Westmeadows

COPLEY TO MELBOURNE 9/9/21 to 19/9/21
Next day, after stocking up on supplies at the nearby Leigh Creek grocery store we headed off on yet another gravel road towards Arkaroola in the Gammon Ranges National Park. This road was so bad that we think we could have made the journey faster if we had travelled by camel! Our fastest speed would have only been 55KPH but at times we slowed to about 10 or 15KPH through dozens of dry, stony creek crossings and floodways. The stony surface and deep corrugations made it difficult to enjoy the picturesque creek beds lined with huge river red gums. As we drove on the rugged and treeless ranges came into view and at one point we drove through a gap where the rocky range rose on either side. After about four grueling hours we arrived at Arkaroola Wilderness retreat and set up at the caravan park. Arkaroola is set amongst the richly coloured and rocky Gammon Ranges and is a privately owned property which is set up for eco-tourism. The village is surrounded by rugged mountains. We scrambled about two thirds of the way up the nearby Griselda Hill where we had views over the village and surrounding area. The ranges are home to the endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies and we were lucky to see the adorable animals one evening near the village where rangers leave out food for them. They are very shy and wary of people but the lure of free food was a temptation they couldn’t resist. During our stay we took part in a couple of guided tours – one being an astronomy session where we first viewed the star studded sky outside and then moved inside where the astronomer showed us images on big screens taken from the telescopes which were set up nearby. The other tour was a guided ridge-top tour where we joined eight other visitors in the open back of a 4WD vehicle. The five hour tour took us over about 30km to three different lookouts and most of the time we travelled at about walking-pace over the most rocky and steep tracks imaginable. The views were spectacular and the late afternoon sun made the colours of the rocky ranges and outcrops even more vivid. The final stop was at the top of Streitberg Ridge at Siller’s Lookout where our vehicle made the incredibly steep climb up to the top where there was only just enough room for it to make a three-point turn. Here we enjoyed a cuppa and some lamingtons while overlooking the 1000 metre deep gorge, the rugged mountains and the plains and white salt surface of Lake Frome stretching to the horizon. It really was a memorable tour. After our stay at Arkaroola we headed off towards Wilpena on surprisingly smooth dirt roads which was a relief after the punishing road from Copley. The landscape changed to flat plains with views to the distant Flinders Ranges. We crossed many dry creekbeds with their huge, majestic river red gums and drove on windy roads through part of the range. We noticed the countryside had become greener with clumping grasses, many with flower heads on the hills and low bushes with yellow or white flowers. It was evident that the area had recent rain although the soil was dry again. We drove in to Blinman through areas of native pine and walked around the small town with its old buildings and mining history. We drove on to Rawnsley Park Station where we set up at their caravan park which is set amongst the Flinders Ranges. The next day our day-trip took us to Wilpena Pound Information Centre where we caught a shuttle bus for four kilometres along a track beside the Wilpena Creek under a canopy of towering river red gum trees to a drop off point. From there we walked/climbed to the two Wangara lookouts where we had views inside Wilpena Pound with its circle of mountain ranges. We learned that the Flinders Ranges are one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth. After our two hour hike we returned on the shuttle bus to our car and back to camp. On another day we walked to a lookout hill near Rawnsley Park which gave views of the nearby ranges. After our stay we headed south to Hawker with the Flinders Ranges in view for most of the journey. We walked around the township of Hawker with its railway history and sampled morning tea at the bakery. Continuing south the countryside became greener with undulating hills where there were sheep grazing properties, quite a change from the dry red earth we had seen for such a long time. After stopping in Orroroo for lunch beside the largest river red gum tree in the country, we continued to Peterborough where we stopped for the night. The next day, after looking around Peterborough’s township, railway history and lovely old town hall building we headed off towards Burra through mostly pastoral countryside with huge paddocks of lush green newly sprouting crops. There were ruins of old stone buildings dotted about and evidence of another disused rail line. We noted some lovely old stone buildings in Burra before continuing through Morgan where we turned off towards Waikerie where we learned the only way across the Murray River was by ferry so with our car and van and three other vehicles we made our “Ferry cross the Murray” journey (pardon the pun) and climbed the very steep road on the other side. We continued on the road towards Loxton with the Murray River in sight for part of the way. We set up at the Loxton caravan park which was a picturesque area beside the Murray River and enjoyed stepping out of our van onto green grass for the first time for months! We headed south again, travelling through the Riverland area of South Australia with its orchards and grape growing properties, through the town of Pinnaroo and on to Bordertown through sheep grazing land. After a noisy night at Bordertown caravan park situated close to the Western Highway and with our Covid border passes in hand, we headed east and crossed the border into Victoria without any sign of a border checkpoint, no Police check and no fruit quarantine check either. Very surprising! We drove on, passing huge paddocks of bright yellow canola crops and other green grain crops. We continued on our homeward journey through Nhill, Dimboola, Donald, and Charlton and on to Wedderburn where we stopped for the night. On our last day on the road, we drove the final leg down the Calder Highway to Melbourne. The weather was cold to welcome us home! What a trip we had. Despite the extra organization of border passes for Covid requirements and the need to book ahead due to the huge number of caravans on the road, we visited some amazing places on our travels up through the Red Centre and on to the Top End of Australia. From the vast open plains that stretched to the horizon to the rugged mountain ranges, gorges, waterfalls, crocodiles and odd, quirky outback roadhouses, we felt privileged to have experienced it all. Did I mention bakeries? We certainly visited a few of those to sample their “famous” pies and sausage rolls! In three months on the road we travelled almost 13,200 km.Read more