Flinders Ranges

Saturday 21 April – Flinders Ranges

Oh my God or for you nerds -OMG- an amazing day. It was a lot cooler today around 23 degrees and overcast, so as far as I was concerned a good day for a walk. We started by driving the 50 kms to Wilpena to have a look at the must see Wilpena Pound. Picked up some useful maps from the Visitor’s info centre, packed our water and trail bars and off we went for an 8 km return walk to the Hill’s Homestead and Wangara Lookout which gives a panoramic view over the pound itself from the east wall. A lovely walk through giant river gums, past lagoons until we reached the old homestead built in the late 1800s and is still in good condition. Well we just had to push on to Wangara Lookout and even though it is only another kilometre on from the homestead it is all uphill! Brian said it was similar terrain to Mt Tennant with us walking on very large sloping rocks to reach the top. I might have been a tad slower than Brian could have been, but I made it. WOO HOO!! Mind you it was worth the climb as you could see the entire pound floor from end to end. I have to admit though that about 2 km from the end my knees, hips and shoulders were making their presence felt. Oh well what’s a bit of pain anyway.

We had a bite of lunch at the visitor’s centre before we set off again, this time in the car for a bit of 4 wheel driving through Brachina Gorge Geological Trail. Almost impossible to describe the feeling of antiquity as we made our way along dry creek beds and the odd wet crossing with towering cliffs of red, black and grey striations of sandstone, siltstone, slate and quartz. It definitely had a spirituality about it. The info signs along the way indicated that most areas were between 550 and 650 million years old. Every time you turned a corner the scenery changed, each scene as breathtaking as the last. I think Brian took about 200 photos, just couldn’t help it.

I’ve become very adept at dirt road driving now, up and down hills, through wet crossing and along dry shaley river beds, so watch out who knows where we might end up!  

Brian will be uploading new photos very soon