Sooner or later, most travellers in Australia will reach the great cross-roads at the head of Spencer Gulf that is Port Augusta.

North is the Stuart Highway to the Northern Territory. West is the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor to West OZ. East is the Barrier Highway to Broken Hill and New South Wales. And South is to Adelaide and beyond.

Many travellers stop overnight either going to or coming from their main destination.

But discerning visitors who stay an extra day (or two or three) will be rewarded by discovering some of the FAAAAABULOUS things to do in Port Augusta.

Like what? Like THESE! Here’s TEN of my favorites!

1 Time Tunnel Travel at Wadlata

Wadlata Outback Centre isn’t just about tourist information. There’s the excellent gift shop – try a Journey Jottings map or a piece of Indigenous artwork! There’s a cool cafe – try the quandong cheesecake or the quandong slice!

And then there’s the time tunnel!

Walk into the jaws of the giant ripper lizard and be transported into the prehistoric world of life before man on Gondwanaland. This ancient history lesson is never dull as it moves through aeons (via interactive displays, dreamtime stories and intriguing facts) from the beginning of time to the present day in Port Augusta NOW!

While THIS time travel won’t take millions of years, don’t underestimate the time you’ll need – it’s easy to spend several hours there, especially with breaks for lunch and/or morning and/or afternoon tea. Just watching ‘Back of Beyond’, a movie about Outback legend mailman Tom Kruse takes an hour!

The good news is if you run out of time on this visit, just pick up a pass-out from the Wadlata staff and come back to finish it off other time!

2 The Full 360º at the Water Tower Lookout

It’s a long way to the top if you want a shocking fall – and the see-through metal mesh staircase doesn’t help either.

Luckily for us acrophobics, the Water Tower Lookout’s horribly exposed four flights of stairs ends in a fully enclosed viewing platform complete with wire mesh criss-crossing the view in four directions.

Except for a thoughtfully placed hole in the middle just right for a camera lens.

A camera lens like MINE, that is. If size DOES matter; and you’ve brought a giant lens along for a big day out, you might be in trouble

But cameras aren’t required to enjoy the superb view of boats, bridges and birds on Spencer Gulf; the iconic silhouette of the power station; and the general landscape filled with parklands and houses that make up this town, named for Augusta Sophia Marryat, wife of South Australia’s first civilian Governor.

Is late afternoon leading up to sunset the best time to check it out? I haven’t been there at any other time, so I don’t know – but it sure worked for me!

3 Matthew Flinders Lookout and RED Cliff Walk

Even if you’re more immune to the promise of RED Cliffs, the Matthew Flinders Lookout – a short walk from the car park – is worth a visit for its staggering vista of Spencer Gulf against the magnificent backdrop of the Flinders Ranges.

A landscape so fine that even standing atop a high and crumbling cliff face to view it becomes a pleasure. Well … almost

But throw in a killer sunset and even a coward like me can forget the perils of standing on the edge!

For more than double the fun, take the 4.5 km RED Cliff Circuit Walk from the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens to the Matthew Flinders lookout via a bird hide, a bluebush plain and the railway bridge with fine views from the edge of Spencer Gulf over the RED Cliffs, claypans and mangroves! Follow the loop trail back through the gardens.

4 Arid Lands Botanic Gardens

If you’ve got lemons, make lemonade.

And if you’ve got a climate with extreme temperatures, lengthy periods of drought and low rainfall, showcase the plants that LOVE arid conditions in your garden!

That’s exactly what the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, established in 1993 as an initiative of the Port Augusta Council, has achieved with its arid zone plant habitats – like dunes, desert and saltbush plains – spread over 250 hectares.

But demonstrating water-wise gardening techniques isn’t the only attraction!

When you’re tired of the walks, bird hides (and over 100 bird species recorded), a nationally significant Eremophila garden, art works, lookouts and plant nursery outside, there’s the Bluebush Café and Gift Shop inside.

Entry to the gardens is free, and they’re open all year round (other than Christmas and New Years Day, and Good Friday).

5 Pichi Richi Railway

Take a trip on a small section of the old Great Northern Railway from Adelaide to Alice Springs, once dubbed the Afghan Express and now affectionately known as the Ghan, through the rocky Pichi Richi pass in fully restored heritage carriages.

The Ghan hasn’t passed this way since 1956, but from April to November, experience the magic of steam and take a return trip on the restored Afghan Express from Port Augusta to nearby Quorn (41 km to the north-east); or the Pichi Richi Explorer from Quorn through the pass to Woolshed Flat.

With railway memorabilia at both Port Augusta and Quorn, the railway is a great way to experience the magic of train travel.

6 Trainspotting

Railway enthusiasts need not fear having to adopt alternative pursuits like sightseeing, birding and wildflower watching when the Pichi Richi Railway isn’t operating.

SO … if your preferred lullaby is the soothing sounds of shunting, then find somewhere to stay within sight and sound of the railway because all passenger and freight trains heading north, south, east and west pass through Port Augusta.

Even Railway ambivalents may find a multi-coloured goods train tracking north along the eastern side of the gulf with the Flinders Ranges a resplendent backdrop an awesome sight.

I know I did!

7 Quorn and the Quandong Café

Even without the enticement of a Pichi Richi train ride, the short drive to Quorn is well worth it. And top of MY list of Quorn must-do’s is a visit (or two) to the Quandong Café.

Actually, it’s not the cafe. It’s the scones. AWESOME scones. They even beat my own faithfully copied secret recipe pumpkin scones AND give the discerning epicure the opportunity to experience the delights of the Quandong, Australia’s own arid land fruit at its best when turned into a marvellously piquant jam, the perfect accompaniment to THOSE SCONES!

When you’re done with that, explore the town’s Galleries, historic buildings, cafés, pubs, an Agricultural Museum and the Powell Gardens botanic garden.

If the Quorn scenery looks familiar, it MAY be because scenes from a number of films were shot in the area. Most recently, the region AND the Pichi Richi steam train featured in The Water Diviner with Russell Crowe! Other notable films include Wolf Creek 1 and 2 (2005 and 2013), Tracks (2013), The Shiralee (1986) and Gallipoli (also featuring the Pichi Richi in 1981).

I’m not sure if the Quandong Café featured in any of the films – but it should have!

8 The Flinders Ranges

If you want to explore the folds and peaks of the ragged range that makes such an awesome town backdrop, Port Augusta is an easy day trip from some of the Flinders Ranges hot spots.

Near Quorn there’s the Dutchmans Stern, Devils Peak and Warren Gorge. A little further north there’s Kanyaka Historic Site, Death Rock and the Jeff Morgan Gallery at Hawker, 107 km north-east. 67 km south is Melrose, gateway to the Mount Remarkable National Park.

Exploring the Flinders Ranges will take a LOT longer than a weekend – but a Port Augusta day trip makes a good teaser!

9 Wildflower Wonderland

Just in case you didn’t quite catch the beauty of the arid land vegetation, here’s a little taste of what you’re missing!

10 Blanche Harbour

Past the Port Augusta city limits heading south along the western side of Spencer Gulf, the sparsely vegetated dry hills of the outback to the right contrast nicely with the brilliant blue of the sea on the left, and the intriguing skyline of the Flinders Ranges beyond.

With a landscape like this, it’s no wonder the gulf is lined with holiday shacks.

23 km later, the gulf widens as the outback sweeps down to the sea at Blanche Harbour in a magnificent sweep of coastline. Atop a low hill above the car park, there’s a marvellous vantage point inside a picnic shelter that tells the story of this place while showing off its natural attractions.

But it didn’t always look this good. The ‘before’ photos show what the area looked like 15 years ago, when a group of concerned ‘shackies’ banded together to reverse the ravages of rubbish dumping and off-road vehicle driving.

Now, with revegetation well under way and stunning scenery, Blanche Harbour is a place of beauty and peace.

So take a look at my TOP TEN – and start planning YOUR stop-over – or weekend getaway – now! And if you can fit all TEN of my favourite things to do in Port Augusta into just ONE weekend, you’re doing well!

Want MORE?

• Port Augusta
• MORE Photos of Port Augusta on FLICKR!

PS  Did I mention the Scenic Public Loos??  Here’s a triple-toilet-teaser – see if you can find them all when YOU go to Port Augusta!

The post 10 TOP Things to Do in Port Augusta appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

As Aussie road trips go, the Lions Road NSW isn’t the best known. Or the longest. Or even the most demanding! But this 50 km fully sealed stretch of road linking the Mt Lindesay Highway near Queensland town Beaudesert with the Summerland Way near New South Wales town Kyogle is one of the most scenic, unusual and intriguing stretches of road in Australia.

According to me, anyway.

I’ve travelled the iconic community owned and operated Lions road in July 2014 twice.

Once travelling north from Kyogle, NSW to Rathdowney, Queensland; then later that same day back south to Kyogle. The drive itself doesn’t take long if you’re just trying to get from A to B.

But as a self-drive tour, the Lions Road NSW with its eclectic mix of natural attractions, fascinating history and unusual points of interest is as good a day out as you’ll find almost anywhere!

Here are my TOP 7 reasons why!

1 The History

If you want something done, it’s sometimes quicker to just do it yourself!

After government funding for a road roughly following the interstate railway line through the McPherson ranges fell through in the mid-late 1960s, the Kyogle and Beaudesert Lions clubs joined forces to build a gravel road themselves.

Since its official opening in 1973, the communities raise funds for

maintenance and improvements via a donation box at the Queensland/New South Wales Border, and visitors to the area have the option of a shorter, scenic and more direct route south.

The construction history in the area goes back even further to the railway line – a project employing over 1500 people over four years – with one of Australia’s most historically significant railway engineering feats in Australia, the Spiral Loop.

2 The Spiral Loop

To the casual observer, the photo (below) shows a fairly standard landscape featuring a not-unattractive well-forested hill with an jagged-edged mountain range in the background.

But lurking beneath the contours, pixellations and wooded slopes is one of Australia’s most intriguing feats of railway engineering. To reduce the length of the Main Range tunnel a few kilometres north, trains gain (or lose) 20 metres of altitude by passing through the mountain below the lookout twice, completing a loop. Naturally, given our national penchant for clear naming conventions, the whole structure is known as the ‘Spiral Loop’!

According to the Kyogle Council Visitor Information Guide, Neville Bonner (first Indigenous politician) was the first person to travel from QLD to NSW through the main tunnel. When he was a child, his stepfather worked on the line, and Neville was passed through the hole when the tunnel broke through!

Tragically, the daily passenger train from Brisbane generally passes through the loop and tunnel VERY early in the morning. So rather than risk a dark, frosty drive during our mid-winter stay in Kyogle, we planned a Sunday drive to catch the mid-morning goods train – which we would have done if not for a FLAT TYRE! So I leave you with this photo (above) of a passenger train passing the Kyogle Caravan Park instead!

Just as well a visit to the lookout is interesting in its own right, right?!?! Here’s a list of other things to do there (in no particular order):

a) Admire the Scenic Public Toilet!

b) Watch the birds (feathered)

c) Play ‘Spot the Trainspotter’

d) Walk the Border Loop Track!

3 Border Loop Track

From the Border Loop Lookout, the Border Loop Track is a 1.2 km easy stroll through a stand of wet eucalypt forest before entering the dense rainforest of the Border Ranges.

It’s an insight into the difficulties in constructing a railways roads through thick, tick-infested scrub over rugged and mountainous terrain!

4 The Viaduct

At the junction of the High and Low roads, a few kilometres north of ‘The Risk’ – the locality off the Summerland way where the Lions Road NSW starts just 19 km north-west of Kyogle – the Viaduct towers above Gradys Creek. From here, the Low road follows the railway line more closely before re-joining the High Road a few kilometres north.

But for me, the Viaduct is just another compelling reason (along with the Spiral Loop) to make the trip across the ranges by train one day!

5 New South Wales/ Queensland Border

There are a few good reasons to stop at the border. Here they are, in no particular order:

a) Make a donation. All funds raised from the donation box go to the Kyogle and Beaudesert Councils for maintenance and improvements of the road.

b) Check your rig for runaway rabbits! Because bringing a rabbit across the border into Queensland (that’s what EVERYONE wants to do, right?) will attract a fine of up to $44000.

Who knew?!

c) Admire the scenery (see 1st photo above). It’s REALLY worth it! Especially the view looking from the New South Wales side down the range – and extraordinarily steep road – into Queensland.

d) Take a photo or two, or two hundred. And be grateful I haven’t uploaded ALL the photos I managed to take in the few minutes we stopped at the border gate to Facebook.  There’s plenty – read: ‘more than enough’ – here, right?!

6 Andrew Drynan Park

Across the border, down the road and round the corner – actually, make that LOTS of corners and many crossings of Running Creek – the Andrew Drynan Park with its picnic area and campground is a great place to stop and admire the superb scenery.

And a scenic amenities block is one of the BEST reasons to stop! Or is that just me?!

7 Rathdowney

A turn-off to the left just before the Lions Road meets the Mt Lindesay Highway at Innisplain ends at Rathdowney, where we turned around for the return leg of our Lions Road NSW odyssey.

Gateway to the magnificent ranges of the Scenic Rim, including Mt Lindesay and Mt Barney, the small town of Rathdowney is a great base to explore the Rim’s eastern reaches.

But that’s another story!!

Lions Road: Fast Facts!

Name: Named for the Lions Clubs, not Mt Lion, part-way along the road

Start: The Risk, 19 km north-west of Kyogle on the Summerland Way

End: Innisplain, 24 km south of Beaudesert on the Mt Lindesay Highway

Traffic: Over 100,000 vehicles per annum

Distance: 50 km

Surface: Fully sealed

Restrictions:  Please NOTE that some vehicle height and weight restrictions may apply.  Please check before taking this route if you are towing, or if your vehicle is high.

Age: 40^th anniversary celebrated in 2013

Scenic Public Toilets: Two, one at the Border Loop Lookout; and the other at Andrew Drynan Park

Want MORE?

• The Lions Road
• Kyogle, New South Wales
• Rathdowney, Queensland
• Woodenbong, NSW (just across the border)
• Book:  “The Lions Road” (by Jack (JD) Hurley OAM)

The post 7 Reasons to Road-trip the Lions Road NSW appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

It took an awfully LOOOOOONG time to climb Mount Abrupt.

It took a long time to even get there. Over 20 years of regular trips to the Grampians National Park and its amazing natural attractions had passed by before we fully explored its wilder, more remote southern end. We’d always found plenty to do from Halls Gap, in the Central Grampians 65 km north.  The southern stronghold of Dunkeld (~280 km west of Melbourne) was just a little bit far for a day trip that included a lengthy hike.

Or so we’d kept telling ourselves.

The sheer, rocky cliffs visible from the road make Mount Abrupt look scarily unassailable – at least to a casual (read: unfit!) climber like me. But I’d always found the dramatic shapes of Mount Abrupt and Mt Sturgeon strangely fascinating. Or Mud-Dadjug and Wurgarri, if you want to get back to basics.

But finally, we were staying at the excellent Dunkeld caravan park.  From there we could see the distinctive peaks marking the end (or is it the beginning?) of the magnificent Grampians mountain range looming over the town.

No excuses now!

And then there’s the length of the Mount Abrupt hike!

It’s a relentless climb (note to self: yes, this IS what mountaineering means).  It rises steeply over the 3.25 kilometres (one way) to the 827m summit, so it isn’t for the faint-hearted. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much of the 460 metre elevation before the views are worth stopping for. And if you need more ‘photo breaks’ to admire the staggering scenery, follow my lead and make the climb in spring. That way you can make it your mission to photograph each of the many wildflower varieties you’ll encounter along the way!

But be warned – adopting this strategy will probably double the 2-3 hours you’re advised to set aside to complete the climb!!

My other no-fail tip for increasing rest break frequency is, of course, to climb with a twitcher (read: bird watcher!). That way you’ll score extra (read: legitimate) breaks whenever a bird squawks, moves, flutters, flies, scuttles, twitters or just breathes.  That’s because the twitcher will ALWAYS stop to check it out!

And if you need a rest stop, just stop and say the magic words: ‘is that a bird over there in the scrub?’  Trust me!  This REALLY works!!

The town of Dunkeld is worth a stay even if you don’t want to climb Mount Abrupt. It makes a great base – and holiday destination – from which to explore Southern Grampians attractions.  These include the Victoria Valley, Mount Sturgeon and the Piccaninny; and further south to the Kanawinka Geotrail and Great Ocean Road.

I swear my judgement hasn’t been impaired by the town’s excellent selection of baked goods and other eats!

Our morning had started with a walk to the nearby Arboretum and Lake.  The superb views of Mount Abrupt’s sheer rocky cliffs (see top photo) left me wondering whether climbing it was such a good idea. The trailhead, a few kilometres north, is an easy drive. The walk starts with a gentle climb – don’t let that stop you wearing sturdy footwear – heading north towards Signal Peak.  It passes through an area rehabilitated after the devastating floods of 2011 that cut the road between Dunkeld and Halls Gap for several months.

Thank goddess for the 780m Signal Peak dominating the skyline as the track takes a sharp turn to the south-west.  That’s where the real climbing (see? You SO need those boots!) begins up the escarpment. The peak means endless photo opportunities which in turn means – of course – as many rest breaks as you want need!

Luckily, I was well into a significant rest break at about the two-thirds point when two pensioners (pensioner = anyone older than ME) trotted up the track towards me.  They showed none of the signs of fatigue like the shortness of breath, red face and sweaty glow that plagued my progress. If they’d seen me a few minutes earlier, they’d have been forgiven for assuming I was about to collapse.

Attempting a hike of this lengh (6.5 km) and degree of difficulty (HARD!) without water and food would have been madness!

We exchanged a few words – yes, unlike me they could still speak despite the steep gradient (Grade = Hard).  Then they moved on up the rocky trail leaving us to follow more sedately in their wake.

We take our ‘World’s Slowest Hikers’ tag VERY seriously!!

It’s a complete coincidence that as the trail to the summit gets steeper and more rocky, the scenery gets even more stupendous (read: requiring more ‘photo’ breaks). Panoramic views across the Serra Range, the Victoria Range and Valley, the southern plains and Dunkeld itself make the Mount Abrupt hike one of the most scenic in the Grampians.

The magnificent 360° view even gives the Pinnacle and Boroka Lookout back in the more popular tourist area around Halls Gap a run for their money!

And that clear view as we entered the last – and most rocky stretch – of the hike, included the pensioners taking their last few steps to the Mount Abrupt summit!

By the time we arrived at the peak, however, they were ready to leave, so the staggering 360° scenic sensation was all ours.  We stayed up there for a while.  We needed to a) recover; b) record photographic proof of our achievement; c) eat our lunch; and d) prepare for the rigors of the descent ie continual wildlife, wildflower and scenery shots! I’ll leave you to imagine how long that took!!

After that, we completed the hike by retracing our steps 3.25 km back down the steep, rocky track to the trail-head and carpark.  For us, about 5 hours after we set off!

But if you thought descending was the easy part of your quest to climb Mount Abrupt, you’d be wrong!

Want MORE?

• Mount Abrupt (Mud-Dadjug) Walk, Southern Grampians, Victoria

• Dunkeld, Victoria

• Red Nomad OZ’s other Grampians Adventures!

• More Photos on Flickr!

The post Climb Mount Abrupt! Grampians, Victoria appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

If you like your landscapes complete with killer views, superb natural attractions, unusual wildlife and a touch of history, Truganini Lookout overlooking ‘the Neck’ on Tasmania’s Bruny Island ticks all the boxes.

Pretty good, huh?!

But this already FINE outlook is elevated from pretty good to perfect by its scenic public toilet. That’s it, right down there near the car park and the beginning of the OH-so-many steps to the viewing platform.

Perfect, right?!

Our day on Bruny Island just off the Tasmanian east coast south-east of Hobart hadn’t started so well. How could the Mirambeenavehicle ferry be merrily motoring across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering to Bruny Island WITHOUT US? We’d got up early. We’d made good time on the drive south to the ferry departure point. We’d joined the queue. And when the car in front of us went up the ramp, we thought there’d be room for our smallish hire car too.

BUT THERE WASN’T!!

At least the 1.5 hour wait for the next service gave me a welcome opportunity to practice my water reflection photography skills. And my marina photography skills. And my ‘is-that-tiny-speck-on-the-horizon-the-ferry-coming-back-yet-please-goddess’ shots.

That ‘practice’ time was welcome to ME, anyway. I’ll leave you to judge by these snaps whether those 90 LONG minutes of my life I’ll never see again were 90 minutes well spent. Or not!

At least we were first in line for the next ferry service. And the day started to look a bit brighter – literally – as the morning fog and cloud rolled away and we disembarked at the Roberts Point ferry terminus AND BAKERY!! YESSSSSS!!!

But the day was to become even brighter.

Nearly half-way down Bruny Island’s 100km length is the (I can’t believe they called it that!) Neck – a (yes, you guessed right) narrow neck of land joining North and South Bruny Island and separating the D’Entrecasteaux channel from Adventure Bay.

It’s also a penguin and shearwater rookery – an apparently rare combo. And the area is significant to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people so the lookout is dedicated to the memory of Truganini, one of the last tribal Aborigines in Tasmania.

Of course we HAD to stop and check it out.

Just as well we did or we would have missed one of the most scenic Australian Public Toilets I’ve had the pleasure of doing my business in.

And I would have missed the chance to include it in my first book!

‘Aussie Loos with Views!’ is what’s kept me from this blog for so long.

That, and the ‘long service leave’ I’d earned from four years of blogging!

It’s hard to imagine that after a dramatic dunny like this that the day could get even better. IT DID! But that’s a story for another day!! Stay tuned!!!

Want MORE?

• Truganini Lookout and The Neck
• Bruny Island
• Tasmania

The post Australia’s Scenic Public Toilet #38 – The Neck, Bruny Island appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Visit Innes National Park on a fine day and if you don’t end up with a photo that looks close to the one above, you’re just not trying!

But joining the ‘Entrance to Innes National Park’ photo club isn’t the only reason to visit this smallish 9400+ hectare National Park.  It’s around 300 km from Adelaide on the toe of the ‘ill shaped leg’ (take the link to see it on the map) that is South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.

Although I’d been here several times over the last few years, we had never actually stayed there until now. We left the camper trailer at home and stayed in the restored Engineers cottage in historic Inneston for a few days, right inside the park with entry fees included in the tariff.

If only I could say that this meant getting up early for sunrise shots, but alas …

However, being on site made our exploration MUCH more leisurely!

So let me give you my updated insider’s TOP 7 things to do – a true traveller’s teaser taste of all that’s GREAT about this FAAAABULOUS spot!

1.  The Wildlife

Thanks to a close encounter at Inneston, I know EXACTLY what to do if attacked by an emu! Just raise your hands above your head, and walk backwards until you get to a place where you can run like hell!!

You might have to forget the photo …

Getting a little too close to an emu with chicks during spring hatching season isn’t recommended. In a civilised gender role reversal rarely seen elsewhere in the animal kingdom, it’s the male who sits on the eggs and cares for the young – the female is long gone by then!

But hard core twitchers* come here for the rare Western Whipbird – the reason for the park’s proclamation in 1970, it’s virtually the whipbird’s southernmost limit and one of the few habitats preventing it from being a Western Australian endemic. It’s also a known nesting area for Malleefowl with regular sightings in and around Inneston.

And if you don’t see a kangaroo somewhere in the park, don’t bother buying a lottery ticket … you’re obviously the world’s most unlucky person!

2.  The Scenery

If magnificent (and nearly empty) beaches, rugged rocky cliffs, towering sand dunes, coastal vegetation, jewel like islands, lakes and wild coastlines leave you cold, then Innes National Park probably isn’t for you.

But while you’re gazing out over the Great Southern Ocean at a cliff top lookout, bear in mind that if not for the sea spray, waves and curvature of the earth, you’d be able to see clear to Antarctica!

3.  The History

The four clans of the Aboriginal Narungga nation maintain strong cultural links to the Yorke Peninsula area, and the historic campsites and shell middens found in the park.

Charted by Matthew Flinders over 200 years ago, the remains of civilisation from the area’s early 1900’s settlement are scattered throughout the park, including the not-quite-ghost-town of Inneston, unsurprisingly established by William Innes. In its heyday, Inneston’s Gypsum mining, with a port at nearby Stenhouse Bay supported a peak population of around 200.

Interpretive signage along the Investigator Strait Shipwreck trail tells tales of the treacherous rocks, reefs and unpredictable weather that sank many ships. Down on Ethel beach, the ever-diminishing remains of the Ethel, wrecked in 1904, show how dangerous these waters can be.

4.  The Lighthouses

And that’s where the lighthouses come in! There’s good reason why the lighthouses at Cape Spencer (see photo above) and West Cape – both accessible by short walking trails – are still operational, with Cape Spencer lighting up the night sky a short distance from our accommodation at Inneston.

But the unusual designs of all-metal West Cape and rectangular Cape Spencer lighthouses AND the amazing vistas from Cape Spencer over the cliffs and out to the Althorpe group of islands (where the Althorpe Island lighthouse overlooks 6 shipwrecks) and the panorama from West Cape across Pondalowie Bay (see photo below) make them worth re-visiting at any time of day!!

Which is the best?? It’s a near thing – but its scenic public toilet to die for (Yes! It’s in MY BOOK!) gives West Cape the edge!

5.  The Wildflowers

It’s worth visiting the park in a good season just for the bright RED Cocky’s Tongue lining the roads. And the RED Correa.

But believe it or not, there are also a few NOT RED wildflowers in Spring (Sept-Nov down here!) and half the fun of a walk in the park is finding them.

Heavily perfumed and delicately coloured Freesias are everywhere – especially in what were once the settled areas,

their beauty a compelling argument against getting rid of non-natives!

If you’re lucky enough to visit in spring, be warned! Wandering the tracks around Inneston can put you in quite serious danger of wildflower overload!

6.  The Beaches

Just how many miles of empty, unspoiled beach stretching off into the middle distance can you take? While access to some of the beaches may take a little effort with steep and treacherous tracks, who wouldn’t want to try to make it down to Browns Beach?  Where yes, there ARE two other people …

Or to explore the Ethel Wreck (see photo above)??

But I’ll leave it to you to decide if a bad weather day makes the West Cape beach more or less of an attraction!!

7.  The Walks

Exploring Innes National Park on foot is one of the best ways to experience everything.

Wander the 11 km round trip Gym Beach walk or the 4km return Royston Head hike for wildflowers, amazing coastal scenery and beaches. Do the 1 km loop West Cape Headland hike right past the lighthouse and that awesome view. Walk through Inneston and along the Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster trail for a taste of history, wildflowers and wildlife, and the short South Cape lighthouse walk for scenery.

And do the Stenhouse Bay Lookout walk for ALL of the above.

Yes, it’s SO sounding like you’re going to need to spend more than a day here, right? And given my total lack of photo manipulation skills, this really IS what it looks like. So if it seems as if the jewel-like Innes National Park with its bountiful natural attractions is just a little too good to be true, then my work is done.

But I don’t think I could prove electronic photo theft of my first shot given the omnipresence of ‘Entrance to Innes National Park’ shots on the web!

* Twitcher = Birdwatcher! Go figure!!

Want MORE?

• Walks of Innes National Park
• Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
• Inneston Heritage Accomodation, Innes National Park
• Yorke Peninsula in 7 Days – my Rocky Travel guest post
• More photos of Innes National Park and Yorke Peninsula on Flickr

The post The Jewel in the Toe – Innes National Park, South Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The Evening Before …

I gripped the railing and looked through the deep shadows down the deep RED gash of Dales Gorge. WAAAAAY down. Late afternoon at the lookout meant the sun was long gone from the gorge floor.  Even though it had lit up the eastern wall quite spectacularly.

Ho Hum.

Another day in the Pilbara, another killer landscape …

A movement among the rocks far below caught my eye.

Two hikers, the size of ants negotiated massive rock slabs higher than they were.  They crossed vast tables of square-but rock, as they headed towards the imaginatively named Circular Pool.

Yes, that white speck at the waters edge in this photo really IS a person!

‘That’s where we’ll go tomorrow,’ Pilchard announced.

Say WHAT?? How in heck were we going to get down there when the map showed ‘cliff risk area’ symbols all along the gorge edge? Symbols whose warnings I was only too happy to heed?

That ‘killer’ landscape was taking on a whole new AND unwelcome meaning …

Hiking down Dales Gorge

The next morning, we picked our way along the goat track rocky path winding down the sheer cliff under the Three Ways Lookout and past one of those ‘Cliff Risk Area’ signs. I realised I didn’t have anything to worry about.

A strategically placed ladder made negotiating the really steep bits almost easy.

And if I DID slip and fall??

Well … it’d be hard to find a more picturesque location in which to receive a serious – or even fatal – injury. Or two. Or even die.

No, Karijini National Park was no place for a coward.

Set amidst the impossibly RED Hamersley Range and out in the deep heart of mining country, Karijini’s warning signs are for real.

Rangers and volunteers risk – and sometimes lose – their lives rescuing tourists who don’t heed the dangers.

I was watching my footing as we took the Circular Pool detour.  We crossed those same gigantic rock shelves we’d viewed from the lookout the evening before.

They weren’t as bad as they’d looked from above.

But I hoped the people at the lookout above didn’t throw anything down …

Blue Danger

After leaving the rock slabs, the river waters ran deep through groves of trees. Those red Red RED rocky walls towering high above, tinged every now and then with a dash of blue.

Blue?? In this location and in these rocks it took on a sinister meaning …

Only about 50 km away as the crow flies is the closed-down town of Wittenoom.That’s where crocidolite– otherwise known as the potentially deadly Blue Asbestos – was mined extensively in what surely must be Australia’s greatest industrial disaster.  It’s since been immortalised by Aussie Band Midnight Oil in their song Blue Sky Mine.

The mine was closed in 1966 for economic rather than safety reasons.  However, it is estimated that in addition to the 2000+ deaths from asbestos related diseases, the death toll will peak in the 2020s.

Were these crocidolite layers in the rock?? Perhaps not, but I was leaving them well alone …

Like I said. No place for a coward.

After the de-gazettal of Wittenoom, the nearby town of Tom Price*** inherited the ‘Karijini Gateway’ tag and is the closest provider of goods and services.

Hiking back up the gorge

Although only a small stretch of the 40+ km length of Dales Gorge is accessible, it’s a diverse and spectacular few kilometres.

The rocks and ledges that had first given way to the river and trees. Now they gave way to a series of cascades as we headed towards Fortescue Falls.

We negotiated the treacherous and slippery stepping stones across the river.  Then we climbed the natural rock layer steps and stairs to the top of the falls.  And then it was time for lunch – and a show!

With no bars or nightclubs within cooee, the falls and pool below had become an alternative outback meat market.

This walk definitely wasn’t for the faint-hearted as scantily clad travellers cavorted, strutted and posed with all their wares out on display!

The young man who climbed the amphitheatre’s rocky walls to take photos wasn’t necessarily showing off.

Not to me, anyway, although he seemed not to be plagued by the vertigo I would have suffered in his place.

But proving he was no one trick pony, I inadvertently captured him in a similar pose the next day at Joffre Falls.  Want to see him again?  Check out the link at the bottom of the post!

Time out for a swim

A little further up the river, we detoured to popular swimming spot the Fern Pool. En route to the clear, blue water and white bodies fresh from the cooler Northern Hemisphere climes, fig trees sprawl over the mossy rocks and ferns grow in the grottos. Fig leaves are optional …

Then it’s a steep climb up the track out of the gorge to the Falls carpark.

It’s possible my red face, gasping for air and frequent ‘photo’ stops showed the descending tour group what they had to look forward to after seeing the falls up close!  There are spectacular views of the falls from the vantage point above the trailhead if anyone wants to chicken out!

To complete the loop, we followed the return path along the Gorge Rim track back to Three Ways Lookout.  The tremendous view over the falls and river SO far below showed us where we were actually walking not long before.

Back to Camp

The Karijini Visitors Centre, set amongst yet another awesome landscape does a roaring trade in $2 hot showers.  Incomprehensibly, it was under threat from a cash-strapped government looking for mining royalties when we visited. After a few hours on the trail the shower is a perfect interlude before returning to the Dales Campground.  There you’ll find yet another scenic landscape with a late afternoon glow.  The light turned the WAY beyond RED rocks into a shade I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

The plague of fears (heights, injury, death) I’d had at the start of this excellent walk faded in the afterglow of achievement.  We settled back into our comfy chairs for a meal from the best little café in Australia (see link below).

Maybe there WAS a place for this coward at Karijini after all.

We were done with Dales Gorge.

For now.

Want MORE?

• Red visits Joffre Gorge, Karijini National Park
• Tom Price, Pilbara Region
• Karijini National Park, Western Australia
• Pilbara Region, Western Australia

The post Walk Dales Gorge! Karijini National Park, Western Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The sun wasn’t that hot.  The track wasn’t that long. The going wasn’t that tough.

And yet, all along the short Kalbarri Natures Window walk, people were dropping like flies.

Nature’s Window Warnings

There are detailed warning signs above the steep staircase accessing the track below the gorge rim.  But the walk to Kalbarri National Park’s favourite attraction still looks deceptively easy.

Nature’s Window is a mere 400 m (1312 ft) from the car park.  So it’s easy to see hikers straggling along the track towards the knot of people on the ridge below.  They’re clearly visible from the trailhead. AND the light breeze above the rim keeps the temperature mild.

It looks easy.

So why would you not assume you could knock the Kalbarri Natures Window walk over while wearing inappropriate shoes?

Without water, or a hat? Or a reasonable level of fitness?

Below the rim, the temperature in the gorge is much higher and the sun beats down mercilessly with no breeze to cool the air. It’s hot and stuffy. And the return walk is relentlessly uphill all the way.

Just like the warning sign said.

How to Survive Nature’s Window

But surviving Kalbarri Natures Window Walk is easy if you follow my TOP 5 tips!

1. Wear real shoes.
2. Carry water.
3. Take your time.
4.  Don’t, under ANY circumstances, attempt the walk with a hangover!
5. Use the countless spring wildflower photo opportunities as an excuse for multiple rest breaks …

We awaited our turn for the obligatory Nature’s Window photo.  Far below, the Murchison river lazily curved around the rocky spur on which we stood.  It made a welcome distraction from the bickering English honeymoon couple already in the fast lane to divorce.

And the backpacker fiddling with an impossibly complex camera.  He would have captured the amazing panorama superbly had he actually known how to use it.

And the bogan family from hell endlessly conversing about the sneakers they’d be buying when they got to Bali …

I didn’t care about the above average probability our Window photos would bear an astonishing similarity to everyone else’s, because we were all taking them from the same place.

Finally, it was our turn to record our first Tumblagooda Sandstone experience.  And yes, my photos do look like everyone else’s!  But they’re mine.

The Loop Lookout

A few kilometres away, the Loop Lookout put Nature’s Window into perspective. It also showcased the aggressively scenic – with a far greater risk of heatstroke – 8 km (5 mile) Loop trail winding down to the river below and starting and ending at the Window car park.

So, next visit we’ll take the necessary precautions to walk the Loop trail!  Leave early in the morning.  Carry food and water.  Wear appropriate clothing.  Don’t walk with hung over backpackers.  And leave the stripper shoes at home …

But for now, we’re content with surviving the Kalbarri Nature’s Window Walk!

Want MORE?

• Kalbarri National Park
• Kalbarri, Western Australia
• Great Australian Lookouts

The post Surviving Nature’s Window – Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

‘Now we’ll see some REAL scenery!’ Doug announced, herding us away from the spectacular outlook from Coulthard’s Lookout towards our convoy of two vehicles.  The Arkaroola Ridgetop tour was well underway.

But I was sceptical.

The ragged mountain ranges (yes, I’m channelling Aussie poet Dorothea Mackellar*) glistened and glowed in a glorious 360° panorama in the perfection of a clear Outback day.

Could it really get any better? I thought Doug was joking.

He wasn’t.

Our guide, commentator and driver was Arkaroola’s most wanted man.  That’s if the caption under the photo of his younger self in the dining room spoke the truth, anyway. Doug was rocking the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour – the Wilderness Sanctuary’s ultimate 4WD adventure, and elevated it from excellent to extraordinary.

Building the Road

Luckily, mining company Exoil followed up on the wartime uranium exploration in this area, and ‘developed’ this ‘road’ in the late 1960s.  Otherwise, it’s unlikely we’d have been jolting our way deep into the otherwise trackless wilderness through this more remote, wild and sensationally beautiful South Australian landscape.

Carving this rugged road from the edge of civilisation into the ragged mountain range wilderness was logical to further investigate the uranium mining option.

Luckily for us, once the uranium exploration was done it was logical to someone else to turn this rugged road into a tourist drive!  Despite the $AUD40,000 it costs to restore the track after each of the 1-5 washouts it gets each year.

The Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour

$AUD120 gets you a berth on the purpose-built 4WD bus.

Yes, tourists actually pay for the privilege of 4 hours of jolting in an open tray-top.  The track has near-vertical climbs and plunges across sheer rock seams interspersed with creek beds full of boulders.  It’s got wheel ruts the size of irrigation drains and ridge-tops so exposed the strong gusts of wind could suck the unwary into oblivion.

That means the tour isn’t necessarily the best choice for acrophobics, back-seat drivers or vertigo-sufferers!  And if wide-open spaces give you the heebie-jeebies?  Maybe you’re better off on an air-conditioned bus …

Tour? Or Gym??

As our vehicle shuddered over a particularly large rock, the seatbelt round my waist was the only thing preventing an ungraceful slide into the tailgate – or beyond.  My experimental photography technique – developed especially for this tour – was working surprisingly well, all things considered.

But I wouldn’t have taken a several-kilometre morning walk if I’d known just sitting in the back of the truck would give me a full body workout!

As an added bonus, we were the odd ones out in our two-vehicle convoy.  A 10-camper group made up the rest of the tour.  They must have vowed never to be separated by more than 100 metres at any given time, which made each stop an fascinating anthropological experiment.

I didn’t need the childish thrill I got from wandering into random strangers’ group photos.  But I took it anyway!

Travelling through the stunning scenery, varied land forms, unusual rock formations and unique vegetation in these wild mountains provides enough thrills for a lifetime. But following the track past the imposing Mt Painter, and Mt Gee – composed of quartz crystals – was gasp-inducing on several levels. These aren’t even particularly high mountains, even by Australian standards.

The road-builders clearly couldn’t be bothered building a road in lazy curves when perpendicular obviously got them there faster.

Sillers Lookout

After an ascent so steep I was starting to think we couldn’t possibly return this way without dropping off the face of the earth, we reached the final climb to the ultimate pinnacle of the tour – Sillers Lookout. Named, as I should have guessed, for then-chairman of Exoil.

Luckily, Doug could turn the vehicle on a dime because the ‘space’ on top of the lookout left no margin for error. High atop a rocky knoll, we overlooked the rugged grandeur of the Freeling Heights.  They drop suddenly and completely away to a “vision splendid of sunlit plains extended” (AB Paterson said it first and best**) WAY out across Yudnamutana Gorge to the vast salty expanse of Lake Frome. I leaned against the (thank god someone built one) fence feeling a little weak at the knees. Strangely not from the hair-raising ride, but from the vista of such awesome and utter FAAAAABULOUSNESS.  I was struck by the uncharacteristic feeling of being lost for words.

Superlatives, anyway.

‘Does the drive ever make you nervous?’ I inanely asked the driver of the 2^nd vehicle as we enjoyed an Aussie lamington for afternoon tea.  He’d had 20 years experience of regularly making this drive twice a day.

He looked at me with a strange mixture of confusion and pity that clearly indicated nervousness wasn’t part of his psyche.

‘Sometimes it’s difficult when it’s wet,’ he conceded.

Wet? People drove on this road when it was WET?

Insane.

But, after establishing there was no alternative route back, I realised being scared witless was pointless.

Blasé was WAY better.

Heading back

After a while, negotiating steep slopes, deep ruts, sheer rock surfaces and a road surface so uneven it seemed more like a paddock just became commonplace. Ho hum, another minute, another sheer wash-away. Or descent down a rock wall. Or major wheel-wrenching boulder pile …

So, the Arkaroola Ridgetop tour return trip became uneventful, unless you count the strong gust of wind that lifted Pilchard’s hat giving us both a nasty Green Island flashback. Oops, it was happening again. But this time, the chin strap caught and held. Now all he had to worry about was whether saving the hat was worth being garrotted by the strap …

After calling in at Mt Gee to view a selection of minerals and an unscheduled stop to admire Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, we arrived back at Arkaroola Village exhausted AND exhilarated by our extreme 4WD adventure.

South Australia is often overlooked as an Aussie tourist destination in favour of better known natural attractions like … well, YOU know.

But for the ultimate, jaw-dropping, unforgettable, super-sublime Aussie adventure? Trust me – and take the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour***!

* Dorothea Mackellar’s great Aussie love-poem My Country

** Andrew ‘Banjo’ Paterson’s classic Aussie lament Clancy of the Overflow

*** Yes, I’m still struggling with appropriate superlatives. No, they’re not paying me. More’s the pity. But if they did, I’d trade it in for another go at the tour. Yes, it really IS that good!

Read AND See MORE:

• See it LIVE on YouTube —> Final ascent to Sillers Lookout
• Arkaroola Ridge-top Tour
• More about Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
• Arkaroola Dreaming – my Flickr photographic fantasy

The post Ride the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Looking down over the steep limestone cliff into the multicoloured waters of the Southern Yorke Peninsula’s Wool Bay can be a parallel universe moment as the flat and unremarkable pastoral country – often dry and arid – gives way to the vividly coloured and splendid panorama of the bay.

High on the cliff the now disused limestone kiln, the only one left of several which once gave this tiny town its purpose, towers above the jetty that gave Wool Bay its current name.

The jetty was originally built for limestone transportation but it’s apparently wide enough to roll a bale of wool down so became known as the Wool Bay Jetty. Of course whether anyone ever indulged in the (tragically) lost art of jetty-wool-bale-rolling is unknown – AND irrelevant – because the fact of being able to was enough to change the town’s name from Pickering to Wool Bay.

Just as well it wasn’t re-named ‘Limestone Bay’.

Despite the fanfare and great expectations of the opening ceremony on 11 August 1910, the variable wind conditions meant that although Miller’s Lime Kiln Co became the main supplier of lime for the Adelaide building industry, the three clifftop kilns were not successful.

So what’s a nice temporary toilet doing in a setting like this?

A couple of years ago, a heavy storm dumped so much rain in the area that the fragile limestone cliff above the previous ‘permanent’ public amenities collapsed and took out the loo.

BUT … every cloud has a silver lining!

The magnificent coastal views from the new amenities for the many visitors who use the jetty for fishing, diving to spot leafy seadragons and other recreational pursuits are far more extensive than from the old site!

The panorama from the top of the old limestone kiln is enhanced by the distinctive ‘building site blocks’ that add a focal point to the car park and wharf!!

And the temporary toilet’s convenient location virtually on the jetty ensures far less ‘down time’ when nature calls!!!

What’s NOT to love?!?!

SO … who needs a lasting loo when these fine fly-by-night fixtures are already a semi-permanent part of the Wool Bay jetty landscape?

The legacy of Wool Bay’s limestone landslide might just turn out to be permanent after all!!

Watch this space …

The post The Landslide Legacy – Australia’s Scenic Public Toilet # 34, Wool Bay appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The road wound ever upwards through rocky peaks and alpine meadows studded with non-operational chairlifts.  The temperature dropped, then dropped some more. Fresh from the 39°C of an Adelaide autumn heatwave, we’d plunged (right along with the temperature!) into a parallel universe.  We’d gone all alpine near Charlotte Pass in the Mt Kosciuszko National Park in the heart of Australia’s High Country.

What’s in the Alps?

At the 1835 metre (6020 ft) mark, the road stopped. From here, tracks led in several directions. Down the road to ski resort village Charlotte Pass, at 1760 metres (5774 ft) Australia’s highest permanent settlement. Along the ridge to the Main Range lookout. Up to the chairlift and lookout point across the Snowy River to the – yes, Aussie imagination runs wild – Snowy Mountains. And a track to Mt Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest point.

Named for Charlotte Adams, the first non-indigenous woman to scale the mountain, Charlotte Pass was a crossover point for the last 9 km (~5 miles) for what used to be the drive – yes, the DRIVE – to the top of Mt Kosciuszko’s 2228 metre (7310 feet) peak. Now it’s the starting point for one of several walking trails to the summit – from here, an 18 km (~11 mile) round trip.

Of course before you go, you need to GO, right?

The Convenient Conveniences

So here on Charlotte Pass at the trailhead to the Mt Kosciuszko summit is a conveniently placed public amenities building – at 1835 metres and just below the tree line, ALMOST Australia’s highest Public Toilet!  But unless you catch the Kosciuszko Express chairlift from Thredbo, or climb Mt Kosciuszko from the chairlift summit, it COULD be as high a loo as you’ll get in OZ! That’s TOP #1!

Completely snowbound in winter, Charlotte Pass also trumps the rest of the country with Australia’s lowest recorded temperature, -23°C (-9.4°F) on 28 June, 1994. I’ll pause for a minute for the Northern Hemisphereans to stop laughing … but that’s TOP #2!

From the Main Range lookout, the highest of the high Snowy Mountain range forms a magnificent backdrop to this isolated amenities block.

With Mt Kosciuszko and Mt Townsend (Australia’s 2^nd highest peak), and a whole bunch of other really high mountains (by Australian standards) visible to the right of the Charlotte Pass conveniences from the Main Range Lookout, that makes TOP #3!!

So if my planned assault on Mt Kosciuszko later this week is foiled by lousy weather or terminal muscle meltdown, at least I’ll have had the pleasure of doing my business in ALMOST the TOP little toilet in OZ!

UPDATE:  I DID manage to get to the top of Mt Kosciuszko after writing this post AND got to visit Australia’s highest public amenities block!  Read about that adventure HERE!

Want MORE?

• Australia’s Highest Permanent Settlement
• Australia’s Highest Mountain
• MORE Australian Scenic Public Toilets!

The post Australia’s TOP Toilet! #33 – Charlotte Pass, New South Wales appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.