Blogs from Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia, Australia, Oceania

Day 10 EXPLORING THE FLINDERS RANGES Today we explored the Flinders Ranges by first finding the Bunyeroo Valley Drive along the Geological Trail. The track is windy and very undulating with numerous sharp dip creek courses and now is in-between well graded and rough. There are many bush-style campsites. We stopped at numerous places … Yanyanna Horse Yards and hut (both now unused), Razorback Lookout, giving views over the Ikara-Flinders Ranges NP, Bunyeroo Gorge through to the Brachina Gap into the Brachina Gorge which creates a striking appearance with its crumbling walls of shale, limestone and quartzite. There are scattered lone graves and ruins of shepherds huts, a reflection of hard times endured, north through the Aroona Valley to the Aroona Homestead and hut with magnificent scenery enjoyed. I remember seeing documentaries of the great artist, ... read more

I exited the Xtrk at 6.45am on a very, very cold clear sky morning. I hadn’t walked 2m before 6 kookaburras sitting together 5m on a tree branch about 30m from me began their laugh, and laugh they did, waking anyone who was still asleep at that stage, for a full 2 minutes non-stop. It was sensational. I had heard kookaburras laugh before but not that many all at once for 2 minutes. Those brave enough to test the outside cold stumbled from their warm interiors to check out nature at its best … again. We conversed with a few fellow travellers and visited the inside of their caravans as we discussed the type of van. Jane is nearing the end with canvas! I quite fancy the eco-tourer outback type. Will do some research. We completed ... read more

Today we’ve booked for the so-called “Time Travel” tour, which is being led again by the very entertaining Mick, our indigenous guide from last evening’s Stokes Hill sunset tour. We’re not quite sure why it’s called the Time Travel tour, and are now thinking that we probably should have thought to ask when we booked. Perhaps unsurprisingly, our transport isn’t something out of “Back to the Future“, it just looks like the bus we were on last night. Mick explains that we’ll be heading north from Wilpena Pound and then turning west onto the Brachina Gorge Geological Trail. The “Time Travel” tour title is apparently a reference to the journey we’ll be taking through 130 million years of geological time in little more than about ten kilometres of road distance. First stop is an inspection of ... read more

After our 457 visa recipient cooks an enormous breakfast spread and makes us a couple of cappuccinos we head down the Oodnadatta Track. We have a big day of driving so we don’t stop a lot just for fuel and the 3rdworst coffees so far at Marla. I may have to add Irish backpackers to the Asian barista rule. I have to show the guys Leigh Creek which is like one of those towns they build to test nuclear bombs. I think it was actually built to service the coal mine which the Government subsequently closed down. The SA Government tried to sell the town but couldn’t. We have a great run down to the turn off to the Flinders Ranges National Park. Luckily all the vanners seem to be headed South. In the late afternoon ... read more

We left Broken Hill via the Barrier Highway which is the main road through to Adelaide, after 200k we reached Yunta, which is really the start of the adventure. We stopped to fill up at the 7-11 and the Indian guy behind the counter wanted to know if I’d like two mineral waters for $4. This reminded me of one of the greatest injustices we came across on the way. There were road works on the Barrier Highway and a stop/go man (funnily enough not a female Irish backpacker). There were a few vehicles and a caravan in front. He gave us the go sign and we trundled along through the roadworks. As we came past the heavy machinery there was a police car parked on the other side. This is 100ks from anywhere. Were they ... read more