Day Fifteen - Saturday 4th April- Arkaroola Wilderness Sancturary Just for a change: laundry, tyre-fixing and spectacular views.....

Ewan and Graeme are having a lovely time trying to fix the punctured tyre and using every compressor, sticky stuff, multi-lugg crowbar, spanners, water and bubbles and .....God knows what! It is with some joy that tools that are bright and shiny from Graeme's car, and well-worn from Ewan's, are being used. They both get very excited when they find something they need. Finding the right tool is quite a challenge as we seem to have every tool known to mankind tucked away in many of the hidden storage spaces in the van. I'm sure we could just about build a house if needed!! The red dust from the roads yesterday has permeated every space and every time you get near a vehicle or a wall you get smudges of it on your clothes. Ewan was concerned that our solar panels wouldn't be able to function because they had collected a thick layer of dust from yesterday's roads. Jude appeared with a dustbuster - of all things!- which will make their caravan pristine. Althoguh even then you can't get rid of the dust! Power is an issue here too so there are washing machines but no dryers. They have three Hills Hoists at the top of the hill which was great but we had to send Ewan on an emergency trip to the ‘shop’ to buy pegs.After spending some time in the laundry we made the acquaintance of a few women try to do their washing too. You do strike up conversations with everyone and learn lots of information about your location, and vice versa! After several loads of washing were flapping merrily in the wind we headed to Reception to book the restaurant for tonight, and to enquire about tours and experiences. So much on offer so it’s very tricky to decide. We were all keen to do some sort of observatory/star-gazing experience as the stars here are truly amazing. With no ambient light you can see thousands of them and the Milky Way is very milky. We eventually decided on the tour where they bus you to the Observatory, provide you with high-powered binoculars and point you in the right direction (isn’t that a song title?). The other alternatives were sharing an enormous telescope with 15 other people so you could have a look 5-7 times, or watching a live screen of the stars with commentary: neither were very appealing.

After lunch we left Liz to REST and guard the laundry and headed off to do the Acacia Ridge Linear Walk. Before she was allowed to rest she dropped us off at the furthest point and we walked 5.2 kms which doesn't sound too challenging. But it was for me, as it was a 300m climb up to the top of the ridge, and quite a steep climb too. However, it was worth every step as the view from the top of the ridge was stunning: beautiful mountain ranges of every colour in every direction and the salt pans of Lake Frome in the far distance. It's hard to describe how amazing it was and I'm not sure if the photos do it justice. The views were just as good as you would get if you paid for a scenic flight.

The path was well-trodden but very rocky and steep in parts so it wasn't fast progress. We completed the trail in just less than the two and a half hours it was supposed to take. I was very happy that I made it as I haven't reached the end of the last two hikes and I felt fine. Surely I am getting fitter!! At one point we all stopped to admire the view (and catch my breath in my case!) when we realised we were standing on ant's nests and they were swarming over our feet. Fortunately they didn't bite but they were annoying for the next few minutes.

We finally arrived back at camp and were thankful to have a drink and rest before heading off to the Restaurant for dinner. The staff all seem to be young and included an Irish girl and a guy from Chile. We were very happy to enjoy stuffed mushrooms, fish and chips, barramundi and a very rare huge T-bone steak ( Ewan!). Followed by lemon myrtle pannacotta (not enough lemon but served with fruit! Hooray!) and a chocolate brownie. One of the staff who is an Australian guy had a long chat with us about his life and plans to drive his 'Troupie'to Europe with his German girlfriend. Such a delight the people you meet when you travel! Looking forward to another great day tomorrow, Your well-fed and slightly fatigued correspondent Dianne