Noble Falls

Jarrah Bowl

Benjamin's last plane flight
from Plutonic Mine

Benjamin's last
flight from Plutonic

Mulga's Cave

Scrap art at Hyden
 

We were able to meet Benjamin at the airport on his last flight from the Plutonic Gold Mine before he fly's out to France. We had about one and half days with Benjamin before his flight. It was great to see him although only for a short time.

We have been very fortunate to be able to attend the final of the world Red Bull Aerobatic Air Race. These planes not only have to negotiate many markers placed in the river but also race the clock. The pilots usually come from an aeronautical background but not always.

We are leaving Perth today Tuesday 21st November heading down to Kelmscott and then onto to Williams & Wickepin.

Wickepin has a large assortment of old tractors on the main road, Jitarning, Kulin, Kondinin and then Hyden.

After reaching Hyden we drove out to Wave Rock area, had tea on the side of the road, drove out into the wheat farming area and stayed on the side of the road at the entry to one of the large properties, may have been many thousands of acres.

The next morning we went and had a look at Mulga's cave and then onto Wave Rock.
Wave Rock is 14 metres high, and 110m long, the face of Wave Rock appears ready to crash onto a pre-historic surf, now frozen in time.
Believed to have formed over 2700 million years ago, Wave Rock is part of the northern face of Hyden Rock.  The shape of the wave is formed by gradual erosion of the softer rock beneath the upper edge, over many centuries. They have built a fence around the top of Hyden Rock to help direct the water into a storage dam built at the end of the rock.

Red Bull Air Race Plane

Helen at Wave Rock

Wave Rock at
Hyden WA

Wave Rock Water
Catchment Fence

At the front gate to a wheat
farm near Kulin

Scrap art at Hyden

The colours of the Wave are caused by the rain washing chemical deposits (carbonates and iron hydroxide) down the face, forming vertical stripes of greys reds and yellows.  Its worth seeing the rock at different times of the day, as the changing sunlight alters its colours and appearance.
After leaving Wave Rock we traveled through thousands of acres of wheat, some being harvested and stockpiled in large silo's.
We drove through Holt Rock, Varley, Lake King, Ravensthorpe town sits amid Salmon Gums encircled by the Ravensthorpe Range, Mayden, Munglinup where we stayed the night across the road from the roadhouse and then onto Esperance. Whilst at Esperance we caught up with Bill and Graham who we met at the Birdsville Races.
During a gale in  1792, two French Frigates on a mapping voyage of the Australian coast, took shelter off Observatory Point. The first ship to enter the bay was L'Esperance and so the bay was named. Another early visitor to the area was Mathew Flinders, who anchored at Lucky Bay in 1802 during his voyage to chart the southern coast.

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