Day 18
Monday, 1st October
Port Augusta - Wilpena
Port Augusta
Quorn
Hawker
Wilpena
Distance Traveled
Today - 200 km
Total - 6559 km
Blog
I went and did a few caches in the morning while the kids did their music.
The first one had me driving down the beach. By the time I had the cache, the tide had risen and the water was up to the car. Any longer and I wouldn't have made it out.
We packed up and drove out to Quorn. We drove out to a couple of gorges, but everything was very dry, windy and dusty.
We came across the last of a camping group. The group was the "Roos". They camped here every year and even had a plaque on a tree giving "Thanks to introducing this area to the Roos". If I hadn't have been talking to them, I would have been very confused, as I am sure roos have been in this area for ever.
We drove around the country side. There are lots of ruins in this area. This area is all north of Goyder's Line. Back in the early 1800's this entire area was thought to be quite fertile with good rainfalls. Many families pioneered into the area and build their family homes upon their farms. In a short few years drought came and everyone lost everything. All their stock died.
In 1865 Goyder was sent north to determine the line of demarcation between where rainfall had extended and where the drought conditions prevailed. All of our South Australian trip is above Goyder's Line that nearly makes Orroroo and Peterborough. Thanks Andy for this info.
We saw a station that was once owned by the son of a Duke. He had been sent out to manage the distant remote property in the 1800s.
He died out here when there was a flash flood and he tried to save the cattle and drowned in the creek. There is a large grave for him now upon one of the hills. Nice eerie place where the wind whistles through the sign.
I checked out the local Hawker museum in the service station with the seismograph. This area is known for seismic activity.
We also checked some other ruins within the area.
We are now at Wilpena, up in the Flinders mountains. There are campers everywhere. Not at all peaceful.
It took a while to find a spot and we ended up driving the car and trailer up into a bunch of trees and just stopped and set up camp. I don't know how to get it out, but that is a problem for another day.
Doing a beach drive to get a cache at Port Augusta
A real seaside holiday
I parked on the water's edge and the tide came in when I was looking for a cache.
Port Augusta and lots of water.
A walk along the water at Port Augusta
The wharf walk at Port Augusta
A nice relaxing holiday at the seaside... Well, enough of that, lets get back to the Outback.
Outback scene at Quorn
The old steam engine at Quorn. Just for tourists now.
The Flinders Ranges in the background
Mountains beginning to grow
Lots of shingleback lizards in this area.
A gorge near Quorn. Was dry but would be a great place to camp.
Great rock formations in the gorge
The kids find a fishing hole at the gorge.
Proby, the son of the Duke sent to Australia to tend the farm.
Proby's story
Failing wheat crops in the Quorn area. Too late for the rain.
Us in the Flinders
The dusty roads around Quorn
The outback at Quorn
Dry country that used to be stocked with sheep
Ruins in the Quorn area
Ruins everywhere. Even entire towns that no longer exist. All destroyed because the area is prone to drought.
This looks like a nice place to visit. This was the only area on the entire trip where there were thousands of flies.
A water hole. One of the few places in a huge area that had constant water.
Ruins near the waterhole.
Hawker. Getting into the Flinders
A seismagraph in a fuel station at Hawker. This area is prone to earthquakes.
Finally back onto bitumen.
Wilpena. Up into the mountains of the Flinders
Camp set up in Wilpena. We just parked the car between two trees and then unfolded the tent.
There are lots of roos everywhere at Wilpena
There are lots of trees like this at Wilpena. Never seen any like it. Terrific.
Another similar tree looking from the other side.