What next?

Well, I have put a selection of photos in with the various days write ups of the Flinders Ranges trip. Done!

Our next multi-day planned walk is the Coast to Coast across England. I made the booking last week and paid the deposit. Now it is just a matter of ensuring an adequate level of fitness and then doing all the other necessary bookings: flights to England, train to St Bees, the start of the walk, and the post walk stuff.

Trevor is busily working on his fitness.

We will be walking some 190 miles in 13 days. The distance alone is not the issue. I think we could do this without much concern. The problem is adding height gains to the distance as well as the steepness of those height gains. I definitely need contour or detailed hiking maps to get a better understanding of terrain that has been labelled as steep. I've ordered a book which will supposedly provide the necessary detail and am eagerly awaiting its arrival from England.

Flinders Ranges - Day 7

Day 7: Saturday 1 September

Our final day had arrived. The week had certainly flown and we had climbed quite a few peaks and undertaken some delightful walks.

We were up at 5:45 this morning. We were dressed and packed by 6:15 and headed to the breakfast area where some of the group were already hoeing into cereal, yoghurt, toast, juice, tea and coffee.

It was quite a cool morning with frost on the ground when we ventured outdoors. I made sure that I had my beanie and gloves as well as my coat.

We pulled out of the hotel car park at 7:02am and headed through Melrose to the car park at the base of the Mt Remarkable trail. This track is yet another part of the Heysen Trail we were to learn.

View across Melrose and the Willochra Plain from the War Memorial Monument car park

Once again the party broke into two groups. Terrie, Paul and I had opted to summit Mt Remarkable with Wes while the rest were doing a nature walk with Andrea. I'll get Trevor to fill in the details of the nature walk.

Our walk was an out and back hike of 12.2kms. The walking time was supposedly 5 hours.

Commencing at the War Memorial Monument above Melrose, the track contoured across the eastern face of Mt. Remarkable. There were fabulous views of Melrose and the vivid green of the cultivated area of the Willochra Plain and out to the browner region beyond the Goyder line. The vegetation was lush on the eastern face. We encountered a number of kangaroos on the trail early in the climb and birds filled the air with their calls.

The track generally rose quite gently. There were large sections of scree that we traversed which added a challenge.

The final 700m was the steepest part of the climb but also the widest bit of track. We arrived at the summit exactly two hours after pulling out of the car park at the North Star.

Wes had warned us that trees at the top obscured the view so we were not surprised when we finally got to the top. We were able to see Spencer's Gulf from a point near the top. We spent 20 minutes or so at the summit before heading down.

I lead the group down the mountain and we arrived back at the car park before 11 o'clock. So much for the 5 hour round trip!

On the way up Wes had told us about a light plane that crashed into Mt remarkable in July 1980 killing two people. Apparently they hit the side of the mountain in foggy conditions. Part of the plane can be seen lying on the scree.

At the top of the climb Wes produced a packet of Tim Tams … a rather early start on biscuits for the day.

From the car park we drove down to Melrose and enjoyed a coffee at Bluey Blacksmith's Cafe while we waited for the rest of our group to turn up.

After lunch at the cafe we were back on the bus and heading for Adelaide.

Wes asked each of us about our favourite walk/hike/climb and wildlife. Pretty much everyone nominated the 18km final section of the Heysen Trail which we had walked on Thursday and the Rock Wallabies. The three St Mary peak summiters also mentioned the summit as very worthwhile.

We were dropped off at our hotel shortly after 4pm. The end of a fabulous week.

Flinders Ranges - Day 6

Day 6: Friday 31 August

A late breakfast this morning … 8 o'clock over at the Prairie Hotel. There was a great spread. It started with a glass of stewed fruit (rhubarb or apricot) with yoghurt and topped with an oats, fruit and nut mix. Next came toast and finally a cooked breakfast with a choice of poached or fried eggs with bacon all topped off with fruit juice and tea and coffee.

Once on the road we headed south through country that didn't look like it would support much at all. There were sheep and sometimes cattle but not many of either. Ruins dotted the landscape. The road ran parallel to the old Ghan line for many kilometres.

Pulling in to Hawker we visited the panorama – a fabulous 360º view from St Mary Peak painted by local artist Jeff Morgan. There were other panoramas, too. Huge works. Trevor compared the size to Sir Frank's murals. I think Sir Frank may win … but just!

Continuing south we arrived at Quorn around 11:30. Most of us opted to eat our lunch in Quorn. A couple made their lunch and kept it until later.

From Quorn we headed to Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park which is situated north-west of Quorn. Our objective was to climb to the top of Dutchmans Stern along a circular route. The car park was at 440m and the top 820m.

Trevor opted to stay back at the bus as his right calf was still giving him trouble. He got a book on the Flinders Ranges from Wes to while away the time while the rest of us headed up Dutchmans Stern.

I picked up a pamphlet on the walk. We did our circuit in an anti clockwise direction from checkpoint 2. The party quickly broke into two groups. Andrea, Paul, Terrie and I in the first with Barbara, Judi, Penny and Wes is the second.

Setting out to climb Dutchmans Stern

View from the summit

Another view from the summit

Lorraine standing on the summit

More summit views

View on the way down

One of the glorious acacias

There were some glorious views on the way up to the summit as well as lots of flora and fauna to keep things interesting. The views from the top were wonderful. I took quite a few photos as I had taken the camera up with me.

There were some challenging parts to the walk as the track passed over a number of areas of scree.

We spent quite a while at the summit, wrote in the log book, and waited for the back markers to arrive before heading down. The circuit was 10.5kms.

Once the rest of the group arrived we headed back into Quorn, picked up fuel and headed for Melrose via Wilmington, in fading light.

Wes, as usual, kept us entertained with titbits of information and also pointed out the rising moon – quite special – as the huge, full moon appeared over the horizon and climbed into the sky.

In Melrose we stayed at the North Star Hotel. The rooms were spacious and comfortable with ensuites – a luxury after shared facilities.

Once again, Wes and Andrea had entrees waiting for us when we arrived, freshly showered, for dinner. Trevor bought a bottle of Riesling which went down well after the days exertions.

Once again the meals were excellent.

After dinner Wes and Andrea briefed us on what was on offer for our final day.

As we were departing at 7am in the morning we headed off to bed well before 9 o'clock again!

At the top of Dutchmans Stern I had phone reception, the first time in days. There was a flood of email which I picked up and looked at after we arrived in Melrose. The emails that had been waiting to be sent had gone, too, a little later than I had hoped. I did reply to some of the emails however, without reception, they were waiting for an opportunity to be sent.

Flinders Ranges - Day 5

Day 5: Thursday 30 August

We were up a bit earlier this morning so that we could get away and add additional things into the day. Actually, the whole group had opted to do the 18km hike from Aroona to the head of the Heysen Trail. This hike was not on our trip notes.

Everyone was ready on time and pitched in to ensure we got away as quickly as possible.

Heading north we picked up the Geological Trail. We dropped the trailer at the junction as the road was unsuitable for towing. We stopped at the Golden Spike to look at some outstanding geological features demonstrated by this area.

Wes demonstrating some of the significant geological and bio features evident at this spot

A closer look at some of the rocks and the various strata

Wes attempted to explain the significance of the Golden Spike and I'll add some details later to document why this particular area is so very significant in the story of the evolution of Earth. Wes was actually a wealth of information.

[Golden Spike photo to be added]

As we were pulling out of the car park we were confronted by a Wedge Tailed Eagle who had been on the ground feeding. He flew into a nearby tree, keeping an eye on his food, and we took the opportunity of getting photos of this wonderful bird at close range.

Wedge Tailed Eagle

A bit further along the road (actually it was a bit like a goat track) we came across an emu with a stack of chicks. He gathered his chicks and walked them across the road in front of us as we watched. More photos!

Emu dad with chicks crossing the road. Note the dry creek bed in the background, bordered by wonderful old river red gums

One of the chicks

Where have all the chicks gone?

The chick reappear

At Aroona we had a look at the ruins and the Heysen hut, took advantage of the toilet facilities and set off on the days 18km hike along a trail between the Heysen and ABC ranges.

The hike was great. Trevor thought it the highlight of the trip even though he had managed to injure his right calf early in the day and suffered on every up hill section and after each break. Once again we broke into two groups. Paul, Terrie, Trevor and I were in the lead group and the rest behind. The bird ladies did not take their binoculars today so they didn't fall as far behind as they did yesterday and generally caught us up during rest breaks.

General view of the ranges from our track

Taking a break. l-r: Paul, Trevor, Terrie

Another view of the ranges

Follow that track (if you can find it). Just as well there were footprints!

There was a green sheen on some of the slopes

River gums lining the dry creek bed we hiked along

We didn't get our cuppa today as Andrea couldn't get the stove to stay alight.

More wildlife - a shingle backed lizard

In places the material we walked over, and saw, was a deep red

Goats are a real problem in the area. They cause significant damage to the environment.

The sign at the northern end of the Heysen Trail

A view back through the area we had hiked through

Here is our group (Wes took the photo so isn't in it): left to right - Paul, Barb, Trevor, Judi, Lorraine Terrie, Penny and Andrea.  The photo, provided by Penny, was taken in front of the Heysen Trail sign at the Parachilna end of the trail.

Trevor ended up giving me his camera and I took quite a few photos.

After a rest and fruit at the end of the walk we went on to Angorichina for a toilet break then into Glass Gorge for a view across the route we had taken on our hike.

Tonight we are at Parachilna … definitely outback Australia.

Accommodation was in converted shipping containers. Each container had three rooms. While they were basic they were quite comfortable. Facilities were shared but adequate.

Dinner was served at the Prairie Hotel. The food was excellent.

Flinders Ranges - Day 4

Day 4: Wednesday 29 August

We were awake before the alarm this morning. While I had woken a number of times during the night I certainly had had enough sleep.

After breakfast and lunch making it was on the bus again.

Today we headed for Bunyeroo Gorge, our drop off point for the walk. After turning off the main road we bumped along an unsealed track for almost 30kms. The track crossed numerous washouts (creeks) which Andrea eased the bus through.

At the start of the walk Wes talked about the geology. The track we followed took us between two ranges, initially the ABC, I think, to our right and another to our left. The track was relatively flat with ranges changing as we walked.

The group broke into two with Trevor and me, Paul and Terrie in the lead group and Wes and the bird watches (Barbara, Penny and Judi) in the second. Our group trundled on enjoying the warm, sunny day (I did strip off my singlet at the first stop), the scenery, birds and, later, occasional animals.

Red capped robin

We eventually found a stopping place for lunch and waited for the rest of the party to arrive. Our stopping place actually had a clear view of St Mary Peak. Wes appeared on his own. He had come ahead so that he could catch us up and provide us with a cup of tea. By this time the wind had come up and I put my singlet back on. The bird watches finally strolled up.

After lunch and a cuppa we headed off again. Wes had instructed us to stop and wait for him when we reached the gate across the track some 1km short of the Wilpena Visitors Centre (if only!)

Our first find of the afternoon was a shingle backed lizard. It was sitting on the track and moved off but only a short distance. We were just leaving as the trailing group arrived.

Along the track a variety of plants were in flower. One that caught my eye was the lobed-leaved hop bush (Dodonaea lobulata). See photo to the right.

Paul was hoping to see emus and red kangaroos. We did eventually see emus but no roos.

On arriving at the gate (which was actually open and not across the track at all) the directions were actually quite clear, contrary to what Wes had told us. We did do as requested and stopped at the gate and waited. Once Wes arrived he told us what to expect on the first part of the walk and suggested that the Wilpena visitors Centre was about a k away … it turned out to be 4km. We won't believe him in future!

A trip to the loo and a coffee was most welcome following the days exertions.

Andrea arrived with the bus and fruit for afternoon tea.

Once everyone arrived at the visitors centre we headed off to Sacred Valley along another unsealed track cut by many dry water courses. It was a slow drive but very worthwhile. The gorge was fantastic. There are a number of drawings on the walls (and some new additions by idiots!) that had been done by the traditional owners. The gorge showed the geology very clearly. I had taken Trevor's camera up the gorge and took a heap of photos.

Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Back at Willow Springs, after a refreshing shower, we sat around and chatted and shared a drink over a meal prepared by Andrea.

Flinders Ranges - Day 3

Day 3: Tuesday 28 August

My alarm went off at 6:15am. Another early start. The bed wasn't overly comfortable but that didn't seem to matter as I slept pretty well.

Wes and Andrea had breakfast set out for us: cereal, fruit, yoghurt, toast, tea and real coffee. After breakfast it was time to make our lunch wraps and gather other supplies for the day.

We were off by 8 o'clock heading for the Wilpena Visitors Centre where we started the days walk to St Mary Peak using the outside (the Pound) trail. The weather was fine and warm.

The first part of the walk was gentle, undulating and, in reality, fairly easy. Once we started to climb things were very different. The trail was rarely flat. Parts required scrambling and there was quite a bit of loose surface to contend with. I walked with a pole today – handy on some of the sections. The trail varied from very narrow to broad. At times it skirted the edge of the escarpment making walking that bit more challenging. Scrambling up rock faces and narrow gaps was the norm. Just as well the trail was well marked with frequent blue markers.

Wes and the back group arriving at the saddle

The group broke into two. The front, lead by Andrea, arrived at the saddle some time ahead of the rest, with Wes at the back.








Trevor arrived a little ahead of the back group. He had done very well.

By this time heavy gray cloud had rolled in but fortunately it didn't rain. The cup of tea we had at the saddle was very welcome.

Looking up towards the summit from the summit track

After stopping for a break, three of us (Paul, Terrie and me) headed for the summit guided by Andrea. The initial part of the trail headed down … and that meant that later we would need to gain the metres that we had lost. Bother! Once we started to traverse the peak we were challenged by some very difficult climbs. Fortunately the way was well signed with blue markers appearing along the track even if it would have been easier to see some of the markers if you were 6 feet tall rather than the shortness of most of us.

Andrea maintained a good pace for the three of us: not too fast and not too slow. Our rest breaks were most welcome. The view to the target (the summit), across the ranges and plains were wonderful.

Not far from the summit we came across two echidnas on the track. They went up the track and then off to the side. We were fortunate to be able to watch them for some time before they finally disappeared into the surrounding rocks and vegetation.

We had made it to the top!

On reaching the summit we abandoned our packs and clambered up on the rock face which sloped at 45º. The views were worth the climb … but the return??!

Lorraine standing on the summit of St Mary Peak with the ranges in the background

View from St Mary Peak summit

After eating our lunch we headed off down.

The climb had been peppered by individuals and groups and they kept coming as we made the difficult descent from the summit of St Mary Peak. The track was busy which made the descent even more challenging. I'm glad that I have built up my shoulder and arm strength as it helped to have the option of using arms to lower the bod on some of the difficult sections.

When we got to the saddle it was occupied by a large group of young ones who had strewn backpacks and bodies across the path making even more difficult than it should have been to navigate that bit of the track. Still, down we went. In some ways the down was more challenging/difficult than the up as we were very aware of what was (or wasn't) below us.

We made pretty good time and were pleased to be down on the reasonably level track for the final bit back to the Wilpena Visitors Centre. The early returners were waiting on the decking when I arrived back. First stop – toilet! Trevor got me a cappuccino while I was relieving myself. Most welcome.

All in all, the climb to St Mary Peak, at 1170m, was challenging and rewarding. It was an achievement that I would not have contemplated 18 months ago. I came through the climb and the return feeling pretty good. Hopefully I will feel OK in the morning.

Who summited with me? Andrea, Paul and Kerrie.

On the way back to Willow Springs Wes took us to the Stokes Hill lookout. There is a 3-D map of the area showing the many ranges and the Pound. No wonder we can see so many peaks every time we get any elevation. There are bands of ranges for as far as the eye can see.

Trevor and I were the last people up … and even we were in bed by 9:30. Everyone appeared to have been tired after today’s walk.

I pulled up feeling pretty good. There is the odd twinge in the left ankle but nothing of great concern and I have a sore spot below the left knee caused when I was scrambling up over rocks. I must remember to be careful kneeling for the next day or so.

Flinders Ranges - Day 2

Day 2: Monday 27 August

After getting up and organising our bags we ate breakfast and then made our lunch wraps.

We were on the road by 7:30am, heading for our walk drop. We diverted to have a look at the ruins of Kanyaka Homestead and outbuildings as well as its cemetery. It must have been impressive in its day. Today the shell of its walls is a testament to its previous glory.

Kanyaka Homestead ruins

 We had a brief stop in Hawker for fuel and a cigarette lighter then on to our drop off point, Black Gap, just off the Moralana Scenic Drive, in the middle of absolutely nowhere but a point on the Heysen Trail.

The initial part of the walk was along a creek bed and then we climbed up into the saddle of Bridle Gap on the rim of Wilpena Pound. The plan was to have lunch at Bridle Gap but we found our spot occupied by a group of students on a self initiative (or whatever they are called) hike. We found a nearby spot, enjoyed the views and our wraps followed by a fresh cup of tea … hence the cigarette lighter!

Continuing on after our lunch break brought us out onto the edge of Wilpena Pound. The hike up and then down had the odd challenging moments where we ended up scrambling up and down the path.

Views across Wilpena Pound from the lookout

 The walk across the Pound was very pleasant. There were numerous kangaroos, emus and other birds. At the Hills homestead we went up to the lookout. There turned out to be a lower and upper one. Andrea had never been to the upper but, as some of us were on our way up to it, she followed us … a first for her. The view across the Pound was wonderful and we had a sight of the Elder Ranges peeping over the rim of the Pound. It was definitely worth the climb to the upper lookout.

The group consistently broke into two. Paul, Trevor and I were consistently in the first group with Andrea. Later we were joined by Terrie. The breakaway group were permitted to walk ahead towards the Wilpena Visitors Centre along a broad track which took us alongside a creek. At points the creek was clogged with huge trees which had been washed down in floods. The geology was awesome, too.

After a coffee, loo trip and some fruit it was on the bus heading for Willow Springs Station, our home for the next three nights. Willow Springs is a 283 sq. km pastoral lease and we are staying in their shearers quarters.

On the drive to Willow Springs we stopped to look at a tree made famous by photographer Harold Cazneaux. The tree shows the tenacity of the tree to survive against all the odds.

Harold Cazneaux 1937 photograph of the tree titled ‘Spirit of Endurance’ won international acclaim. The tree is an important local landmark in the Flinders Ranges, photographed and painted by many visitors.

The tree

What an incredible array of wildlife we saw: an echidna (walking across the road), lots of roos and emus plus all the different birds. Glorious.

Wes and Andrea provided a delightful meal washed down with communal wine.