Going to the Pinnacles Desert last night for sunset and moonrise was one of the highlights of our journey. This was our third visit to Numbung National Park in as many days, and every time we have been we have seen a different aspect to the Pinnacles Desert. First day was windy, cold and overcast, next was full sun, but tonight with the beautiful colours of sunset and moonshine, well it was the ultimate photographers dream.
We made sure before we drove the 16km to Numbung National Park that it was going to be open. Many of the National Parks we have visited shut the gates right on 4.30pm. I guess this is to stop vandalism but there is very little damage that vandals could do at the Pinnacles. If they tried to knock the stone pinnacles over with their vehicles, their vehicles would certainly come out second best! They are very solid statues and it is only wind erosion that can cause them damage, which in turn makes them so stunning.
Finding a place to stop for both sunset in the west and moonrise in the East was not too hard but finding a place without another vehicle in your view was much harder. There were many people in the park for sunset. Fortunately most did not wait around for the Super Moon so that was a good thing. In fact I would go as far as saying we were the only ones left by 7.00pm. We drove past a professional photographer who had the best spot in the whole park. You should have seen this photographer's gear. From the telescopic lens to the bags of gear that would fill the boot of a car, this photographer had it all. I would guess many tens of thousands of dollars of gear. There is a saying "All the gear with no idea" but I don't think that pertained to this person.
While we were waiting for the golden hour of sunset we watched three ladies playing amongst the pinnacles and taking ridiculously funny selfies. I think they may have had a few beverages under their belt! One selfie they were trying to take was to climb on the backs of each other. Of course you can imagine in your mind how that went 👇👇. Anyway Philip and I had a good belly laugh at their antics. Here are a few of the photos that I managed to take. They were mostly taken with my iPhone as low light and my trusty Olympus camera are not friends.....
As predicted, the rain has returned today. The wind has not started blowing the gale that they also predict but we are prepared for it. We hung around the van this morning as it was not the greatest day to do any sightseeing. I must admit that I didn't actually get out of bed until 9am. Couldn't see the point really and I was very snug 😜.
The Lobster Shack was on our radar again today but when we pulled into the restaurant and couldn't find anywhere to park we knew we might be in trouble. The place was packed. They do have an overflow area for just this sort of crowd with lots of picnic style tables in an open air area (under cover), but as luck would have it we were fortunate enough to have another couple vacate their table just as we walked inside!
We enjoyed our meal so much on Monday. You may recall we ordered the Seafood Platter. Today, with it being such a cold day we both ordered the Lobster Chowder and Lobster Shack Rolls. The service here is phenomenal and the kitchen runs like clockwork because nobody seems to have a long wait for their meals. I think it was just ten minutes from when we ordered to when our meal was ready. No waiter service here. When your meal is ready you collect straight from the kitchen.
We were totally unprepared for the size of the Lobster Chowder bowls. They were massive, I would say around four cups of chowder to a bowl, and they were certainly a meal in themselves. We loved this warming soup that was packed with lobster in a rich creamy broth. The chowder had a hint of dill that we know works so well with seafood and I could happily eat this every day!
The Lobster Shack Roll however was a disappointment. Absolutely nothing wrong with the lobster meat that was fresh and succulent, it was just the roll that they served it in that was the problem. It was sweet. I very much dislike sweet bread rolls and it is why I can never eat a Kentucky Fried Burger. It is an American thing, with their love of sugar, and one that we have unfortunately adopted here in Australia. Lobster meat is a sweet meat and to serve it in a sweet bread roll just did not work for me. A sourdough roll would have been much better. But, it is one of the top sellers on the Lobster Shacks Menu so I guess it might just be me. (Give me savoury any day.) Philip didn't mind his but also said he didn't love it. I didn't eat my roll or the fries and just ate the lobster.
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