The Flinders ranges in South Australia
Posted on by Debbie

An Aussie outback adventure #2

Welcome to Iga Warta – Day 2

WiFi corner at Iga Warta
WiFi corner at Iga Warta

It was very windy through the night but it didn’t worry me too much as I was sound asleep! It was still quite warm.

Terry, our host, passed us on our way into breakfast with a shotgun in his hand.  He was on his way out to get dinner for the night – we ate freshly roasted kangaroo and damper that evening!

After our breakfast on the verandah in the early morning sunshine and our wifi fix was satiated, we left in the troop carrier with Sharpie for day 2 of walking the River Frome. We were driven through the Angepena Homestead property to Mudlapena where we had finished our first day of walking.

Early morning light in the Flinders Ranges
Chatting to Sharpie our guide, in the Flinders Ranges
Red cliffs on the Frome River, Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Smiley face in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Some notes from our walking leader, which explain our adventure in a bit more detail:

The Frome River is the only River to flow north into the world renowned Lake Eyre, from high in the equally world renowned Flinders Ranges. From its watershed it drops about 739 metres over its 319 km length to Lake Eyre.  Our aim is to do a reconnaissance walk along the 110km of the mountain section to where it crosses the Strzeleckie Track. Even this section has been divided into 2 stages because, although part of our mission is to travel the distance, the most important part of our mission is to travel ‘in the spirit’ of those whose country this has been for 50000 years.  And so this is a guided Cultural Walk in Adnyamathanha Country, led and supported by Adnyamathanha people.  The term reconnaissance is used because we are not following an already prepared walk but working with our cultural  guides to determine the best course, information points, pace, points of interest, and to suggest what and where infrastructure may be required. Iga Warta Pty Ltd provides all meals, guides, Cultural information and support.

Y is it so?
Y is it so?

We were reminded again that this is an ancient and traditional walk, and could be compared to the iconic Camino walk in Spain.  We were encouraged to wash our hands or face in the water to connect to the river and Mother Earth.

The walk took us through magnificent gorges, waterholes, more exciting rocks and along the river bed. We met up with Sharpie our guide at various points along the way and he again told us stories of the ancient Adnyamathanha people. We ended up walking about 9kms finishing at the Angepena Homestead, where the creek meets the road.

  • View over paddock
  • Waterhole
  • Magnificent tree in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia
  • River red gums along the riverbed

That afternoon the place was jumping with car loads of people arriving for a few days of camping and looking for a cultural experience.  We shared a great meal and even better conversation around the table that night.  Life is good!!

Day 1 of walking can be found here – An Aussie Outback Adventure #1

Stay tuned for more updates!!

Deb

You can also find Deb’s World here – I’d be delighted if you’d join me.

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The Flinders ranges in South Australia

37 Replies to “An Aussie outback adventure #2”

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  10. Mum it sounds like you guys are having such an awesome time. The pictures are exactly what I imagine it to be out there in the bush. Must be an amazing experience to learn more about the aboriginal and dreamtime culture. Can’t wait to hear more

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    1. Thanks Angela, it’s a beautifully picturesque place. Kangaroo is quite nice and is very lean meat. It really depends on how it’s cooked as to how it tastes. We had it in a stir fry and on the BBQ so it didn’t taste much different to beef.

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  13. I love the Aboriginal culture and their Dreamtime, we have spent a bit of time exploring the inner regions more over in Western Australia. Also, there is something very spiritual about spending time in the outback. Keep enjoying 🙂

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