Tiny towns and Gorges.....

The next morning we enjoyed some quiet time over breakfast, said goodbye to our upstairs neighbor and set off for a drive through the tiny towns and gorges of the Central Flinders Ranges.

Our first stop was at Dingley Dell, a small free camp site about half way along our route.  It would be a great little place to stay if you just needed an overnight stop. There was about six separate sights all with barbecue plates and huge flat rocks for tables or seats.  After rain you would be camped beside the river but as I said before all was dry now.  All serviced by two very well built and maintained pit toilets.  Who could ask for more!

Driving on from here our map said that we would pass 'The Great Wall of China' and so of course we had to stop here and have a look.  We turned off at the sign and what a sight.  A very unusual rock formation on top of a hill really does look like its namesake.  You can follow the walk track and actually climb to the top but with the wind blowing a gale we decided we would stay where we were.

As we drove back to the road, as on the way in, we found lots and lots of wood swallows and large flocks of finches.  As we were watching these two huge Wedge tail Eagles flew up in front of us.  What magnificent creatures these birds are.  We watched them until they were so high up they were almost out of sight, let alone camera range.

We drove straight into Blinman next and found a very tiny town with a big personality. We stopped for a coffee at the Wild Lime Cafe and of course just had to try the Wild Lime tart which we shared and it was delicious.  It is a very small town but it's said to be the highest surveyed town in South Australia.  Now that is a claim to fame eh!

We popped into the General Store next door to buy the homemade Quandong Pies to take home for later and met an interesting man who runs Camel Train tours following the Burke and Wills route up through the centre of Australia.  Sounds like a great way to see that part of the country.  You walk and the camels carry your packs. Who knew!  The quandongs are a native peach and the pies were delicious as well.  The jam we brought home is yummy too.  

The only other buildings in town are a rather large pub with a huge beer garden, a Memorial Hall and a church.   There is a Copper Mine tour but we left that as we drove on to Parachilna Gorge.

On our way we drove through the slightly less spectacular Glass Gorge really only recognizing we were there by the signpost we passed.  Once the original route for dray carts delivering copper to Parachilna it is now a tricky but picturesque 4WD road.  No problems in the dry and we were soon on way to Parachilna gorge.  To see the rugged beauty of this gorge you need to walk in and as the day was getting hotter we didn't stop but drove on to the even tinier township of Parachilna.

With only one building in town, The Prairie Hotel, it is famous for its Feral Fast Food platter.  Other claims to fame are the movies filmed here and these include The Rabbit Proof Fence, Holy Smoke and Beautiful Kate.  The only other buildings we saw were the public toilets just off the highway which were two water tanks converted into conveniences.  And very welcome they were too!

We stopped for lunch a little further along the road parking in a dry riverbed.  From here we had an amazing view of the Heysen Ranges which we had come through earlier on our drive through the gorges.  We could also see the old Ghan railway line which is no longer in use.

We continued on down the highway to the Moralana Scenic Drive which takes you through Arkaba Station and Merna Mora Station country and is between the Elder Range and Wilpena Pound.  We detoured to Black Gap Lookout to see the views of Wilpena's rugged rim to the north and the Red and Elder Ranges to the south.  

Once back on the Tarmac we turned the car for home and on arrival settled in for a well earned cuppa and a rest before setting out again to spend some time with the birds at Wood Duck dam.  Once again a very noisy stop with, Galahs, Corellas, Cockatoos and Parrots all competing with each other to see who could make the most noise.

Our campsite seemed very quiet after the birds and we enjoyed another dinner under the stars before heading off to the land of nod.  There were more gorges to explore the next day.

Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges are known as the 'Corridor through Time and form a famous geological trail.  This is a 20 kilometre self-guided trail that passes through 130 million years of earth history. Trail signage provides an insight into past climates, the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early life forms. 

Our first stop for the day was at the Youngoona campsite where we found the ruins of the old homestead and the Youngoona waterhole.  This is also the Youngoona Trailhead and a number of walks either start, finish or pass this point.  We met a number of serious walkers as we stopped here for a while.  We walked along the track to the waterhole and found a very rare puddle in the creek bed and of course the birds were loving it on the hot morning.   We continued on some way but as the water ran out we came back and soon moved on.

Our next brief stop was to have a look at Trezona campsite.  This is another 'free camp' site and was quite large.  A few people were camped there enjoying the peace and quiet of the Aussie bush so we didn't stay and disturb them but continued on to drive through the Brachina Gorge Rd.  This road continually criss crosses river beds and creeks which were now bone dry but it must be an amazing ride in the wet.  I'm sure most of it would be quite impassable.  And of course through every creek and river bed were the most amazing huge Red River Gums.  I'm sure some of these wonderful giants must have been hundreds of years old.  Words cannot explain the wonderful scenery of this place.

We stopped for a look at 'Slippery Dip' so named because of the sloping rock walls going down to the riverbed.  And soon after we were driving through the most incredible place as we entered Brachina Gorge.   

The drive is just breathtaking with towering red walls on either side as you pass through cool  corridors of shady trees before opening up to layer upon layer of rocks. A truly spectacular experience.  At the end we came to Teamsters Campground where we had lunch overlooking Heysen Hill and the Brachina Waterhole.  

After lunch we drove back stopping to take photos along the way.  The gorge is home to the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby but we didn't see any at all.  A bit of a shame but the middle of a hot day was probably never going to be the right time to find them.  We did find the fossilized worm burrows though!

We turned onto Bunyeroo Rd and continued on driving between the Heysen Range and the ABC Range as we drove to Bunyeroo Gorge.  The gorge was not as spectacular as Brachina and you needed to park and walk to see more.  We kept driving and were soon travelling along the Bunyeroo Valley Rd.  Any drives that I had thought spectacular until now had just paled into insignificance.  Of course The Remarkables road in Queenstown is the exception here.

This road continued to climb and just when you thought you could not get any higher you did and there was another car park with another magnificent view.  We stopped three times just in awe of the amazing sights we were seeing.  Views of Heysen Range, ABC Range, Yanyanna Hill, the Bunyeroo Valley and the Aroona Valley were just breathtaking.  

Soon after we were back on the main road for the drive home and today we stayed put.  So pleased to see the sign letting me know home was not far away.  No more adventures for these weary travelers, it was time to chill out and rest up for another big day tomorrow.  

So until then..........