Albany-Wave Rock-Menzies/Lake Ballard (18-20 Apr)

Next on our agenda was Lake Ballard to see Antony Gormley’s sculptures of 51 residents of the nearby town of Menzies. Given the long drive through the wheat belt of Western Australia, we spent the first night at the Wave Rock Caravan Park which was conveniently located next to the famous curved granite cliff face.

The following day, we stopped in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to marvel at the Super Pit (one of Australia’s largest open pit gold mines) and the world’s tallest bin at 26 feet. We couldn’t forego seeing the bin given Uncle Travis traversed the country to see the attraction many years ago. We even managed to capture Justin land a container in the bin’s cavity for posterity!

On the way to Menzies (where we would spend the second night), we tailed a convoy of eight road trains from the charity Farmers Across Borders transporting hay from Western Australia to assist farmers affected by drought and other natural disasters. It brought home the harsh realities, and a humbling reminder, of everyday life in rural and remote Australia.

After a night in Menzies (where our fly head nets made their inaugural appearance), we drove to Lake Ballard where we managed to secure a prime campsite overlooking the lake in which the sculptures were erected across an area of 10 square kilometres. Millie and I did not emerge from the caravan until dusk when the weather was cooler and the flies fewer. As we crossed the salt plain, the crystallised salt crunched beneath our feet before giving way to the red mud which caked our sandals. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures stood in water so we were only able to view a handful of the installations in close proximity.