Trezona Camp Site

We landed in camp about 2.45pm and set up camp at a rather slow pace. Not much later a car came scouting around the camp ground and then disappeared.

Some time later they turned up again, caravan in tow and camped next door. So much for the planned naked moon dance we had planned.

Little midgie things chased us inside earlier than we would have liked. So we had an early night and a cool breeze made sleeping quite pleasant.

We woke with a warm sunrise lighting up the clouds in the east and were not the first campers to have the billy on the boil.

When we were ready we headed East to the beginning of the Gorge Road and visited the remains of the old shepherd's hut. Sue walked down to the waterholes along the creek and got to photograph two Rainbow Bee Eaters - I did a quick sketch of the hills basking in the morning sunshine.

We dropped back to camp and had a cuppa and battened down the hatches because it looked like being a windy day (it was).

We headed West up Brachina Gorge which is really very spectacular. It was so much easier riding Gertie without Ernie hanging on behind. We rode though to the far end and then doubled back to have lunch in a part of the gorge I found full of triangular forms - which I did a drawing of.

We turned down the alternate road to Willpeena and it was a good ride but the wind had increased in strength, so we noticed the bike being blown about.

At Willpeena we had a quick chat with a guy on a touring bicycle - we filled up with fuel and had an ice cream. We booked a flight and shouted ourselves a cold drink and rode the 35 minutes, with a serious head wind, back to camp. The camp had stood up to the wind fairly well with the help of our neighbours who did some running adjustments.

We booked a scenic flight for 8.30am the next day and toddled off home along a road that billowed through the hills with wind that looked to bend and curve it even further.

It was Friday night and a storm hit us that swept away our awning and it was only with our neighbor Malcolm that we managed to batten down the hatches for a night of wind, lightning and light wind driven showers. Malcolm was a gem, he parked his car next to our tent to provide a buffer - which really saved the situation.

Saturday morning we said good bye to Malcolm and Elaine, who were off to their daughter's place in Laura and we rode off in a stiff breeze to find out our flight had been postponed until 1.30pm. Probably yhe worst time of the day to have a scenic flight. While we waited we rode down to the Aroona Rock walk. The walk is really good and well worthwhile. Un fortunately the girl had told us 12.30 to be at the airstrip where as we really only needed to be there at 1.30pm - so we did rush the walk a bit.

The flight, was really good even if the light was bright and flat - maybe that is what this land is all about after all.

We had afternoon tea at the café and stopped by the Harold Cazneaux tree and did an image based on his excellent image which he titled, "Spirit of Endurance" which he created in 1937.

We rode home and caught up with Kirra and Kershaun . Kirra is a 36 year old photographer and spiritual traveller and Kershaun (alias Jeff) is her older (born 1958) artist partner. We arranged to have tea with them later in the evening.

We ducked off to the waterhole where Sue waited for the prtfect shot of the bee eaters and I wandered off to get some late afternoon images of the hills with curving rock contours. The hills are there but they are not easy to find with just the right light. I joined her and did some drawing while she photographed the swooping swallows.

A great evening with Kirra and Kershaun - talk of their life and the state of the world.

Sunday morning I awoke at around 6am and headed out on the bike to get some low raking light images. It was good to get out but still have not found the perfect alignment (Rob Buckle) to get the image of the hills I would like. It makes one appreciate the images that have been taken that capture the curve and repetition that this landscape engenders.

We were slow to get moving because Mal backed up Sue's image cards and then we went back down to the pool. We saw the bee eater but did not get a better photograph. We did get a fairly good photo of the crusty blue tongue look alike lizard.

We came back to camp for lunch and about 2pm headed off to drop our rubbish in the bins on the main road and visit the sacred canyon. It's a 13k dirt road into the canyon, which is good, just some small channels washed across the road at most dips in the road. We just slowed a little to lessen the bump.

The canyon is just so small and intimate. The rock walls are a thousand beautiful designs carved in rock. Yes there are some aboriginal etchings however the place is probably still as magic as when they spent time here some time in the past. We walked all the way through, a few hundred meters and just stopped and sat on a bank before two old gum trees. They would have seen something's in their life - even if they are only 500 years old (they can apparently live to be 1000 years old).

I did a drawing of the old gum tree and incorporated a section of the canyon into the image - this is my natural cathedral with alter.

We met a young chap from Adelaide who was staying with his family and friends at Rawnsely Park Station and he was asking about the bike and taking about his fridge in his troopy. We jokingly said we have fridge envy.

They left and we followed along checking out a few birds along the way. Then he comes running back with an ice cold beer for us. You meet the most generous folk when you get out. We shared the beer and by then our yellow bird had flown. We rode back to Wilpeena to refuel before we head further North.

We digressed a few Km up the Gorge Road to photograph some hills in the late afternoon light. I photographed the hills and Sue photographed a Pardalote.

We stopped briefly at the Wild Duck Dam and Sue enjoyed the birds coming down to drink.

We rode up to Stokes Lookout as the sun was low above Wilpeena Pound and had a brief chat with some Swiss tourists in a 4x4 motorhome. The afternoon was cool so we left to ride home and just as the sun set we were about 1km from the campsite when we spotted a litter of wild kittens sticking their head out of a rabbit burrow. Mum was probably out hunting.

Sue made up a great tea and we poked off to bed early to watch the moonlight stream into our tent.

Monday

Today we decided to stay at home and catch up on a bit of housework and office work. Mal wrote some postcards and Sue walked down the creek and got frightened by a rabbit she nearly stepped back on.

The bees which had invaded the wet clothes on the line yesterday were back to drink Mal's paint water. The day is a little warmer than yesterday but still beautiful.

Late in the afternoon Mal ducked up the little hill across the creek and found a wonderland of new landscape motifs. He bolted up for a late sunset and was back up there first thing Tuesday morning.

We packed up slowly, said good bye to the bees and Sue chased a last bird photo and then we were off.