After leaving the Esperance area we traversed across on a very little used dirt road, to the Eyre highway at Balladonia and onto the Cocklebiddy cave system about 10 kms before Cocklebiddy. 

As we arrived fairly late and the rain still seemed to be brewing, we passed a small van set up at the front of the caves, but set up our camp on higher ground above the cave entrance. That night it bucketed down.

While we were having breakfast we were visited by the, now stranded in the mud, van owners requesting assistance to be towed the 4 or 5 Km back to the main road. We advised we would see the cave first and if they were happy to wait until then we would be happy to help.

So we went down into the cave and explored until we reached a body of water which stopped our adventure. The cave system is a long limestone cave which connects into a subterranean aquifier. It is essentially a series of large caverns and subterranean lakes with 90 per cent of the cave underwater. An amazing challenge to divers. It was well worth the visit.

On emerging from the cave we noted the van had gone, and another 4WD was just pulling up. We were passing pleasantries about the cave and if it was worth going down when the other driver mentioned, that on the way in he had come across a heap of very naked males and females pushing a van through the mud!