Friday 6th & Saturday 7th March 2015 – Mt Remarkable to Red Banks Conservation Park

Fine, early clouds, sunny, daytime temps around 24C

Our drive from Mt Remarkable was about 170kms.  We travelled through some interesting spots and saw lots of ruins from the 1800’s around the pastoral runs.   We travelled down from Mt Remarkable to Port Pirie and then across to Burra.  The red arrow is where we camped at Red Banks Conservation Park.

We called into Burra briefly to the information centre to ask about Burra Gorge which is 23 kms south.  The girl told us that it was a long weekend which we were not aware of (being on a continuous long weekend) and there had been a lot of enquiry for camping there.  She told us that there was camping a Red Banks Conservation park and we were quick to take up that one.  There is a dirt road out and that immediately eliminates a lot of people.  We drove out and were delighted to find that we had the pick of the camp sites.  Late at night two more camper trailers came in (together) and a car with a tent.  We met the camper trailer people this morning on our way to do a walk – and were greeted by two dogs – there are heaps of signs saying “definitely no dogs”.  While we were on the walk, we saw the ranger doing a drive patrol of the day area and when we got back the trailers were gone.  We can only assume that he spotted the dogs and told them to leave.  We have shade and lots of birds and its peaceful – just nice.

 

Burra – what a delightful heritage town – we are going in tomorrow to get the key to the heritage buildings and spend the day in town walking around sightseeing.  So much history!

 

The sedimentary gullies and creek beds are up to 10 metres high.  You can see the layers which have been deposited over the past.  They have found Megafauna  in the area and it is said to be the richest megafauna site in Australia.  Giant Wombat (Diprotodon) remains have been found here and only a few years ago.  It was the size of a hippopotamus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the “Landscapes of Change” interpretive walk – starting from the camping area it was 8kms return for us. 

 

The best part of the walk was on our way from camp to the start and we lost sight of the markers (typical park where the trails are obscure and the markers are not placed in sight from the previous marker) – we walked along the creek bed with massive towering sediment cliffs above us.  All sorts of rocks and pebbles and layers.

 

 

 

We saw Kangaroos – Euros (hill kangaroos) and quite a few birds and a couple of rabbits – which are obviously a problem running around during daylight hours.




(file photo)
This is the view of the permanent water source.  The water is lovely and clean, cold and deep.  Even if the surrounding area is dry and parched there is always water in this section of the creek.


Down at the creek, there were a lot of weed plants – especially some very large thistle like plant.