After a while, we encountered an extra large dune, dotted with rocks and shrubs. We
began to climb up the large dune, whilst protesting against the increasingly violent winds trying their best to stop us. When we finally made it to the top of the dune, we realized we had reached the northern cliff edge of the desert. The view was breathtaking; the endless sight of the Indian Ocean on the left, and a lush green forest canopy stretching past the horizon on the right.

We stood above, on our sandy cliff, gifted with a little protective bump behind us. The
wind… it was gone. I offer no photos, because I implore you to take the journey yourself
and see this place with your own eyes. The spot was perfect, and so we set up our chairs facing out towards the expansive scenery.

We worried we might encounter some of Australia’s notorious wildlife there. In
particular, snakes and spiders. But our surroundings were rather lifeless, which is
perhaps not so surprising for a desert. Other than flies and ourselves, we only saw one
lifeform at our spot. A small, colorful bug crawled across the sand near my chair. Being
a slight arachnophobe, I immediately began counting its legs. When I realized that I was
counting its legs in order to decide whether or not to be terrified, I figured I ought to put
the mathematics aside. The lad wasn’t bothering anyone, after all.

Typically, a bug’s mere shape will be enough to give away its kind. This one was weird,
however. It didn’t quite look like a spider, nor like a beetle. I have never seen the like
before or since, and I couldn’t tell you what it was. It was a peaceful feller, trudging past
like nobody’s business, so I turned my attention elsewhere.

It was truly spectacular up there, our eyes stapled to the vista most of the time. Little
did we know, a few miles past the skyline we were marvelling at, was another desert – the Pinnacles Desert boasts limestone pillars and an excellent sunset. We later found out that our friend Theodor Hartmann was there, while we were in Lancelin.