4/3/2015
During breakfast I had
some good chats with backpackers sleeping in swags who are on a tour
from Darwin to Adelaide and are finishing the tour today. It was good
having some young people around me again – certainly different age
group than what you mostly meet at camp sites!
First activity today was
hiking the Alligator Gorge. Very nice – but totally dried out. I
was walking quite a lot of 3km hike in the dried out river bed. Gives
a very different perspective on things. The road to get there was
extremely steep and curving. Would be un-drivable in winter time when
there would be anything like ice & snow around.
Closed and then open!
Second stop was in
Melrose, where I hiked up Mount Remarkable. Quite a long hike, almost
14km as I had to start from almost Melrose town – they are redoing
the road so it was closed. Its from around 400m altitude all the way
up to 960m – so quite a bit of elevation to go. I didn't see any human for the whole duration of the hike, but I saw some wild
kangaroos or wallabies that I scared off and several beautiful
lizards, but they saw me as well and decided not to get photographed
for this blog. Bummer.
Something crashed here!
What do I take with me on
a hike? A lot of water, the Canon 5D with the 24-105mm general
purpose lens, Bob Coopers Outback survival kit, snake bandages, an
emergency blanket, a beanie (you never know how cold it might get!)
and a bit of food. So all up, I'm hauling quite a bit of gear around.
I highly recommend Bob Coopers outdoor survival training for anybody
who wants to spend some time outdoors. Opens your eyes to a lot of
things – and as Bob says, nature provides all you need, if you have
the knowledge and skill to see and use it!
After the hike I was in
need for some coffee and treats and I found a gem: Over the edge –
a cycling shop selling amazing coffee and home baked treats and they
got free WiFi! In a little village somewhere in the Flinders Ranges I
found what I have been looking for 3000kms or more. I had the best
coffees since Perth, a great raspberry walnut chocolate brownie and a
blueberry almond cake! What a lovely little place! Spoke to the owner
and found out that they got the shop going for about 7 years as there
are some nice mountain bike trails in this area. Congratulated him on
the awesome, stylish shop and the coffee and home made treats which
could easily compete with the best stuff you get in Perth!
Reading the sign and seeing the awesome style of this shop - there was just no way I could have left without trying it out!
I am roaming!
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness - think that's a Mark Twain quote!
After visiting Over The Edge I felt a strong need to go cycling soon!
I drove to Port Germein to
stay for the night. They have the longest wooden jetty according to
their point of view – I'll check it out after dinner when the sun
goes down.
Distance traveled today:
97km
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