Sunday 6 December 2015

Back in the Ranges



The OWO seems to be getting a little anxious, and is getting a little "pushy" about the time it is taking to "travel" with you, but we have seen so many beautiful places on this Big Adventure it becomes quite overwhelming and I just want to share it all - the beauty, the remoteness and the solitude of the desert and the ranges; the dramatic cliffs of the coastline; the sparseness of the desert; the flora and fauna; the history and culture of the outback and towns; and the joy of early morning birdsong and clear starry nights in the bush. All this, and much more, we have experienced on this Big Adventure, so I hope you will continue to join us as I continue to give you "snippets " from my daily journal -- even though it may take quite a number of posts to complete our "travels".

Our track from Kimba to Minnipa
SUNDAY, 20 September--- WEDNESDAY, 23 September --- GAWLER RANGES

SUNDAY
Iron Knob iron ore mine
Sunday morning we farewelled Mr B and left the Acacia Ridge Motel. Today we would make our way to the Gawler Ranges NP where we planned to camp for three nights. Travelling comfortably  along the Eyre highway we passed the massive open cut mine area of Iron Knob, from here they transport iron ore to the massive steel works at Whyalla.


Once again we were amazed at how quickly the countryside changed -- from the dry, red rocky hills of iron ore, with very little vegetation, to fields of yellow and green, miles and miles of grain crops in a rich farming area that contrasted so much with the drier more arid areas we had already seen.

Halfway Across Australia
KIMBA -- the little town "halfway across Australia" with the iconic 'Big Galah' sculpture. This was our 'morning tea' stop and we took time to explore a little whilst here. This is the eastern gateway to the Gawler Ranges and is one of South Australia's major grain belts. The first pastoral leases were granted in 1872 and the first crops sown in 1908.

Edward John Eyre and Tracker
On our way out of town we detoured via Whites Knob lookout to discover the fascinating metal sculptures of the explorer Edward John Eyre and his aboriginal tracker.



GAWLER RANGES NP -- it was only 100kms from Kimba to the NP and the route we followed actually passed through pastoral lease land, with a large number of grids, but a very good road until we entered NP land. Here the 'road' became more of a track, with some very corrugated and rocky sections.