Day Seventeen - Monday 6th April - Arkaroola Rocks and ranges: 4WDriving

We were all set for a leisurely morning before going on the 4WD tour at 1pm. We decided it was worth doing as many of the laundry and toilet discussions with our fellow travellers were very positive about it. However, all hell broke loose when Ewan received a phone call from Reception staff just after 8am saying "Where are you?" There had been some problem with the booking and, despite Jude Liz and I being present when the booking was made for 1pm, somehow we were booked for the 8am tour! All very weird. So we had to spring into action without all being showered breakfasted and approporiately dressed. We made it to Reception by 8.23am and piled into a troupie of our own. The rest of the group had already left in their troupie so we had one to ourselves.

Our driver Andrew was the same guy who took the Únder the Stars experience last night. His knowledge of local history, flora , fauna and most importantly, geology really enhanced our experience. He understood Grame's sense of humour and was very funny.

The photos tell the story of our 3 hour trip: climbing from gorges to peaks over very rough roads and very steep inclines. Remarkable views of many mountains and endless mountain ranges. It would be ridiculous for me to recount all of the information Andrew gave us. One of the issues that really resonated with me was the effect of the seasons and the total dependence on rain. The impact of droughts due to minimal or no rain over a number of years was clear. On one mountain the only vegetation is stands of dead native pines due to lack of rain over a number of years. On another slope there had been a fire 40 years ago, possibly due to lightning, and only now are there some green shoots reappearing on the trees! The numbers of yellow-footed wallabies that are endemic to this area dropped to 1500 after one serious drought.

Andrew described the original history of the development of these mountain ranges and it goes back 800 million years. As we went up and down the roads we could see layers of different rock and mountains made of quartz , granite, tillite, haemitite etc. Mawson, of Antarctic fame, was one of the first geologists to explore this area and the descendants of one of his colleagues, Spriggs, still own the Arkaroola Station. Attempts to mine radium were met with endless challenges because of the terrain, and also because Spriggs delibarately pointed the potential investors in the wrong direction as he wanted to preserve the environment.

We were following the other troupie up yet another steep hill, but at a distance, when they suddenly stopped and reversed to a flatter space. A puncture! There were plenty of able-bodied people on board so we left them to it and drove on.

We stopped a couple of times at Lookouts until we reached the highest one: the Silliers Lookout. To get there were were on a 30 degree incline: slightly terrifying! There was just enough space to get the cars to park and reverse so we could go back down. Andrew said they are supposed to be able to park six cars there but he didn't believe it and neither did we. Coffee, tea and muffins were served which was much appreciated. A couple of small bushes were used as 'lavar-trees'. All that bouncing around is a test for one's bladder! The 360 degree view was fabulous and slightly terrifying if you got too close to the edge.

Then we headed for home: slightly faster but just as rough a ride! I'm surprised to see that some of the photos I took while bouncing around were OK. Half of the time I couldn't actually see what I was taking so just had to hope. It was quite an experience that we won't forget! It had been windy all day and when we returned to the campsite our awning on the side of the caravan had come adrift on one side. After more problem-solving by Ewan, ably assisted by his apprentice Graeme, it was reassembled. Fortunately it had just popped out at one end, which maybe was a safety strategy. The wind is freezing so we're in for a cold night I think. And everything is covered in a layer of fine red dust: too bad if you think you are going to be pristine around here! Jude and Graeme have headed off for a walk as they can't sit still, and are in training for a big walk in July. The rest of us are happy to do little and investigate possible options for the rest of the trip. Arkaroola is as far as our planning went so there's plenty of options for the homeward trip. Today's gourmet dinner is spag bol and pasta. No salad as we have no fresh fruit and vegetables left at all, but the plan is to stock up tomorrow at Leigh Creek. your slightly rattled and jolted around correspondent Dianne PS See if you can find the Euros (wallaroos)

Day Sixteen – Sunday 5th May- Arkaroola The joys of the Australian bush: roos, rocks and pinnacles

On the advice of one of the staff last night Ewan delivered the tyre to the mechanic shop this morning. Apparently, he has got a suitable tyre but we will wait and see whether it all works out. (And whether we have to mortgage the house to pay the bill). Fingers crossed, because the only option anywhere out of here is 130kms of unsealed road. Some of us are hoping that the ‘major’ unsealed road will be less traumatic for the tyres. However, the adventurous males who enjoy taking risks have taken our car (sans spare tyre!) for a trip to Lake Frome; a huge salt pan. More unsealed road so let’s hope they – and the car- survive the trip!

Meanwhile the three females decided to try the Mawson- Spriggina Track. 8kms and four hours of not too difficult terrain in theory. The idea was to test out Liz’s ankle to see if it would cope. One of the biggest challenges is trying to determine exactly how challenging any walking trail truly is. This one was described by various people and brochures as gentle, gradual grades, rocky, a minor steep trail, stony slopes and so on. You find yourself sizing up the person giving you the information: are they fitter than you? (invariably yes!) are they younger than you? (invariably yes again!) do they look as if they have any experience walking trails? (unknown). It makes it very difficult to decide which walk to choose. For the first half it was a fairly standard track heading upwards towards Sitting Bull Rock and the pinnacles. The views weren’t as stunning as yesterday but the colour and type of rocks changed constantly. The walking trail map gives you great detail about the types of rocks you are passing through. If you were a geologist this would be heaven, I’m sure.

Mawson and Sprigg (after whom the track is named) were geologists who estimated the rock layers were deposited between 800 and 500 million years ago. Sprigg found fossils of worms 555 million years ago. There’s some rocks on display near the campground all carefully named which should be useful as our knowledge is scant. It’s well beyond our knowledge to identify the rocks: Jude and I can only remember igneous, sedimentary and what was the other one? We really should have paid more attention in Geography! Anyway, Liz and I decided we would walk the last half back along the road as it would be flat and not rocky – joke. Jude followed the right map to finish the proper walk which was very rocky and difficult in places. Liz and I walked nearly a kilometre extra to follow the rough road back and still managed to get lost a couple of times: 8.8 kms was more than enough for us.

Update: The tyre has been fixed and the boys have returned from Lake Frome. They did have some excitement: lots of emus and kangaroos but not one car/person seen. Unfortunately, one of the kangaroos decided to cross the road at an inopportune time and hit one of the back windows, breaking it, and putting a dent in the drivers door. It bounded away apparently. But Ewan, always prepared, had black tape and managed to cover the hole. With red dust everywhere and a window broken by a kangaroo now we truly look as if we have travelled the Outback. Then we had two exciting activities to enjoy: it was roast dinner night at the Restaurant and and we were booked into the 'Under the Dark Skies' experience.

But first we headed off to see the yellow-footed wallabies that are lured near Reception with a promise of food and water. We have seen some in the wild, but very few, so it was great to see them up close. They really are exquisite: tiny and yellow-striped, with very long tails and pointy ears. After snapping some shots we headed for drinks, roast dinner and sticky date pudding. Delicious! At 8.30pm we piled into a bus and headed for a viewing point about 7kms from the Station. So no ambient light and a startling array of stars. It's the second darkest 'Dark sky'in the world: apparently there's a network of Dark Skies according to Andrew our knowledgeable guide. He guided us to our seats using a red torch as we were trying to accustom ourselves to the dark. We were outside, so very warmly dressed and given a special chair which lay back. We each had a red headtorch and a pair of high-powered binoculars. It was tricky to get them focused properly but eventually we were all fine. He used a strong laser to point out features of the sky. We were asked to let him know if we saw a plane, as it is illegal for him to shine it in the pilot's eyes even though the two planes we spotted were kilometres up in the sky. Apparently they had to get a special licence to operate the laser light at all. For the next hour and a half we laid back and watched while he explained nebulas, star formation, distances to stars, galaxies, the magnetic Poles, the lifespan of stars, and so much more. But to be honest, just sitting there and looking at the millions of stars of the Milky Way and surrounds was a wonderful experience. We had a look at some stars through a strong telescope at the end before heading for home. I must say when I got up in the middle of the night for a pee (too much information I know!) I really appreciated the array of celestial objects that much more!!! your star gazing correspondent Dianne

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

Day Fourteen- Friday 3rd May- Angorichina to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary Bouncing on rocky roads……

Today was a big day for dirt roads: about 185 kms in total.

But before we set off for the last 170kms, we arrived at the Miners Crib Café in Blinman for morning tea and to stock up for lunch. Custard tarts, cherry and almond cake, sausage rolls, meat pies, home-made Danishes and vanilla slices were the order of the day. We bought three loaves of their fabulous bread when we realised we could freeze some of it. But the most important purchase was a couple of miners pasties. Cornish pasties with a dollop of sweet apple in one end so the miners had their savoury meal and their dessert all in one pastie! Delicious!

We had been warned that the gravel roads were rough and to make sure we had a decent spare tyre and, judging by the number of dead tyres on the side of the road, lots of people needed them. The tracks were terrible for most of it – lots of sharp rocks and very rough for many kilometres. The guy at Angrochina had advised us to reduce the tyre pressure and we needed the softer suspension! Not a lot of fun at all. About 70 kms from our destination we stopped to see if the others wanted lunch, only to discover that we had a very flat unhappy tyre due to a puncture. We were in the middle of nowhere literally. No civilization at all. Some very kind caravanners stopped to help but we sent them with thanks on their way as we had it under control. Fortunately, we had a full-sized spare tyre and were able to change it with the help of Graeme and Liz. It was quite a performance as many of the required tools were in different toolboxes in the car and van. A bit of re-packing before the next trip is needed! Eventually we headed off, a bit concerned that if we have another puncture we would be totally stuck. But we finally made it to Arkaroola and after much maneuvering managed to get the vans and tent setup for the next four nights. We’re camped just outside theVulkathunha-Gammon National Park, so we’ll be spending some time in the Park no doubt.

Ewan asked about fixing a tyre and they do have a mechanic but whether he is available on a weekend is doubtful! The biggest challenge at Arkaroola is water, so we had filled our tanks and taken lots of casks of drinking water that we’d been given at Wilpena Pound. Given the endless red dust and dirt we need to do some washing, but we’re restricting ourselves to essentials and really smelly items! We were slightly horrified to realise that the only shop here has practically nothing, especially as we are completely out of fresh fruit and vegetables. As Ewan says it’s unlikely we’ll die of scurvy in a few days. Mind you, I’m not sure that Liz will survive without passionfruit for breakfast! Connecting to the internet is possible here but the Carlton-Collingwood match has just started and suddenly it’s running very slowly!! And my phone seems to be having a meltdown just to add some more excitement! Not that I care too much. Happy to sit and do nothing…..or write blogs! Graeme served up a delicious moussaka for dinner that is one of his signature dishes. Then it’s off to bed with visions of Observatory tours, scenic flights, self-drive tours, 4WD tours etc. going around in our brains. They’re all on offer here. Your thankful-we-got-here correspondent, Dianne

Day Twelve - Wednesday 1st May - Wilpena Pound Campground To St Mary Peak......or not, as the case may be!

Much care and consideration has been given to the essentials required to get to the top of St Mary Peak : the highest peak in the Flinders Ranges. Estimated time 6 hours and 14 kilometres return. There are very strict guidelines for climbing to St Mary Peak and they include not starting after 10am. So after much discussion around the camp fire last night about a possible start time it was decided that we would aim for 9am which would allow us time to be late! By the time we had a group photo and a toilet stop we were only a couple of minutes late. One of the signs at the start was very clear about not going if you are an inexperienced or unfit climber and threatened you with death ( well, not quite) if you had the cheek to need rescuing.
I did consider stopping at that point but decided to persevere.

Apparently it used to be acceptable to climb to the absolute peak but now the First Nation locals (the Adnyamathanha people) have requested that climbers go only as far as the Tanderra Saddle. There were plenty of signposts on the way up giving the distance from the Resort and to the Peak (although it wasn't clear whether that was the Saddle or the Peak) but they were helpful. We chose to go the trail which is on the outside of the Pound mountains as it was shorter, although steeper, than the Inside track which was kilometres longer. It's a well-travelled path with plenty of small rocks and flat tracks at the start. There was a bit of rock climbing but once we got about 1.5 kilometres from the top the rocks and slippery scree turned into boulders, requiring rock climbing skills. Mine are limited so I turned around and made my way slowly and carefully back down the mountain. I really enjoyed being on my own and being able to stop and listen to the birds and the stillness. And, after all, someone needs to take photos!

When we went on a holiday years ago the girls were totally unimpressed with my endless photos of rocks. I thought they were very artistic but not appreciated by all clearly! Today I found myself taking lots of photos of native grasstrees as there were plenty, in between the many native pines on the slopes.So maybe those photos will be met with the same reaction!

As I sat having my lunch – a delicious sandwich – on a large log I admired the high escarpment towering above me. (Unnecessary detail but multigrain bread is SO much better than Wonder White!) I had been trying hard to photograph some of the tiny wrens chirping noisily along the trail, but the result was several photos of empty branches, as they move rapidly. To my surprise a tiny bird landed in the tree just next to me. I could see bright red on its chest and some white and blue. So, I very slowly reached for my camera and tried to turn the camera on quietly. As I reached the perfect position It flew away ……of course! Yet another empty branch photo!! I looked it up and it was a red-capped robin apparently. Oh well…..buy the postcard!

I chatted to various walkers along the trail as I descended. Two guys were walking briskly down the slope and one of them said with a big smile on his face: “There’s a couple of guys following us: but they are morons so watch out for them!”. Sure enough a few minutes later two guys appeared so I asked them if they were the morons the other guys told me about. They laughed and one of them told me that the other guy was the moron, and they were the nice guys. Very cute!! Everyone is very keen for a chat: a group of young German guys were rather horrified when I told them they were only halfway! One of them groaned! The other walkers can be very entertaining!

I headed for the resort reception building and a latte. I sat on the decking enjoying the sunshine under the watchful eye of a huge Australian raven. I was eating a pear and was worried about the raven attacking it if I put it on the table. They are everywhere here: huge and noisy. Sure enough, when I returned to the campsite our rubbish was distributed everywhere, including the paper we had left on the campfire! So, I had the joy of picking it all up and putting extra weights on the bin. And then, just to add insult to injury, one of them swooped in when we were having nibbles and took an almost empty dip container. Bloody ravens! The others arrived back looking very weary but pleased with themselves. We’re gathered around the campfire so we can stay warm and it’s Chicken Cacciatore and rice for dinner. So that should warm the cockles of our hearts as Graeme would say! We’re on the move again tomorrow so well be up early. Mind you everyone is looking exhausted and there's been a few mini-naps so we wont be out of bed for long despite another fabulous campfire. your tired but contented correspondent Dianne