After 200ks from Broken Hill we were forced to contribute early to the SA economy, the quarantine station decided that they wanted all our fruit and veg (except for the carrots). They did very well out of us and the three vans in front of us. You guessed it I was none to pleased, after dumping our fruit and veg before Broken Hill, we had to restock at Peterbourough before hitting Wilpena Pound.
The camp ground at "the Pound" although there was barely a blade of grass to be found it was still very nice. The sites were a good size with power, water and sullage - a bit dear at $33 a night, but no free camping in the area.
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| FLINDERS RANGES |
We started our visit with a drive to a couple of close by look outs, truly spectacular views, again I don't think photos do it justice. On the way back from the lookouts there was a sign for "The Cazneaux Tree", this was a tree photographed by Harold Cazneaux in 1937 and the photo was titled "The Spirit of Endurance". The tree is a River Red Gum, check the difference from then to now. Google "The Spirit of Endurance"
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| THE CAZNEAUX TREE |
We visited the Sacred Canyon - a short walk along a dry creek bed for a couple of hundred metres and there above a small waterhole was a rock wall with engravings on it, they sort of lined up with the interpretive info back at the start of the walk, but I think there may have been some additional work done on the wall, interesting all the same.
We took a drive from Wilpena to Blinman (an old copper mining town) where we indulged in a devonshire tea aussie style, with wattle seed scones and quondong jam and a quondong pie with cream and ice cream. The cafe was owned by an ex-German girl who is an ex-travel agent and tour guide, a very interesting lady. To the right hand side of the road just short of Blinman is an are know as the "Great Wall of China" for obvious reasons.
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| THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA |
From Blinman we traveled via Glass Gorge to Parachilna. Parachilna is a little village with a pub and not much else on the road to Leigh Creek and Maree.
Leaving Parachilna we traveled south until the turn off for the Brachina Gorge Geological Trail. The trail take you back over the Flinders Ranges, well not so much over as you drive along the dry riverbed of the gorge. This are has been flooded in February this year, but the track was pretty good and well signposted with plenty of information signs on the way describing the geological history of the area. After about 35ks of dirt we hit the bitumen that takes us back to Wilpena Pound. Gaila was glad to see the tar again.
After yesterdays excursion today I wanted to visit Bunyeroo Gorge that we missed out on, Gaila however had other ideas, she had had enough of the dirt tracks so I headed off myself. This was a little hillier and steeper than yesterday, but still a good drive with plenty of driving along the dry river bed in the gorge. In one spot I came around a bend into the river bed and there was an Outback Spirit tour bus parked and everyone was out enjoying their morning tea. Not being one to knock back an invitation I joined them for a cuppa and chat, they were very interested in our travels.
They were on a trip to Maree for three days for some flights over Lake Eyre. I continued on, visiting some homestead ruins before getting back to the van. I must say they certainly didn't have it easy. There was one bloke who took up a lease of land that was less than ideal for raising his cross bred bullocks, but the saving grace was the he had a permanent spring on his lease so he was more or less OK. That was until the miners came in and through a dodgy deal with the SA lands dept they had his boundary changed so that he lost his spring. Oh how times have changed and funnily enough they stay the same.
Wednesday today and we are headed off to some Aboriginal rock paintings at Arkaroo Rock, after trekking for a while we came to a fork in the track, they both went off in an upwards direction, we had just clammered over a rather steep rocky trail. Gaila decided, not for her and headed back to the the car. I continued on upwards, I'm glad she didn't keep going as the painting were rather disappointing. The first area had no protection for the paintings, so you guessed it there was so much graffiti on the rock the rock art was not visible. The second area was fully caged, but compared to the stuff we had seen a few years ago in Kakadu these were disappointing. There was still what appeared to be interference with the art. It make you think about the mentality of some of these people, I can't understand why someone would go to the effort of climbing the hill and then deface something like that. Go figure.......
Tomorrow we leave Wilpena Pound and are heading to Port Augusta for a few day before going to Woomera.
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| ARKAROO ROCK |
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