Port Augusta

Yesterday we went out to the Arid Lands Botanical Garden as it had been recommended to us. We were very disappointed with the place as it has really suffered with the drought. I would say 60% of the plants are dead (not just resting) and about 25% of the remaining ones were in flower. We filled in a couple of hours with a visit to the Matthew Flinders Red Cliffs Lookout that's in the park and a walk around the gardens. I can imagine it would be beautiful in better times.

Matthew Flinders Red Cliffs Lookout


I was a bit put off by signs advising what to do in the case of snake bites (King Brown and Black live in the park) and the fact that every time we stopped to read a sign, we had hordes of ants crawling over our feet, up our legs and biting us-not nice at all.

After lunch, we drove out to a couple of lookouts. One wass in an old tank and you had to climb about 80 steps to the top. I got half way up and started to panic as I could see through the very old wrought iron rungs and didn't like it one bit. I couldn't go up or down. In the end I went up slowly with Russ just ahead of me.

Water Tank Lookout


Next we took a drive out of town along Blanche Harbour which is at the top of the Spencer Gulf. It was so beautiful with the clear blue sky, bright blue water and the mountain ranges behind that. There would be well over 200 holiday houses along the road- tin shacks and mansions side by side on tiny blocks with jettys out front over the mangroves or tractors to launch their boats. What a magic spot. The houses were at the end of "courts" that came off the main road for just under 20ks and were identified by clusters of very imaginative signs up on the main road.

Today we packed up and drove just over 100ks through Quorn and out to Hawker where we'll stay for at least 4 nights. We are almost the only people in a huge caravan park and have a big en suite site for the time we are here. Tomorrow, we'll get out and have a look at the Flinders Ranges. It's a lot warmer here than anywhere else we've been for a couple of months-it's great, but the flies are pretty fierce so out have come the fly veils.