0022 Arkaroola to Iga Warta July 11th

COLD !!!!!  It has been down around 2-3 deg C most mornings, but this morning we were down below zero enough for frost to form on the bonnet of Troopie !!    Once again I was up, made a cup of tea, and took off for a hike up along the river bed.  Beautiful morning, with the cockatoos (and noisy crows too, unfortunately) filling the air with their morning screeches as the sun came up.  Packed up over breakfast (hot porridge !!), and then set off to explore the local area. There are a lot of day hikes and mountain bike trails for those spending more time there, but as a lot of the destinations are also designated 4WD trails, and because Janet’s leg is still causing her grief and limiting the distance she can walk, we explored by 4 WD – And had a ball.  We took Troopie (or should it be “Troopie took us”?) up creek beds and through gorges, and a lot of other places where I never thought I would be driving !!   First off was a relatively easy run to The Pinnacles – 3 large granite volcanic plugs which were quite dramatic – Especially when we sat on them and were glad we were there today and not 500 million years ago when they were still bubbling !!  

Once again, little purple leafed succulent plants sticky their heads up in the most unlikely places.    Then it was off to Bollabollana spring,  where we drove down a gorge and then parked on the creek bed to walk a little way to the spring.  After that it was about 40 minutes in another direction to the site of the Bolla Bollana Smelter, built in the 1850’s, with most of the kiln bricks imported from Cornwall, along with the labour to run it.  In the middle of NOWHERE, all the equipment was hauled in by bullock cart some 400 kms from Port Augusta !!   And it seems possible from the analysis that there is a possibility that no copper was EVER smelted in it !!    Just unbelievable.  By 1857 it was abandoned !!!  On leaving the smelter, a big gang of emus were there to wave us good bye as we set back off up the rough creek bed.

We occasionally saw “Road Closed” signs, but couldn’t even see the road that was supposed to be closed !!  Some VERY remote and rough trails and tracks up here !  We then made it back to Arkaroola just in time for the BEST hamburger – So juicy, and with ALL the Aussie trimmings – beetroot, fried egg, pineapple – Plus all the normal stuff.  We should have shared one between us – But didn’t !!

 

After lunch, it was back into Troopie and down the trail to a lookout over the local Arkaroola Station (ie farm, not railway station !!) from which vantage point on the top of the hill you could see all the surrounding hills.  Then it was off to the Barraranna Gorge, which took us on very steep trails past the Jasper Twins (two enormous rocks), through another Pound (ie ring of hills enclosing a grazing area, used to hold sheep or cattle safely), and then into the start of this dramatic gorge.  We eventually had to park and walk a couple of kms up the river bed into the gorge proper, and it was well worth it.  Although the creek beds are all dry at the moment, you can see from the height of the piles of debris in the trees how much water CAN flow down when there is a big storm – We are talking 15 or 20 ft deep through a very wide gorge, and the way the water has smoothed out the rocks, and carved them, is just unbelievable.   By now it was mid afternoon, and we wanted to get moving up the road, so we set off, past camel signs, on the often dramatic dirt road to the south west.  We passed though the Italowie Gorge, but couldn’t find the camp site referred to on our map, so kept going to Neepabunna where a camp site was indicated.  Couldn’t find it, and it was obviously an Aboriginal township, so we went into the Information centre and were told we actually were not allowed to stop there as it was a reserve !!   But they told us that if we went up the road about 10 kms to “Eagle Waters”, we would be out of the reserve, and there was a campsite where we could stop.  It was already getting dark, and the roos were starting to come out, so we really wanted to stop soon.  Sure enough, 10 kms later we came to “Iga Warta” !!!  Nothing to do with Eagle Waters – in fact it means Place of the Orange Tree in the local Aboriginal dialect !!   And the camp site ????   Well, shall we call it “interesting” and leave it at that ???  This lovely aboriginal guy Cliff showed us around and told us to pitch anywhere as the only other tenant was his son !!  He then invited us back to his place for a cup of tea, and to “sit around the fire and chat” !!  Well, to pitch the annex I had to kick away a couple of well chewed (but very recognisable) roo legs, and a spine and few other bones too !!  Went to get water and none of the taps worked – But the cup of tea was delicious and we sat around the fire with a few of the family while Tom from Yorkshire who worked there (don’t ask) played his guitar (Neil Young !! Can’t be bad !).  Then it was back off to the boneyard where we slept like logs after an exhausting and fascinating day of 4WDing in the bush.  A BIG thank you to my son Damien for getting me to put a 2 inch lift in the suspension of Troopie – Everyone looked at our car and said, ”Oh with that ground clearance, you can go anywhere”, and sure enough we did !!  Thanks D – Big hug. 

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0022ArkaroolaToIgaWarta?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_cl_DUjbG1Gg#