Safrai 2019 August 21st & 22nd

Hawker -- August 21st 2019

Sturt's Desert Pea against a wall in the park

Quite a short drive this morning along a gravel road which took us through several station properties, so there was some gate opening to do. The hills varied from rounded slopes to cliff tops ragged with rocks. Some areas must have had a little rain because there was a short picking of green grass showing across the land. We saw only a few sheep and kangaroos that would enjoy it. Many areas only consisted of stones. There would be little joy for landowners in the Flinders area. We saw our first mirage for this trip so that generally indicates dry and hot. It is not really hot today but is certainly much warmer. We always love seeing the huge Wedge Tailed Eagles as they fly up from the ground showing off their feathered legs which, to me , look like trousers!

Red flowering Emu bush with silver leaves.

 Part of these roads we were on actually formed the Hans Heyson Trail which is a long distance walking trail in South Australia. It runs from Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges via the Adelaide Hills to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is approximately 1200 km in length.
 The road into Hawker led us along the remains of old Ghan railway line. The Station has been had a remake and is now a Restaurant. We booked to have a meal there this evening. It was different. We were served huge meals, I was even offered a take-away container which I accepted. John had pork and I chose a lamb pot pie. Both meals were delicious but huge. We are parked in the Hawker Caravan Park for 2 nights. There are some really pretty desert bushes growing and flowering here.

Olg Ghan Railway Station, Hawker

August 22nd. 
 We have enjoyed another lovely day with much warmer weather..short sleeves for John. After some communication with Dawn & Keith Fleet we met them for morning coffee, here in Hawker, and an hour long chat. They had spent some time in the Flinders Ranges and were heading south so a short stop-over suited them well. It was a very pleasant 'catch-up' for all 4 of us.
Apart from this and doing a huge wash of clothes this morning, which dried quickly, in this very warm climate, we went for

Castle Rock

2 walks during the afternoon. Firstly we walked up Policeman's Hill, then later in the afternoon we walked up to Castle Rock. Both vantage points gave wonderful views of Hawker and  more interestingly, views of the surrounding undulating country of Hawker with the wonderful views of the Flinders Ranges in the distance.
I look forward to having a much closer view of the Flinders Ranges, even though we have visited the area 4 or 5 times previously. 
We have an arrangement to meet 
Cynthia and David tomorrow morning, as well as David's parents, Neil & Helen Brock I am sure we will all share a happy time together.