My oh my, Australia has some big rocks and we’ve seen quite a few in our travels, but been guilty of not checking out some of the best in our own backyard in South Australia, so to speak.

We’ve finally made it back to the Eyre Peninsula and having the luxury of time, we can finally tick off a few places and landmarks that have been on our to-do list for a while.

The town of Wudinna has a number of granite outcrops and you can find them on the Mt Wudinna tourist drive. A short 7 kilometre dirt road drive will take you to Polda Rock where you can take a 2 kilometre walk around it and walk on the rock itself.

The rock is made up of coarse grained granite which crystalised from molten magma, millions of years ago. As you walk around it you’ll notice low walls surrounding it and open drains which direct water runoff to a dam below. In the past, this dam was used as a water catchment for the local town and pastoralists.

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A little further along the drive is Mt Wudinna, the second largest monolith after Uluru, where you can walk up and get sweeping views of the surrounding farmland from the top at 261 metres from ground level.  

After Wudinna you can drive less than 40 kilometres further west, to the town of Minnipa where a 15 kilometre dirt road will take you to Pildappa Rock.  The dirt road is well maintained and suitable for non off road caravans to handle. You can camp and caravan at Pildappa Rock, just not right in front of it which is good because everyone is there to see and photograph this amazing landscape, and it’s good not to have the view spoilt. There are picnic areas and drop toilets to use by people visiting and staying here.

Pildappa Rock is a granite outcrop dome where weathering has caused its current shape. You can climb to the top of this rock too, and it’s quite easy if taken from the right angle. On top there are deep pits which hold water as well as water worn grooves all around the rock.

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The wave shape of the rock was caused by moist soil being in contact with the rock, causing the granite to weather inwards.  As the soil lowered, the weathered rock has been left with a concave surface.  In some places it looks like the rock is puddling on the ground.

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This was an incredibly beautiful spot to stay and the sun on the rock throughout the day, changed its colour, just as it does Uluru. Pildappa Rock has a bit of everything going for it, almost a mix of Wave Rock in WA, Uluru and Devils Marbles combined. The views from on top are just incredible too.

If these areas haven’t been on your radar before, add them to you touring list now!

Cheers

Glenys