Monday, August 15, 2005
Went to an auto electrician first thing in the morning, and he immediately fixed the headlights. It was a problem in the relay, and a part had to be replaced. It was a five minute, fifty buck job! But atleast that's sorted. After that we went to the the old water tower in Port Augusta, which is now a lookout. It rained all night last night, but by morning the rain had stopped and the dust had settled. So the view from the lookout was quite good. We couldn't see much of the ranges though, because a low cloud was hanging over them. But we could see the Gulf of Spencer, and the mangrove forests on the shores.
After taking in the views from the lookout we set off for the Flinders Ranges. From Quorn we turned off the main road onto a dirt track, which was an alternative scenic route to Hawker. A few kilometers down the track was Dutchman's Stern, a rocky peak, with exposed rock cliffs on one side and a vegetated slope on the other side. A trail led to the peak, and we decided to do the walk. It was a 10.5 km walk which started on the plains, and wound its way gently up the slope. The vegetation changed as we climbed higher. At the bottom the slopes were grassy and had many large gum trees. Further up there were bushes and a different variety of gum trees, and mosses and ferns. It was obvious that this was a wetter region. There were also many grass trees which are iconic of the ranges. At the very top we were walking close to the cliff edge although we couldn't tell it, until we reached the peak and looked back to see the trail. It was grand view from the top. We could see all the way to Port Augusta, 40 km away, and the ranges to the north, east and south. On the west was the head of the gulf, salt pans and the salt bed of lake Torrens. There were clouds and their shadows across the landscape made it look like a patchwork quilt. We had lunch at the peak and then started on our way down. Along the way we saw two groups of feral goats. We had passed a trap for them on our way up. It was a fenced dam, with a ramp sloping from the outside to the top op the fence. The idea was that the goats would climb the ramp and jump into the fence to access the water, but wouldn't be able to jump to the top of the ramp to get out. It wasn't being used however, as the gate had been left open. Anyway, the feral goats, about 6-7 in each group were quite scared and bolted when we came upon them. On the other hand we saw many kangaroos, some with joeys in their pouches, and they weren't scared at all. One roo mum was lounging with the joey grazing nearby. When we approached he got scared and bounded away, while she just lay there calmly. He returned but was ill at ease. The mum sat up and was alert but not disturbed. He hid behind her, and peeped from behind her a few times. He grew more nervous. He was too big to fit in her pouch, but that's where he wanted to be. So he buried his head and front paws in her pouch instead. He would extricate himself now and then, but on seeing us, would quickly plunge his head into her pouch again. We left him alone and moved on. Some other roo mums were completely unfazed, even when we were very close to them. They carried on grazing. The joeys were in their pouches. They would peep out and nibble a few blades of grass which were within reach. But sometimes their nerves would desert them, and they would withdraw into the pouch. it was lovely to be able to observe them from so close. There were also many birds, mainly rosellas, which are an Australian parrot, some other parrots. When we were at the peak we saw a couple of wedge-tailed eagles. At one time they were very close to the cliff and we could see them in flight from close. It was an awesome sight to see these magnificent birds spread their wings and soar majestically.
After returning to the car we continued to drive down the dirt track. We passed the grave of Hugh Proby's, who had started the Kanyaka homestead in 1851, and tragically drowned in the Willochra Creek nearby. we also passed the ruins of Simmonston, the town that never was. There were the ruins of a hotel and general store. They were built and the surrounding land allotments sold in a feverish pitch in the belief that the Ghan was going to pass through here. When the Ghan was aligned and passed further east of the town it was abandoned, there being nothing to sustain it.
The drive was quite scenic. But the sum was setting and we couldn't linger. We got to Hawker and decided to stay there for the night. At the caravan park while we were cooking dinner we got chatting with another traveller, Chris, who had been to India many times and was a follower of Sai Baba and Ma Amritanandamayi. Had a long interesting chat with her.
