The Flinders Range from Above

The day dawned clear and bright after the late cloud of yesterday, which was as well, as we were due at the Rawnsley Park Air Strip at 7.45am!
This morning we were to view the Wilpena Pound and the surrounding ranges from the air and one of us was a little apprehensive! As I said to him, "it's only 30 mins - you managed the best part of 24 hrs to get here!" It's the reliance on one engine that gets him! We decided we would celebrate with breakfast afterwards (if we were spared!!). Our companions of yesterday, Ian and Sue joined us for the flight and the pilot Andrew explained the essentials, before proceeding to weigh us all (very discreetly I must say) and place us in the Cessna accordingly. I was relieved to actually have a seat rather than be strapped to the fuselage. Climbing into one of these small planes is something of a contortionist exercise, but we were eventually all settled, belted and microphoned up and at the end of the runway. This is a dirt track with the odd wind sock, which is very common in these parts. Most of the stations have their own strip and fly their own planes & helicopters and when you see the terrain you cannot be surprised. The take off was very smooth and we climbed and banked to the right. There were a few 'road bumps' as Andrew described the turbulence as we approached the Wilpena Pound rim particularly. 'Air is rising in front of the cliff face which is what we are feeling now - it will soon clear'. He was very calm and matter of fact and somehow it felt better to know the process.
We had viewed the bluffs of the rim of the Pound from the ground and they are high and spectacular, but nothing prepares you for the sight of the whole structure from the air. It is impossible to take in the enormity and scale of the weathered mountains at ground level. These mountains are some of the oldest on earth, formed when the continent of Australia was part of the larger land mass of Gondwanaland. Movement of tectonic plates forced the earth upwards and folded it at the same time, forming a mountain range that would originally have been higher than the present day Himalaya.
The peak of what is now Wilpena Pound, was faulted and eroded over millions of years, leaving this enormous rim and a lower undulating centre. Until the 1940s the Hill family farmed the interior and grew wheat would you believe. There is only one narrow pass into the interior of the circular Pound and the logistics that of keeping a farm going must have been horrendous. Initially geologists thought this must be a volcanic caldera, until it became apparent that the rocks are sedimentary not igneous, which blew that theory out of the water. However, it is clear to see from the air, what has been going on here and all around you, as far as the eye can see, the earths eroded crust looks like a gigantic piece of origami, folded and manipulated into fantastic shapes. Andrew kept up a fascinating commentary, explaining the various ranges and I can't tell you what a thrill it was to see the National Park from this angle and suddenly it put everything into perspective. Our 30 minutes was up in no time and we landed very gently back on terra firma. We lived to tell the tale and scrambled eggs never tasted so good!!
After our early morning adventure we drove up to the village of Wilpena to take a closer look at the other side of the Pound and some other features that we had been told to look out for. As Andrew had predicted (born in Sheffield by the way) the clouds closed in and thunder rumbled and it rained in short bursts, quite hard, but not for long. The temperature dropped ten degrees and the air took on that wonderful aroma that occurs when water falls on baked earth. As we drove back towards Rawnsley, we witnessed a marvellous phenomenon that Phil had told us about yesterday. Kangaroos appeared from nowhere and converged on the roads. On the bitumen surface the water sat in pools and they were quick to take advantage of an easy drink. We saw dozens. It was an amazing sight and Peter had to edge the car forward until they deigned to move. Fortunately, there were few other cars on the road. Having mentioned that I had not seen a Kangaroo in 6 previous weeks of travel in Australia, I have now been spoiled for choice. There are usually several around the lodge morning and evening. They are the most unusual animal and I have become quite fond of them over the last two weeks. We are heading back to the Woolshed restaurant tonight for a final Flinders meal. The 'feral mixed grill' I think we'll avoid, but the Rawnsley lamb sharing platter does appeal. Tomorrow we head back to Adelaide to await the 2nd test, for which we have some tickets. It starts on Saturday and is to be the first day/night Ashes test match. Fingers crossed the red ball and a little more evening humidity will help
us!
See you in Adelaide.Read more