From the
beginning I'd planned to do a half-day 4WD tour offered (for a
price!) by Rawnsley Park Station. I wasn't fussed which day I did it but as it
happened, doing it on my first morning helped orient me for the rest
of my stay. I wanted to see the Brachina
and Bunyeroo gorges that I couldn't get to in my little car.
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| Spot the rippled rock - like sand in the shallows at the beach - as it indeed was at the time it solidified |
There has been an unusual amount of
rain in the area – creeks which are normally dry were flowing
briskly. Fun to be driving along them, i.e. in the water! - just glad
it wasn't me doing the driving.
I was happy with the wildflowers that I
saw – and lots of Salvation Jane or, more indicitavely, Pattersons
curse … it does look pretty though! However, the tour guide said
better is to come. The rain has kept temperatures down a bit and many
buds are still waiting to burst open.
Bush tucker was on offer! I tried and
very much liked the leaves of Afghan hops, a plant introduced from
Afghanistan by the early cameleers. The plant made good padding for camel
saddles apparently. There was a tang to the leaves but it wasn't
bitter, more sweet if anything. It would make an excellent addition
to a mixed or green salad.
The other was a quandong, a so-called
native peach. A lovely looking fruit, a beautiful red. But very
little fruit – it was more stone. The fruit itself was dry with not
much flavour. You'd eat it if you were hungry but otherwise not
bother – in my opinion!
I was thrilled to see some emus on the
drive to Parachilna. Now they became a commonplace! Kangaroos too
although not quite so numerous. We saw yellow footed wallabies –
rock wallabies, basically. But why yellow-footed when their tails are also yellow, very long, and much more easily seen? There
are more birds than I can possibly remember but lots of rosellas if
the artwork on the tomato sauce bottle is accurate! And few birds stay put for a photo :-(
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| Spot the wallaby! |
The formation of the ranges was
explained – layer upon layer of different types of rock going back
to when the area was under water completely, each layer representing
events millions of years apart. These events also gave rise to
different soil types which explained the quite varied vegetation in a
relatively small area – from heavily treed to grassy hills to
plains.
The Brachina gorge is also referred to
as the Geological trail and, because of its long history, gives rise
to a steady stream of PhDs.
On the way back to RPS we detoured to
Stokes Hill Lookout, a hilltop seemingly in the middle of nowhere –
but it was a wi-fi hotspot!
In the afternoon I did my first walk –
to Arkaroo Rock, a rock with a wave-like inner formation that was
covered in (not particularly good) Aboriginal paintings (and the sun
at exactly the wrong angle for photos!).
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| Arkaroo Rock ... |
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| ... and paintings |
I last walked a rocky path like this
when I was in the Kimberley back in 2012! I puffed and panted a bit
but I made it!
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| The path went from this ... |
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| ... to this! |
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| With occasional views like this - Rawnsley Bluff |
The path was partially looped and on the return walk I was rewarded with the sound, if not often the sight, of a babbling creek.
Back at RPS, before getting to my
cabin, I turned off to Station Hill Lookout, a small hill that gives
360 deg views of just part of the 30,000 acres that make up RPS. The
station runs 3,000 head of sheep but tourism has become the bigger
earner of the two.
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| Looking in this direction, Rawnsley Park Station extends to the top ridge of the Chace Range in the distance |
An excellent, tiring day. The bed is
comfortable but the nights get cold. I had to turn on the heating
during the night!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The thing about wildflowers in the outback ... they're tiny!
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| My foot, for comparison |
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| My hand - not for comparison but to hold the flowers up :-) |
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| Native hops |
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| Not a dandelion but a type of yam |