![]() ![]() We didn't mind - it was nice to take it easy and enjoy the morning ambience of Yanyanna. It was either that or 25 km on to the next one - the spacing of campsites in this section of the Heysen Trail is a bit out of kilter, but when you make use of car camping sites and old stockmen's huts, that is the way it goes. We had a late start to the morning, as today's walk was only going to be a bit over 10km to Trezona Campsite. The hut was a very pleasant place to pass the evening - as the flies retired for the day, we could eat our dinner out on the wooden platform, while watching the sun set to create an orange ribbon across the western horizon. After 24 km, it was great to reach this cosy tin hut and drop our packs for the last time today. The good news, though, was that from the crest of the hills, we could see the shape of Yanyanna Hut on the cypress-pine and grass- and herb-covered flat ahead. Our pleasure at leaving the creek did not last long, as it was to make to short, but very steep climb out onto the hills lining its eastern bank - a sting in the tail of an otherwise easy day. Still, you can't go too wrong following a creek bed, especially one that seemed to be gradually becoming deeper and more gorge-like.ĭense growth in the bed of Bunyeroo Creek The track now followed the creek system northwards - or it would have had not the markers become lost in the dense Patersons Curse. Picking up a fire trail, we continued north, dropping deeper into the Bunyeroo Valley to cross the creek of the same name, with its superb and massive lining of red gums. into Bunyeroo Valley and its fields of Paterson's curse Very pretty, but it was the invasive Patersons Curse again - it seemed to have a particular liking for the Bunyeroo Valley and purple carpets framed many of the lovely views over valley, creek and mountain range. Here we found a relatively sheltered lunch spot amongst the fields of purple. Looking back over the ABC and Heysen Ranges from Bunyeroo Viewpoint Instead of eating, we dropped packs to make a quick rush to the Bunyeroo Viewpoint, a rounded dome with 360° views, and then headed down the eastern side of the ABC Range into the Bunyeroo Valley. Clearly, the Wilcolo Valley had been protected from the full force of this wind. We had planned to have lunch at the ridge, but when we arrived we were met by a strong, cold and gusty south-easterly. As we climbed, the views over new peaks of the Heysen Range became more expansive. At first it passed through a short quartzite-walled gorge, before commencing a steady climb up the slope of the rounded hills - it was the sort of climb where you quickly got into a rhythm and pushed steadily upwards. Our long wander down the Wilcolo Valley finally came to an end, as the Heysen Trail headed suddenly eastward on a well-marked footpath to cross the ABC Range. Finally, St Mary's Peak was behind us and the new peaks of the Heysen Range, Mt Abrupt and Mt Sinnet, were taking centre stage. The lower part of the valley was drier and flinty-soiled, its vegetation a bit sparser and shorter. They were the only people we would see today. Patches of purple Paterson's curse and pale blue forget-me-nots added colour to the green of the groundcover.Īs we sat by the roadside enjoying a short break, a group of mountain-bikers cruised by. It was perhaps the easiest walking of the trip so far, as we gradually descended the long Wilcolo Valley, crossing numerous side creeks with their thick white-trunked, canopy-spreading red gums a contrast to the rough, dark-barked and columnar cypress-pine. We turned north and headed on, with the cool wind at our back.įor the next 10 km we would follow this wide dirt vehicle track, as it meandered its way north between the rugged and rocky Heysen Range to the west and the lower, rounded and tree-covered ABC range to the east. Passing Black Spring, the track led us down alongside a deep creek bed to emerge on the Wilcolo 4WD Track. The grassland morphed into an undulating woodland of cypress-pine and the path (which here was shared by the cyclists' Mawson Trail) wound its way through, with St Mary's Peak appearing through the gaps every so often. St Mary's Peak (highest point in South Australia)Ĭrossing the grasslands north of Wilpena Resort ![]() The walls of Wilpena Pound glowed red to our west and the wind rippled silver across the thick green grass. in our enthusiasm to go, we managed to head off on the wrong side of Wilpena Creek, but that was quickly corrected and we were soon following the trail markers on a well-formed track across an open grassy rise. We quickly left the resort village area and headed out on the track. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as we set out, though the air still had a cool tinge to it. This was probably just as well, as today would be the longest of the walk at 24 km, and with four days supply of food loaded up as well. We were up early, feeling somewhat fitter after our day off at Wilpena Pound.
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