Tuesday 30 August 2016

Gorge Rock and Wave Rock - Western Australia

With a day off and nothing planned we decided to head out for a drive, little did we know we would cover nearly a thousand kilometres.  We headed east on the Brockton Hwy and just drove until we got to Gorge Rock.
This rock is massive, easy a 100 meters each way if you stand in the middle of it.  I lake was established in the rock structure by the locals in the early 1900s.  It was established with a community alongside so the locals could gather.  Family days where the norm along with public holidays and weekends.  One of the outdoor dunnies (toilet) is still there in the bush.
I rescued some tadpoles while I was there, they had become stranded in a small rock pool adjacent to the big pond.  I only hope they are not cane toads.
From gorge Rock we decided to head another 100 klm east to Wave Rock (http://waverock.com.au) I had not been back there since early 1980s and Toon had never been.
Much has changed since my first visit, it has become a tourist attraction, camp site, cafe, wildlife park and shower blocks, you even have to pay ($10 a car).
They have ruined the natural wonder by adding a nasty looking slab wall on top of the wave, apparently to stop idiots falling off.  It looks awful and has ruined the natural flow of water that has created this master piece.  Stupid, but safe.
There is also a small damn next to the rock which supplies water to the township, i don't recall seeing that on my first visit.
Talking of my first visit to Wave Rock and my first visit.  hen I first flew into Perth I sat next to a couple who owned a pig farm, they were in there 50s I guess. They welcomed me to Western Australia and filled me with amazing facts and tourist attractions.  We chatted most of the then 18 hour flight.  As we got closer they invited me to come to their pig farm and stay with them, look around.  They then stated they would meet me at a small airport called Jandakot and fly me to their farm rather than drive.  Amazing, I was young and stupid and had never really lived outside of the small faring community Village I brought up in. Anyway to cut a long story short we exchanged phone numbers and I flew there saw the farm and wave rock when it was just a rock in the bush.  The flight was a bit jumpy and I was very sick so I drove back, it seemed so far back then.
So the trip, well I won't do it again for myself but would drag myself there for someone else as the rock are amazing and hold a lot of history, its real Australia.  The road is a drag, boring with the odd field full of canola plants, seems it is a popular crop out there.
We had lunch in the small cafe at Wave Rock.  Toon had an over priced cheese and ham toast and I chose a Cheese, chicken and leak pocket.  Ton said the coffee/mocha to say the least, poor.

Cafe at Wave Rock

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