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.
No comments:
Post a Comment