We packed up from Narembeen and headed to Hyden , 82 klms away . Even with a bit of a sleep in , we were on the road by 9:45 . It was a very quiet trip - I think we were the only ones on the road - we didn't pass another vehicle till we got to within 2klms of the caravan park , no one passed us either . That is the one thing we have noticed around this area , whether it's the time of year - I'm sure it would be busy in harvest time - but it's been very quiet on the roads - we are not complaining !!
After lunch we headed out to The Humps , Mulka's Cave and Gnamma Holes - they are all in the same location - about 18klms from Hyden .
There was rain overnight and we actually had to use the windscreen wipers on the drive down today - a bit freaky - we haven't used them for months !! Rain showers seemed to be coming and going , but on we went . The final 2klms was on a gravel road - muddy gravel road !! I took it nice and quietly , assessing as we went , but it was pretty good - no damage done - till later .
First stop was Mulka's Cave , a cave formed at the base of The Humps . The entrance is only about a metre high , so you have to duck down as you go in . There is some rock art - mainly hand prints - lot's & lot's of them .
From here we wandered around to the start of the Kalari Trail - it takes you up to the top of the Humps for a great 360 degree view . The view looking up wasn't too bad either .
There are a lot of large moss & lichen covered rocks before you start the climb .
Because of the inclement weather , water was streaming down the rock creating patterns - looked really good .
There a message boards along the walk informing you about the plants , moss & lichens and the rock itself . They helped to break the walk down into sections , you barely noticed going up the rock , even though you were climbing upwards all the way .
There are lots of plants & trees growing up on the rock - quite surprising in such a harsh environment .
Deep grooves in the rock have been formed over millions of years , and make for an amazing sight .
As we made it over the top , we found some very weathered rocks . Fortunately for us , they were facing the best direction and gave us some shelter from the rain shower that was coming down . We had an umbrella , but that was only good for one person - not good when you still have to walk down a wet rock slope to get down again . We crawled up into the rock and stayed nice and dry till the rain had stopped !!
Heading down before the next shower hit , we passed a rock wall resembling a bit of a wave - the steep face was about 15m high !!!
Anywhere on the rock where soil & gravel tend to gather , there are plants growing . Then also anywhere there is a depression in the ground , water will also sit till it evaporates . Some of these waterholes are deeper & more permanent than others . Local aborigine tribes used these waterholes for survival and hunting , they called them "gamma " - water holes !! Many other animals and people used them as well .
The rain started again , so we headed off around the Gnamma walk trail , dodging puddles and flowing water that was streaming off the rock .
The trail took us around rocky outcrops and through a grove of sandalwood and Quondong trees . A lot of the trees were dead , but the trunks under the bark looked amazing .
Back to the ute , we found there were another 2 cars and a bus !! The road in was alright until the tour bus churned it up on it's way in and out . It was a flying visit - they only got to look at the cave and nothing else - on a schedule - pity they missed the best part - up & over the rock !!! That would rate fairly highly in our list of walks , we got to see it with water flowing down - certainly not the normal situation for summer !!
Back to camp for a beer and some mango salsa - we substituted mango for the tomato - it worked a treat , another recipe success !!! My brothers salsa recipe is getting spread far and wide around Australia - it's really good !!!
That's it for today , a southerly change has blown in and cooled everything down - it's been a weird summer for them over here in WA .
Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kSBX_-hqu_ms&usp=sharing
Hi Alan and Lyn, followed your blog with great interest. We are driving South to Hyden today 01/02 Monday so will be good to see what you are blogging about. Southern Cross is a lovely little town but 50k east is Karalee Dam and an excellent free camp and another very interesting granite outcrop and aquaduct system. Quite amazing really.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, travel safe, will continue to follow your journey
Marcia and Rick