Woke to 'Ah, Ah, Ah' of a local crow seemingly just beside my window. Walls of caravans are pretty thin so it sounded almost like he/she was in the bed with me. After a bit of hustle and bustle we got ourselves organized and into the trusty Kluger which Aidan has decided to name 'Bessie' - like my old metallic purple VW Van - Fiona the GPS and Bessie the Beast! We'd decided to do a self-drive tour of some of the ranges and gorges in the national park. One area in particular had captured our attention as it was touted to be where the earliest known fossil , the Dixonian ... something or other - has been found. I haven't quite figured out whether it is an Edicarian or whether that was the age it was meant to have existed. It is ...or was an aquatic organism which prevailed in this area whilst it was completely covered by water and has surfaced through erosion and tectonic plate movements which have given rise to Wilpena Pound - Wilpena meaning out-stretched fingers and Pound - enclosure. It is like a massive 100 sq km. amphitheatre which was perceived by some early entrepreneurs as potentially a great catchment for water and thus ideal for hordes of sheep and agriculture. Unfortunately, rains are not all that common here and the area became over-grazed and over-cultivated fairly quickly. Areas remain barren today where such practices have left them effectively bereft of nutrients and sustainability for plant life. We headed along the road to the Bracina Gorge and past the Terzona area where the fossils were meant to have been found. As we traveled further west we encountered signs every km or so indicating a change of geological rocks or formations and a decrease by 10-20 million years in age. The formations were actually quite amazing to see - it felt like we were traveling back in time and taking in some amazing ancient history in the process. We hiked along some creek beds and along one of the many hiking trails in search of fossils touted to be abundant in the area but only stumbled upon some once back near our vehicle. Aidan was the keen eye and after the first find kept spotting new ones. We continued along our 'off road' adventure with Bessie and stopped for lunch at the top of a ridge where a look out allowed us views of some incredible valleys and hills. Once back at the camp we tackled the pool and tried to get some school work done before the weekend with variable success. Dinner was had at the resort Bistro and included a Flinders Native Plate - complete with Emu Pate, Smoked Kangaroo, Native tomato relish and goat's cheese. I had the Kangaroo dish for the main while Jen played it safe with a vegetarian salad and the kids hoed into some traditional kids meals. Dessert was the typical ice cream and sauce for the kids while Jen enjoyed (with us) a massive serve of blueberry, mango and lime gelati and I, the sticky-date pudding (see I am Australian!). With full tummies and yet another day of adventure ahead we tucked into our beds to await the early morning wake up call of our winged friends.
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