My polar walks still continue as do my town circuits. Besides the superb disused railway station, the post office, and an old glorious pub, I also walked past a church – the Uniting. These days people there pray about a tasty calamari, for it is now Spirou’s Seafood and Salad Bar. The owners were criticised earlier on for desecrating this church until they discovered that Spirou had saved it from being demolished – now they are valued customers and go to church many times every week.

Mambray Creek offered us a choice so we took the Sugar Gum route. This tree is mostly recognised by a sniff of its foliage and grows mostly in the higher regions. We were admiring a perfectly dead gum tree that had fallen not only in the shape of a bridge, but at a perfect length. Parents and babies flew in to take a look. They gathered round and all began to mock the wooden bridge, with some of the loudest and most varied laughters I had ever heard.

This route initially followed a creek, under ‘Dead Tree Bridge’, where just before, Corrie spent some time talking to a tame young Kangaroo (there were many about). A simple creek walk but a busy one, as we passed walkers on their own; one group with friends; an older man (twice); a group of noisy kids, some with very loud voices, and a young couple who hurried back when the rain started – they had left their tent open!!!

This simple walk soon began a very steep one for some distance until we saw our unmarked lookout facing (Sorry, I didn’t tell you) a cliff side of mostly orange blocks of rocks over 800 million years old. I suddenly felt very young. Because the lookout was unmarked I walked to a corner but the rise had ended and we started back down. 

I  ‘sort of’ cross country ski with my poles protecting my knees as I throw one pole out in front of me into the dirt, pulling myself down as I swung the other pole ready to grab its hold (the same method poling up) as taught to me by Corrie. I see so many people unable to enjoy even simple walking because of damaged knees so I go out of my way to use protective devices.

A short drive to Quorns, (a seemingly quiet sleepy country town) that takes us ever closer to the Flinders, is our home for the night. From here we are close to some exciting hikes for the next 5 days while we keep a careful eye on accommodation in the Flinders (hard to get – but I remind you all, I have booking.com‘s genius of the year travelling with me).