Woke up around 7 o’clock today and made my way into Mount Remarkable National Park. The focus here was Alligator Gorge. And it did not dissappoint.
The hike through the gorge really was fascinating. I really haven’t seen anything like it before. I imagine it’s like a mini grand canyon or something.
The cliffs creating the gorge themselves were so red. I did the ring route which was supposed to be around 9 KM long. I took a turn and started climbing up the canyon wall and I figured I would be at the car park soon. I usually finish the walks in about half the time that the postings say it will take.
But when I got up there I saw another sign that said the car park was 6 KM away. And I was on a dirt road. I’m not sure if I took a wrong turn or if that was supposed to happen. It reminded me of the time Tom, Roxie, and I got lost at Storm King Mountain and we’re dumped out on the highway.
I walked along the dirt road and I was back on the trail in 45 minutes or so. I made my way down again to The Narrows which was the best part of the track by far. The gorge gets, well, super narrow here and it is quite beautiful with the red rocks and all the vegetation.
After the hike I grabbed some lunch, changed my clothes and started driving towards Port Augusta. I needed to pick up some supplies for my camping trip.
Once I was finished there I stopped in Quorn which was okay. Not much to see there. I’m not really sure why it’s historically significant but it seems to have been a key railroad town. I will have to look it up later.
The drive out from Quorn to the park was very beautiful. Really felt like I was in the Outback at that point. Saw a decent amount of ruined houses out there and that was pretty cool. Back in the day (the late 1800s) people came by and tried to farm the land but they underestimated the amount of water that was available in the area. And that ruined them.
I was the only one out there. It felt both awesome and a bit scary to be honest. I walked a bit around the camp and ended up at a nice spot to watch the sunset over the mountains.
The road into the park leading to the campsite was a gravel road on steroids. Not a 4WD track but seeing as I had a rental car I was a bit nervous. I’m sure Hertz would not be happy that I took the car on a road like that. But I took it slow and I got to camp with no problems.
The next morning I woke up early and drove a few kilometers down the road to a ruin of a homestead. This English pastor came out here in the 1850s and raised a bunch of sheep on the land. His house and the other buildings are still there. Or at least the foundations are. From here there is a great lookout point to the mountain range that I camped near the night before.
I drove another 12 KM to Bunyeroo Valley, which was kind of a last-minute decision because I originally planned on doing another walking track. I’m glad I changed my plans because the views from the track were so beautiful. The walk took about three hours and I saw some gnarly spiders hanging out in the trees along the way.
The next stop was Wilpena Pound, the most famous part of the park. There is a resort here that has an excellent campground. I chilled for most of the afternoon because it was pretty hot out. Then I did a short hike around another homestead in the area.
There is a welcoming ceremony at the reception of the resort. One of the Aboriginal rangers introduced us to the land and told us about his culture and what the Aboriginal community was doing to ensure their future on the land. He wasn’t very clear at points but overall it was a good way to understand more about the park and its history.
The Aboriginal people here believe that the mountain ranges are the remnants of ancient snakes that once attacked their people. This area was a meeting place and the snakes surrounded the tribe and began to eat them. A few people managed to escape but those that were swallowed were trapped in the serpent’s bellies. The mountain peaks were created by the spears that these people used to try to escape their predicament.
The campground had a few grills and I was happy to get a hot dinner in me after a few days of dry food. I got a yummy steak from the general store here in town. After that, I took a drive to a lookout point 20 minutes outside of Wilpena and just hung out there for an hour.
The lookout point gave 360-degree views of the entire valley. The sunset was really awesome because it set right over the mountains and the colors of the sky were just beautiful. We’re talking purples, yellows, reds, pinks, and oranges. It was a really great way to end my stay at the national park.
When I was hanging out up there I put out my camp chair and started playing the ukulele. I met this family at the welcoming ceremony earlier in the day. They had two small children. A boy and a girl.
After some time the girl came up to me and told me that I had a very beautiful singing voice. I actually got quite emotional because it was so unexpected. I played another song for her.
When I was younger I always thought I had a horrible singing voice. I thought it was too monotone. And I’d be embarrassed to sing in front of other people. But now I realize that isn’t the case. I like to sing for other people now. Just one of the many things I’ve learned about myself here in Australia.