We escaped for a weekend at Mambray Creek. We didn’t find a whole lot of sun, but mid-winter in the Southern Flinders Ranges is green with secret bursts of colour. Click on the picture to read more.
whistling ninjakitty
an artist, two little boys and a home by the sea
Trying to find the end of big blanket of pale grey cloud that had been covering Adelaide, we raced North up the Princess Highway in hope of a good long soak in the sunshine. Our destination: Mount Remarkable National Park.
We have enjoyed hiking parts of the Heysen Trail on our last camping adventures, and I was eager to try some more. Originally I had big ambitions to hike in to our campsite, but eventually conceded that we didn’t really have the equipment we need for bush camping (ie: a shovel). We settled in at Mambray creek campsite which is situated in the remnants of a native forest surrounded on two sides by agricultural land.
The spot is also home to the biggest flock of pink galahs I’ve ever witnessed, as well as many other flying and hopping beasts, several of whom we met. Boo keeps the trip journal, so I’ll ask him to tell you more.
It’s a pretty flash campground but we’re so off season, we had our pick of the site. We set up camp and went for a hike. Immediately we could tell it was a good spot.
The sky was starting to clear and we watched the sunset from the hillside overlooking the campground, with a view of the forest trailing south bordered by farmland and the Spencer Gulf.
Yay night photography!
There were a few other folks (and an emu!) at the trailhead, but we pretty much had the day to ourselves. The forest was full of cool hollowed-out trees and wildflowers gearing up for spring. There was massive old gum at the lookout, and someone had piled stones. We hung out there for a good while, taking pictures (such as the panorama at the top), sketching, piling more stones.
We hiked back down to the crumbling bush cabin and cooked maginoodle lunch (w00t hikestove! ^_^), then went a few kilometer along the Hidden Gorge hike (which leads to the closest hike-in campsite). Everything was growing, even the rocks were covered in moss and lichen. I found a native cherry tree, very exciting. There were heaps of gums twisted by lightning into interesting shapes. . .
We wandered back towards camp, stopping to nap on a downed gum hanging over the creekbed. Bird city. Tiny little guys hopping about, galahs chatting away. I got pretty close to a big ol’ kookaburra who we’d heard raising a ruckus earlier. It eyed me for a minute and then flew off laughing.
As we broke camp we made a list of the things we’d need so we can hike in next time, and on our way out we passed some local friends taking an early tea. . . as we gawk and roll out of the park, one of them decided to leap from behind a bush, clearing the roof of our little Been with ease. ‘relia had to pull over and walk that one off.
See ya next time @_@;
It is true. A KANGAROO JUMPED OVER OUR CAR.
It was a short trip, we both woke up on Saturday with strange (un)reasons to go home.
That evening there was a call from the police – they’d arrested someone with all my CC details on a piece of paper. *doom*
Sounds like a surreal weekend, but luverly. Kind of missing the rawness of the Australian bush, all we got here is stinging nettles that seem to radiate towards me whenever I go into the countryside.
Speaking of surrealness, will try to have Richard explain the bend over backwards, reveal your boobs, crab dance he saw last night at this gig. Sounds tres bizarro.
I read this twice to actually take in all the fun you had…cause the first time I read it, all I got from it was that you brought the ability to make coffee!
will you guys take me there when I head back down there? :E
Winter camping! How delightful! Great photos.
Even summer camping is off limits here, lest the polar bears decide to snack. One was killed off the beach just last weekend, wouldn’t leave the confines of a back yard.
Hey you two, Jonathan here from Portland, Or. I Miss you two. I check out your blog form time to time; it’s the only way to keep up on you. I don’t know what to say in this space, but I’m drinking some cabernet from Chile called Root:1 because it’s from the original root stock from before the phylloxera pandemic, blah, blah, blah. It doesn’t taste any different to me. Kirsten is looking at a Victoria Secret catalog and making fun of the Amazon models. Your dialect is too Aussie for me. I can barely read your blog, better have Brian type the next entry. Take care, and we’ll visit you soon. Hell, maybe next year?
-Jonathan
But I *did* write the entry ;_;/
Ah well. Good to hear from ya’s kids, come visit anytime 😉