High Sierra Topix

Thursday, 21 August 2008 (day 21)
Deep Creek Cove and Deep Creek Waterfall, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

PHOTOS: http://snownymph.smugmug.com/gallery/57 ... 5098_WQuu3

SnowDude had to work, but he told me to take a hike. He sent me to Deep Creek in the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. Even with the late start (took 3 hrs to do a 1.5 hr drive) I finished the Deep Creek Cove hike in 2 hrs. I looked in the book and saw another hike that didn't look too bad. So got two short hikes in.

Driving in the park


Galah


Rainbow



The Cove, I got a little scared here with the big waves out there, and turned back after a few pix


Cove from above


Pretty trees and bushes


and flowers



drove to the next hike . . . boing boing boing! (wallabies hopping away)


Yacca


Creek was flooded, still raining, so this is as close as I got to the waterfall


Saw 6 wallabies on the drive out

Thank you Cori, neat photos. Yacca is different.

Thanks for the update, Duane! Fixed it!



Saturday, 23 August 2008 (day 23)
Bunyeroo Gorge Hike, Flinders Range, South Australia

PHOTOS: http://snownymph.smugmug.com/gallery/57 ... ygq#P-1-15

Friday, day 22: packed up and drove 5 hrs to Flinders Range. Saturday, day 23: plan was to backpack, but after sleeping in the tent, I could hardly bend over. So plans changed. We drove around, rented a cottage, and went for a hike.

Cool rainbow driving from Adelaide to Flinders Range, 5 hr drive


Camp below (my back was killing me in the morning, so backpacking is out)


so we rented a cottage with HEAT! Its winter there, and I slept cold in the tent


Stopped to see the famous Cazneaux tree


Finally got to see an emu in the wild


then hiked the Bunyeroo Gorge, we thought


Nice day for a hike

Sunday, 24 August 2008 (day 24)
St Mary's Peak on Wilpena Pound, Flinders Range, South Australia

PHOTOS: http://snownymph.smugmug.com/gallery/57 ... 4939_tW6FC

We drove around Wilpena Pound, then hiked to St Mary's Peak. The area is part of the Adelaide Geosyncline. Despite early amateur theories that it was some kind of ancient volcano, the actual Pound is sedimentary rock in the form of a large syncline. Although from the outside the Pound appears as a single range of mountains, it is actually two: one on the western edge, and one on the eastern, joined by the long Rawnsley's Bluff at the south. A gorge called Wilpena Gap has been cut in the eastern range, and most of the inside of the Pound drains into Wilpena Creek which exits through the Gap. A small part of the high northern slopes of the Pound drains into Edeowie Creek, which drains in time of flood over steep cliffs and waterfalls in Edeowie Gorge to the north. The highest peak in the Pound, also the highest of the Flinders Ranges, is St Mary Peak (1170m), on the north-eastern side. The wall of mountains almost completely encircles the gently-sloping interior of the Pound, with the only breaks being the gorge at Wilpena Gap and a high saddle in the south-western range over which the Heysen Trail passes. The interior of the Pound does not rise to a height at the northern edge, but instead simply drops off very steeply to the plain below in a series of steep gullies.

Surprised this guy . . . boing, boing, boing!


Maybe the steepness gives it the rating 'demanding'


Beautiful landscape


Steps and ledges


St Mary's Peak from the saddle


Looking into the Wilpena Pound amphitheatre.


Summit shot, on the highest point of Wilpena Pound


Cool birds


Kangaroo trying to look big, guess I got a little too close


Kissing Kangaroos