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Published: August 24th 2014
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It was another glorious day so why not another glorious walk?
Following the Wilpena Creek to the Pound we walked beside the densely gum lined waterway. Large fallen trees wedged against the trunks of others were evidence of tougher times past. A bushfire in 1988 burnt many trees and weakened others. Followed by a flood in 1989 many of the weakened trees toppled and were washed down the creek. The incredible size of the wedged trunks could only leave us wondering about the power in the flood waters.
After years of boom and bust, floods and drought the Smith family abandoned Wilpena for life on their other station, Bunyeroo where production was a little more reliable and conditions a lot easier. A narrow bridge allowing a small dray through the Pound entrance made the carting of the grain crop slow and tedious. A bridge that took the brothers many years to construct was washed away in just a few hours during a serious flood. Life was isolated and very lonely, especially for the one sister who kept house for her brothers. To top it all off the government of the day taxed the farmers heavily,
basing calculations on the productivity of the much richer land to the south. The homestead has been restored, however only remnants of an orchard remain; one fig tree and a stand of apple trees.
At this point we continued on the trail to the Wangara lookouts. The signs advised allowing 1 hour for the 600 metre climb. Yes this meant climb but was well worth the effort giving us a view of the entire pound and back through the entrance. It was breathtaking! We sat under a bush for a rest and snack before venturing back down the steep slope.
Birds have not been a strong feature of the National Park; however a crow hovered above the lookout no doubt waiting for some exhausted climber to croak it. As we descended we were serenaded by a lovely song bird, almost in congratulations for making it.
After lunch we completed a blog and Greg set about writing his weekly TA note (Technical Analysis of the Stock Market). This done we hopped in the 4X4 and headed to Sacred Canyon where Aboriginal rock carvings could be seen. These are best viewed in the
light of the early morning or late afternoon. This of course is prime kangaroo and emu time. The brakes got a good work out especially on the way home.
The canyon itself was narrow, in one spot only about 2 metres and towered high above us. This by itself was worth the drive. The etchings in the rock were significant but not really the highlight of this location. The shadows created by the late afternoon sun and the rocky nature of the site made for added challenges for Joan to negotiate, but we got in and out without incident.
Back at camp their appeared to be a lot of new campers. The place looked pretty full. One set of new campers were probably wishing they had chosen their site a little more carefully. Setting their 2 campervan vans up on either side of the walkway to the amenities block, they possibly didn’t realise they would have a steady stream of campers walking through their camp on their way to the amenities.
And on that topic, why is there a trail of cow pats along the path to the amenities block? This is a
national Park after all. We are puzzled. We haven’t spotted the culprits yet.
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