2024 Graham and Julie's Camping Adventure - The Flinders Ranges - Part 2 - Arkaroola or Bust

 We left Arkaroo Rock feeling up-lifted after our walk through beautiful scenery to the Arkaroo Rock Wall.  Now it was time to hook up the Geist and headed for Blinman on our next adventure.    

Blinman is a very small village (22 people live there), which we had visited briefly on one of our day trips while at Wilpeena. Of note, the Miners Crib Café Bakery offers a “Miner’s Pasty”, stuffing one end with a wee bit of apple pie filling and identifying it with a sprinkling of sugar, so you know which end to start at.  A clever way to include a bit of desert within one pastry. From memory, the town has a post office, an old copper mine that does tours and doubles as the info centre, and a pub. Frankly, I didn’t notice what the other buildings were, but it was a tiny town.  More importantly for our trip, this was the start of the road to The Arkaroola Wilderness Resort.  

When we arrived at the road conditions sign for the road into Arkaroola, we stopped to wait for Callan and Melinda to catch up and go ahead of us.  We took a breath to acknowledge the start of the next adventure, and off we went. I knew it was 152 km of dirt road, but yikes!  This was a different level of rough and dusty. Oncoming vehicles zoomed past us, kicking up rocks and dust so thick you could barely see through it, and if there were several vehicles in a row, well… it was time to crawl until it cleared. It was not quite red bull dust, but it was fine and billowed everywhere. After the first vehicle passed us, I thought back to the beginning of the drive when a fellow on a motorcycle with a sidecar passed us.  Now, I wondered if he was smiling or grimacing as he went by.

We drove through rolling hills with rows of rocks like walls jutting out of the ground, then windy narrow sections of road with orange dust that oozed into the truck just enough to coat the inside of your nose and eyes and ensure you could taste it.  I enjoyed watching the emus who chose to race alongside us as we crossed flat land dotted with short salt bushes visible for miles in the distance. At times, the angle of light made it difficult to see a dip in the road, or a cattle grid would appear unexpectedly, and if you saw huge stately gum trees in the distance, you knew you were approaching a dry creek bed, as that’s where they lived, growing to their great size nourished during the floods.   

 Graham had positioned Callan and Melinda in front of us in case anything happened to them.  We’d travelled over halfway there when Graham saw them stopped up ahead. Bugger! A flat tyre!  We joined them on the side of the road and discussed the situation, then got to work. They worked very well as a team, and soon, the tyre was replaced. I took photos and watched for traffic...

Note:  Before I get a million comments - tyre is Australian, tire is North American.  I'm writing this here, so I used the Aussie spelling.

I thought I was being quite upbeat and supportive when I said,

            “I'll bet you could all get a job in the supercar pits!”  Heads swivelled as one with the look.  Umm, clearly, too soon to joke about it.

I liked that everyone who passed us while they were working on the tire change stopped to ask if we needed a hand.  Job done, we shook off the dust with relief… until Melinda walked around to the other side of the vehicle to find… another flat tyre! Gad Zooks!  

In the meantime, while they were figuring out the second flat tyre solution, I’d stuck my head into the Geist, and my eyes bugged out at the sight.  I went back and quietly mentioned to Graham,

“Just so you know, we have a few issues of our own going on in the caravan.”  

“Don’t be a drama queen; just put things away.” 

 I dutifully followed Graham’s suggestion to be positive, and as I’d already picked up the items from the floor and put them all on the bed, I went back and shut and locked the door, confident it would all be sorted when we stopped for the night. 

We took the punctured tyre and left them.  Our plan was to take it to Arkaroola Village, get it repaired, and bring it back to theminued while they continued on, stopping every 10 km to pump the damaged tyre.  Oh, to be a fly on the windscreen of their vehicle on their drive back. 

There it is again, the look...

We arrived at Arkaroola Village, dropped off the tyre at the workshop, and while I checked in, Graham quickly dropped The Geist in the camping area in a double spot with space for Callan and Melinda to join us.  With the repaired tyre, we headed back to meet them and low and behold, they were only a few kilometres from the village, so we followed them in, showed them where to check in, and left them to sort out their tyre issues with directions on where to find us at the campsite.

The Campground was very rustic, perfect for the wildness of these ancient ranges. We were close to the amenities, the camp kitchen, and a 10-minute walk to the village, where the reception/restaurant building and information centre were. The whole area was surrounded by a ring of magnificent mountaintops. 

Coming back from the loo, I stopped and spoke with a couple sitting in their car, wide-eyed, looking at the camping area. 

            “Everything OK?” I asked. 
            “We were looking for some grass to pitch our tent on. Now, we’re hoping for somewhere relatively flat and not rocky. It’s not looking good.” They said, looking a bit shell-shocked. 
            “Hmmm… It does look a bit rocky here. It’s quite a drive to get here, isn’t it?” We discussed the drive and the dust, and then I suggested.
        “Perhaps you two deserve a night or two in a cabin?” 

The woman’s face lit up as she quickly agreed, and soon, they both brightened considerably as they talked themselves into three nights of relative luxury at the resort. I watched them drive away, somewhat envious as I contemplated the clean-up I knew was waiting for me in our little Geist.

Here, I’ll take a moment to admit that clearly, I didn’t fully shut the rear window. I’d mistaken the “leave a little gap for air” leaver setting for the “sealed shut” position.  Tsk - a hard lesson learned as the inside looked like the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert; the only things missing were tiny caravans of camels traipsing across the floor.  The only places not coated in dust were inside the cupboards by the ceiling.

We shook out our blankets, dusted off the cushions, and started to deep clean. Oh, how I wished I’d bought a stand-up broom… or a little vacuum.  However, I’d already added broom to the “what did I forget” list.  So, borrowing Callan’s hand broom and dustpan, we got to work. We swept everywhere, and on hands and knees, buckets of water turned grey later; we had washed every surface inside and out of the cupboards and drawers and all the items in them.

 Melinda and Callan’s eyes had widened when they peeked in, and that was after the cleaning process had begun. I loved how well we got along with Callan and Melinda, as we shared a similar our sense of humour.  It’s always good to share troubling times with people that are funny.

“Did you take a photo of the inside of The Geist?” Melinda asked. I blinked at her. 

“Bugger! I wish I had.” With eyes twinkling, she countered with

“I’m surprised you didn’t. You were certainly quick to capture the flat tire experience!”  

Yup. How did I not think of it? 

Graham had a couple of repairs to make and many screws to tighten, but we were soon sorted, although we started a “bits to fit later” section in the drawer. Callan and Melinda had also been up to their elbows in dust cleaning and graciously offered to help us when they were done. 

Finally, with 4 sets of prune-like fingers, we walked to the resort restaurant for their Sunday roast dinner.

The inside was warm and welcoming as we walked through the door and up to the reception counter. Much like walking into a fishing lodge. My eyes swept left to see an area with snacks, souvenirs and basic necessities. The reception ahead had a fabulous display of interesting things found locally: snake skins, interesting rock types, skulls, bones and fur pelts from different species. On the other side of the reception, the long wooden bar hugged the walls of a huge room with wooden walls and a cozy conversation area where people were relaxing over coffee and drinks, warmed by a raging fire set in a huge stone fireplace.  During the day, the areas invited you to relax and read a book, sit at a dining room table to work on your laptop, or hang around and chat. 

They also had an exhibit of local rocks and minerals which when you pressed a button, showed how they glowed under black light. I was surprise to hear the potential of local uranium was explored during WWII. 

Walking through the bar to the restaurant on the other side of the fireplace wall, the walls and ceiling were adorned with interesting doo-dads and items from around the world, collected orgifted to them, giving it a quirky, comfortable feel.  

After dinner, as we left the soft light of the town centre, we found ourselves walking in almost total darkness — not unexpectedly, as Arkaroola was made a Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2001. Our eyes soon adjusted, and we marvelled at the brightness of the stars twinkling in the inky black sky. How lucky we were with our own private astronomy guide, pointing out constellations along the way, stunningly dramatic without the ambient light of civilisation.

WRITTEN IN THE ROCKS 4WD TOUR

We had booked the Written in the Rocks 4WD tour for the next afternoon. We saw the return of the morning trip and noted they all looked wind-blown and happy as they climbed out of the open-air seating on the back. Luckily, this gave us just enough time to grab a jacket for our tour.

            “Will we see fossils?” I asked Pierre as we got into the open back of the truck. He looked at me steadily and said, 

 

“This land has a geological history of almost TWO BILLION years. That’s BEFORE life existed, so there are no fossils here.”  Right! I’ve cut and pasted what was included in this adventure from their website.  

“Stop at the Ochre Wall, Lively’s Gold Find, the Welcome Mine and the Jasper Twins as we explore the complex geology of Arkaroola, wandering over ancient glacial rocks from past ice ages at Stubbs Waterhole to the ancient fossil sea-beds now forming near-vertical cliffs in Bararranna Gorge. You may even be rewarded with sightings of the shy Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, wedge-tailed eagles and brown falcons (among others)."

Pierre told us the history of how Arkaroola became a Sanctuary, the geology of its creation, filled with interesting anecdotes and plain English explanations. By the time we were through, it was apparent that this area holds a huge variety of geological treasures. You can read the full story on their history page it’s short and interesting. The website has some cool videos as well. Or this site Flinders Ranges Field Naturalists.

I found myself intrigued at this ancient land and how it evolved through violent events, shifting plates and volcanic action. One hill could be billions of years old smack dab beside one millions of years younger.  Pierre pointed out loads of interesting things, there was so much to discover. We hit the late afternoon light, which brought the creek bed to life.

He was equally well-informed about the plants we passed and the different types of rocks on the ground. It was a great afternoon with fabulous scenery, geology lessons, interesting stories, and tea and muffins at a picturesque creek.  I liked the story of  "The Dulux cave paintings”.  I hope I have this right.  Many years ago, some foreigners were working in Arkaroola. They hounded the owners to show them some ancient cave paintings as they were sure there must be some, and they were hiding them. They wouldn't accept that there weren't any, so finally, the Arkaroola boss asked the last aboriginal elder of the group if he would paint "fake" markings and provided him with a tin of white Dulux paint when he agreed.  Then, he took the workers to the faked ancient cave paintings, telling them the whole story of what had been done to satisfy them. They loved them anyway, and over the years, the paintings have been refreshed and have become a humorous talking point. I wish I’d taken notes on all the tours.

We had enough time to tidy up and have dinner before the “Explore the Cosmos” experience started at 8:30 p.m.  The fellows had a lot of fun cooking over the fire on this trip.

EXPLORE THE COSMOS EXPERIENCE

This is a good way to take a close-up look at what was visible in the sky, as seen from their Ningana Imaging Observatory telescope behind the information centre. 

It is set up with a special camera that projects onto several big screens set up in the info centre, where you can comfortably sit and enjoy the sights. The owner, Doug, was presenting that night, and with his dry wit, he entertained us as he explained about deep space and the constellations visible on the night.  He also gave us a rundown of how this, and the other observatories and astronomy equipment had come to be here and how they were being utilised for study.  

It was definitely worth seeing deep space and galaxies like this.

Although this is a daytime shot of the wallabies feeding, it shows the Ningana Imaging Observatory telescope situated behind the Information Centre.  Doug took us all outside to see it and look inside before we settled to look more closely at the night sky on the screens. 

Callan took some photos, which I think

present the magic of the night sky this way magnificently.  

The Camera on the telescope

The control screen

The screens

TUESDAY - FLIGHT OVER LAKE EYRE

We were all looking forward to our half-day flight, our spirits high as we left for our 8 am pick-up at reception.  Quoted below from the website, this is what we were looking forward to: 

Taking in the wild red granites, gorges and watercourses of the Ridge Top and Mawson Plateau, the flight will then take you up to the eastern side of the lake. It will give you a unique opportunity to see the orange red dunes of the Strzesleski and Tirari Deserts fromthe air, before tracking over Lake Eyre North's Madigan Gulf hunt Peninsula to Belt Bay, the lowest part in Australia. 

To return, you'll go down Jack Boot Bay to Lake Eyre South, then the Oodnadatta Track and the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges. Not a bad trip!

Even the minibus trip to the airstrip was an opportunity to learn, with a running commentary about things of interest along the way.  Our plane was a Cessna 207, with Cameron piloting us. I sat up front beside him, as he said this was not the best seat for photography, but it was thrilling enough for me. We soared over ancient jagged mountain tops and rolling hills, over deserts, past many dry lake beds, until we arrived at the section of Lake Ayre which was slowing filling with water, a big part of why we wanted to do this flight as it doesn't always have water in it. The plane slowly circled over Lake Eyre, showing a hint of  pink, and then it was time to fly back over the Oodnadatta Track and the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges.  

 

It was amazing!  However, 4 hours was a long time to be in the air.

This is my favourite shot of Callan, Always hamming it up.. or is he?  Hmmmm

Pink Waters

Our flight route print out

The Evening Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallabies Feeding 

We returned in time to catch the daily 5:00 p.m. Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallabies feeding outside the information centre. The day before when we passed it, the little viewing area was packed! It was fun watching them peek out from the edge of the forest, heads bobbing as they looked to see if the food was out. Slowly, a few hopped over to get prime positions approaching the rock pile giving them separate spots to eat.  When Doug appeared, shaking his bucket of kangaroo pellets, the race was on as they scrambled to where ever he scattered it.  What a delightful experience in a beautiful setting, watching them interact with each other, including some scuffling over food. 

These are some of Graham's "in the wild" Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby images from Wilpeena

WEDNESDAY - DOUBLE ADVENTURE DAY

Melinda figured we had enough time to do the Acacia Ridge Walk before it was time for the Ridge Top 4WD tour.  After all, it was rated a moderate hike.  Callan and Melinda kept us fit and made sure we walked off all the great food we were preparing by organising these hikes and they were very good at looking out for us. OK, Graham held his own with the young ones. They were mindful of me as I’m the klutzy one with arthritic knees. Regardless, I was glad one of them was always near. 

Melinda - Our Hike Coordinator (In Wilpeena Pound)

Some sections of the trail were quite tricky.

We caught the morning bus to the starting point and I realised I’d forgotten my walking stick. Callan kept his eyes peeled until he found me a sturdy branch. I’m glad he did, as we traversed some narrow ledges, and rocky spots just waiting for someone like me to slide on.  I admit, I shrieked at one thin ledge as I put my hand out to steady myself, stopping myself just before it rested on the remains of a lizard. That certainly got everyone going.  

We were glad when we reached the summit, 566 meters high, and enjoyed a wander around and the 360-degree view.  

Can you see us at the very top?

The view North from the Ridge

Not very flattering, but a well deserved, if sweaty, rest on the windy ridge.

Refreshed in body and spirit, we headed off to complete the hike back to the village.

  

OUR NEXT ADVENTURE - THE RIDGE TOP 4WD TOUR 

Two words. Yikes and WOW!

The scenery was amazing; and the drive was an experience I think everyone with 
a good back and strong core muscles should do. 

Again, we were in their purpose-built open-back truck, sitting sideways, sliding back and forth as we went up and down these magnificent hills and craggy mountain tops amongst a diverse range of scenery.  To warm us up, this was our first viewing platform. 

The views were magnificent every where we looked

The climb to the higher peaks, that is the lead vehicle ahead

and up...

Until we arrived at the top of a ridiculously high granite tower, where our drivers set out afternoon tea.  Yes, the photo below, where that vehicle is, is where we stopped for tea.

 It was a feast for all the senses, and we will think about it for some time to come.

Hmm, we were looking at a long drive back after a cup of tea, so I discretly signalled our driver with eyebrow wiggles and hand signs that I was going to the front of the vehicles. He was young and possibly horrified, but I wasn't the only one who scurried around the barren top looking for a creative spot to empty my tank before the lengthy bumpy trip back. Soon, with big smiles on our faces, we got back into the vehicles for another abs work out navigating the the ups and downs, all the way home. Whew!  

The drivers spoke into a microphone to regale us with  amusing stories  which we heard over speakers in the back. Hmm I wonder if they did that so they didn't have to hear our groans as we went over bumps.  Graham said he had a laugh radar. He knew how intimidating a hill was coming by the volume of the nervous laughter the lady sitting at the front gave, as she saw the hills coming. 

As we made our way back, it struck me that the beautifully maintained and manicured paths and well-defined hikes of Wilpeena Pound Resort added to an overall feeling of serenity and peacefulness.  As we experienced Arkaroola, it was clear that the rugged mountains and towering granite peaks put it in the wild and ancient category. 

I half expected to hear rumbling and turn to see rocks on the mountainsides tremble as a giant rock creature shook off soil to emerge, the ground shaking as it wandered about, or see a dragon soaring over us, having just exited from his hoard of gold from deep within the mountains.  But I digress…

Thursday - We awoke to the rumble of thunder in the mountains getting closer, the sunrise obscured by dark billowing clouds.

Smatterings of rain came through, a taste of the forecasted rain ahead.  Hmm, this should dampen the dusty road out, and if the rainfall was heavy, it could cause flash flooding on the roads, so it seemed prudent to take advantage of this.  It was time to leave.  

Although we had planned to do some more hikes, we weren’t going to do them in the rain so… 

We packed up, checked out, and set off, this time taking the Leigh Creek route… 

But that is the beginning of the next adventure....