Impressions of South Australia on a trip to the Flinders Ranges – 1

I packed up my bike and headed off for a couple of weeks touring to the Filinders Ranges in South Australia.  The next few blogs are impressions from the trip

The Coorong It was a cold, wet and windy ride past the southern ports of South Australia and through to the Coorong (http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Limestone_Coast/Coorong_National_Park).

I stopped at 42 Mile Crossing and tried the march across the dunes in riding leathers – a bloody stupid idea.  The wind was gusty but down in the dunes it was hot and windless and I was soon working up a sweat under the leathers and wondering the wisdom of the short hike.  The sight of the ocean was met by a mouth full of sand flung by the wild wind and I beat retreat back to the bike parked on the other side of the dunes. The camp site at 42 Mile Crossing was open and exposed to the wind, and just in time the ranger arrived and suggested I camp further up the Coorong at Salt Creek where the scrub gives protection for the camper.

The scrub provided a perfect site for a camping out of the wind which was appreciated by me and the mosquitoes that sheltered in amongst the tea tree and attacked me as a struggled with the tent. Salt Creek is about the half way point of the Coorong and a short walk from the camp site gives a beautiful view of the Coorong lakes.

That night I slept between the highway and the lakes, the surf pounding hard in the distance.  The wind was gusting overhead punctuated by the occasional squally shower. The roar of the surf was constant and in some way comforting – drowning out the buzz of the mosquitoes attacking the tent net in an attempt to get to my blood. During the night I noticed how the noise of a truck engine in the distance can hardly be distinguished from the roar of the surf. On pulling out in the morning I noticed a dead kangaroo on the side of the road and hoped he was lost in contemplation of the sound of the surf and didn’t realise it was a truck till it was all over.