The Other Pound

We walked up a steep and long hill called Mount Ohlssen Bagge. It is 430 m high from the start at Wilpena. We saw a couple of other bushwalkers, but no other party had people as young and as old as us, bushwalking with Mum and Dad and both grandparents. After 2:30 hours uphill, we arrived at the summit from where we had a beautiful view of Wilpena Pound. In the background we could still see the salt lake Lake Torrens. What a contrast, from dead salt plains with no life at all to the beautiful trees of Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges.

Back at camp, we had kangaroos around our camp site, and six emus walking by and checking us out.

 

At the summit of Mount Ohlssen Bagge

Another summit photo with Wilpena Pound in the backdrop

Part of the track

Big Red River gum trees in the dry rivers

After the bush walk

Wild emus next to our tent

More Outback

We are in South Australia now. There is more outback to look at. There are even fewer trees or bushes than in Northern Territory. It is a real challenge to do a "bush wee" out here. Not that there are a lot of other travellers, but it is hard to find a bush for cover!
It has been weeks since we have last pegged in our tent for the night. The "soil" is still solid rock. The pegless tent is holding up fine in good weather, but when it gets windy, Mum and Dad get nervous about it. We have taken the "Fuel, Food" photo at a roadhouse in the way from Marla to Coober Pedy. They mention two important things about life in the outback, but what about water?
In Coober Pedy there are warning signs everywhere about holes in the ground and active mining. The white hills of the excavated earth are everywhere, but I haven't seen a single hole in the ground yet. Still: Don't run and don't walk backwards!

The essence of life in the outback: Fuel and food - where is water?

Our neighbours at camp (from Campbelltown/Sydney) pass us on the Ooodnadatta Track

Whatever you do: Don't walk backwards!

A very old river

We have a free camp spot along Stuart Highway at Finke River. The toilets are clean, there is water (though not drinking water), fire pits and a nearly always dry Finke River. Finke River is one of the oldest rivers on earth, perhaps more than 400 million years old. It stopped carrying permanent water some 40 million years ago. These days, water that comes into the river from the occasional rain never reaches the ocean: it dries up in the Simpson Desert or it goes underground to replenish the ground water. I walk on this old river. What a cool place!