Paddy & Jen Adventures

From Clare we travelled to Brinkworth, a small town (population of 243) that offered a powered site for $15. We needed to wash some clothes and wash my hair so this was the purpose of this stay. The night was freezing, getting down to zero. Had a chat to the local volunteer who came to collect our $$ and she was quite devastated about the drought. She told us of so many local farmers suffering. Last year they were only able to grow a small amount of wheat and only enough to replant this year. They did not sell anything and desperately need rain to survive. We have seen so many very thin animals on very dry properties. She told me most animals have been sent north as there’s no hay to feed them. Very sad indeed! Glad we stayed and contributed a little bit to this community.

Our first stop in the southern Flinders Ranges was a beautiful country town called Melrose. It is a popular mountain biking area and is where you can hike Mt Remarkable. We did this 16km hike, which was pretty tough going due to so many rocks. The summit was 960m which we reached via the southern path, but heading down the northern path was a lot harder. After walking for 5 hours we were ready for a cold drink and a sit by the fire. Paddy had the guitar out and we enjoyed a star spectacular that night. We also spent a morning hiking through Alligator Gorge, which was hit by fire in February this year and has only just opened. It was strange to walk through the blackened area so soon after fire. Some regrowth is beginning to happen and we both talked about definitely revisiting the area in years to come to see the change.

Our next 3 nights we stayed at Mt Little Station, a working station just north of Hawker. We were completely remote and enjoyed the incredible land we were able to explore. The station is 24,000 acres and it felt like we had it all to ourselves. Nights were amazing too with a camp fire and a sky full of stars. We had a beautiful sunset to ourselves at the top of Mt Little. A perfect setting for cheese & biscuits and of course a champagne. Saturday night at the station is pizza night and we joined all the other campers at the tavern on the property for pizza and drinks. We met a lovely couple Jenny and Glen (from Bendigo) and spent a fun evening chatting with them.

We made a rookie error not realising there were no more pharmacies or places to do a big food shop further north in the Ranges. We had to back track 75 km’s to the town of Quorn. We left the van at the RV park and drove another 40km to Port Augusta to shop. This meant meal planning for the next 2-3 weeks. The fridge and freezer are now full (& not just with food!) and we were all set to head back north on Monday. Unfortunately a huge dust storm blew in and we couldn’t go anywhere. It would have been far too dangerous to drive. This meant a few hours of work time for Paddy and chill time for me. I did a bit of book reading, a town walk (not ideal in a dust storm), some cooking and a bit of cleaning. Everything in the van is now a bit dusty! I know we are headed further outback so I didn’t overdo the cleaning. We had a FaceTime chat with our friends Donna and Danny Ward which was fun. Always a good laugh with those two!! We also love chats with our boys (along with Em & Sarah), who ring often to check in with our travels. Lach and Josh are getting through uni (both doing teaching degrees), Em is busy with her work in the disability space, Sarah (an ambo) is working a lot of overtime to pay for a wedding and Tom is doing rehab on his injured back. A lot going on for them but it makes it easier being away knowing they always look out for each other.

Today, Tuesday 27th May we headed to another working station Merna-Mora Station, this time for one night on a powered site. We needed to charge up so we can head off grid for a while and do more washing. We are off to Wilpena Pound next to meet up with Paddy’s brother Paul. We will travel with him for the next couple of weeks which will be fun. Paul loves the outdoors like we do and we have planned a few hikes in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park to kick off our travels with him. We are both looking forward to spending time with Paul – especially Paddy who I am sure will enjoy a break from just listening to me!!!