Flinders Ranges 1

Last weekend was our long-awaited trip to the Flinders ranges. We covered the same route as on the tour with the students earlier on as far as Port Augusta.

The vehicle was christened the "Desert Dog." It's basically a minibus with stiff, long-stroke shock absorbers, an extra dust filter on the engine, a tank of chilled water ("Eski" ) in the back and (thank goodness) effective air-conditioning.

We called in at Port Germein on the way. This was the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere and was used for loading grain onto sailing ships. Some of the 1.6 km was washed away a few years ago, but it's still quite impressive. The moisture in the air was very welcome in view of what was to come.

From Port Augusta we followed the Pitchi Ritchi Pass along the line of the original 'Ghan railway (it goes slightly to the west of this now.)

And passed by the old Quorn Station.

We first looked at the old Kanyaka homestead. This is north of the Goyder Line, mapped out by a surveyor of that name in 1865. He maintained that, based on rainfall and soil quality, agriculture was only possible to the south of the line. However, rainfall in the late 1860s and 1870s was uncharacteristically heavy. British settlers with more money than sense were attracted to try their luck as agriculturalists. Most of them had visions of being squirearchs and local dignitaries. Nearly all of these settlements failed when the climate returned to normal and many fortunes were lost. This is one that went sooner than many, and the extravagant style of the buildings gives an indication of why so many fortunes were lost in that period.

We next visited the Aboriginal cave paintings at Yorrambulla Caves. It's well provided with scaffolding for access- originally it was a bit of a scramble.

No, we're not in mourning. The fly veils aren't essential for walking in the outback summer, but they do allow you to concentrate on the scenery and not on keeping the flies out of your mouth and nose! Great kit, by the way- the shirt and trousers are fancy new textile that wicks away the sweat. They work, too. Bone dry except for beneath the rucksack.

The site was used for initiation ceremonies. At puberty the young men were driven out of the community and only allowed back in after a good deal of instruction and testing, culminating in an initiation ceremony in which they were scared out of their wits. Seems like an idea that could profitably be copied even now. Yorrambulla means "Two Blokes" and refers to a vertically stratified hill with two rock outcrops at the top. The double arrows represent kangaroo tracks and refer to what was cooked at the ceremony (the hearths are the circles of dots with food symbols in the centre.) Other symbols (not shown here) are lines that depict the paths followed by the male dancers, singing seated women and various other features of the ceremony. There are still people of the local tribe around and, indeed, we met one of them, who introduced us to the local constellations and their European and Indigenous meanings. But they don't say everything about their cermonies.

After leaving the caves, we finally saw the mountains of the Wilpena Pound sanctuary in the distance.

Because of the hills (highest in the Flinders) the area around Wilpena is relatively verdant.

We stayed at a sheep station called Rawnsley Park. The owners have run the stock levels down to "sentimental" levels and make most of their income from tourism.

Disgracefully, we ourselves opted for a cabin with a comfortable bedroom, kitchen, shower and air conditioning. Serves me right- it evidently wasn't mozzie-proof and I suffered on the second night. I'm still carrying the marks. As always, I was bitten multiple times and Liz, beside me, wasn't touched. Nor will she be as long as I'm there.

The alternatives were, on the expensive side, "Eco-villas" made of adobe-covered compressed straw bales and polished hardwood floors, with all mod cons including complimentary drinks and a roof that rolls back at the flick of a switch so one can see the stars from in bed. On the cheaper side, some camped (the tents were, I'm told, quite comfortable), two slept out under the stars in swags and were bitten even more than me and most opted for the bunkhouses.

These were comfortable (again, I'm told) but not air conditioned. We ate out round these tables under the stars. Food was mostly barbecued meat and salad and was of very good standard. The drinks were pre-purchased at the nearest pub, in Hawker.

By this time, we had decided to take the opportunity of the scenic flight over Wilpena, even though departure was at 0730. This contributed to the ridiculous number of photographs we took and is the main reason for splitting this blog into three parts. More tomorrow, or whenever I can make it.