Monday, 4 August 2025
Surprisingly, after a good night’s sleep, it was the alarm that woke us and not the sulfur-crested cockatoos. The first birds I was aware of was a mischief of magpies carolling in the trees around the tents. I have just learnt that there are many collective nouns for a group of magpies with ‘a mischief’ being the most common. Others are: a conventicle, congregation, charm, tribe, tidings, or even a parliament, but surely that’s owls? Google says, yes. Less common collective nouns for magpies are a murder or gulp. Again, I’m sure it’s a murder of crows! Anyhow, there was more than one serenading us. While we were packing up I did hear some cockies fly over but they certainly didn’t wake us early as I feared they might.
Our first stop this morning was at the Barossa Sculpture Park on Mengler’s Hill in Bethany. The park features works created during the International Sculpture Symposium in 1988 with further works added during a 20th anniversary symposium in 2008. The pieces were sculpted by both Australian and International artists and donated to the Barossa community. As we drove back down the hill we photographed the cute little tumbledown cottage on the side of the road. To be honest that was more my thing; Bernie was more interested in the fact that the hill has featured in the Tour Down Under!
With the SatNav set for Eudunda we made our way via Vine Vale Road, Stockwell Road and Duck Pond Road through acres and acres (sorry, showing my age, hectares and hectares) of grape vines, eventually turning right onto the Sturt Highway heading towards Truro.
Before long we left the highway, turning left onto Eudunda Road. Along this route we saw our first live kangaroo on the road but, thankfully, far enough ahead that Bernie didn’t even need to brake. There has been a lot of road kill so it was pleasant to see a live kangaroo for a change.
The Eudunda Road took us from the Sturt Highway to the Thiele Highway (B81) where we turned left to drive into downtown Eudunda, which is the seat of the Goyder Regional Council. We found our way to the public conveniences, which we made use of, before climbing up to the scenic lookout above the car park. Bernie then drove the truck around to the Silo Art viewing area which is situated near the old railway station. The silos here are called ‘The Storytime Silos’ and were painted by Sam Brooke in 2021.
The silos tell a story about two children, sharing stories about their past and culture. The two children use books as a way to teach each other about their history, culture and connections to the area. One silo showcases famous local author Colin Thiele’s book ‘Sun on the Stubble’ which he wrote as he reflected about this area. The second silo depicts a Ngadjuri child stepping through his ‘storybook’ surrounded by stars and galaxies after collaboration between the artist and local elder, Quentin Agius.
Leaving the silos behind us we turned right onto Bruce Street which became Worlds End Highway on the outskirts of town. We travelled through Point Pass and Robertson finding ourselves now on Black Springs Road. Still about eight kilometres from Black Springs the bitumen ran out! Once again this is because we chose the fastest, most direct route to Farrell Flat, of the three possible routes presented to us by Syri, not knowing that it would include many kilometres of unmade road! Good quality unmade road because it is in the process of being graded. In fact we saw the ‘Grading in Progress’ sign and then we encountered the grader at work. Apart from that, all we saw, as far as the eye could see, was wheat fields and wind turbines.
We made a dog leg turn right onto Cemetery Road then almost immediately left onto Winders Road before a right turn onto the Barrier Highway (A32). After a brief shower of rain while we drove on the bitumen for a short stretch it was cross country again on Olgavale Road, a much rougher gravel road. Arriving in Farrell Flat we viewed the Art Silo that depicts RX 55, the steam locomotive which hauled the last passenger train through Farrell Flat when passenger services ceased in December 1986. The silo was painted by artists Jarrod Soden and Matthew Knights of Perplswet Designs in November 2020.
Our journey continued along Booborowie Road, yet another gravel road! Eventually we were able to turn left onto the Goyder Highway (B64) for a bit of relief from the potholes on the unmade road. Just under 20 kilometres later we arrived in Spalding. We were both feeling ready for lunch so it was lucky that the Fishbowl General Store and Fuel Stop was offering food. The store was actually doing a roaring trade with people lining up to buy food. We purchased our toasted focaccia (Tracey) and pastie and dim sims (guess who?) and took them to a classy Formica table with vinyl chairs to eat them. Sitting down again after too many hours seated but at least we were out of the truck.
After lunch we took a comfort break and a couple of photos around town before turning north on the B80 (R M Williams Way) soon learning from a road sign that his given names were Reginald Murray. I didn’t know that!
We (mainly me) felt like chocolate after lunch (I mean when do I not feel like chocolate after lunch?) so Bernie fetched the rest of the block that we started on Saturday out of the fridge. This was the strange block of chocolate that we purchased in Dunkeld. Tony’s Chocolonely in the milk chocolate hazelnut variety. It’s chocolate with a conscience, existing to end exploitation in the cocoa industry. Their vision is chocolate that is 100% free from exploitation.
And that’s great, I can totally support those aims. However, I don’t much like milk chocolate anymore and usually eat just two of squares of Lindt 95% Dark chocolate when I have my daily ‘fix’. So, that was problem number one. On Saturday I broke off what I thought was the first row of chocolate and handed that to Bernie. I was a little frustrated that it did not break cleanly but put it down to the nuts. That was until I peeled back the foil to break off a row for me and discovered that the block is not formed in rows. The block is moulded like crazy paving. Whaaaaaaat?! That does not appeal to someone as OCD as me … at all. So that’s a big problem. I mean, how do you manage consumption, how do you share it equally when the portions are all different sizes? I’m afraid this randomness will stop me from buying Tony’s Chocolonely again, regardless of its altruistic aims. So, we just finished the rest of that offensive block of chocolate this afternoon so I didn’t have to look at it again!!
A few Ks north of Spalding I was very excited to find that we were on the map. Only our Hema Flinders Ranges Atlas & Guide was packed so I have been flying blind in the co-pilots seat, when normally I like to follow our progress in the atlas. Finally, we were in the Southern Flinders Ranges and travelling on routes shown in the atlas that is in the car. Despite my excitement, with a tummy full of chocolate I promptly fell asleep!!
I came too briefly at Jamestown but the constant vista of wheat fields and wind turbines soon had me dozing off again. In Orroroo we sought out the Giant Red Gum. It wasn’t until we were pulling into the car park that we both started to think that it felt very familiar. Without checking a couple of travel diaries I cannot be absolutely certain that we have been here before but … I’m pretty sure we have. I think we must’ve passed this way on our way to Broken Hill in 2022. Ha, it was killing me not knowing so I’ve just found it in my photos. I photographed the Big Red Gum at 11.00am on the 27th of March 2022. The sun was shining that day!
We continued on the R M Williams way through Carrieton, Yanyarrie and Cradock encountering floodways with 2-metre markers to indicate depth in the case of flooding. When the creek beds are bone dry it is hard to imagine that much water being about. When we reached the Flinders Ranges Way (B83) we turned right and made our way to the Hawker BP Servo. No fancy diesel for the truck here, it just had to have the plain stuff, ha, ha. Now it has a cocktail of V-Power, Ultimate and standard diesel swilling around in its tank.
Leaving Hawker we were on the final leg of today’s journey, soon making our way into Rawnsley Park Station, where we will be based for five nights while we explore the Flinders Ranges. Checking-in in the late afternoon, we unpacked most of our gear into our Premium cabin, which was toasty with the heating already turned on for us. The wind today has been cold so walking into a heated cabin was very welcome.
Bernie had us booked in to the station’s Woolshed Restaurant for dinner tonight so we walked over there for the appointed time of 6.30pm. We arrived at the restaurant at 6.20pm and we were the last of the 6.30pm bookings to arrive. Everyone was keen for dinner tonight. The restaurant was lovely and warm with two wood burning heaters blazing away. Rawnsley Park Station is a working sheep station so we ordered the lamb shanks for dinner. Absolutely delicious, melt in your mouth shanks. Yum.
After rain last week, which closed some roads in the Flinders Ranges, the forecast for the next few days is fine, so we should be able to see and do all the things Bernie has researched for us. Some hiking and some 4×4 driving is on the agenda for the coming days.
Steps: 8,803 (6.06kms)
