We’ve come back down to earth after leaving the relatively pristine environs of Wilpena Pound. As soon as we hit the long, dry, flat plains of what I hear some people call, the real Australia, it seems like another country. As you go further north it becomes dryer, the towns become smaller and the deserts loom large. There are mountains but there is little or no accommodation, so we would have to travel too far by car to start our hike.
And they have a new hike here that opens tomorrow. It starts in Leigh Creek and ends at Aroona dam. We had permission to start out on it today and it took us a while to get used to the parched stony ground, the small eucalypts, the salt type bushes, the flys and the heat (would you believe?) And we got lost.
Not that we got lost, lost, but had missed the sign. Normally we would have gone back to find the sign but Corrie was thinking otherwise, so we walked on until a fence appeared. There was a hill to our right, in fact a line of them which were with us on our wrong hike. So we climbed the hill and I walked the hill line home, up and down for five hills. One had no trees. Another one had a few, with fifty wild goats sitting under the few. The next had two kangaroos and still a few trees, while the rest were bare, but what they all had, were small, sharp red rocks.
I came off the last hill to meet Corrie on the wrong road, drank water and shamefully found the guide pole a little obscured by a fence post, so followed it but could not find the next one. I sincerely wish them well on their opening tomorrow and will definitely be there if they start before 7.
We are still uncertain where we will be tomorrow as we try to sort out options with our intermittent wifi and no phone connection. So we call in to the pub whenever we get a chance, not for a drink, but to see if they are connected, and, we will call in to the service station, not to give the car a drink, but to get a sim card.
Leigh Creek is an unusual town. At times, it seems, it’s mostly tourists who bring life to what the publican calls: a forgotten town, thus troubles with nbn for example. Trees are dying along the street because they used to be watered by those who have long gone, according to the guy who was cutting them down. Shops, and residences behind tall sheets of asbestos are closing down rapidly, and at the same time they are opening their first ever hiking trail tomorrow. There must be someone who believes in Leigh Creek, we just hope it’s not too late.
And one more thing, a road from Leigh Creek has this sign, thought you might like it.
Wow, how different from your European adventures, what an amazing varied place this planet is. We know this is so, but how fantastic to see proof of this up close. Will & Corrie adventures extraordinaire. 🥾🥾 🕉🕉🕉.
Hi you fearless adventurers🌟🌟it looks so barren where you now have just been.
Good there are two of you as it looks pretty isolated maybe land even Mars-like..
How pleasant surely to be warm there. Hope you find some more newsworthy walks/climbs. It’s fun to read your daily reports which you write so well, and your atmospheric oics xx
Hi Will and Corrie. You are certainly having an amazing journey through SA. Your photographs are beautiful and very much enjoying your description of your travels. Take care.
Much love to you both. Annie