FLINDERS RANGES

2^nd May, 2015

The weather is just perfect for a trip up to the Flinders Ranges. We pack a picnic lunch and are soon on the road heading north east following the now disused Old Ghan Railway line.

A truck passes by a culvert on the Old Ghan Railway

This is sheep country and two weeks ago a significant amount of rain fell and the landscape is slowly turning green. We stop to have a look at the historical site of Kanyaka Homestead.

Kanyaka Homestead

This was a substantial community in the mid 1800's and we wander around what remains of the stone walls.

Love the old wooden lintel over this fireplace

The homestead is spread out beside the dry creek bed and about a kilometre further on is the ruins of the large woolshed.

Ruins of Kanyaka Woolshed

A couple of kilometres further on is Death Rock which sits beside a waterhole

Death Rock (top right hand corner) overlooking the waterhole

and not far away is the remains of a lime kiln which was used to help make cement for the construction of the buildings.

Lime kiln

There are some very strange rock formations near the waterhole. It is amazing what shapes time and mother nature can carve into rock.

 

We continue our scenic tour and stop to take a photo of the Elder Range which lies just to the south of the Flinders Ranges.

Elder Range

The southern part of the Flinders Ranges is now in view

Flinders Ranges

and we make a detour to a lookout where we take in the magnificent view of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges while we have lunch

View of Wilpena Pound from Pugilist Hill lookout

At Wilpena Pound things have changed a bit since we were last here thirty years ago. Now there is a dedicated National Parks Information Centre, a restaurant, a resort and a large campground. Thirty years earlier things were a little more basic and we were able to camp very close to the entrance of the pound. Of course there were no buildings or facilities then just a couple of bush toilets. Now the campers have power, a large amenities block with hot water and flushing toilets. The downside of this all comes at a price and it is quite a hike into the pound. There is no way that our little camera can take in the unusual feature of the pound so we have taken a photo of a photo which shows the pound from above.

Aerial view of Wilpena Pound

As we leave the pound to head further north the rock strata is quite visible in the cliffs.

Wilpena Pound walls

We drive to Hucks Lookout to get a birdseye view down the valley with the unbroken line of cliffs surrounding the pound in the background.

View of the Flinders Range from Huck's Lookout

It is starting to get late and as we have a couple of hours drive back to Quorn we turn around and head south leaving the rugged Flinders Ranges behind. We cannot imagine what it must have been like trying to homestead this arid land over 150 years ago. We stop at a rest area for a photo op of a different kind. It is fascinating what the human imagination can do and even more fascinating to think that someone has taken the time to paint a rock in the middle of nowhere to bring that imagination to life. It's not professional or probably artistic in the real sense of the word but it makes us smile and that has got to be a good thing.

Bulldog Rock ??