Monday 30 November 2015

Ball's Pyramid

Sitting 23km to the South East of Lord Howe Island is Ball's Pyramid.  This is tower of rock is the worlds tallest volcanic stack in the world.  The stack is about 560m tall, but only 300m wide at the widest part - Ball's Blade may have been a better name!

We had the good fortune to visit the Pyramid on a very calm day - 'we get about half a dozen days like this a year' our boatman claimed.  This calmness was not a disappointment to me, as I have had a number of near death experiences with sea-sickness and small boats in the past!

It has been pointed out to me Ball's Pyramid does rather look like a witches hat bursting out of the sea, and the truth of the matter is that it does look rather 'other worldly'.  If I had seen it in a number of recent films I think I would have assumed it was a CGI image!

All in all it's a remarkable place and it was well worth the extra time it took to get there and get back.

Apart from being a remarkable chunk of rock, the Pyramid is home to the last know wild population of a giant stick insect that once once found on Lord Howe and for a long time was considered extinct.   Clearly, any form of survey of the island would be as much of a mountaineering experience as it would be a biological one - I'd love the chance the visit, but my climbing days seem very much in the past.










You can find more shots from around the World at Our World Tuesday.  SM



23 comments:

  1. Yes Stewart, you were fortunate to have had a good day for this trip and it is an impressive rock

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  2. My goodness!!! How amazingly magnificent is that!!!???

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  3. Wow, it is an impressive rock. I like the Pyramid shape. So glad you had calm seas and a nice boat ride. Great photos! Enjoy your new week!

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  4. Interesting!
    Have a great week!
    Lea

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  5. Rock very suggestive images and beautiful place.. . Regards..

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  6. I will have to look this up on Google Earth to see where this is. What an amazing rock! Are there birds' nesting there?

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  7. Awesome scenery. You couldn't give climbing a go to get a macro shot of that stick insect for us? ;)

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  8. Imagine being shipwrecked and this was your only island of refuge. Thanks for showing this. Great to see.

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  9. Wow, quite a striking pillar of rock rising from the sea! Thanks for sharing your photos.

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  10. Wow..Great shots..I can't imagine climbing that rock..The surface has to be very rough..Not user friendly at all..I guess the good thing would be that it probably isn't slippery unless it has lichen or some kind of moss growing on it. Does anything grow on Lava rock? Interesting post..Enjoy your week.

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  11. Great photos. I imagine there cannot be that many stick Insects left if that is their only home, very precious. Diane

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  12. That is an amazing stack! Great shots.

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  13. What a fabulous rock, Stewart. I guess it's called that 'cos you'd need them to climb it!

    Best wishes from a wet and windy UK - you lucky beggar! - - - - Richard

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  14. What are you saying Stewart! I don't believe for a moment that you couldn't tackle a climb like that.

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  15. Thanks for sharing images of your continuing adventures "down under" Stewart - I'm getting to see parts of Australia I would otherwise have missed!

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  16. Oh, what an awesome place, Stewart!! Thank you so much for sharing!! What a trip you have had!! Terrific!! Enjoy your new week!!

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  17. Beautiful photos! It does look like a witch's hat! It must have been a wonderful experience to visit the place.

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  18. This volcanic rock formation is wonderful! I would love to see it...so dramatic! I am so sorry you can't climb all over it's surface. I can't do such things anymore either, and it is such a disappointment! I am thrilled for you that you had good weather, and happy you didn't get seasick. Your photos are incredible!

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  19. You are killing me! I think this will be an unique travel adventure for me.

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  20. My God you are lucky to have visited this place.

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