The Flinders Ranges South Australia

We head out north along the Barrier Highway towards Terowie before we turn off the highway and head for Peterborough, Orroroo and Hawker our next base.

Terowie has an interesting past as it is where the two different South Australian railway gauges met after money became short in the late 1800’s.  All goods being carried by rail on the wider gauge from Adelaide to Terowie had to be transhipped from one train to the other to allow the journey to Broken Hill, Oodnadatta or Northern Territory to continue along the narrower track. 

This continued from 1871 to 1937 when Port Augusta was connected to Port Pirie by the standard gauge.  During this time Terowie was the busiest transhipping stop in South Australia.  With the route now going through Port Augusta the population of Terowie dropped from over 2000 to just 250 within a very short time.   The buildings in the main street still stand as a fine example of 19^th century workmanship and remind us of this once bustling outback town. 

sign at Terowie railway station re the famous general

Terowie was also the site of the famous 'I shall return' speech by General Douglas MacArthur in March 1942.  He and his wife had fled from the Japanese and journeyed to Australia by PT boat and then by plane to Alice Springs before train to Terowie.

vehicle anyone?

what gems at Terowie

Hawker, at the base of the central Flinders Ranges becomes our base for the next few days.  We had stayed here last year on our first visit to the Flinders and after such a great time then wanted to return.  We went for a drive to explore Brachina Gorge after having a small taste last trip. 

Brachina Creek runs through the range and one can only imagine what it must be like after heavy rains.  The dry creek bed is lined with huge old gums that have flood debris piled up beside the trunks and roots that are exposed from the rushing water.  The gorge road crosses the creek many times and with water in some pools along the way and some puddles still existing Lawrie enjoys the drive.  It is amazing how clear the water is in the pools beside the road we stop to explore. 

Brachina creek rock pool

We gaze in awe at the various rock formations and the colours in the rocks are just magic.  Emus, kangaroos and eagles are just some of the wildlife seen as we travel this ‘road’. 

Lots of photo opportunities and we take advantage of that.   There are various sites through the gorge with basic camping facilities controlled by National Parks and there is evidence of a few taking advantage of these.

After passing through Brachina Gorge from west to east we then turned off to drive back towards Wilpena Pound through Bunyeroo Gorge. 

The views once more are splendid and we again come across emus and kangaroos beside the track.   They don’t seem too perturbed by the vehicles passing by.  This track is 30km long and twists and turns along the various creek beds.  Not as much water this side as the other so not as many puddles for Bruiser to play in!!  Once we re-join the main road it is then nearly 60km back to Hawker along the black stuff.  A wonderful day out and scenery to inspire anyone, and not a bakery in sight. 

twin gums lookout

The Flinders are a great place to visit and we move north from Hawker after three full days, to Copley (just past Leigh Creek) and still driving on bitumen.  Leigh Creek is a mining township developed when the brown coal mine (of the same name) started to encroach on the old township.  The brown coal (dirty coal) mined here supplies the power station at Pt Augusta which was modified to use the brown coal.  This power station supplies approximately 40% of Sth Australia’s energy needs. 

The coal is transported by train to Pt Augusta each day along a section of the Old Ghan Track with the train consisting of 161 trucks carrying a total of 10,200 tonnes of coal.  The empty train arrives between 2 and 3pm each day and departs between 5 and 6pm for the return journey to Pt Augusta.  The mine is expected to continue to 2025 with a total yield of 110 million tonnes being extracted.   So what happens if the carbon tax is introduced?  Will the mine continue, will the power station be modified to NOT take brown coal? 

Boys and their toys?

We continue to see many building ruins along the road and you cannot help but wonder at the stamina of those early pioneers who ventured out into this area with all their worldly goods on the back of a wagon.  

I noticed that there is a bakery in the village here so no doubt there will be visit to check it out.  There is a general store, garage and a pub in town (population 150) along with the caravan park that seems quite busy.  We are basing ourselves here for a few nights so as to take a drive to Maree (meeting of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks) and then out to Arkaroola the following day before we head back through Hawker to Pt Augusta for a ‘mail from home’ pick up.  From there it is all points north along the Sturt Highway. 

Mt Pleasant and Burra

Leaving next morning we head on through Tailem Bend (on the banks of the Murray) where we checked out the old railway station (information centre and historical display) before then driving on towards Murray Bridge and then on up to Mt Pleasant.  We had decided we didn’t want to go into Adelaide but being in the hills to the east was close enough.  This enabled us to call and see family easily after a drive through the hills along the Torrens Valley Scenic Route.  What magic autumn trees were on display as we passed through Birdwood (great auto museum), Gumeracha (Toy Museum) and then Tea Tree Gully.  Wow I could have stopped a dozen times for photos but enough is enough of tree photos.  Doesn’t mean I won’t take more though. 

                                   the Giant Rocking Horse at the Toy Museum at Gumeracha

We decided to stay a week in Mt Pleasant (and only visited the bakery twice) as the park was quite spacious and open with lots of birdlife and not many vans.  The weather however had a lot to say for that week and we spent quite a few days keeping warm in the van as the wind, rain and cold played havoc outside.  Adelaide (just 50km away) had severe wind and rain squalls so I did quite a bit of spinning and finished up one of the batches of fleece I had brought with me from home.  Lawrie did get a chance to wash both the vehicles and also check Destiny’s wheel bearings on two of the half decent days but other than that we stayed put.  There were lots of lovely autumn trees in the village and also old stone cottages that looked inviting.    Talking about visits to the bakery, I had the nicest cheesecake I have ever tasted.  Fresh raspberries in raspberry jelly topped a plain cheesecake and wow was it nice!  Now we have to see if any other bakery can better that (well sounds a good reason to me).

Our week was up and it was still very cold, overcast and showers blowing through every so often however it was time to move on.  Our first stop was the Barossa Reservoir and the Whispering Wall along the road to Gawler (shopping and fuel). 

                                            Whispering wall at Barossa Reservoir near Gawler

The reservoir was completed in 1902 and was one of the first concrete arch dam walls built in the world.  It is 144m long and 36m high and has amazing acoustic properties.  Standing on one side of the dam wall simply whisper a message and it can be heard by someone standing on the other side.  We had visited here back in the early 1990’s when our son was in the Air Force and had tested the theory out then with success.  Today however with showers of rain still blowing through we didn’t do it again.

Leaving Gawler we then into the Barossa Valley, one of South Australia’s wine regions.  Tanunda, what a gorgeous town.  Old stone buildings, autumn trees, grapevines wearing their autumn colours and wineries galore.  A wine lover’s idea of heaven.  We plan to stop here another time (maybe on our return trip) to explore more fully the lovely streets and buildings.  Having the van behind today meant that we simply drove the main road and kept heading out of town.  Jacobs Creek (named after the creek running near town), Wolf Blass, Lyndoch Estate, just to name a few of the well-known wine producers and then in Nuriootpa there was the Penfolds winery.  More beautiful old stone buildings, this one like a castle.  You don’t have to be a wine lover to appreciate the buildings and surrounding countryside as you drive through this area. 

Our destination for today is Burra, another town rich in heritage and old buildings.  We decided to stay a couple of nights ($10 / night at the showground with power) so that we can head out and explore tomorrow.  At least the rain has stopped however it is still overcast and rather cold with the wind blowing off what surely must be ice somewhere. 

Burra became famous in 1845 when copper was discovered by a shepherd in the area.  By 1850 there were over 5000 people in town and the mine was one of the world’s largest.  The original claim area was 8miles long by 4miles wide and was registered to two consortiums.  They decided to divide the area in half and each consortium would work their half independently.  By 1871 one half had produced very little copper and the mine closed and the consortium folded after selling off the land for township blocks.  The other consortium on the other hand had struck it rich and went on to become very successful.  The mining was originally underground until 1871 when the method became open cut.  This was only to a depth of 37m.  The mine was closed in the late 1870’s and not reopened till mid 1900’s.  By 1961 the open cut mine was deepened to 100m and continued to produce until it finally closed in 1977.  The old building ruins around the mine have been preserved and a couple of the buildings have been restored.  Visitors are encouraged to take the time to walk around the site to admire the handiwork of those early Cornish miners.   The water at the bottom of the mine has now reclaimed it’s level and is approximately 30m deep.  The colour of the water changes throughout the year due to the various mineral deposits.

the Burra copper open cut mine ruins

Robe South Australia

Arrived in Robe by mid afternoon and after some chores (washing etc) stayed in the warm again.  As the park is on the outskirts of town on the edge of Lake Fellmongery, tomorrow we will go off to explore.   This lake is freshwater and was given the name in 1853 when a fellmongery was established there to wash wool salvaged from a wrecked ship in Guichen Bay.  The wool had been loaded for export and then became wet from the salt water when the ship broke up.  The wool was washed and again baled and shipped to England and the price received was twice what it would have been if the wool had remained unwashed.  From then on the graziers of the district had their wool washed at the fellmongery before export. 

Doorway Rock

Robe was settled in 1846 and named after the then (unpopular) Governor of South Australia.  His reign was short and this is one of the only reminders of his appointment.  It was declared a port in Feb 1847 and by 1856 was the second major colonial out-port. By the 1860’s it was ranked amongst the top three out-ports in SA, both in terms of value and volume of wool exported.  At times more than 50 wagons (from both Victoria and SA) would be lined up waiting to offload their wool for shipment to Europe.  Robe started to decline in the 1870’s and this has assisted the preservation of the many limestone block buildings that have survived to become listed by the National Trust.  If the boom business had continued those older buildings would probably have been ‘redeveloped’ during the 20^th century.  Robe now has a population of approximately 1500 (according to the Patchwork shop lady) and wandering and driving the streets and seeing all those buildings and sites (over 60 cafes, accommodation venues, businesses and private residences) that date back to the mid 1880’s is a wonderful experience.    

The Obelisk was built in 1855 on Cape Dombey to act as a landmark for shipping. 

 Originally painted white it was difficult to differentiate it from the white sand hills so in 1862 it was repainted in alternate red and white bands that can be seen on a clear day from 20km away.  Tidal erosion will eventually result in it collapsing into the sea.   Again the wind here was very strong and coats were necessary during the photo gathering, but wow don’t I love it.

my new career?

sunshine out at sea

Bruiser on Long Beach

Lake Fellmongery and Robe

Leaving Robe we drive up to Kingston SE where we meet up with the Big Lobster and then on to Meningie on the bank of Lake Albert. 

                                                         The Big Lobster at Kingston SE

 Along the way we stop beside the Coorong for lunch and enjoy a walk to the water in this conservation area.  Meningie is a small town (but a great bakery) so we check in for a couple of nights so that we can go for a drive out around the edge of the lake and along the Coorong.  Lake Albert empties into Lake Alexandrina which is where the mighty Murray River empties before flowing into the Southern Ocean through a small inlet.  Barrages are used to hold back salt water from flowing into the lake system which hosts numerous species of bird life.

Finally during the afternoon the clouds clear and there is the sunshine.  What a treat to sit beside the lake, feed ducks and watch the pelicans do a slow flypast as we head towards sundown.

                                                        sunset over Lake Albert at Meningie

Mt Gambier South Australia

Our journey was then on to Mt Gambier in South Australia (another state).  The weather was overcast and the showers were still blowing through with gusty winds.  Quite cool and not inviting for you to be outside.  We spent the afternoon shopping and then huddled ourselves into the van with the heater on.   Lets hope the next few days start to give us some warmer weather.

Well our following 3 full days in Mt Gambier did not go as hoped.  I found a 24hr bug of some sort the next morning (Tues) and then spent the following 24hrs recovering with the only fortunate thing being that the weather remained cold, rainy and windy so we did not mind staying inside and warm.  Finally on our last day we took ourselves for a drive to the coast to Port MacDonnell where the ‘southernmost Rock Lobster fishing fleet’ abide.  There were quite a few boats moored in the harbour and the weather was clearly the reason why.  The white caps were running wild across the waves and the wind was very strong.  The hardest part was trying to hold the camera still in the buffeting wind and staying warm of course.  We drove out to Cape Northumberland where there is a lighthouse set up on the rocky dunes.   This replaces the original lighthouse which was built in the 1860’s on the limestone rock coastline that has now eroded back to make walking around these ruins dangerous.  The pounding of the seas from the Southern Ocean is relentless and the early lighthouse keepers reported feeling their buildings ‘shudder’ with the waves during heavy storms. 

cape northumberland rocks

looking west

On our return to Mt Gambier we called to visit ‘Dingley Dell’ a cottage that had been the home of the Australian poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.  It was not open for inspection today so we could only view from the outside.  He was another poet who unfortunately did not come to fame until after his untimely death.     

Dingley Dell

Back in the city we decided to dodge the continuing showers and visit the famous ‘sinkhole garden’.  Wow what a great place to see. 

This sinkhole was developed as a ‘place of cool refuge in the summer’ by the owner when he retired from work in 1880.  There was originally water in the bottom third of the sinkhole and they had a rowing boat they used.  This is all shown in the early photos of the garden on display at the sinkhole.  The owner died at the age of 80yrs with no children and the property passed through various hands and slowly became rundown.  The SA Wood and Timber industry finally purchased the land in the 1960’s with the house being demolished and the garden again suffering damage.  In the 1970’s the company’s staff social club decided to restore the garden in a voluntary capacity to its former glory and later the garden was taken over by the council and it is now heritage listed.  

The water level has dropped over the years and the base is now dry.  You can see the water (plenty from the rain) still seeping through the limestone walls and this would keep the ivy curtains well watered.

Of course everyone visiting Mt Gambier wants to see the Blue Lake.  We were no different. 

With the weather the way it was there was not a lot of ‘blueness’ however.  It seems that the colour does change through the year and of course we are not here at the right time for that.  The lake provides much of the local water supply and is so pure after filtering up through the limestone it only requires the addition of fluoride before being consumed.

Heading out of Mt Gambier on Friday morning (still cold, windy and wet) we head to Millicent and then out to the coast for our drive to our next planned stop at Robe.  The landscape is now becoming flatter however the green lushness continues.  Sheep with new lambs are appearing and the cattle of course continue to look in great condition.  More windmills (well there is plenty of wind) and we even spot a Kimberley Clark factory next to a woodchip mill (Kleenex anyone?)

Driving out to Southend we are awed by the colour of the ocean and the ferocity of the wind.  Another wow moment. 

This area was settled in 1846 and I would guess, as a safe haven for whalers of old.  Again there are lobster fishing boats sheltering in the bay and we are intrigued by the 5 rock ‘fingers’ built from the beach out into the water.  Our thought is that these help to prevent too much erosion of the sand from the beach.  With a population of under 300 but 2 caravan parks near the water you can imagine this is a popular spot in the summer holidays.

Southend Beach

We stopped in Beachport and treated ourselves to fish and chips for lunch.  With visiting many seaside towns since we left home we had been hoping to enjoy many a fish meal however, the selection of fish at many has left us changing our minds.  You can stop in a fishing town with a fleet and the only fish on offer is imported???  Well at least here we had some local Blue Grenadier on offer and it tasted great.  We are looking forward to some King George Whiting here in SA if we can find some.  Probably all shipped to restaurants etc.  One wall inside the shop is for signing and seeing that the first signature was in March this year and the amount of signatures on the wall, the menu must be pretty popular.  Needless to say I added our names (Lawrie held the chair so that I could climb up and reach a spare spot) so glad we visited when we did and not later in the year!! 

Arrived in Robe by mid afternoon and after some chores (washing etc) stayed in the warm again.  As the park is on the outskirts of town on the edge of a lake, tomorrow we will go off to explore.

time spent in Portland

Thursday 5^th May 2011  Our first stop after leaving Koroit is at Port Fairy, a small fishing town on the coast with huge Norfolk Island pine trees lining the main streets.  This would have been a busy mecca during the past holidays however now the tourists are mainly folk travelling like us.  We stopped at the wharf and had our cuppa whilst checking out the fishing boats moored at the jetty.  Some of them were for scenic tourist rides and were quite big whilst others were working boats with sparse fittings other than for the numerous aerials attached to the top of the wheel house.  There are many lovely old buildings in close proximity to the wharf and date back to the early 1800’s.  Customs, harbour master house, court house, hotel are just some of those still standing proud.

Leaving Port Fairy we head further west along the Princes Highway with Portland our planned destination.  Our trip takes us through much green pasture land and the beef and sheep abound.  There are Devondale (black and white) dairy cows everywhere and the new calves are easily seen amongst the green grass.  We see another wind farm with hundreds of wind turbines slowly turning in the constant breeze from the coast.  This coastline certainly is an appropriate place for making use of this freely available energy.   

As Portland is only about 95km from Koroit our trip is soon completed.  There are a few caravan parks on offer and we decide to stay at the edge of town.  Plenty of room, lots of trees and the chance of seeing koalas so the brochure says.  The Information Centre is set up down on the bay with a Maritime museum set next door.  Portland is the birthplace of Victoria as it was the site of the first white settlers in the early 1800’s.  The harbour provided safe haven for the fishing fleet from the weather from the Southern Ocean and for many years this was the main industry of the area.  The port also provided easy access for the trading vessels which called to pick up wool and wheat for export to other ports.  Today Portland is still an export harbour for grain and aluminium from the Portland Aluminium Smelter.  The raw bauxite is brought in by ship and travels along an above ground pipeline from the harbour out to the Point Danger plant.  There is also a wood chipping plant near the wharf and the logs are piled high and wide waiting to be processed then added to the piles of chip waiting to be loaded into the freighters standing off shore.  We could see 5 ships waiting to enter the port.

tuna fishermen at Portland cleaning their catch after a days fishing out on the Continental Shelf

Cape Nelson lighthouse stands tall and is built from local bluestone (now painted white of course).  The story is that the local supply ran out and further stone had to be brought approx 30km by bullock teams to allow completion of all the buildings.  There is also a rubble wall 4 foot high that was built to provide protection from the southern gales for the men as they walked from the living quarters to the lighthouse and signal station.  The buildings are now used for tourist accommodation purposes and one is a small café. 

On our way to the lighthouse we called into Yellow Rock which is said to be popular with artists.  Seeing the wonderful colours in the sand and rock formations I can understand why.

We also visited the gannet colony we had thought was on the mainland at Point Danger just past the refinery however, once we arrived there we found that the gannets are actually out on Lawrence Rocks just 2km off shore.  There are 6000 pairs of birds breeding on the rocks and in the photo the whiteness that shows is actually the birds.  Would be a little crowded I should think. 

Lawrence Rocks gannet colony

We walked (lol) out to view the seal colony at Cape Bridgewater.  The seals could easily be seen after our hike up and down and around the headland.  We certainly had our exercise with this walk. 

along our 'trek'

sleepy seals

playful seals

The seals seemed to be playing in the water and a group of about 6 seemed to be having a jumping contest between them. There would have been about 20 in the water at that spot.   Others were lying up on the rocks just taking it easy.  Info stated that there are about 650 seals in this colony and are mainly young juveniles with some older males no longer able to protect their harem.  The closest breeding colony is at Lady Julia Percy Island off Warrnambool.

On the other side of the headland we drive out to see the Petrified Forest.  This is not really a forest at all but formations of limestone that look like tree trunks, created over many years by the elements of this rugged coastline. 

Again wind turbines are everywhere along the coastline.  We found one however undergoing repair which gave a different view to ‘service call’. 

service call???

Great place to to visit and we certainly enjoyed ourselves before setting off for Mt Gambier

next stop Portland

Leaving Koroit we have travelled on to Portland on the coast.  Just on 90kms from Koroit it was no long trip.  Overcast but no rain we haven't seen the sun for a couple of days now.  The little heater I used to have at work is working fine (and is much quieter than the air conditioner).
We are staying here till Monday morning when we will travel on to Mt Gambier and our next state, South Australia and our next mail 'pick up' thanks to our neighbour.
Had a minor mishap on the drive today with our driver side mirror breaking away from its fastener.  Fortunately we were not on the main highway so I was able to run back and pick up the pieces without the worry of other traffic.  At least the mirror didn't break so no bad luck terrors for us.  We will have to wait till Mt Gambier to investigate repairs or replacements.
Lets hope the sun shows its face over the next few days.

3 days at Koroit Victoria

Koroit is our next base for 3 nights.  This little town is just 16km sth west of Warrnambool and offers a quiet van park that suits us.  During the weekend just finished the town hosted The Irish Festival and from what we were told the town was abuzz with people and events all with an Irish theme.  The posters and flags were still up on Monday afternoon as we walked the main street.  Many of the shops were closed (guess they had to recover from the weekend).  Info stated that the original settlers were a family of Protestant Irish who identified the grazing and farming potential of the area.  This family then offered work and tenant farming to many of the Irish immigrants as they arrived at the docks.  There are again lovely bluestone buildings to be found along the street.  This stone was certainly plentiful back in the 1800’s and was a popular choice for construction.

Tower Hill crater

Koroit is situated on the back slopes of Tower Hill, a volcanic crater which has been re-vegetated and turned into a reserve with walkways, flora and fauna.  We visited the lookout and could see emus grazing around the water areas down below us.  The wind was quite cold and showers were a chance so we decided against taking the walk down to the bottom.  It seems there were quite a few volcanoes across this southern part of our continent from what we have seen the past few weeks.   

Warrnambool is only 16km from here so exploring this city will only be a short drive away.  This is to be Race Week in Warrnambool and there are many visitors to the town for this event featuring steeplechase races.  The shops along the main street have their windows decorated to support the theme of racing and we found out that Thursday is going to be a public holiday so just as well we will be heading off then on to our next ‘base’. 

After finding the Information Centre, based at Flagstaff Hill where there is a Maritime Museum and great display, we collect our local map and set off to explore.  We decided to head out of town and visit Allansford Cheese World where there is again a museum featuring many items from a local historic family along with various bits and pieces of farming equipment.  Allansford is also the home of the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory which has been in operation since 1888.  There is a free cheese tasting offered at Cheese World every half hour so this is a chance to try something ‘different’.  Those that know me and my ‘plain and non-adventurous’ approach to food would be proud.  Well there were about 10 different varieties (Garlic, chives, chilli etc) and I must admit I did not try them all but did about half.  I know my limits with spices etc.  Lawrie however did try each of them so we ended up buying three different flavours to take with us for nibbles along the track. 

Leaving Allansford we head north to Hopkins Falls on the Hopkins River.  

Hopkins Falls

In early summer there is an annual migration of eels that takes place when hundreds of tiny elvers can be seen fighting their way upstream.  This river finally meets the ocean at Warrnambool.  These falls are one of the widest in Australia (up to 30 metres) with a depth of 11 metres.  What must they look like after heavy rain?

Our trip into town to explore had us finding the Wollaston Suspension Bridge, built in 1890 across the Merri River to enable the landowner pastoralist to have easy access to his property.  The cables came from the Melbourne to Hawthorne tram service.  An early example of recycling?   We walked across the bridge and couldn’t help but admire the timber beams and the construction techniques that had been used all those years ago.

                                        Wollaston Suspension Bridge across the Merri River

Another ‘must’ visit in town is the Fletcher Jones gardens on the edge of town beside the highway.  We had visited here in Sept 1996 on a trip to WA and I remember the beautiful gardens that we had seen.  The factory had been built in 1948 but is now no longer in use.  We were fortunate to speak to one of the gardeners and he told us that when the factory closed the gardens were taken over by the council however the gardens had been ‘let go’.  Now under the control of the National Trust they are worked by groups of unemployed folks in a training scheme under the direction of this gentleman.  Being late Autumn they are currently in the process of doing a lot of replanting ready for spring so there were quite a few bare plots.  The supervisor told us that originally the garden area had held a quarry and Sir Fletcher Jones had filled it with any old car wrecks or machinery he could find.  They then dumped sand from the beach on top of the wrecks and the gardens were then developed on top of that.  Over the years those old wrecks have started to rust and breakdown so areas of the garden are now ‘sinking’ so of course, that area is now called ‘The Sunken Garden’. 

Our three days in Koroit have come to an end and we head off a little further west tomorrow to explore a little more of this western area of Victoria.