Friday 13th April 2018
Ravensthorpe to Gwelup WA – 542km 5 hrs 36mins

Well we managed to leave early today at about 8.30am for the final leg of our 4000km journey to the Australian SLS Championships. Yay we are almost there. Next time we do this journey I would love to take our time so we can see the many things left unseen on this trip. It has been a fantastic experience and we have seen some amazing scenery and features of Australia.

First stop King Lake Tractor Museum. When farmers in Western Australia’s Great Southern region could not get their hands on the four-wheel-drive tractors they needed to clear new land blocks in the 1970s and 80s, the solution was simple. They built their own.

Unable to afford commercially built tractors, the farmers cobbled machinery together from whatever they could lay their hands on, from bits of old trucks to army service vehicles and bulldozers.

Next stop was Wave Rock at Hyden. Wave Rock is a granite cliff 15 metres high and 110 metres long. Its rounded-like shape has been caused by weathering and water erosion which has undercut the base and left a rounded overhang. Water from the springs running down the rock during wetter months dissolve minerals adding to the colouring of the wave. In 1960, crystals from Hyden Rock were dated at being 2700 million years old, which are amongst the oldest in Australia.

Our final stop – A 15 minute drive north of Wave Rock is the massive granite rock formation known as the Humps. In the reserve is the ”Mulka” cave. On the cave walls are many hand stencils believed to represent adults and children. The stencils are made by placing the hand on the rock, then blowing over it with pigment. When the hand is removed, a negative impression remains.  Hand stencils were made for many reasons, but most commonly, they were used as a form of signature left by those who had rights to the area.

We then still had just under 4 hours left to drive to the coast. We finally arrived at 6pm. Our last night camping for a week as we are staying in a villa for the duration of the Aussies.

I may not post anything over the next week but will continue our travel diary Monday 23rd April when we resume our adventure. Hope you have enjoyed it so far.

Nighty night. xx