Feral Feast

Australia is well known for its unique wildlife.  For example, the kangaroo and emu which appear on the Australian Coat of Arms, are found nowhere else on the planet.  There are plenty more like the koala and platypus, etc. that could be listed here but would take some time so I will not expand upon these any further.

The Kangaroo and Emu appear on the Australian Coat of Arms.
Neither of these critters can walk backwards so they are perfect to represent the ambition of a nation to always move forward!

While the native fauna are mostly still doing OK (I won't mention the extinct Tasmanian Tiger), there are several introduced species that have thrived since being released (accidently or on purpose) into the wild after the initial '...it seemed like a good idea at the time' reason for their introduction was no longer important.  Some of the worst examples of animals 'gone feral' include:

• Rabbits: Introduced to provide some 'sport' for the landed gentry.  Well, what a surprise when they proceeded to breed like rabbits and consume any vegetation that sheep, cattle and the native herbivores would typically eat thus creating exceedingly difficult grazing conditions in an already difficult farming environment
• Foxes:  Again, these were introduced for some 'sport' but also to combat the now out of control rabbits).  While they likely picked off a few of the millions of rabbits running amok out there, they also enjoyed feasting on many of the small native marsupials (Australia's furry warm blooded native species) that call Australia home
• Cane Toads:  Purposely introduced from Hawaii as a natural predator of the cane beetle that was damaging sugar cane crops in northern Queensland.  Having no natural predator themselves in Australia they have since spread across the entire tropical top end of the country decimating all sorts of water and land based species along the way
• Cats:  Domestic cats gone feral over the last 200 years are now deemed to be the single largest menace to native birds, furry creatures and lizards in the country.  Their natural hunting instinct means they catch and kill pretty much anything that moves that is in their weight division.

Less harmful but feral nonetheless, goats, donkeys and camels can also be found in abundance roaming the Australian outback unchecked.  We didn't see any donkeys or camels on this trip but we did see several herds of feral goats in the northern areas of the Flinders.

Did you know that Australia has the largest population of camels anywhere in the world?  If you didn't, now you do.

After this fairly long introduction I now come to the subject of this post - The Feral Feast!

ADVERTISING:  Roadside billboards as you approach the town of Parachilna advertising just some of the menu choices that are available to the discerning diner just a few kilometres up the road.

The meat while 'Feral' is fresh, i.e.: this is not a true 'Road-kill Grill'

LOCATION: The Prairie Hotel is a pub in a tiny town called Parachilna, located on the western flank of the Flinders Ranges.  One could mount a convincing argument that the town is so small that rather than describing the pub as being IN Parachilna, it is more appropriate to say that the pub IS Parachilna.

The Prairie Hotel is in Parachilna (or) The Prairie Hotel IS Parachilna 

This place has made quite a name for itself due to the items that appear on its regular menu.  The signature plate is called the 'Feral Mixed Grill' which is comprised of a Kangaroo Fillet Steak, an Emu Filet Mignon and Camel Sausages!  While the camel is the only actual feral animal on the plate in the Feral Mixed Grill, some poetic licence allows the kangaroo and emu, being untamed, to grace the same plate!  If you want to go truly 100% feral you can also select a plate featuring slow cooked goat meat.

HOUSE SPECIALTY:  I'll have the FMG or 'FERAL MIXED GRILL':  I chose to have the Feral Mixed Grill for lunch while we were there.  Heather, who has never been one for wild meats, went with the Chicken (for chickens).

Handy little road signs are provided to help you identify what you are eating

The meal was very tasty although I was not so sure how to feel about having just eaten the animals on my national Coat of Arms.  The Kangaroo Fillet Steak was great, the Camel Sausage was tasty but to tell you the truth (as I always do), the Emu Filet Mignon didn't do too much for me at all - I was glad to have an ice cold beer at the ready to chase it down with!

Well that's enough for today - I need to go and have a little lie down to let the belly settle.  WTF? - Where are The Farrows? will return in a day or so with a post about some of the Aboriginal cave paintings and rock engravings we visited during our Flinders Ranges tour.

Arrival in the Flinders via Pichi Richi Pass, Quorn and Kanyaka

Already halfway to the Flinders, the road trip for the day would be another short haul.  This meant there was plenty of time to take in the sights along the way.  The main points of interest en-route were the drive from the coastal highway up to and through the Pichi Richi Pass to the town of Quorn and then Kanyaka homestead before arriving at our destination.

The short 250 km drive left plenty of time to enjoy the sites along the way

Once you make the right turn off of the main highway near Port Augusta towards Quorn you are faced (literally), with the Flinders Ranges.  The ascent from sea level up and over the first set of the ranges begins immediately.  The 39 km route is known as The Pichi Richi Pass.  The name Pichi Richi is believed to come from the region being a traditional source of 'pituri', which is a mixture of leaves and ash chewed as a stimulant by the local indigenous peoples. 

Anyway... previously, as a child, I had been to this part of the country during a family holiday.  While I could vaguely remember having been here before, most of the details of my memories of the trip had definitely become dimmer with the passing of the 40 or more years since then.  Strange though, was the strength of my memory of The Pichi Richi Pass.  Not for the beauty of the twisting, winding drive through the ranges with an old steam train line running parallel to that same twisting road, but for a far more purile reason.  I seem to recall the sign proclaiming the location of the peak of the pass having had some modifications made to it which appealed to my young boy mind of the time.  Instead of a road sign informing you of your arrival at the summit of the PICHI RICHI PASS, the talented local poets of the region had modified the sign, much to my amusement (and to that of others I am sure), to read:

ICHI ICHI ASS

Now, 40 or more years later, here I was with my eyes peeled looking for this sign so that I could point it out to Heather and enjoy an immature giggle once again.  So it was to my great disappointment to find (or not find as it turned out) that the sign at the summit of the pass no longer exists in either its proper or modified form.  Personally, I think the local shire council should ensure that the 'modified' sign is always in place to become a tourist attraction in its own right as some things just stick in the memory better than others.

Shortly after not experiencing ICHI ICHI ASS (that's a good thing I suppose), we rolled into the town of Quorn.

The Quorn Railway Station

Quorn is the inland terminus of the Pichi Richi Railway and is home to the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society.

The steam loco that powers the Pichi Richi Railway tourist rides from Quorn to Pt Augusta and back is called 'The Little Coffee Pot' and is very popular with rail enthusiasts

The volunteer society manages a museum and operates heritage steam and diesel trains on the restored 39km section of track between Quorn and Port Augusta.  The line was built in 1878 and is the oldest remaining section of track of the former narrow gauge 'Ghan' railway.  'The Ghan' was named in honour of the Afghan cameleers that helped open up the semi-arid and desert regions of central Australia using herds of imported camels as their beasts of burden from the mid 1800's.

We walked around the town and had some lunch at the local coffee shop, kept in the old style of nearly a century ago, and then it was time to move on once again.  Quorn is a nice little town and well worth a short visit.

Next stop was the ruins of the former Kanyaka homestead.  A sign of just how tough the pioneer farming days in these parts were is the large number of ruins found in the Flinders Ranges.  Each of the ruins represents somewhere that brave people settled, built themselves homes and tried to make a go of it.  A couple of good years must have given real hope to many with many homesteads expanded from their humble beginnings to become something quite grand.  Unfortunately the good years turned out to be anomalies with extended droughts breaking the banks and then the spirits of most including several of even the largest pastoralists.  This was also the fate of Kanyaka Station.

Kanyaka station was established in February 1852 by an English immigrant, Hugh Proby.  Given the very dry nature of this part of the country, it was tragic and ironic that he drowned having been swept from his horse when crossing a swollen creek while trying to herd a mob of cattle to safer pastures during a thunderstorm.  Subsequent owners grew the station during 'the good years' until it was one of the largest in the district with up to 70 families living and working there.



Ruins of Kanyaka Homestead.

The good rains from earlier this year re-creating the green pastures that fostered the cruel false hope that was held by pioneers of the region.

As mentioned above, several consecutive bad years then followed with severe droughts resulting in massive losses of stock.  Eventually the station was abandoned.  Due to the stone construction used by the pioneers, many of the homestead buildings survive as ruins to be viewed by tourists like us today (Tip: if you click on the photos the images will enlarge a bit and hopefully provide a better view of things).

We had enjoyed our leisurely journey thus far but it was time to get to our destination and set up the caravan for the next week or so.  Under an hour later we arrived at Rawnsley Park Station Caravan Park.  The station is still a working farm but it now supplements its farming income (which is at the mercy of the weather as per Kanyaka story above) with some steadier trade - tourists, particularly a genre of tourists known as 'Grey Nomads' (for North American readers, think 'Snowbirds').  Grey Nomads are typically people that have retired and now spend their time travelling around the country chasing warmer weather than they have at home with their caravans in tow.  Rawnsley Park originally set up a few caravan sites on their property to allow a few Grey Nomads to establish their own base-camp (more comfortable than tent camping but cheaper than the limited number of motel rooms in the area) from which to explore the Flinders Ranges region at their leisure.  This has obviously worked well for them as the caravan park has expanded to 50 powered sites and dozens more unpowered sites now available.  There are also several cabins available for those hoping to have all of the comforts of home upon arrival without having to tow it behind them along the way.  The old woolshed has also been converted into a quite fancy restaurant serving foods grown on the farm as well.  Me thinks the tourist income may be overtaking the farming income!

This episode of WTF? - Where are The Farrows? has come to an end with our safe arrival and set-up complete.  I leave you with a photo of the view of Rawnsley Bluff, part of Wilpena Pound, from our caravan at sunset on the day of our arrival.  This is what we saw whilst getting the campfire started and enjoying our first 'sundowner' of the trip.

Not a bad view with a cold one in hand and a warm campfire in front of you!

In subsequent posts (to follow soon), I will share the highlights, history and some of the views experienced during our adventures of the days that followed, including the view from the top of Rawnsley Bluff - that's right folks, we climbed up there and the view was magnificent!

For some video related to these as well as some of our other adventures, follow the link to Heather's YouTube page below.  If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe to her YouTube channel while you are there and you will get notified each time a new video or short movie is posted.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQFqbEM1KEM7lPW_QZkMmng

10 days in the Flinders Ranges: Day 1 - Adelaide to Bowman Park

A couple of weeks ago Heather and I completed an excellent caravan towing course to learn a few things specific to safely towing, manoeuvring and reversing a relatively heavy and long trailer.  We both thought the course was great value for money as we had a lot of fun and came away with new skills, competencies and probably most importantly, confidence when it comes to towing our 'mobile home' behind us.

Eager to put our new skills to the test we planned and packed supplies into the caravan ready for 10 days of camping in the Flinders Ranges located approximately 450km north of our home in Adelaide.

Departure day arrived and we set off at around 8am.  An easy first day was planned just in case highway towing turned out to be not so straightforward, with our target being a free campsite situated near the town of Crystal Brook in South Australia's mid-north about half way to where we would base ourselves in the Flinders.

Travel for Day 1.  An easy 200km for the first day.

I am happy to report that the drive turned out to be completely event free and was a good first outing to get a feel for how the tow vehicle performed and how the caravan behaved being pulled along behind with other highway traffic overtaking us and transport trucks passing by in the opposite direction.

The campsite we stopped at is called Bowman Park.  The local council allows free stays of up to 48 hours for folks in self-contained caravans or motorhomes - we just needed to stay somewhere for the one night so it was perfect for us.  There ended up being 5 other self-contained caravanners there overnight so we weren't alone but neither did we feel crowded.  Whilst free, donations are welcomed so we put $10 in the box to go towards upkeep of the grounds and the facilities that are provided.

Bowman Park has been many things throughout its history.  The area was first used by Aboriginal people long before white settlement due to the presence of permanent spring water and an ochre pit.  Following the arrival of European settlers the area was first explored in 1839.  The small creek was named Crystal Brook and the first official pastoral holding covering 560 square miles (358,400 acres or 145,000 hectares - huge regardless of the units used to describe it) was established in 1847 and was known as 'Crystal Brook Run'.  It was used for pastoral and farming purposes for 38 years until 1885.  Tough times befell the place and it has since been used for a number of various purposes including:

• Engineering & Water Supply: 1885-1960
• Youth Camps: 1962-1999:
• Speedway: 1960’s
• Rodeo’s: 1970’s
• Reptile, Flora & Fauna Park: 1990’s

Local volunteers have been putting a fair bit of love into the place over the past few years and it is a great location for an overnight stop.  Bowman Park is now used by locals and tourists as a place to relax and unwind. It is currently classified a “Passive Recreation Area & RV friendly Park".  One of the main farm buildings - it may have been the woolshed, has been restored nicely and is available to host wedding receptions and other functions.

Beautifully restored Woolshed at Bowman Park now used as a function venue

The park has a resident peacock that was apparently dumped at the site about 20 years ago.  He must have liked the place as he has not left since.  He struts around like he owns the joint (which he pretty much does) showing everyone that will look at him what a handsome rooster he is.

Heather feeding the colourful 'Captain Peacock'

After we had gotten ourselves settled in for the day Heather took the opportunity to do some metal detecting around the old homestead and building ruins.  No coins or significant relics were discovered but she did find an old brass garter belt fastening clip and a rusting belt buckle in fairly close proximity to each other.

Who knows what led to this pair being found together?

Never ones to let a complete lack of facts get in the way of vivid imaginations conjuring up a juicy story, we quickly decided that these items must certainly have belonged to one of the farmers' daughters and perhaps a handsome young farm hand...(this is where your own imaginations can continue developing the story if you feel so inclined).

The next morning we hitched up the caravan again and set off for our base camp for the next week or so - Rawnsley Park Station Caravan Park, located in the shadows of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges.

Stand by for the next installment of WTF? - Where are The Farrows? where we get into the Flinders Ranges via the Pichi Richi Pass, the town of Quorn and the ruins at Kanyaka homestead.

To see some video of our time at Bowman Park follow the link below to a short video on YouTube that was put together by Heather.  If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe to Heather's YouTube channel so that you get notified whenever something new gets posted.

https://youtu.be/vOBU10Qb0Oc