Flinders Ranges to Maree

Left the Flinders Ranges today and on our way out we decided to check out the self-guided geology tour.  We made it part way only to find the road ahead was partially flooded and not passable for Falkor.  We turned back and headed north towards Leigh Creek and Marree.  The last few km into Marree it started raining consistently and we were unable to continue. We were forced to camped in the parking lot of the Marree Hotel for the night as all the rooms were booked.  It seems people with 4WD radioed ahead for their rooms.

The hotel was nothing to speak of, everyone staying there was over 50 except for the tour guides.  Pretty depressing place to get stuck considering we are unsure if we can get out tomorrow.  The road ahead and behind us are both sloppy wet.

We headed back towards Wilpena Pound to go on a return hike to St Mary Peak.  The hike was a rediciulous 15 km hike, part of which traveled up the washes on the mountian side.  The trail was nonexistent in many places and the markers were infrequent.  We managed to get off trail for a small bit but found our way back.  Some other hikers wandered completely the wrong way but still made to the the summit, albiet a lot later.  The views were breathtaking.  Absolutely amazing.  I can see why some people think this area is better then Ayers Rock.  Camped for the night at Dingy Dell in the flat lands, no one else in sight.

Port Augusta to Wilpena Pound

 

Left Mt Remarkable and stopped in port Augusta to stock up on food and booze.  Coninued on north towards the Flinders Range where we stopped at a few Aboriginal 'art gallerys' read: cave paintings.  It was very neat to see some of the simplistic drawings for the mere fact that they had most likely been drawn before bibilical times.  We arrived in Wilpena and found that our camping pass did not apply to their private camp ground so we took an 18km drive on a slightly dodgy dirt road and camped at Bunyeroo Gorge.  Saw an incredible number of kangaroos on the way to the site.  Two other groups were camped there but that didn't spoil the isolation to much. There was an amazing amount of stars to been seen.

 

Mount Remarkable - Hidden Gorge

 

We hiked the Hidden Gorge at Mount Remarkable today.  For a 17 km hike it wasn't very difficult.  There were some very pretty landscape and we got our first glimpses of red Australian soil.  Decided to stay another night at Mt Remarkable and milk the two-month holiday camping pass we purchased for $58 AUD.  Not a bad deal as it gets you entry and camping to all of the South Australian national parks.

Adelaide and Mt Remarkable

After checking out of Cannon St, we walked around the Adelaide CBD (central business district) for a bit, checking out the shopping areas, buying a few things we needed, and a few we didn't. Unfortunately, there's not much else to do in the city especially in the winter. During the summer, I'm sure the parks surrounding the city are very nice. Then we went on a tour of the Haigh's Chocolate Factory, which was somewhat interesting and very delicious! My favorite was the dark chocolate almonds they gave us at the end of the tour.

Leaving Adelaide was fine, though its weird when the main highway is actually a two lane road with stoplights. We decided to stay at Mt Remarkable State Park for the night and go on a hike in the morning. We arrived around 5, paid the exorbitant entrance/camping fee ($24) and set up camp. This was just the right time to see some emus, and then a nice sunset.

Creepy Koalas

This morning we treated ourselves to McDonalds brekkie then headed on towards Adelaide.

Though I thought there would be stuff to see between Ararat and Adelaide, but there really wasn't, mostly just farms. And lots of rain. And a giant creepy koala. We got into Adelaide around 4, and decided to stay at Cannon St Backpackers on recommendation of the guidebooks. Bad choice.

While it might be nice in the summer, in August there is no one there and the place is really dirty and weird. We tried to spend as little time as possible there and had a few drinks at a pub before heading back for some light dinner (brie and crackers). The best thing about the place is probably the free breakfast, including make your own omelette!

On the Road!

We left Melbourne on the third of August. After a long morning of errands, we finally got out of town around two in the afternoon. Obviously, this was not ideal, but we didn't really have any other option. We ended up making it to a campsite outside of Ararat, Victoria just as it was getting dark.

The site was called Green Lake Reserve (I think), and though we could clearly see the lake, it was hard to make out where the campsites actually were. We ended up parking near this other mobile home and the toilets, in the driest spot we could find. We could hear lots of frogs that night, though we didn't actually see any.