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Port Parham
Kangaroo Nest
Flinders Ranges
Sliding Rock
Flinders Ranges
Wilpena Pound
4 Wheel Drive Trip Arkapena
Solar Panels Wilpena
Homestead Wilpena
Chip at Wilpena Pound
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After leaving Coffin Bay on the 1st
March we traveled
back up to Whyalla where we purchased a DVD player that plays DivX format,we
are very pleased with it so far.
We then traveled to another freebie at Port Germein
where we stayed for one night. On leaving there we made our way further down the York
Peninsular which is also suffering from the drought very dry just like Eyre
Peninsular. Ardrossan was a nice area by the sea. We made it to Maitland for our
overnight stay at a freebie which is located in the
main street opposite the hospital. The next night we stayed at Port Parham
where they have large tides. The local fisherman have modified vehicles to enable
them to drive out and launch their boats.
We arrived in Adelaide on the 4th March
and booked into the Levi Caravan Park which is tops. After settling in we started doing all the site seeing things
and catching up on some blood tests. Adelaide appears to be a neat and tidy city
with a lot of diversity in employment and education choices. We went into the
city the other day and bought our Desert Passes and our National Park Passes.
Whilst in Adelaide we went to Victor Harbor which is a pleasant little town
right on the ocean.
Today Monday 13th March we went to the National Motor Museum
at Birdwood in the Adelaide hills which houses motor cars and motor bikes of all ages. The museum is regarded as
the largest and houses the best selection of vehicles in Australia under one roof, the
museum is very good and very worth seeing if you are in the area. From the museum we
come back to Harndorf
which is of German background with hotels, cafes, restaurants and craft shops a
very nice little town, but very busy of a weekend. We also went up to the Mount Lofty Summit
which gives panoramic views of the Adelaide Plains and Saint Vincent Gulf.
We departed Adelaide on the 22nd March
after stocking up on supplies and headed fortheFlinders Ranges traveling
through Clare
a picturesque wine producing area. Clare is dotted with vineyards and offers
both tasting and cellar sales. The Barossa Valley is one of Australia's best
known destinations.
The valley's natural beauty and German culture and wine
heritage is the areas strongest means of employment. Tanunda has a large
population of German people and is also the largest town in the Barossa Valley.
The town has numerous parks and gardens, around the Para River which winds it's
way through the town.
We traveled up through Jamestown which is 209 km's from
Adelaide and was laid out in 1861. A little further on you come to Wilmington
which lies at the entrance to Horrocks Pass and adjacent to Alligator George.
Wilmington is a picturesque rural town supporting the rural community. It is
also the crossroads of Australia from Sydney to Perth and the main north road
from Adelaide.
We then came upon a little village of Melrose. Melrose is the
oldest town in the Flinders Ranges and dates back to the 1850's. Although
the mainstay of the farming community is still grain, there has been a recent
move into olive, grapes and oil seeds.
We stayed on the side of the road that
night and had Mount Remarkable as our backdrop for the night.
We traveled onto Quorn which is 335 km's from Adelaide and is an old railway town nestled
amongst
the Flinders Ranges and is better known for the Pichi Richi Pass train that only
runs between April and September. We missed a ride, timing is so important.
Another 40 km's on we came to Hawker. Hawker is the hub of the Flinders Ranges
for shopping and supplies and is located at the junction of roads from Port
Augusta, Orroroo, Leigh Creek/Maree and Wilpena/Blinman.
After fueling up and
grabbing a bight to eat on we go to Rawnsley Park Station Caravan Park,
a great park, Managers Bev and Gordon top people and
home for two weeks. Wilpena Pound is the greatest single at feature in the
Flinders Ranges. Entrance to Wilpena Pound is only accessible by means of a
walking track. many roads and tracks lead to a host of rugged Georges and
beautiful Valley's.
Whilst at Rawnsley Park there is numerous walks you can have
a go at including Kangaroo Gap, Chase Range, Elder Range, Alison Saddle
and Rawnsley Bluff. Rawnsley Park has plentiful Euro and Western Grey Kangaroo's
and not forgetting the colorful Parrots. Wilpena claims to have the
largest Solar Power Station supplying all of Wilpena's power needs in Australia.
The Heyson trail passes through the Flinders Ranges. The Heyson trail traverses
the states principal mountain ranges between Cape Jervis on the tip of the
Fleurieu Peninsula in the south to Parachilna George in the upper Flinders
Ranges. We went on a self drive 4 wheel drive outing through Arkapena which had
some very steep ranges and many deep gully crossings all lined with River Red
Gum tree's. The outing took a little over 4 hours to complete the 38 km's. |
