The road is open. The sun is hot and high and the atmosphere rather steamy as we finally approach Lake Ballard.

Despite the melting heat and the most ferocious of flies, a beautifully peaceful bushcamp invites us with striking view of the lake. Following the days of downpour, today it truly is a lake as opposed to the usual dryness of a salt pan.

This was beautiful to see but perilous to explore - beneath the shimmering silver surface is a slippery, slimy mud slush. The conditions limiting our direct exposure to only 3 of 51 of life size statues that is "Inside Australia". Spanning approximately 7 square kilometres, the statues created by artist Antony Gromley are made of metal modelled on 3D scans of the local Menzies residents.