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Published: February 3rd 2010
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Cait, Nic & Brad on the road to Alligator GorgeDay 17 - Port Augusta to Adelaide
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to head up to the Flinders Ranges from Port Augusta as we needed to return the car to the depot in Adelaide by 3.30pm. I had actually tried to extend our car hire by one day so that we could spend some time in the Flinders but car hire had apparently been fully booked out 7 months previously. So we settled for a drive up to Alligator Gorge in the Southern Flinders range instead. I hadn’t realised until we drove the road up to Alligator Gorge that I had actually been there before, on a family holiday when I was only 5 years old. I remembered parts of the road and how scared I had been driving along it - back then it was only a gravel road but even though it’s sealed now, it’s still a narrow, winding road. The road ends at the carpark and all the walks start from there. We chose the walk down into the gorge which is very pretty, particularly in the spring when the wildflowers are out. The sides of the gorge rise steeply from the floor and the red
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Wildflowers along the path at Alligator Gorge ochre colour of the rock provides a beautiful background to the grass trees, wildflowers and other flora. There is a walk that branches off to the left from the bottom of the stairs that descend down into the gorge but this is quite a long walk and we were pressed for time. So we walked up to the right along an easy track that led to the Terraces, a lovely little spot where the creek cascades over small little rock terraces. The area had received substantial rain in the weeks leading up to our visit and for a little while this track had been closed due to minor flooding. Fortunately for us, the track had been opened a couple of days beforehand and had had time to dry out a little. The walk back up from the gorge floor is quite demanding - not difficult, just about 100 steps but straight up and takes a moderate degree of fitness.
After Alligator Gorge, we drove down through the Claire Valley with it’s beautiful lush green pastures and picturesque little towns. Once again, wildflowers adorned the countryside turning it into a beautiful patchwork quilt of yellow, white, purple and green. It
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Beautiful Alligator Gorge was such a pleasant and enjoyable drive that we probably didn’t hurry as much as we should have and by the time we reached Adelaide, we were starting to cut it fine in getting to the depot on time. As it was, Kevin had to drop me off in the city so that I could pick up the sedan that we’d hired for the next part of the trip (it was cheaper than keeping the four wheel drive for another week when we didn’t need it). He took the kids and the four wheel drive out to the Britz depot and I met them there a short time later.
We then made our way over to the caravan park at Brownhill Creek. This is a lovely little park that I had stayed in before, situated on the banks of Brownhill Creek. It’s only a few minutes out of the city but once you’re there, it feels like you’re a million miles away. After getting settled into the cabin that would be our home for the next week, I decided to go for a short walk along the walking path through the Reserve. With the last of the sun’s rays
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Alligator Gorge peeking through the leaves of the trees as I walked, I was revelling in the sheer enjoyment of what we’d seen so far on the trip and looking forward to sharing my favourite city with my family.
Day 18 - Out and about in Adelaide
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