Day 9 – September 9 2012

A very pleasant start to the day, the wind has dropped, the sun is shining & there are no clouds.   The drive to the Flinders Ranges was easy with each unfolding mile giving us better & better views & scenery.  The trip from Orroroo to Rawnsley Park Station, butting up against Wilpena Pound, is around 150km so we arrived around 11.30am, set up, lunch, then embarked on the Clem Corner walk.  This walk starts at the campsite & follows the northern base of Ulowdna Range with magnificent views across to the majestic ramparts of Wilpena Pound, a truly impressive site.  After around 2km we turned south through a pretty gully & walked along the southern side of the Ulowdna Range.  This gave us magnificent views across the hills of Arkaba to the Elder Range.  We stopped many times to admire the striking scenery & watch the birds, kangaroos & even a couple of shingleback lizards.  At the Kangaroo Gap lookout we turned north again & followed Kangaroo Creek back to the campground.  This creek has a very impressive stand of very old river gums, so full of character & charm, looking glorious in the late afternoon light.

Back at camp we sat down to some nibblies & wine chatting with Rose, Mike, Helen & John when a mallee ringneck bird flew into the back window of Rose & Mikes motorhome.  This stunned the bird so Mike picked it up & nursed it for a while until it recovered & could fly off again.  We made good use of the great camp BBQ facilities, the six of us sat & ate our meal at the tables & planned tomorrows excursion & chatted with the other campers before another hot shower (yes, unbelievable) & bed.

This place is so unbelievable – the views of the mountains are so beautiful, the camping ground is very well kept, we have powered sites.  The community BBQ, kitchen so well equipped & the bathrooms are very clean, like new.  At the information centre they are friendly & informative about the places we should see.  The shop has lots of souvenirs & basic groceries, fresh fruit, vegetables & wines at such a reasonable prices.  Hard to believe that this is in the outback.