Birchip to Horsham - 30 Sept. 2016

Now this was a busy day, zig-zagging across the Mallee. But first stop before leaving Birchip was Sharp's Bakery – a last-ditch attempt to get another vanilla slice. Still in the oven. How long? 10 minutes. 30 minutes. Hmmm, what to do? First, admire the fascinators in the next door shop, getting ready for Melbourne Cup Day.

The two places I hoped to visit required a phone call first to check if they were open. So I went and sat in my car to make the calls. Both OK. When I said where I was in reference to how long it would take to get to Yando, Marilyn at Simply Tomatoes asked if I could pick up half a dozen vanilla slices for her too! LOL Luckily, by the time I'd made my arrangements, said goodies were available and I was able to set off with my half-dozen +1.

Did I mention both of these places are at/near Boort - another of my 'B' towns.

Lots of water in the Avoca River ... and it had a lovely bridge to cross!

On the (wrong) road to Yando - but not a problem at this point

I intended to go to Simply Tomatoes first but taking the wrong turn and following Google maps to the wrong end of the road, I was confronted by a stretch of road that had been overtaken by Venables Creek … and I'd left the car's water-wings at home. So back the way I came and now, running out of time, first I went to see the SpannerMan, John Piccoli, who makes the most amazing sculptures out of spanners. At one point I thought I might not make it - thought I might get bogged when the car went slip-slidey in some mud. But all OK, thank goodness!

The Spannerman (yes, in a wheelchair) and one of his creations

Eagle and prey

Marlin on the line

The SpannerMan also collects birds and although he has some rare, colourful varieties unknown to me, but I must admit that wasn't what I came to see.

After a tour of the birds and gardens, with history and explanations, there was time to wander at leisure, which I did before heading off to the right end of the road to reach what had originally been planned as my first destination.

My favourite ... and this thistle would fit in my garden too!

Simply Tomatoes was fun!  As I handed over the vanilla slices, I apologised for mucking around with the times and Marilyn apologised for blurting out her request - which I didn't mind in the least ... you couldn't say I went out of my way!
I caught the tail end of some other customers buying wool products because the other half of this business is making quilts, pillows, heat pads, you name it from wool from local farms. All very interesting. Then Marilyn brewed coffee and prepared my own personal tasting plate of the farm's tomato products. Yummmm!! Breakfast!

I bought a few samples then it was off to see the kitchen where all the processing is done (so many tons of tomatoes processed in what looked a tiny space to me) and to have a look at the shipping containers, buried in the ground, where the processed tomato products are stored at a constant temperature prior to sale and export.

Looking down into the underground shipping containers

Not to mention the beautiful homestead and the too cute geese!

This was all fascinating but I had such a lovely time because of the personal touch of doing the vanilla slice errand – which, of course, was no trouble at all. Just shows how little things can make a big difference.

I have to wear 2 kg weights on my ankles for some of the exercises at my balance class. This was the opposite. I left there feeling like I was buoyed up by soft, fluffy clouds.

It was handy that I felt like that because I had a bit of a drive ahead of me in indifferent weather. There was water on the roads in some places but thankfully, not enough to cause me trouble … and the rain held off pretty much the whole way to Horsham.

I don't think all that water is supposed to be there!

Not too far down the road, I stopped at Wycheproof for lunch – at the Bakery on Broadway. Loved this place! Wouldn't mind if it were my local!! It was chockers, much of the day's goodies had been sold already, and the staff were run off their feet – one of the few places open for miles around on account of the day-before-grand-final public holiday.

Bakery on Broadway at Wycheproof

Right next door was an industrial art “showroom”.

Not so sure about these in my garden. Hmmm?

Then it was the steady drive to Horsham, just beating the rain and just arriving at the caravan park before the office closed for the day. En route I passed through Murtoa so I knew where I'd be heading the next morning.

Sun and rain clouds fighting it out

I knew I'd found the place when I saw caravans in the street. I drove in, not realising that those caravans were queued to book in. Oops! I might have unwittingly jumped the queue but as I'd booked a cabin, it only took a minute to sign a bit of paper and get the key.

Then, instead of the RSL for tea as planned, the caravan park operators directed me to the local sports & social club. A group of locals got together some years back and decided, if pokies were coming to town, they'd make sure the money stayed in town. Smart move! And the pork wasn't bad either! .... Finally, back to the cabin in the caravan park to polish off that vanilla slice :-)

Wilpena Pound - 27 Sept. 2016

It was off to an organised start to the day. I'd booked a seat on the Wilpena Pound shuttle bus to cut out a bit of walking (part of which I'd walked the previous day). Lazy but glad I did it, for two reasons – firstly (in hindsight!) it was to conserve energy for not much later, secondly, the driver gave a couple of bits of fascinating info.

Along the road to Hill Homestead

In the short section of the walk that I did yesterday I'd noticed a lot, and I do mean A Lot!, of fallen trees in the creek. The last bushfire in the ranges was in 1988. This was followed the next year by massive floods which washed all the dead, fallen, burned trees down the creek. The driver said the creek has only flowed six times in the past three years so water there is not the norm.

Fire and flood debris in Wilpena Creek

Horizontal tree - enough roots remained undamaged to keep the tree alive when it fell
... and now the branches grow vertically

However, near the creek but not part of it there is what looks like a small pond. Wilpena gets all its water from what is a natural spring. The water keeps on bubbling up but only ever to the same level. The shuttle bus driver said no one knows how deep the spring is in spite of people such as Navy divers having tried to fathom it.

And thus we reached the drop off point for a very pleasant 1 km walk to Hill Homestead – Hill being the family name of the first/early inhabitants of the small cottage. 

Hill Homestead through the trees

From there it was up, up and away to Wangara (pronounced Wongara) lookout. I didn't think I was going to make that one. 

Looking down to Hill Homestead from part way up to the lookout

But it was so worth it! The lookout gives an excellent view of the basin that is the Pound and is opposite the gap in the hills that is the only “break in the walls”, so to speak.

Partial view of the Pound - need to be in the air to see it properly

The gap in the Pound 'wall'

Adding to the wildlife tally – the rear end of an echidna, beetling it's way into a rock crevice, and various types of lizard – but mostly off and away before I could get my camera out. This fellow was more green than the photo shows.

A lovely little green-ish lizard

Waiting for the return shuttle bus, this raven was quite happy to walk around, even joined me on my seat. They look mean when flying but close up this looked a very friendly fellow.

Friendly, inquisitive raven

At Wilpena visitors centre, by a busy caravan park and campground, were an emu and two chicks … no doubt accustomed to people, given the location, so it was easy to get up close.

Emu and chicks ... soooo cute!

And at the Old Wilpena Homestead, a skink or two. 

I did walk across the creek today, to get to the homestead grounds.

Wilpena Creek - at the Old Wilpena Homestead

The homestead would have been a bustling place in its day. But now (until some other people arrived) the silence was palpable. I could really live with that.

Old Wilpena Homestead

Outlying buildings

Bookkeepers hut (R) and Motor house (L)

Cemetery ... beautiful and peaceful

Back in the day, being sent to the dog house or the chook shed would have been something else!

Dog houses

Chook sheds

A modern "meeting place" has been constructed on site. Quotes from descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, i.e. Aboriginals, are set in tiles in the floor of the circle. There are only brief signs of explanation but I gather that on guided tours this is where groups meet to get a more detailed history of the place. In the meantime, it's a peaceful place to sit and reflect.

The Meeting Circle

The lower left quote is sad and damning

For my last night, instead of making do with frozen meals from the camp shop with spinach leaves that I'd bought in Port Augusta to fill my warfarin demanded vitamin K quota, I treated myself to dinner at the Woolshed Restaurant, another offering at Rawnsley Park. Service so-so, food only a bit better than OK - disappointing really, although the venue was lovely.

Flinders Gorges - 25 Sept. 2016

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.

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 :-(

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!).

Arkaroo Rock ...

... 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! 

The path went from this ... 

... to this!

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.

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!

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The thing about wildflowers in the outback ... they're tiny!

My foot, for comparison

My hand - not for comparison but to hold the flowers up :-)

Native hops

Not a dandelion but a type of yam