Pies in Blinman

On the middle day at Angorichina, we travelled back to Blinman, and noticed that without a caravan at the back of us, the road was less tough.   However the road through the gorge was still very rough, and sometimes it was hard to know where the creek bed finished and the road began.

Before I write further I must cover two points.   One was that there was no mobile connection at Angorichina or Blinman or anywhere in the vicinity.   This meant no internet either, something we were certainly not used to.  We had to resort to normal books!

The second point related to poison being laid in these rural areas, which I knew about when I investigated travelling to Arkaroola.   National Parks were quite informative about the poison, 1080, that was put down to get rid of foxes which destroyed the local wildlife.    Now 1080 poison is pretty drastic.  But of course what I did not know was that 1080 was also put down on properties too, in order to kill the wild dogs which attack the sheep (mostly lambs) and calves.  

When we returned home we watched a television series about feral animals in Australia, namely wild dogs (sometimes interbred with dingoes), foxes, wild cats, goats, camels, brumbies (wild horses), pigs, deer, rabbits, toads and carp.  Of course in the past it was very careless of people to release these animals into the wild.   Now Australia has a huge problem, environmentally and economically.    

But having just returned from the UK where there was an uproar about fox hunting, it was mind blowing to hear about the feral animals, and more so to hear about the methods used to get rid of them.   1080 poison was widely used around the Flinders, both in the National Parks and grazing properties, and was sold in the shop in Angorichina.   Outback Australians are pragmatic for sure.

Probably if I did not have a dog I would not be even aware of the feral dog problem, and certainly would not be aware of the 1080 poison.   So unless we are in a town, a camping ground or a rest area, Piper does not get out of the car, unless she wears a muzzle.       

But onto Blinman, an old copper mining town.    Copper was discovered by a one-legged shepherd called Robert 'Peg Leg' Blinman who discovered copper there.   Copper mining occurred between 1862 to 1907.  There are now only about 10 permanent residents in Blinman but during the day the numbers of people swell, even during Covid-19 when there are less tourists around.

As well as a mine tour, which did not appeal after clambering through tunnels in Coober Pedy, there is a very interesting self guided tour.   So many old cottages.   Fascinating.

The building in the photograph below is of the old cottage hospital.   Plus a couple of old caravans behind it.   Lots of old caravans in Blinman.

A close up photograph of the old hospital. with the remains of the gate in front.  It was a fairly rough and ready building,

made of logs with a sort of mortar holding it together.   

Another very old log building on the main street.

The Blinman pub, even during Covid-19 times still attracted a large group of people.   The photograph below was taken at about 11.50 a.m.

And by 12.10 pm there was not an available parking spot in front of it.   We ate the house speciality, meat pies, and they were certainly delicious.    

We decided to take a detour back to Angorichina, via the Glass Gorge. which was designated a 4 wheel drive track but the local information was that our all wheel drive vehicle should handle it well, just take it easy.   And yes the condition of the road varied considerably, from smooth gravel, to pot holes, to corrugations, to rocky and uneven parts to many dry creek beds.  We travelled slowly and the car performed brilliantly.
 
The scenery was spectacular. with rock formations, different soils and ever changing colours.

Finally we made it back to Angorichina, where we sat in the sun on the sheltered side of the caravan.  A chilly wind had sprung up during the day.  Little did we know that the chilly wind would become stronger and prove to be a hot wind, with red dust, that caused quite a few problems at our next destination, Maree.

A family arrived in Angorichina, and camped behind us, which meant we had to put our toilet tent up.  It was great to have company though.   They had a delightful small dog with them, and Piper spent quite a few happy hours playing with him.

I have a mental block when recalling the name of Angorichina, due no doubt to having difficulties with the pronunciation.

Angorichina Tourist Village!

Moving on, and into territory we have never visited, so it was with great anticipation that we set forth on the Thursday morning.   In perfect weather with a blue sky, a warm temperature and no wind.   

Our aim was to reach our final destination, Maree, sometime in the next few days, and look at some of the settlements along the way.

Our first stop, only 41 kms up the road, was Quorn, the home of the Pichi Richi Railway, which still runs as a tourist train between Port Augusta and Quorn.   The old Ghan line to Darwin went through Quorn, then up to Maree, along the Oodnadatta Track to Alice Springs, all on a narrow gauge line.   It was beset with problems as sections of the line were often swept away when creeks flooded.   The railway was built along the existing track north as there were springs and water holes on this route, which meant explorers and camel drivers had sufficient water as they travelled north.  Initially the line only went as far as Oodnadatta and passengers had to continue further on camels.   Many settlements sprang up to service the railway. And much water was needed for the steam trains.  Then a standard gauge line was built as far as Maree, nnd the Old Ghan Service continued from there.   Finally in 1980 a standard gauge was built west of the line, away from the flood plains, from Pt Augusta to Alice Springs.  Also the diesel trains did not need water.  Sadly it spelt the end of the settlements along the Old Ghan line.

But back to Quorn.    The last time we were there was in 1979, and the town appeared to be the same, just less prosperous, although that could be due to the lack of overseas and interstate tourists.  

After coffee in the Quandong Cafe, great atmosphere, where we drank excellent coffee but ate terrible cake, we decided to have a quick walk around the town.   Quandong fruit, a native bushland food,  is made into pies at the cafe.   Sadly they had sold out so we could not try them.

As in many of the outback towns there were pubs, and in this town we could see three main ones.   Superb old buildings.    One on each corner.

And this one opposite the railway station.

The old railway station, which also doubles as an information centre, with a museum too.   Sadly no time for a good look around, so we said that we would stay in Quorn on the way back from Maree.

We bought a new road atlas, which had very detailed maps of the area.   Surprisingly I could not get enough information from Google Maps to show me the condition of roads, or in fact the detail that I needed to plan our trip.   When Walter looked at the road atlas he found that after the next town, Hawker, we could follow a sealed public road through the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park to Blinman.   No dogs were allowed in this park, so we knew that we could not visit Wilpena Pound, or even stop along the way, but at least we could see the scenery as we travelled through.

Our plan was to travel back from Maree along the Outback Highway or Explorers Way and catch up on the sights we missed on the way up, including a good look at Hawker (including the panoramic painting) and Quorn, but we changed our mind when we arrived in Maree.  Always the way!

On our travels we saw many ruins, settlements that were founded on hope but ended in failure, and not just due to the Old Ghan railway closing down.   

We stopped at this site, Wilson Historic Site, which was once a railway siding, on the Old Ghan railway line.   A town was established in 1881 as a centre for a farming community.   Initially grain was grown here, as it appeared the land was fertile and there was plenty of rain at that time, and they had a few good years of productive grain production.   But the goodness in the soil was soon depleted and in reality there was very little rain. 

in 1885 there were 12-14 dwellings, with a post office, church and hotel, and it was the centre of sports in the area.   But lack of rain and  droughts meant that the town could not survive.   By 1929 everyone had left.   The ruins can be seen from the old train station.

We stopped once, only briefly, on the road through to Blinman, in order to take a few photos of the distance ranges.   The area around Wilpena Pound was heavily wooded, which was quite a surprise after the arid plains between Quorn and Hawker.     

There were also many places to stop, heritage sites, and lookouts, including a ridge of sandstone called 'The Great Wall of China' but with a dog in the car it was not possible to stop and really have a look.

We turned left at Blinman, and continued on the very rough unsealed road, through the Parachilna Gorge, to a place with an unlikely name of Angorichina Holiday Village.    

I still cannot get used to the term 'holiday' or 'tourist village' as a description for anything outback here.   It does not mean green grass, swimming pool, upmarket accommodation, sporting facilities, amazing playgrounds, even a bar/restaurant perhaps as it would in the UK or Europe.   In the outback it means not quite roughing it, but almost, and in Angorichina that was precisely it.   There was the usual grocery store/fuel pumps/hardware/tyre shop, all combined, which also sold coffee, plus a huge building for groups, and quite reasonable cottages for hire, plus a camping ground.   All very rustic.  It was set amongst quite spectacular scenery with rocks, cliffs, valleys, gum trees and plenty of dust.   Not a blade of grass anywhere.

There were vehicles parked in front of the store, marked Blinman Hotel, and it would appear that they act as a taxi service should one wish to travel to Blinman for an evening of food and alcohol.  They also offered tours of the local area, and a bit further afield.  I guess this was prior to Covid-19 restrictions and lack of tourists.   Perhaps all the extra services qualified the 'tourist' part in the name.

There was also an excellent walk to Blinman Pools, which would have been great to do had we been ten years younger.  Plenty of clambering up and down slopes, according to the description on the sign.  However, no dogs allowed on this walk so that was out anyway. 

An interesting welcome sign at the front gate!    The old building on the right was the pump house. Bore water.

 

Interestingly the settlement at Angorichina was once a TB rehabilitation centre.  Plenty of hot dry weather here. After World War I the men who ran Angorichina Station gave the TB Soldiers Aid Society some land which was to become the site of a hostel for TB patients.  As well as the hostel, that housed patients and nursing staff,  there were chalets.   The hostel now provides accommodation for large groups.   There was a group of secondary school students there when we stayed in the camping ground.   They arrived in relative comfort in a coach.  But back in 1927 it must have been a long trip, first by train to Parachilna, then by car or horse and cart to the hostel.   Tough times.    

The camping ground was rustic, although surprisingly very comfortable.   The small toilet block had gaps under the walls and doors, so I certainly kept an eye out for the slithery creatures.   There were communal basins for hand washing.   The shower blocks were interesting, in that the men's block had six showers, with water resistant carpet in the centre of the room and six hand basins.   The women's block had three showers, no carpet, a washing machine and a tub!

There were two covered communal areas with barbeques, and again fire pits everywhere, with wood provided from the store.

We had taps on each site so could hook up the caravan to one of them.    As we were the only people there on the first night we took the cover off the portaloo and placed it beside the caravan, with a view over the valley.   It was full moon!    Nothing beats a view from the perch.  

Piper had to learn to do her business on stones and dirt.    No lovely grass anywhere.   A learning experience for her.    She is a spoilt dog.

The views from the camping ground were spectacular.

And more adventures the next day.

A day in the lower Flinders Ranges

We returned a week ago from our trip to the Flinders Ranges and further north, and definitely time to put pen to paper, so as to speak.    

Interestingly I uploaded the photographs below at our campsite in Wilmington, which provided excellent wifi facilities.   This does not happen very often in the South Australian country areas, the reason for this is quite unknown to us.   I must try and use my new telephone to write blogs, not always easy with two fingers.  Now that I have changed the provider from Vodaphone. which does not provide coverage north of Port Augusta, to a provider that uses Telstra, and Australia wide coverage.   Much cheaper too, so a win all round.   Even so telephone connection further north is only available when in settlements, something that we must get used to, after being in the UK and Europe.

It was a fantastic trip, in extremely dry and windy conditions, and we stretched our abilities and confidence to the absolute limits.    And we are keen for more outback touring.

But back to the beginning, in Wilmington, where it was still green after much rain during the winter months.

Our first campsite, namely Beautiful Valley Camping Ground, in Wilmington.   Note our small toilet tent on the left of the photograph, which houses our portaloo, all ready for our nightly use.   I spent hours mending the loops on this little tent, and now the zip has broken.   We have now bought a new pop up tent, more robust we hope.   We also have a flash one that uses poles, and which has a floor, but it takes some time and patience to put up.   The biggest problem I have found is making sure that nothing slithers under the gap at the bottom.  I do not need surprises in the night.  Oh no.  I always take a torch with me, to check out the roof (spiders) and floor (snakes or lizards).

 Wilmington was once called Beautiful Valley.   We are always fascinated by the English place names here, which bear no resemblance to the UK.   There was a Wilmington near us in Joydens Wood.   Totally different.

The main street of Wilmington, nothing much going on here except for the service station/grocery/hardware store.   There were museum signs, one cafe and a pizza place but all closed during the week.   I forgot to say the pub was open.   The pubs are always open in these towns, and usually busy too.

When we found out there waa no coffee available in Wilmington we drove twenty kilometres or so south to Melrose, where we sat in the sunshine and drank excellent coffee and ate a delicious piece of cake.

Melrose is the most picturesque and gorgeous little town, full of history and beautiful buildings.   And very prosperous.   

It lies next to the Mt Remarkable National Park, which is popular with walkers and mountain bikers.   When we drove through here last July the place was full of keen people with bikes.   The camping grounds were also booked out.   

A group of secondary school students out on their bikes.

I loved the view below, of the roof of the house just visible above the field of yellow canola (rape seed in the northern hemisphere).   Now I believe it is not due to political correctness that the name has changed but rather canola oil is a refined form of rape oil   Canola oil is safer to use in cooking apparently.   Of course I could be totally wrong.    The canola fields are just as colourful, especially under blue skies.  And just as bad for allergy sufferers.  

The grain silos rising above the yellow fields.

The Goyder Line monument.   Just a rock I know, but there was a plaque there too.  The Goyder Line is a line (marked on maps) that runs roughly east-west across South Australia, where on the south side the rainfall is an average of 10 inches and on the north side the land is considered too dry for cropping, due to a low rainfall.   Of course the line moves a bit, depending on one's interpretation of the vegetation, but generally south of the line there is mostly mallee scrub and to the north it is saltbush.   The establishment of the Goyder line came about in 1865 when George Goyder, the Surveyor-General of the colony, was asked to map the boundary between those areas that received good rainfall and those experiencing drought.   But in 1865 the areas north of the demarcation line received good rainfall so farmers ignored the advice and planted crops.   But of course the good rainfall did not last and people left the land.   We saw plenty of old ruins as we drove north of the Goyder Line.

But back to the Beautiful Valley Campsite, which was a delightful little area, and we spent a happy afternoon reading our books and looking out at the bush surrounding us.   The ground was covered in green grass, so refreshing.

The camping ground included a large bushland area which was designated 'bush camping' with good ablution blocks within a five minute walk away.    There were piles of wood available for camp fires, plus large metal fire containers.    This campsite catered for everyone.   

Piper loved going for walks through the bush.   She was also fascinated by the resident possum which wandered around the campsite at night.   This was a place for being on a lead, except for ball chasing sessions.   When there is a tennis ball around she is fixated on it only.    

Piper having a well deserved rest in the photograph below, with the loop of her lead fixed under my chair.   Piper has really taken to being out in the caravan, and is happy to be tied up, unlike her first taste of camping where she chewed through her lead in an effort to escape.  

There were two National Parks close by, Mt Remarkable National Park, and Alligator Gorge National Park but for us they were no go areas as we had a dog.    Most National Parks will not allow dogs, and Conservation Parks never allow dogs.   The changes in the law occurred after we left here in 1991, and for good reason too.   Not all dogs are controlled by their owners and do an awful lot of damage.    

But not too worry as we had plenty to see and do further on into the Flinders.     

Keeping occupied

In South Australia we cannot travel very far.   The Australian borders are closed, and we are a country in isolation, surrounded by oceans.  And within Australia it is difficult to travel to other states without having to quarantine when returning to South Australia so in effect our state borders are closed too.  We need a permit to travel to the Northern Territory, and we can travel to Queensland, but any rise in Covid-19 infections there will require quarantine when we return.   And Victoria is out completely.   For the near future if we travel there we cannot return to South Australia.

We have had very few cases of Covid-19 in South Australia, mostly from returning Australians in quarantine, and a small cluster a few weeks ago, which resulted in a traveller from Victoria spreading it to other people.   Even so people are expected to get tested if they display any cold symptoms.   We even have a testing station in Aldinga Beach, which caters for the southern suburbs, and there are always a few cars pulling into the testing station.

Thank goodness we only have to worry about colds at the moment.   The ordinary flu season has nearly finished with only a few people catching flu early in the season.   This is due to a large percentage of the people getting flu shots and adhering to social distancing.    So for those people living in the northern hemisphere who are worried about the forthcoming flu season approaching it may not happen.

Aldinga Beach and Port Willunga are areas that are buzzing at the weekends, and during the last school holidays, due to people coming here, as they cannot fly to Melbourne for the weekend and too risky booking to go other states for a short break.   The restaurants and cafes are loving it, I think.

We are leading a fairly quiet life, people wise, other than a few family gatherings, and going on my small group cycle rides on Mondays.   However we keep very busy and love getting out and about in the local areas.

I love walking on the beach, especially Port Willunga Beach, which is ever changing.   The photograph below was taken on a very stormy and windy day.   The blue sky was for a brief few minutes, the rain clouds were right behind me, coming from the south west.

The storms always change the beach.   Five days ago I was walking on sand here.   There were no rocks and a perfect hard sand beach for another 500 metres south.   

These rocks were covered in sand, as were the old stumps of the jetty.   I guess about a metre in height of sand has been washed out to sea and deposited elsewhere along the shore.   The sand will appear again, sometime in the future.    Nature is amazing.

Piper and Charlie wait anxiously for me to throw balls to them.   They are hilarious.   Each has their own ball, and Piper especially will not touch Charlie's ball.   Charlie likes to keep his ball in his mouth and chase half heartedly after Piper's ball.   Now and again he will drop his ball and grab Piper's ball.   She is never impressed by this.   When they get hot they dash into the waves and drop their balls in the water, and wait for me to retrieve them.   Piper once swam out to get a ball when she thought it was going out too far.   Unfortunately she has not repeated it.   We have lost a few balls which get taken out to sea, or lost in the turbulent waves.   No doubt they wash up somewhere along the coast, to be picked up by other dog walkers.   

I now have knee high rubber boots as I was sick of getting wet feet when wearing my trendy ankle rubber boots and trying to dodge the waves.   Still it is a lot of fun, and I enjoy the hour spent on the beach too.

 On the day below Lucy and Jay joined me, together with Poppy the dog.   The weather was perfect as well.
Poppy and Piper asleep in the sunshine, exhausted after their hour at the beach.

In the photograph below Piper is wearing her new muzzle, and not really impressed about it.  And to answer a question.  Piper has not taken to biting people when out walking. The muzzle is for our proposed trip to the northern Flinders, where dogs are allowed in the National Park by Arkaroola.   However, a really nasty bait is often put on the ground to poison the foxes.  I know people in the UK probably do not agree with baiting foxes, and I have mixed feelings about it too, but foxes are not native to Australia and do untold damage to the local wildlife.    As are rabbits.  So it will be muzzle time for Piper when visiting many outback areas.  

Ten days ago we had a girls' weekend at our house, although Emma slept at her own house as it was only 5 minutes away.   

On the Friday we had a mammoth shopping trip in Harbour Town, an outlet by the airport.   I spent a lot of money on clothes, including $150 on two pairs of jeans (buy one pair and get one pair half price).    As we did not go to the Netherlands this year I could not top up my jean collection at my favourite shop, Primark, where I pay on average about $12 for good stretch jeans.   Sadly I am wearing out my Primark jeans, at the knees.   I know it is fashionable for the young to wear jeans with holes in them, but I think at my age it will definitely look really naff.   

We went out for dinner at a local restaurant.

On the Saturday we set off to walk down the old Sellicks Road, built I believe around 1850.   Walter dropped us off at the top, in order to avoid walking uphill and then back down again.

It was a scenic walk, with interesting rock seams in the hills.   It appears to have once been a popular dumping area for old cars, and in the gully in the photograph below, there were about four rusting old cars.

We thought about stopping at the Victory Hotel for a drink or two, but decided against it, in favour of walking to Sellicks Beach, where we drank welcome coffees and ate chocolate bars.   Then we continued walking to the Aldinga Beach ramp, where Walter collected Andreena and me.   Emma and Donna still had plenty of walking power left, and walked back to our house, stopping only to buy a bottle of gin from the bottle shop.    We had a lovely evening drinking our favourite tipples, and playing card games.  Altogether a great weekend.

We both have electric bikes!   Finally we made a decision to change over to an easier way of cycling.   It has taken nearly three years to do so, and for me the change occurred when I had an exhausting morning trying to keep up with the Monday cyclists, when we rode from Willunga to Moana Beach.   

Mine is a second hand bike (photograph below) bought from one of the cyclists, and after buying a new battery and getting the bike serviced, I can ride anywhere.   This bike has one pedal support, which is fast and very powerful.  Hills and headwinds are no problem at all now.   Nor is distance.   It is also a very comfortable bike and perfect for a tall person.   Consequently I have explored the areas around Aldinga Beach, where the hills and gravel roads pose no problems at all.

Just one minor difficulty, the magpies are nesting at the moment, and some of them are ferocious.  I have often been swooped on, and they have pecked my helmet, but luckily not through the gaps, so no skin missing from my head. Their warning  calls are quite scary as well.   I think I will have to resort to stand up ties on my helmet.   Forget about pride.

Walter's bike, in the photograph below, only cost him $750 plus shipping, and surprisingly it is a really great bike to ride.   He has only been on short bike rides, but I am looking forward to taking him further, once the weather improves.   

A view from a road overlooking McLaren Vale.

The bike path which runs from Willunga to the coast and beyond.   It used to be the railway line from Willunga to Adelaide.    Always a lovely path to ride on and very scenic.   I do wish there was a cycle path running from Aldinga to Willunga as getting there requires a journey on a very busy road.   However now that I have an electric bike I have taken the back roads.

Almond blossom in McLaren Vale.   The area around Willunga was once an almond growing area,  but now the more lucrative vineyards have taken over.

The Soldiers Memorial in McLaren Vale.

Grape vines and more grape vines, as far as the eye can see.   After writing blogs about the Coonawarra, Riverland, Barossa and Clare Valley wine producing areas I forgot to mention that we live beside a very large grape growing area, McLaren Vale.    As well as producing excellent wines, it is also very picturesque.

A view once I had reached the top of a very steep hill, which caught me unawares and I had to get off the bike and push it up.   I forgot to change down a couple of the gears and the motor did not like me being in top gear.   I forgot to add that my bike has a throttle, which I have not used, as it is too powerful.

A fascinating scarecrow, trying to push his lawnmower.

My birthday seems to have occurred a long time ago, but I thought I would include a photograph of my present, which was a joint present from the family.   The bird baths are now in the back garden, and hopefully the birds enjoy using them this year.   Darren has given instructions that only he is allowed to touch the lime tree.   So far I have killed three lemon trees and four lime trees.   I always thought they were indestructible. Not so. 

The beautiful lemons hanging over the fence.   The tree belongs to our neighbours, but most of the lemons are on our side, the sunny side.   They don't use them so we are the lucky recipients.   

The lime tree in place in its new tub, which certainly looks better than the old half wine barrel.

I moved the old half wine barrel around to the back of the house, and I intend to plant a tree fern in it.   When I find one.

I also spent a great few days staying with Donna and family in Glenelg, while Walter spent the time in a private room in Flinders Private Hospital.    It turned out to be nothing serious, just a reaction to his three yearly colostomy check up.   A luxury hospital though with delicious food, but unfortunately he could not have any, for a couple of days.   He was impressed with his weight loss while there.

But Glenelg was lovely, and made more enjoyable as Donna was on holiday, so we spent time walking the dogs around the streets, and drinking coffee in the cafes.   It was also great spending time with the family.

But what amazed me was the number of cars, which freaked Piper quite a bit.   We had to do some serious dog training concerning traffic when we got home.

And now we are at the beginning of a trip to the northern Flinders Ranges,  We are currently in a place called Wilmington, which bears no resemblance to Wilmington in Kent, England.   And the wifi is brilliant too.   But more about the trip later.