Distance Travelled: 232 kms
Weather: Half n’ half.
Today's Biggest Challenges: Pretty new to dirt! A number of new experiences but all good learnings.
What I've learned from today: Sand is scary! Need to be loose and relaxed on the dirt tracks, use less front brake and more rear.
Highlights of today: We rose to a clearing sky against the backdrop of the valley behind Orroroo. We met a family who had just come back from the Flinder’s at the campsite who told us about their experiences of the place and gave us a few tips on the best places to camp. I did a bit more shopping to make up for the fruit we lost and we headed off.
The first section up to the ranges was really beautiful. Yes it was stark and was really an area without many trees, however the rolling hills were beautiful against the morning sun and we took so many photos! We had to be really careful as there was heaps of road kill around so we took it easy. Super grateful to have stocked up on firewood this morning as it is certainly limited out here. The grassy plains and the grey-green hills against the blue sky is quite something to behold as the first blue of the Flinder’s comes into view on the horizon.
We arrived at Hawker, the last stop before we entered the ranges, fulled up, made some last phone calls before the reception goes out for the next several days and bought parks passes (something like $10 per day for entry per vehicle… could be different for the car, I can’t recall). Driving through the first section to Wilpena Pound was really something. The pound is straight ahead and we were flanked on both sides by the ranges with it’s plain in between. Something odd I noticed was random piles of what looked like yellow apples on the side of the road - they must be some sort of native bush going to seed in its fruit however it was just so random and for a while I thought it must have been tourists throwing out old bags of fruit! However, as they kept coming up at regular intervals I dismissed the thought.
We arrived at the Wilpena Pound info centre and went in to enquire about camping and the best spots. An aboriginal gentleman called Mick happened to be manning reception and he was such a character! Very kind, funny and helpful, he had our best interests at heart and went out of his way to help us find the best spot to camp, which we decided would be in the Brachina Gorge. We mentioned that we were heading out to Uluru along the Oodnadatta Track and he said ‘Oh yes! And you will want to stop at Marree to check out the hotel and Farina with the underground bakery and stay at Coward Springs…. oh, and you know what Oodnadatta means? It literally means ‘shitty road’, and you will find out why!’. He was so helpful we’ve decided to call him Mick the Legend. We said our goodbyes, had some lunch and headed for the scenic dirt drive through the gorges to Brachina. 
The first section of the road after Wilpena was a new experience. I’ve had some dirt experience before but nothing too major (perhaps a few hundred kms, hence why I’ve wanted to include dirt in my trip because 1, it’s more physical, and 2, its a new skill to learn). After a while I unknowingly hit a sand patch and the whole bike felt like it had become possessed with the handlebars jumping left and right of their own accord…a pretty scary experience! The others later mentioned it was sand I had hit and I made a mental note to watch out for sand in the future.
After some time we made it up to Razorback lookout where we had a full view of Wilpena Pound. Gosh, it is gorgeous! The blue/green and red ridges jutting out of the earth like a series of knives with the winding dirt track below, the silence palpable and the hawks gliding on the wind… it is really a place that must be experienced. It is easy to understand how these places are sacred to the indigenous.
We slowly wound down the hills into the gully where we crossed a few creeks (more skills to learn!) and eventually made our wait to the final straight section heading north before the campsite. We made camp along the river in the Brachina Gorge where we had a full bush camp - even the toilets were too far away for comfort, so we just made do. It was incredible watching the sun set over the red ridges as we cooked our yummy chicken stir fry for dinner. Afterwards we made a camp fire and sat around sharing stories while I made damper. The gentle breeze, the cool air, the trickle of the river and the incredible number of shooting stars was something so special to experience as we munched on damper and drank tea under a million stars. Will easily be one of the most memorable experiences of this trip.
Tomorrow we head up to Marree and on to Coward Springs to try to make up a bit of the extra time we spent in the Flinders. I look forward to writing again and am keen to see what the dirt road brings! Till then, MMG
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