Left Mt Barker on a clear sunny 3deg morning taking a scenic route through steep hills dotted with more autumn colour including the grape vines once again. There are so many wineries in South Australia, even Stu ponders on who drinks it all??? Must say they do make lovely reds. We also passed through lots of cherry, apple & pear orchards. Travelling on to Gawler, then Clare, both very small towns rich in heritage but have seen better days. The area changes & becomes the big grain growing region & also sheep. It is very flat so there are big views & massive paddocks of very rich, productive land, presently ploughed in readiness for the next planting. We saw huge grain storage 'bunkers' which seem to have replaced the old grain silos. They look like huge pillows of plastic of several colours. I think they must be pits underground, then covered. Haven't thought to ask anyone as yet. The area does remind us of Pukekohe in many respects with it's red soil & big open ranges & valleys. Some of the paddocks have the remains of their last grain stubble so are quite a light wheat colour.
Further along that day we saw a rail freight train with one carriage for passengers & many, many freight cars, some with containers stacked two high. The whole thing was about 500m long & was headed from Port Piri further up the coast. Not long after we catch our first glimses of the magnificent Flinders Ranges, with the ocean on one side & the ranges on the other. We are feeling noticeably warmer at last, so start a slow striptease the further we go - discreetly of course! We reach our destination of Mambray Creek in the Mt Remarkable National Park about 3pm in time for a cuppa. Although there are other campers present, it is not busy, so we choose a nice site by a very dry, stony river bed. After a reconoitre we plan tomorrows activities. It is an area rich in walking trails & we are very excited about the next day.
A fine morning dawns & we are greeted by emus & kangaroos around the camp. The emus are quite funny but elegant too. A group of about 8 wander around the various camp sites, quite ignoring the humans present. They look healthy & placid & at one campsite set up with many chairs & tables, they wandered among them as if they were about to sit down to breakfast.
Setting off on our 18 km, 7 hr trek for the day which is to a 'hidden valley' in a magnificent gorge. The initial climb is up to a bluff which has great views back towards the several ports on the Spencer Gulf, i.e. Port Pirie, & Port Germaine. We are glad to reach the top for morning tea, then carry over the ridges to begin the climb down. There are several groups of high school students from the camp doing the trek today, but luckily for us they are going the opposite way round. Finally we reach the bottom & begin to see the fantastic cliffs of red quartzite. The trail now follows the dry creek bed of the gorge, not great on the feet as it is very, very stony. It becomes a magic land where we are the only humans, with kangaroos to befriend along the way. The cliffs are so high, & are layered, & so incredible it's hard to capture their beauty. Some appear to be performing a great balancing act, which is a bit scary. It was nice to find a big rock to sit & eat lunch & have a break for a while. Eventually we come to what we think is a dead end until we walk right into it & realise there is a narrow opening in one corner. The colours change a little here & there, some streaked with dark colours, & one cliff in particular with large areas of pale pink. The trail meanders in & out of the creek bed at times among lovely small native pines & sugar gums & very large eucalypts with burnt out centres which have obviously been standing for a very long time. I just love their shapes & colours. Every now & then we are surprised by another kangaroo nibbling away at some morsel it has found or leaping out of the bushes beside the track. One in particular just totally ignored us till I began to think it was deaf. Apparently kangaroos don't like to look you in the face for too long??? Who can blame them. Finally we reach camp after 6 hours tired but happy after such a fabulous experience. Dinner by a nice campfire finished the day.
Unfortunately we can't totally escape chores, so the second morning is spent catching up on washing, computer updates etc. We have no power, so no internet, but have enough battery left for a short spurt. Stu discovers he has blisters from the day before, due to the shoes he bought on our arrival & the long trek yesterday, so a short afternoon walk seems sensible today. However we do take an evening stroll up a hill to catch the sunset before dinner then another pleasant campfire dinner & some photos of a lovely big moon rising hrough the trees before bed.
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