Once we warmed up and packed up after the Sea lion and Dolphin swim, we departed Baird Bay at about 1:30 pm to head east, back past Murphy’s Haystacks to a granite monolith called Pildappa Rock.  I had read an article somewhere about camping here and had been impressed at the time with the description ‘a mini wave rock’ and so it was added to the list.  Once inland we watched the mercury climb from a pleasant 32 degrees to 42 degrees.  Not a problem unless you’re free camping and have no caravan air conditioning. And so it was as we made our way through Minnipa to the “east’s” version of wave rock.

Pildappa Summit

I will say that with two sunburnt kids (no sunscreen allowed whilst swimming with the sea-lions) and a body (mine) that does not tolerate heat well, it was not a great afternoon once we arrived.  Whilst the heat was oppressive, the rock was spectacular and we had the run of the place, with the day trippers leaving us alone by late afternoon. Jules checked his ‘Sunseeker’ app, and we picked a spot right at the base of the ‘wave’ that would soon be in shade.

YMCA – Our tribute to “Are we there yet?” by A.Lester (not quite at Murphies haystacks – but close).

After a quick BBQ and salad, we climbed to the summit to soak in the views of the plains and the distant Gawler Ranges. Whilst the views were incredible, the northerly was still oppressively hot. It was still about 37 degrees when Jules and I packed the kids into bed and climbed back up to the top to catch the fading sunset.

Pildappa sunset

The colours were magical and it was incredibly peaceful breathing in the warm night air.  My mood was considerably improved until a voice over the walkie-talkie chirped – “I’m lonely, can you come back” (apparently it’s had to fall asleep at +35). We trudged back down the rock to comfort the kids.

Despite the heat, we all slept well and woke to a glorious morning. Jules busied himself with photos and a time-lapse of the sunrise, before we walked the 1.1 km around the base, packed up and headed north-west towards Ceduna.