{"id":1358,"date":"2024-09-05T10:05:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T10:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aerowalsh.com\/cr\/?p=1358"},"modified":"2024-09-05T10:07:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T10:07:50","slug":"wed-4th-sep-angorichina-to-aroona-ruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cr.aerowalsh.com\/?p=1358","title":{"rendered":"Wed 4th Sep – Angorichina to Aroona Ruins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First day’s walking was preceded by pretty terrible accommodation. The anxiety around the night’s accommodation started yesterday in the car when James read out from the Auswalk info booklet that “subsequent accommodation really makes up for the first”. The ‘village’ (caravan park) we stay at was formerly a tuberculosis quarantine hospital, and we are staying in the nurses quarters. This must be a national heritage listed building because diddly squat has been done to it since. A unique feature is James’ bed is in the middle of the living room. It does make me view James increasingly (and affectionately) as a big teenager, a caricature enhanced when he complains about having to wake up early.

The owners Dave and Caroline are a point of much discussion. Dave is easily charmed by James’ passion for Hiluxes. Dave has a very gutteral country affect and knows the tax payer cost of every man made structure in the Flinder’s Ranges. He describes his wife Caroline as a grumpy old woman and we tentatively giggle. When James asks what’s for lunch, we get a curt “food, mate.”, and we quickly realise this was a warning, not a joke. James scales up operation Flirt. Will his natural red head charisma crack Caroline? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post to find out.

The walk itself is lovely. The weather is perfect and the length just right. I am a little disheartened to learn that I have fallen to the bottom of the fitness ranking in our trio, yet am content plodding along hundreds of metres behind. We don’t see any other hikers all day.

The transfers to the start of the walk and back again in the afternoon are very long (nearly an hour) and it’s here we alternate between the highs of Dave gleefully mocking James’ plastic clip on dragonflies to the cold silence of Caroline. Dinner is at Blinman pub again, which is owned by Dave and Caroline, who bought it after the previous owner went broke. They said if they didn’t buy the pub, they were going to close the village and leave, such is the importance of the institution. James says it’s his best parmy ever, but I think he was just really tired and hungry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Everyone’s day pack is neatly organised for our inaugural trek tomorrow. Remember team, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. DW. Dek reviews the contents of everyone’s bag. Excess items are removed. JRT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Go team! DW. Fwends. CR. This fancy trail entrance opened this week! Dave didn’t think the picturesque door and ochre trade facts were worth $500k. JRT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The start of the walk is along a very crunchy riverbed shadowed by river red gums. They are known to sporadically drop limbs in times of extreme drought and you can see torn limbs underneath some of them. DW. The guide book says that Flinders has the oldest river in the world. Maybe this is it. JRT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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There are a lot of flies. The fly net is a must purchase for this trip. DW. The clip on dragonflies are only half effective. This is being generous. JRT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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There aren’t masses of stunning wildflowers, more the occasional shrubs eeking out survival with the odd colour. DW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Someone hates their juice box. Shortly after this there was a small pile of juice on the ground next to James. DW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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More riverbeds. This time little gullies criss crossing the landscape. The terrain makes me feel like a dinosaur in the Triassic searching for water. DW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I thought for a moment I’d really lost a lot of kgs during the first day of the walk but upon closer inspection this is Declan. CR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Somehow feral goats seem to survive and even thrive in this environment. DW. Seeing 6 goats was a highlight of the walk, despite seeing hundreds on the drive. JRT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We are way ahead of schedule and finish two hours early. We have to wait there until Cranky Caroline comes to retrieve us. Declan, within minutes, brings out his notes to plan tomorrow’s walk. CR. Every detail is tracked. As expected, there are punishments if we are behind schedule. Dek offers to buy everyone one drink if we finish early. JRT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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