Friday 29th August

Friday 29^th of August 2014

Yesterday we didn’t get in the car once. It was great. First time since we left home on the 9^th we didn’t get in the car and drive.

So since we had our ‘day off’ sitting in the car today we decided to go exploring the gorges that are around, doing a loop through Parachina and Blinman on the way home. The Parachina pub is supposed to be renown for fabulous food so we thought we might go and do lunch there.

We set off toward Bunyeroo Gorge which is a dirt track. Greg had pumped the tyres back up on the car as there is quite a bit of bitumen to travel today but it made it hard as much of the track is riverbed and that’s full of rocks.

The yards outside the hut. The hut was nothing to look
at really so I didn't photograph it. The yards were interesting

First stop was a hut which is used for walkers on the Heyson trail – which is an enormous walking track I hadn’t heard of until now. Part of it ran behind out camp and it was the big hill I had climbed yesterday morning.

Then there was another lookout which was just stunning. As we parked our car in a normal car park – you get so used to parking with a van attached that this was refreshing! Some people were returning to the parked cars – then they pointed out to us that we were 4 ACT number plate cars in a row – all the way in South Australia! So we exchanged greetings and ‘where do you live’ (mostly from north side and near where we live) and then where they had been and where they were staying – they were all travelling together and were staying in the non powered sites too but on the other side of Wilpena park from us.

Scenery around the hut

They left and we took photos of the stunning scenery and followed on. It soon became apparent that there were that group, another couple in a Pajero and us all leapfrogging each other on the track as we stopped for photos. There was just so much to see and so amazing. Rock faces and formations over 150 million years old in the most stunning patterns and colors. It was the slowest trip ever but we didn’t care – this was what the trip was all about and we were not about to rush or miss a chance to take photos or just enjoy the scenery.

From the lookout where we met all the people from Canberra

Bunyeroo Gorge runs into Barachina Gorge an then you kind of drive out of it and on to a dirt road that had bad corrugations. About 10km of that and you strike the highway and Parachina is only 20km up the road.

Parachina is nothing much. It is a railway still operating, and there is a pub, some houses in a semi decrepid state and millions of flies.

The car park was full – to our dismay and we were starving so thought we might have to wait ages to get anything to eat.

In spite of its rave reviews and ‘must see’ status, it was a little disappointing to note that the bar in the pub was tiny and the pub was all about serving food. Rustic tables were set about in 3 main dining rooms adorned with indigenous paintings for sale. We went and found a table – as you do, there were no ‘wait to be seated’ signs and it’s a pub.. only to be told that we weren’t allowed to just sit by the very brisk manager of the pub. We could order and wait for a table.

 

Steep country side and quite sparse.

Since I had not packed any lunch and we were both starving as it was 1.30pm SA time which is 2pm our time and we hadn’t had anything since fruit for morning tea, we waited. For some reason we both ordered a burger off the very limited and extremely pricey menu. Anyone would think we were at Circular Quay in Sydney with these prices. $38 for a tasting plate which 2 could share or 1 could have as a main. Burgers were $18 and you could chose from emu, camel, kangaroo or beef or vegetarian. Fish and chips and a few other things.

The wonderful rocks

Big river gums waiting for the next rain

Massive rocks millions of years old

This track goes down to the Gorge.

Driving the Gorge, this was a nice bit - it got very
rocky from here on

Normally we share a burger as we both don’t need to eat that much and don’t want to feel stuffed full but for some reason we both  forgot to share and got an Emu burger each. One with fries the other without. You never get a discount for not having fries. Ripped off. Anyway I decided to get a cold drink and didn’t want a boozy drink as I needed to drive after lunch so got a can of Solo. I nearly choked on it when she charged me $5.50. What a bunch of thieves. You don’t even pay that much at a Royal show, football or some overpriced festival.

Our lunch arrived and the burgers were lovely but had a decent sized patty and very little salad. The chips were not the best and covered in chicken salt so were a bit salty even for me who likes salt. We managed to get a table on our own which was nice. The waitress took pity on us. We were to sit at the end of a big table which had a family eating lunch with small kids but a table for 2 became available. One of the wait staff – who were lovely moved us and we were very grateful. The way those kids were eating was enough to put you off eating for ever. They were also noisy, yelling and running around. What ever happened to table manners?

I priced the art work which I sat next to  $5500 and the artist was from the Gibson Desert area so not even local. They also had overpriced jewelry for sale – you’d have thought that this place catered for the rich and overindulgent that live nearby except there is stuff all around for miles. Its not like it’s a convenient choof down the highway like the Southern Highlands are for Sydney’s elite rich.

Pretty colours in the rocks

Totally disappointed with the Prairie Hotel – we made tracks for Blinman. One of our last points of interest on our little tour of the area today. We traversed the Blinman Gorge which was pleasant but no where near as exciting as the other two we had seen that day.  Blinman wasn’t that far and soon enough we were there. We stopped at the historical landmark which explained a bit about the history of the town which is reduced to a handful of people at most, then Greg needed the loo and I checked out the local store which was rumored to have great pies. There weren’t any pies left but the store owner was a big friendly and chatty lady who was giving out tour information to about half a dozen people who were travelling in 2 cars. I told them where we had been and suggested they go back that way – they were staying at Wilpena too. They happily trundled off. I bought a reasonably priced bottle of cold drink as I was sick of drinking water all the time and we had a yak and then it was time to go.

We went back to camp. I drove – in the faint hope that the internet had been restored. It hadn’t. Greg decided that I could use his phone’s hot spot to at least get some of the blog days up on the site so I busied myself with that as fast as I could so as not to use too much data and Greg sat in the sun with his IPad designing our next point of destination.

I managed 2 blog days and photos – but then my computer started running out of charge so I had to take it and my charger and go find a free electricity source. I had spotted some power outlets at the camp kitchen. When I got there, a couple were just sitting at the picnic tables chatting. I found a power plug that worked (2 tries) and then we spring up a conversation.

Parachina Railway building

They were from Adelaide and up for the weekend after going around Clare and buying wine for the last week. The conversation got around to activities of the day and I told them about the Parachina pub. They had come through Hawker that day and most wonderful steak sandwich at the Hawker General store. It was so big the guy even took a photo of it on his phone which he showed me. It was indeed large and tall. Not overly priced either. They both exclaimed on how delicious it was so since we were going that way tomorrow, I made a note to  stop in and sample this fine fare. It got a bit dark, they decided it was happy hour. I decided the computer had charged enough for me standing around waiting for it so we bade out goodbyes and ‘have a nice time’s’ and parted company.

The Parachina Pub. Looked good from the outside

Blinman General Store - lovely people there

Because we still felt over full from lunch I heated up a frozen risotto (one that Greg made back in Canberra) for dinner in my wonderful little caravan oven. I just put it on low and it heated it up from frozen solid in an hour or so. Nice and easy dinner.

We lit out choofer fire and mesmerized by the fire and the wonder of all those stars we sauntered off to bed fairly early. Hitch and travel day tomorrow.

Thursday 28th August

Thursday 28^th August.

We decided to stay at Wilpena for another 2 nights. There is so much to do here and from then on we will go back via Peterborough and Mildura to Canberra. The thought of holidays over is very sad.

Got up not too early as I just didn’t wake up at dawn for a change – yesterday was such a big day. However I had lots of energy and couldn’t wait to see what was over the steep grassy hill on the back of our camp.

I jogged up half of it until I was puffed out and walked to the top. A vista of rolling hills and mountains so pretty that I took photos on my IPhone and sent good mornings to everyone. Then I went further but realized this walk was more than a few kilometers and turned back. Running shoes aren’t exactly good walking shoes over rocks and things. I did a round trip of the complex and returned to camp by which time Greg was up. We decided to have showers in their amenities block which is not far. We found they had the best hot showers we have had on the trip yet. Actually any caravan park.

The camp is quite peaceful but there is a girls school group here making so much noise, I thought they were going today but they are going tomorrow. Bum

Also I was hoping to put my blog up on the site but the resort internet is broken. Bigger bum. So I just told them the reason we are staying here is the internet and they said hopefully it will be going tomorrow. It was supposed to be going this afternoon. We had the nicest coffee this morning and the worst muffin. Where to people get off selling stale food and not offering to put it in the microwave rejuvenate it. At least try and disguise the fact it was made last year and had been in a freezer ever since. That’s when we found the internet wasn’t working.  (after walking over to the kiosk lumping my laptop and his IPad with us. Of course his smarty Ipad thing works as he stuck the independent internet in it.

That has really irritated me as Greg is having a snooze now and tomorrow we will be driving to the various gorges around and seeing Blinman and so forth so after driving all day, having to suffer a slow outback internet to try and upload story and photos as well as having to cook tea is a drag to say the least.

The easy walking track to
the Homestead

We were told that it often comes on line in the afternoon. It wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that Greg wrongly assumed that his little Telstra internet thing he got for his IPad would work on my computer. It doesn’t. then he said that I could “simply email my word files to his IPad” which also requires the internet. (Really!?)This blog’s entries are getting further and further behind and I should have just got my own dongle internet thing. Personal hot spots are well and good until they run out of data. What do you call them then? Cold spots? Useless as a Zit spots?

Anyway, it was a splendid day so we went for a walk to the homestead which is 6.5km return. I did worry about Greg and his energy levels so decided to pack a picnic lunch and water etc. Why he decided to wear jeans and a black TShirt is beyond me as it didn’t take much walking before he was very hot. Jeans aren’t exactly the best walking attire. I had my hiking shoes, shorts  and shirt originally worn on my Kokoda trip so very was comfortable.

logs piled high swept down in a flood

Anyway Cameras, spare batteries and memory cards, off we set. Greg needed a few stops along the way for a rest. We walked past the river bed that had so much dead wood in it. Fallen trees washed into enormous piles. I have never seen so many logs. Apparently there was a massive wild fire up stream, so hot that it burned down to the roots of the trees. Then there was a flood that just picked them all over and washed them away as they had no anchor point. They all banked up here and there is so much wood its amazing. None able to be chopped up as it’s in a National Park. Apparently now a little marsupial mouse lives there and the termites are doing their best to remove the trees.

the back of the homestead.

We finally reached the homestead which I thought would be a lot larger. Very cute. It has been restored but there is mesh on the windows to stop idiots getting in which ruins a good photo and it was further ruined by a dozen or so water bottles there, left temporarily by people gone somewhere else for a minute. Not far from the homestead were a lot of information panels about the people who lived there and why they eventually abandoned the homestead. Although they grew a good crop of wheat in the valley of the pound, the shear distance from where they had to transport it and the state of the roads or rather the roads they had to create – all to be washed away in the next big flood got the better of them and they gave up and went back to other regional centres. There was also another statue like we saw at Chamber’s Gorge of the two aboriginal fellows and the dreamtime story of the pound. The story of the pound was so interesting.

A waterhole not far from the Homestead

Dreamtime Story

Yurlu Ngukandanha – the Kingfisher Story

Yurlu, the Kingfisher, decided to go south for a ceremony. On the way he made a big fire, a sign that he was coming. The remains of that fire is the big heap of coal still at Leigh Creek today.

As Yurlu was travelling, there were also two big Akurras (Dreamtime Serpents) going south. Yurlu continued down the valley still making smoke, leaving coal behind him. The two serpents also went on southwards and entered the Pound through Edeowie Gorge and camped at a large waterhole.

That night some people in the Pound were holding a ceremony. When they looked into the sky at the stars to see if it was time to start, the stars they saw were actually the eyes of the two Akurras.

The male Akurra told his mate to go to the south-west, while he went north-east to surround the people. When Yurlu reached Mount Abrupt he stopped and looked into the Pound. He could hear the sound of the ceremony. He threw a firestick into the air; it turned into the red star, Mars.

While this was going on, the two Akurras came up on each side of the ceremonial ground and ate up all the people except two initiates and Yurlu.

St Mary Peak is the head of the male Akurra and Beatrice Hill is the head of the female serpent, both watching the flight of the initiates. Their bodies form the two sides of the Pound.

 I wish to acknowledge the Adnyamathanha people of the northern Flinders Ranges as the owners and custodians of the Kingfisher Dreaming and the Yurlu Ngukandanha story, and to express respect for their heritage and culture.

 I copied the above from the sign. Hope I don’t breach copyright.

 

This statue we saw in Chambers Gorge is here too. Different colours though.

There were other walks further on and there was a walk to the look out. The look out was up a hill so we decided to do that one first. There were 2 stops at the lookout, one was looking in one direction and enough climb to get the old cardio system going, the other was further and it was very steep although the track excellent and the view was to the other side and of a valley between the two ranges that made the pound – so called as it looked like an area to keep things in. Its circular except for an opening at one end. Just like the story.

Both Greg and I walked to the first look out and then we started climbing to the second where it became apparent that it was a lot further than first thought – there were no signs saying how far to the top so I asked Greg if he wanted to stay where we were while I went to look and see whether more climbing was worth it.

 

Inside the pound - the mountains form the boundary

I must say it was a challenging climb as in gradient but lucky for me I had my hiking shoes on and the soles of them just grip and you feel very secure in footing. I call them spiderman shoes. The track must have gone for another 200 meters or so but very steep and the view from the top was wonderful, You could see down through all the valleys for miles. Conscious of the fact that Greg was waiting, took it in as fast and quick as I could, took photos and started the return trip.

Met up again with Greg who had found a brown snake sleeping in the rocks about 3 feet below. I decided it was high time to get going. Greg had appreciated a rest and we continued on to the bottom where we had the 3.5km return to camp. The longest walk Greg has done in over 6 months. Hence we came back and he had a snooze. Me thinking that I could get all my internet blogging done. WRONG!

Met a lovely family on the way back to camp so I had a chat to the Mum. They took their kids out of school for a term and did some travelling but had to be in Adelaide for the weekend as they had pre booked some accommodation and didn’t realise they were running short on time having done so much other stuff. They were from Lismore so have quite a journey home to the north coast. She is doing a blog as well which I will have to look up – I think it was called ‘Doing a Blockie’ like as going around the block. They had 3 boys who were all very well behaved aged 9,7 and 5 – about to turn 6.

Back at camp the girls on the school camp were so noisy – nobody speaks to each other they all yell. Anyway they must have been called away to do a quiz as there was relative silence except for a teacher’s voice. Then they were let free to do as they please so the noise resumed. The teacher offered a game of cricket to the girls and they improvised the bat by using a 3litre water bottle which was empty and from somewhere an old tennis ball was found. They had a great time and so did I watching from my camping chair in the sunshine, whilst typing. They only stopped when it started going dark by which time it was time for Greg to get up and I was in the shade and getting cold…. and it was happy hour.

I had decided to make lasagne out of the milk that had been open a few too many days and the cryo sealed mince from Marree. I must say the little oven in the van is really good and the lasagna turned out really well, although thrown together in haste must have done the trick. Our choofer fire was lit and I didn’t want to be stuck indoors!

We have been thus far so lucky with the weather as the sky was clear and the stars again magnificent!

Wednesday 27 August Arkaroola to Wilpena Pound

Wednesday 27^th August

We decided to head out of Arkaroola and head toward Blinman and Wilpena Pound. Greg wanted to have a look at Chamber’s Gorge on the way and there was a long way to go on a dirt road with questionable condition.

I made sandwiches from our frozen bread and wrapped them up and kept them in the fridge in the van.

We said goodbye to the friends we made at camp and exchanged addresses with the ones from Gladstone who were lovely.

Then we had the worst time ever getting out of a camping spot.  Because the sites were tiered and small, there was nowhere to turn Gibson and because Greg is his fathers son and insisted on making the van straight on the site and close to the hose and power, he neglected to see the difficulty of an enormous rock at the tap which would impede our efforts to get out. Also we could not put our stability bars on and Lady’s bum is sagging with the weight of Mr Gibson without them – we think she will need new springs. So with the hitch almost on the ground and a steep incline up and out to make it dip even further. It made for a disaster.

Amazing rock patterns near Arkaroola

Greg drove and originally he said he was going to reverse – which would have been good except he changed his mind and didn’t tell me and  - well he nearly divorced me as because I was watching him bury the hitch in the path which thankfully was mud because the tap we were plumbed on to had leaked so much, I tried to tell him to mind the rock but he dragged Gibson over along it. It totally wrecked the handle on the front leg by smashing it to pieces. I then got a mouthful of ‘why weren’t you watching’ which I was but don’t have enough eyes to watch every point of destruction which by the way also involved a tree. So Greg told me we were going home there and then. I told him in no uncertain terms that if he wasn’t so bloody anal about putting the van on site square and left it where I parked it in the first place which was a bit crooked but made for an easy exit then we wouldn’t have a problem. He always makes me reverse and drive forward until you could run a protractor on it for square perfection – which I find pointless in an area where you don’t need precision or makes for a tricky maneuver to get out of where you are. Anyway we were not pleased with each other.

I could not believe Greg would just go home like that – so I felt really sad.

That started the day off well.

The long and winding road..

Rocks with various coloured layers

We drove in silence for a while but the beauty of the area we were driving in and the conditions of the roads forced us to converse and soon everything was fine again.

We drove past the mountains and the plains and the road went from good to awful then back to good and terrible constantly and really quickly. It wasn’t long before we turned off on to the road to Blinman and Wilpena and came over the road to Chambers Gorge. It was corrugated and windy and I wondered whether we would get Gibson down there but there was supposed to be a camp ground at the end so persevered. The track wound its way along inside a creek bed and had several washouts, it was 4WD track driving. Because we had no idea what was next, I ended up running with the 2 way to check out whether we would be able to get the van up the road. I  also had the camera so took some good photos on the way. The track eventually ended in a camp ground that swung out of the riverbed and surrounded on one side by a very rocky hill. There was a river crossing – not deep that you could cross to the other side where there were more camp grounds but the track looked too narrow and I suggested unhitching and going solo with Lady and not the van. We took our good advice and parked the van a little way away from a fellow who had just unhitched a Jayco van. We said g’day to each other and he told us that the windows were falling out of his so called off roader van and that he had had to tape them all up so you could not open a window until he could get the van home which was in Perth! He was a lovely fellow.

The statue at the start of the gorge. This was at Wilpena too

Driving on more creek beds

We set off with our cruiser and drove the rest of the track which we found out wasn’t far and we could have towed the van as there was a big van there already. Bum. But not to worry, you could not drive any further the rest was a walking track. I lead the Caz and Greg expedition into the gorge – which is reputed to have some stunning aboriginal art dating back thousands of years. It wound its way up a rock face (Greg hates heights) which went up and up and was very narrow. I could tell he wasn’t having a very nice time of this track. It wasn’t long before we crossed over the dry river to a sign which had some interpretation of the rock carvings and what they meant. Then it was go  find and look time. The gorge was amazing and it’s a shame that the information panel didn’t have the aboriginal story of how it was formed and its dreamtime story and what they used it for.

Luckily there was an alternate route to this boggy section

Gibson's creek crossing- Greg was hoping for more water

We found some rock art and then a bit further up lots of drawings. They were just great. We took photos of what we could find that was original. Some smartarses had come along and carved other things in the rock near the art. Why do some people feel the need to spoil such amazing heritage?

Eventually I lost Greg and wondered where he was. The sad part is he had the car keys. I was dying of thirst and wanted to get back to the car. I called him and there was no reply. Eventually he emerged but not before I though he had found a track that rose above the gorge and had started climbing it to find him. Anyway, we decided that it was time to get going so returned to the car over the scary walking trail and I drove back to the van, hitched, had another chat to Dale the window popping Jayco owner and got on the road. My turn to negotiate the tricky 4WD track back to the main road and Greg decided to see where we were going to stay that night. Wilpena was 120 km away – so we decided to head to there. It was a challenging drive as it was late afternoon.

The view from the car park

These rocks were near the carvings

Lots of rock art on this rock!

The carvings were very deep into the stone. Must have taken them ages

We needed firewood so pulled up in a spot that was no where near a national park and Greg undid the toolbox which houses the chainsaw. I found a suitable log and went for it, Greg stacking the stash as we went. The wood was so hard to cut – real hard red wood and it wasn’t long before I had a good load enough for a couple of nights (depending on when you light the fire) We now had lots of smaller bits gathered from the creek crossing and some logs to keep burning. We also have the big bits that need cutting that Greg has tied behind the spare wheels on the van.

Some of the rock art

Packed up the chainsaw and off we went again – into the sunset.

We arrived at Wilpena on a paved road which meant that because our tyres were so deflated that I could only go 60km/hr at best. We passed some signs depicting various gorges and lookouts on the way that we would have busted to have a look at but it was getting late and we were both tired.

FINDING the actual place to book in here proved more tricky than negotiating the map to find the resort. Normally if you pull up in the day you book in to the information centre but being 6pm they were shut. We drove around looking for a site before again attempting to find the resort reception. The powered sites all had people close together so we decided that the unpowered were way to go as the thought of being close to someone else was awful.

On the road outside of Chambers Gorge and on to Wilpena 

I was driving and Greg booked in – after a round about way of finding the place. I was starving. It was 6pm, I had been driving since about 1.30 and because I was hungry I had eaten my 1.5 sandwiches early. Then we had to wait as 6 men decided to book in ahead of Greg and it took for ever. I was so hungry and getting cranky too. When we set up camp I had yet to cook dinner. Ahhgg another job to do.

In the morning I had decided to make a steamed jam pudding in the shuttle cheff for desserts. All I had to do was reinvent our Moroccan chicken from 2 nights ago into Moroccan chicken pie – as I had puff pastry in the freezer and I have an oven in the van. It was such an easy tea to get I almost impressed and congratulated myself.

 The pudding had a lovely flavor but was a bit soggy as some of the water got into the steamer. Maybe I should have taken the time to read the instructions first. Never mind there was no cream as it was off so it was just as well the pudding was moist enough without it.

We sat by our camp fire for a while and then hit the sack. Pulling up at such a late time puts all the schedule back. Greg was exhausted again. However tomorrow I can go for a run or an explore as there aren’t so many pebbles here and there is a hill right behind us with a track up there – can’t wait to see where that goes!