As I explained earlier, my experience here in SA is that there have been two types of gorges – a long gorge that you admire on a ‘journey’ through it; and a gorge that you arrive at and then admire, that I call a ‘destination’ gorge. This was a ‘journey’ gorge that we travelled along for over six kms. A dry, ‘two semi trailer wide’ at times rocky creek bed narrowing to a car width creek at others, huddled under the great red gums between imposing rocky mountains.

At times we walked along mainly gravel size stones with larger scattered rocks and slate that had shattered on its fall down from the mountain sides above. Native pines monopolised the walk both on the ground and on the mountains above. On the creek banks the ground varied from red gravel to a sandy coloured soil topped by thousands of spinifex type bushes, and divided by eroded ground that during rain storms become deeper and wider.

Like the goats watching us from high on the gorge walls, we often made our own tracks away from the tough going sandy creek bottom. It was a return journey rather than a circuit but it did not matter because the gorge was quite different on the way back. Even the beautifully coloured stones on the creek bed looked different with the sun then poking through the clouds. There were still small rises and falls as we traversed the quite deep eroded river like crevices along the way.

We returned via the gorge’s namesake, the closed but not abandoned town of Parachilna. There are many stories about the town’s pub – the Prairie Hotel. It is unique sitting alone (ie, there are a few homes but no shops) and looking out on a near desert as far as the eye could see except for the distant gorge that we had just visited. But alas it is closed for renovations so there is really not much to do in this unusual town. Other towns nearby are also closed, but more permanently, whilst others are close to it, owing in many cases to the closure of mines.

We finished the day by looking for a sign that will allow us to complete the newly designed trail from Leigh Creek to the local dam, and there are hills!. We head back to the familiar Flinders tomorrow. So it’s off to the ‘on and off’ wifi hotel to find accommodation.