitude of lakes and clay pans to the north including Magic Lake – a large round and (apparently) very salty lake…

Rose worked the camera while Trev photobombed…. And then took a “dive”….

Klaus was absorbed taking pics….

The walk across the top of Hyden Rock was really interesting… the rock face itself was a granite conglomerate and easy to walk on – not at all slippery…

There was a multitude of rock holes filled with water… often interconnected by small rivulets of water… these rock holes are known as “gnammas” and they stay wet long enough to sustain many types of small plant and animal life in them… in the larger holes and crack small shrubs can also be seen….

Bright green moss, small daisies and a carnivorous strikingly red plant (Drosera Bulbosa which uses its sticky tentacles to trap small insects) were among the many small vegetations on the rock….the eggs and spores of the plants and animals that inhabit these ponds can stay dormant during drought then spring to life again after rain…

On top of the rock was another mini- wave rock 🙂

At one part on the top of the rock, there had been an old quarry where stone was taken to use to floor one of the local shops….

There was a rocky outcrop reminiscent of Karlu Karlu (Devil’s Marbles) – the tafones (large hollows in the boulders) made for interesting sculptures… and pics!!

We climbed down the rock to the base – it was not too difficult….

and Wave Rock now looked a different colour in the middle of the day….

…. and then headed along the “Hippos Yawn” track around the base of the rock….

The rock surface was very sheer and steep in places, with large cracks… and a hole that looked like a cave opening so Trev had to do some rock climbing antics to get up and inspect it – yes it was a deep hole when you got up there!!

The walk through the bush was easy and we reached the Hippos Yawn – another tafone which looked like a huge hippo with its mouth open – a human in the mouth gave perspective as to how large it was…

deep in the hippo’s mouth was a small cave that exited up the top – sunlight could be seen up through it  – and it was obvious just how small the rocky base of the hippo “jaw” actually was…

nearby was “Bum Rock” or was that “Bumfloss Rock” (as Gordie would say)???

We walked back to the café near the caravan park – passing some salt pans on the way – the salinity of the lakes and clay pans in the area has killed some of the shrubs growing in and around them….

A big rig was parked in the visitor carpark… some people have all the toys!!!

After coffee and lunch, Trev was keen to go out to Magic Lake and the “thermal salt pool” that an old mate at Kalgoorlie had told him was great for a swim… we drove out and found the lake and pool – part of “Wave Rock Resort” which looked deserted, and half developed….

The pool itself was not fully completed but it was able to be swum in – however the “old mate’s” definition of thermal was incorrect – it was not a thermal pool – the water was quite cold. There was a sandbar in the middle of the natural pool and you could imagine on a warm sunny day that the water there would feel warm…. There was no appeal today and so no one went in…

We drove into the little town of Hyden to get fuel, and stopped at the bakery for afternoon tea 😊…

That afternoon Trev, Dave, Rose and I walked up the rock to watch the sunset.. the colours on Wave Rock were different again…

Sunset from Hyden Rock was lovely looking across the countryside and lakes….