The Menindee experience and Wilpena Pound.

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We found a lovely campsite by the Darling River just out of Menindee and set up camp there. The river was the colour of very weak café latte and looked quite strange. There was a fire place and picnic table and SILENCE. Surprisingly there were hardly any flies. The mosquitoes were hungry, but a little ‘Bushmans’ helped that. There were no others at the campground which was set amongst big river gums. After lunch we set off to explore the area. Once again the road was dirt and bumpy. Saw the old Kinchega homestead. The station covered one million acres and ran 143,000 sheep. Heavens knows how and it is virtually dessert and a huge old woolshed which had seen six million sheep shorn over a century. The homestead was somewhat disappointing in that it was largely ruins, that is bricks scattered on the ground and the whole thing took a lot of imagination. That was a pity really as it was a great story that is being lost to the ravages of time (and the odd vandal).

We planned to take a trip along the bottom of Lake Cawndilla, but the road was closed. They have had a lot of rain around here a few weeks ago. The road became horribly rutted and after some time of bumping along Marg heard a tinny rattling sound. We stopped to investigate and found that a part of the bull bar was coming adrift. It had been held in place with 5 screws and there was only one and a half left holding it in place. Geoff removed it and has spent days going into hardware stores looking for the correct nuts and bolts to put it back into place. At sunset we went off to look at th4e sunset over Lake Menindee as it was reputed to be awesome. It was a bit too cloudy, but still got some good pictures. While we were there we could see the lake creeping up the sandy beach. It was quite amazing and it would have been moving an inch up the sand every few minutes. We lit a campfire that evening and sat out under the stars until it was bedtime - about 8 pm!

The next morning we hitched up the van and went to drive off until Geoff discovered that we had a flat tyre and driver’s side of truck. We had to unhitch, get the spare from under the truck, change tyre, re-hitch and at last we were off over an hour later. Then back into Broken Hill to find a tyre repairer. Again unhitch the caravan and take tyre out. After a wait of 2 hours, and $30 poorer we hitched up for the third time in 4 hours and set off for SA. By this time it was mid afternoon so we only travelled until 5 pm and pulled into a roadside stop at Yunta which had toilets and a pub opposite. Yunta may be in the middle of nowhere, but every truck in the state seems to find the need to stop there, and then after a suitable time take off again changing through all 27 gears they have at their disposal. Guess where we had our dinner? Marg’s schnitzel overhung the plate at both ends and Geoff’s T bone was also huge despite asking for a small one. Three quarters of the schnitzel was put in a doggy bag and became the next day’s filling for our sandwiches. It was freezing cold that night and there was a bitter wind blowing across the plains. Trucks thundered up and down the highway, but that didn’t keep Geoff awake.

We had to get rid of any fruit and veg that morning before we crossed the quarantine boarder so I made potato salad and cooked up the carrots but couldn’t do much with the lettuce. We then had to repurchase all the fruit and veg at Peterborough where the local IGA must make a fortune.

We arrived at Wilpena Pound mid afternoon. It is a lovely area and the camping is set under native pines and gums. Marg couldn’t wait to sample the hot showers after a couple of days of bird baths. Water is does not seem to be an issue here and we were encouraged to use as much as we needed to remove the locusts from the van.

It is now Thursday and we decided to have a quiet day; Geoff cleaned the front and sides of the van and replaced the bash plate on the bull bar. Stepping back to admire his work, he noticed that one side was decidedly yellow from locust paste and the side just replaced was almost clean - all things are relative!

Wilpena Pound is renowned for its walks so we decided to do one of the easier ones to a place called Hills homestead. It was a very pretty walk following the creek which for the most part had water running through it. The homestead was built in the 1870’s and has been carefully restored (outside) by the S.A. Parks people. It seemed to be only 4 modest rooms and although we could only see through 2 windows, it was really good to see that the effort had been made to keep this site a viable reminder of those days. Some 300 mts behind the homestead there was a track (read many steps upward) to a lookout up on the ridge giving a great view of this part of the ‘Pound’.

That evening as Marg was making the last walk to the loo before bed she heard a sound in the bushes to her right and suddenly a kangaroo bounded out right in front of her, almost negating the need to proceed further to the loo! Geoff didn’t believe the tale, but an event a few days later changed his mind.

The next day we set off in the car to do some sightseeing. First we went to Sacred Canyon where there is some ancient aboriginal rock art. We had to clamber up and over boulders and side step around pools of water clinging the handholds in the rock. We went on and on and didn’t see any art. After some kms we decided to head back and found we had missed it. It was very difficult to see - just some scrapings on the rocks, which other people had decided to copy or “remake” so that they could be better seen which has really spoilt the whole thing. The sign at the beginning of the walk says it is extremely disrespectful to the Aboriginals to ‘enhance’ the etchings and we fully support that. However it was a pretty walk. We then drove north to Blinman where there used to be a copper mine until the early 1900s. It was closed for repairs. So we bought two enormous ice creams, some very expensive fruit and a hugely expensive, very small quandong pie. The quandong pie didn’t taste like anything much - just a sweet filling. On the way home we took a dirt track via Brachina Gorge which is geographically significant with rocks dating back 650 million years ago (or something like that). We then went onto Bunyeroo Gorge which was also worth looking at. Both these roads were pretty horrendous and we were amazed to see a truck pulling a caravan along one of them. Geoff spoke to the guy and he said that he had pulled the old Golf along the Gunbarrel highway, so he through this was a breeze. The old ones were obviously built to last.

We had an adventure this morning. Whilst preparing breakfast Marg heard a noise outside the van and when she looked out found a kangaroo at our table and chairs eating her latest book! It kept ripping pages out and munching them up. Brave Margaret got a broom and fended it off while rescuing the book while the big white hunter Geoff watched from the safety of the caravan. It came back for seconds and was looking longingly at a battery and solar lights on the table and also our Crocs. We had to shoo it off again. It was quite unwilling to leave, but eventually hopped off slowly giving us backward glances telling us that we had spoiled its lovely paper meal.

We think the Flinders Ranges are quite spectacular and because they had rain a while ago, it is also quite green which is unusual. Geoff is currently up in the air above Wilpena Pound and I’ve no doubt he will have much to tell. And I do; the flight lasted only 30 mins, but was, for 99% of the time, as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It is really the only way to get a true perspective of the Pound, and as a gauge to its size, the flight only skirts around the extremities - no further. We flew close to the higher peaks and as the pilot had only started here on Monday, that was close enough for both of us. The escarpments surrounding and flats in the pound are really spectacular. Even got a glimpse of the flooded Lake Torrens in the distance.

STOP PRESS…HOLD THE FRONT PAGE…BREAKING NEWS…
Sixty two year old Melbourne man scales Mt. Ohlssen-Bagge unaided.
In breaking news this afternoon, Geoff managed to overcome his fear of heights and get to the top of Mt. Ohlssen-Bagge. The support crew stayed at the base of the mountain and was ecstatic that Geoff had returned; at least he could get on with packing the car for our departure tomorrow. Geoff says the herculean effort was worth it for the orgasmic view of the resort and pound afforded from the top of the escarpment.

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