The Dutchman’s Stern Hike

‘Visit the Crazy Horse – but not on Monday’ the log book entry read.

Why, with the magnificent 360° panorama from the summit of the Dutchman’s Stern hike surrounding them, would two German hikers be reminded of an Adelaide nightclub 300 kilometres away? (Note to self – what IS the Monday deal at the Crazy Horse, anyway??)

Good question.

Did they have ANYTHING in common?

Surprisingly, YES.

The Dutchman’s Stern has dominated its small Conservation Park only marginally longer than the Crazy Horse has dominated the west end of Adelaide’s Hindley Street.

And that’s the only connection I can find between the two!!

When I first climbed the Dutchman’s Stern in 2010, reading the summit log book was almost worth the effort of completing the 10.5 km circuit. A pot-pourri of names, dates, weather reports, wildlife sightings, and surprisingly high number of countries of origin was supplemented by a range of comments both comical and asinine.  I’ll let you decide into which category the one above falls!

But disappointingly, 7 years later on my 2nd ascent, the log book comments had lost that edgy zing. You know, the one that made you wonder what a hiker was thinking to record the exact time it’d taken to reach the summit.  I mean, I could just write in a random time too, right?

In fact, the log book made for such dull reading, I was forced to admire the view instead.  The endless panorama of rolling mountains, rocks and totally deadly-looking roads was a LOT more gripping than the log book.  And it’s not every day you see a couple of Wedge-tailed Eagles somersaulting through the air at eye level.  Photos?  Sorry, no.  Too busy watching. You’ll just have to make the climb and see them for yourself!

But even back in 2010 a log book full of intriguing oddities wasn’t enough to detract from the jaw-dropping view.  It’s almost a complete 360º.  From the west, there’s Port Augusta and the top of Spencer Gulf; Devil’s Peak, Mt Brown and the Richman Valley further south; Quorn (nearest town) and Wilpena Pound, the Elder and Yappala Ranges to the north.

Apparently, both times we attempted the Dutchman’s Stern Hike we got lucky – according to the log book the view has been blocked by fog more than once! I would have been seriously peeved to climb steadily for 4.2 km to see NOTHING!

Especially when if you CAN see something, it’s such a spectacular, stupendous something!!

The medium-grade hike to the 820m high Dutchman’s Stern summit isn’t so much difficult as lengthy.

Unsurprisingly for a hike up a mountain, it’s a relentless 4.2 km climb to the summit.  And if I say it’s not a hard walk, you can depend upon it – I’ve got a well-documented aversion to excessive energy expenditure!

But it would’ve been too embarrassing to record the exact length of time it took to reach the summit in the log book.

So no one will EVER know how long it took us – either in 2010 or in 2017!

Let’s just say it’d take some doing to knock me off my ‘world’s slowest hiker’ pedestal!

On our first ascent, Pilchard and I meandered the ever upwardly zig-zagging trail through low grassland, purple with introduced weed Salvation Jane (Echium plantagineum) and dotted with the endemic Quorn Wattle (Acacia quornensis).

Although the 2017 climb followed the same route, it was too early for those flowers, but we got a LOT of grass trees instead.

And a LOT of kangaroos in the grasslands.

I’m not sure what’s better!

The trail then passes through Sugar Gum woodland, before reaching the spring wildflower extravaganza (still flowering in October 2010) of the heathland.

Finally, it rises through the more sparsely vegetated rocky outcrops towards the summit.

And although there weren’t quite as many wildflowers on our June 2017 climb, there WERE lots of grass trees, along with bright red Heath and a few small pink orchids.  Apart from a few landslips, the track was almost exactly as we remembered.  And it was nice to know that the passage of 7 years hadn’t slowed us down.

Much.

Even the scary bit (if walking a dodgy narrow track along a steep hillside with the ever-present danger of plunging down a gorge gives you the cold shivers like it does me) was still doable – just as well, because it’d be a long way back round the other way if I’d lost my nerve.

After climbing the 4.2 km to the summit and sighting the resident Peregrine Falcon – no sign of the eagles in 2010 – we chose the longer 10.5 km loop for our return.

Take the shorter 8.4km return route if you don’t mind retracing your steps.  The 6.3 km return route we selected passes  through Drooping Sheoak and Sugar Gum woodlands into the steep, scary, scree-lined slopes of Stony Creek gorge before returning to the trail head.

And if birding’s your thing, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren’s (subspecies pedleri) appearance ALMOST made up for the Gilbert’s Whistler absence in 2010 – but we went one better in 2017 and saw them both.

Just between us though, choosing between a summit view free of fog and a rare bird sighting is a no brainer.  I’d go for the view any day!

Just don’t tell birdo Pilchard!!

This post about the Dutchman’s Stern Hike first appeared on my blog in 2010 after our first ascent.   In 2017 we climbed it again so I’ve updated and re-posted the original to include updated information along with our most recent experience. AND new photos!

The Dutchman’s Stern Hike, just one of several walks in this former pastoral lease and also intersected by the Heysen trail, is an awesome way to experience this part of the Flinders Ranges.  It was just as good the second time around 7 years later.  Check it out!

Want MORE?

• Dutchman’s Stern Conservation Park Website
• Dutchman’s Stern Hike and Conservation Park Brochure (PDF Download)
• Flinders Ranges Visitor Information Centre, South Australia
• MORE RedzAustralia Hiking Adventures
• MORE Flinders Ranges Photos on Flickr HERE

The post The Dutchman’s Stern Hike! Southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

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.

Desperately seeking sewage ponds (as one does!), we whizzed down a dirt road behind Quorn, in South Australia’s mid-North, only just keeping ahead of the clouds of dust we were generating.

And the squalor of the sewage pond? Does that quantify Quorn’s quintessence?? Of course not! Our quest will be no surprise to quantities of inquisitive birdwatchers who regularly add to their quota while lurking near what is often the only wetland for miles. Or kilometres! But I digress …

As our quest took us deeper into the quiet countryside, a not-quite-right shape silhouetted against the October-blue sky (that’s the SA spring weather for you! Or at least it was in Quorn, 2010) intruded into my consciousness.

‘Stop the car!’ I squawked without a qualm, an instruction with which Pilchard acquiesced, thinking (quite incorrectly) that I’d spotted a new/rare/unusual bird – like a quail with a thirst to quench…

No bird, but this bearded dragon quiescent amongst the quandongs (actually, that’s a bit of alliterative license, it was more like a thornbush), a couple of metres (6′) above the ground taking the sun and Quorn country air. Sadly, his pitch about to be queered by the clouds of dust about to catch up, as we quashed the quest for our previous quarry to take this shot!!

And was I qualified to quarrel with Pilchard’s suggestion we quit our quest and return to Quorn to quaff a Quornish pastie?? Of quorse not!!

HHHMMMmmm… maybe I’d better quit while I’m ahead!!

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