Wednesday, 10 February 2016

Gawler Ranges, EP


On Sunday the 7th of Feb we left Streaky Bay for Wudinna which is a small town on the Eyre Highway. It is a good base to visit the Gawler Ranges. We got there at the caravan park at morning tea time, set up, had a cuppa and headed out to visit the main sites.

The area is known as Granit Country. We went back up the road to Minnipa on the highway and headed out to Pildappa Rock. You will see the depressions in the rock which collect water. In the old days the aboriginals relied in this water for survival. The settlers did as well and they built rock walls to dam up the rain water for themselves and their stock. They would also channel this water to where they wanted it. I often wonder about how the aboriginal coped when the water went stagnant. I guess their systems became used to the water like that.
















On the loop road back to town we went to Tcharkulda Hill. At one time the town’s water supply was provided by the rain water collected from this hill. Extensive rocks walls and drains were constructed to collect and hold the water.













We went back to camp for lunch and then went to the sites on the loop road from Wudinna. Firstly went to Polda dam. The Polda Rock was again used to drain water and dam it for the town’s water supply.








Then we went to Mount Wudinna which is actually the second largest rock in Australia, the first being Uluru. I climbed it. There were no aboriginal objections to climbing this one. The view from the top was awesome.












The view of Turtle Rock was taken from the top of Mount Wudinna. Apparently it looks like a turtle from the ground and the air. I get it, sought of.

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