Today Dad got to pat his pet rock as we did the 12 km hike to and from the summit of Mt Augustus. It's the world's largest rock (twice the size of Uluru) and the walk involved a rise of 750 metres from the surrounding plain. We even had phone reception at the top which comes from the tower at Paraburdoo!

The road to Gascoyne Junction is sealed, but then it's gravel and red dust. This crossing of the river provided us with a pleasant lunch break on our way to Mt Augustus Station.

As we prepare to head inland local signs remind us Carnarvon is also home to a beef industry and the site of Australia's first ever export of livestock. We spend the day stocking up on supplies and doing some schoolwork.

Fraser and I spent the morning doing schoolwork before we visited the nearby Space and Technology Museum opened by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in 2012. The centre had lots of displays about space travel and exploration which were possible due to the scientists and tracking facilities in Carnarvon. The lunar module simulator was very noisy and squishy for us all to fit into - Fraser and I had to share a seat.

The road north to Point Quobba took about an hour to travel and we arrived to find the blowholes working really well. We took many photos and were amazed at the puddles of salt in the rocks. After a picnic lunch we kayaked and snorkelled at a protected bay just south of the blowholes - the fish and coral were very colourful, Dad spied some budgies and the bird tally has now reached 150. We also so saw a turtle and a big clam.