Location: Morgan, Burra, Crystal Brook, Port Augusta, Kimba and Minnipa.

Regions: SA – Murray-Darling Basin, SA – Northern and Yorke, SA – Eyre Peninsula.

State: South Australia.

Time: 7 August – 9 August 2023,

Average Temperatures: -2.0 – 21 degrees.

Reason: Travelling Australia.

We left Morgan about 10am on Monday 7 August, aiming for Crystal Brook or Melrose. It was sad to say bye for now to my beautiful Sister Kay and Great nephew Darcy but we knew it would only be a few months until we see each other again. We headed North West towards Burra which has amazing pasture lands and the area is highlighted by the “Goyder Line” a boundary line across SA corresponding to rainfall believed to indicate the edge of the area suitable for agriculture. North of the line, the rainfall is unreliable and only considered suitable for grazing and not cropping.

We pass Burra and head for Crystal Brook which is described as “Where the Flinders Begin” and is known as one of the most productive sheep and wheat areas of SA. The pastures are wide and so green, or yellow if it’s Canola and it’s all very healthy and lush so this claim looks reliable and it looks like the winter rains have been kind. We arrive at Crystal Brook and take a walk up the wide main street which is quietly bustling. Crystal brook has a long pastoral history and links with explorers. As we read the local tourist displays down the centre of the main street, I’m taken by the story of one explorer, John Horrocks who was supposedly shot by his camel Harry! I was quite surprised by this so I did some research later (ref Wikipedia) and apparently during his last expedition in the far NW of SA in 1846 while aiming for Lake Torrens and good agricultural land, Horrocks was accidentally shot while reloading his shotgun, one barrel of which was tripped by the packload of a kneeling camel known as Harry, who had been the first camel to arrive in Australia!

Horrocks lost the middle finger of his right hand and a row of teeth from the right upper jaw! Ouch! The expedition was abandoned and Horrocks died of his injuries some 22 days later. An extraordinary story of a man and his camel!

We continue on our journey taking a break at Wirrabara and take in the local Silo Art. This one painted by Australian Artist Sam Bates who goes by the name of “Smug”. The mural depicts the history of the are and important flora and fauna. Later make camp just outside Melrose with an amazing view of Mt Remarkable. We set a camp fire in our portable pit and enjoy lamb chops and grilled vegetables and later a small pot of “Gluhwein” which is red wine spiced with cinnamon, star anise, orange in a sugar syrup. Perfect for camping on a winter’s evening.

The next day we head for Port Augusta. We are passing through but it’s an interesting city because of it’s strategic position at the junction of three major Australian Highways and two railway line. We stop in town for fuel and visit the water tower which has outstanding 360 degree views towards the Flinders Rangers, the coast and the outback. As we leave Port Augusta the land seems to stretch and dry out and we know we have left the rich pastoral lands behind.

We pass Iron Knob, a town I’m hoping to visit at a later time and our next stop is Kimba which is apparently “half way” across Australia and sports “The Big Galah” and some more remarkable silo art, this one by Cam Scale in 2017 depicting a young girl looking towards a stunning sunset and surrounded by lush wheat fields. The mural stretches over five and a half silos and is around 60m wide and 25 high! We leave Kimba with me in the driving seat, first time towing!

Rob found a great camp on WikiCamps about 17km over gravel road outside Minnipa at Tcharkuldu Rocks. My first drive towing the van from Kimba to Minnipa is uneventful and then I continue on 17kms NW of Minnipa on gravel before arriving at the large camp ground with camping access all away around the rocks and many spots to choose from. With few visitors at this time of year, it is an idyllically quiet and peaceful camp. We enjoy another night under the stars with dinner over a camp fire and our only visitor is a little mouse who ran up my leg and gave me quite a start, then he ran around under the van and over the wheel (underneath the pantry), several times until we set a light and then he disappeared. I can only imagine what it would be like with mice whilst camping during a plague!

The next day we take a meandering walk around the rock speaking to a few other campers and hear about Pildappa Rock, or mini wave rock as it was referred to which is about 24 km’s out of Minnipa in the direction of the Gawler Ranges so we decide to spend a second night and explore this one also. We weren’t disappointed, Pildappa was stunning and like other more well known rocks has nearly 5 times the depth of rock underneath as that which can be seen on the surface. Pildappa has two waves one on the Southern side and and another on the Northern. It has easy access to the summit and has outstanding 360 views of the surrounding area.

On the 10th of August we head for Streaky Bay where we have 3 nights booked at the Islands RV Park based on another recommendation. We hope to catch the Matilda’s Qtr final game in The World Cup while we are there.