Gawler Ranges Tour (Part 1): On the West Coast in the Yorke Peninsula region of South Australia
The town of Wudinna is at the top end of Eyre Peninsula in what the locals refer to as Granite Country. Take a short trip with tour guide Geoff Scholz and you'll see why.
When you step onto Polda Rock you stroll across a piece of local town infrastructure which, for many years was as important to any Wudinna local as Mount Bold Reservoir or the Kangaroo Creek Dam are to the people of Adelaide.
“The water just runs off the rock and it’s as clean as if it ran off a roof.”
The man made lake in the distance is fed by run off from an enormous mound of granite. If you ever needed proof of the extraordinary lengths that people go to collect that most precious of resources - water, then this is it. At Polda Rock they built miles and miles of stone embankments to collect the run off for the Wudinna town water supply.
The spectacular landform was caused by the same ancient process, which created Muphy’s Haystacks at nearby Streaky Bay, and the locals have made good use of it.
“When you think about the way they excavated the edges of the rock and collected the rock and put them together all by hand because there were no machines - it was all done with wheelbarrows - It is amazing.”
“It also offers a fantastic vantage point to take in the view at the top end of Eyre Peninsula. It surprises a lot of people just how beautiful it is up here.”
Geoff's grandfather came to Wudinna from Germany after World War One. He helped built the stone walls for the Polda Rock water supply, which also fed the steam trains that helped, open up the top end. When Geoff's not farming he's in the four-wheel drive uncovering the area’s natural secrets on one of his Gawler Ranges Safaris.
North of Wudinna, the dirt track slices through mallee scrub on one side and cleared farm land on the other but soon we arrive at a location which was so important to those who've lived here for thousands of years.
“The rocks are different colours - traces of red and orange. They're very rich colours. It's hard to know what a rock will come up like until you actually streak it.”
“A lady told you as a child that she remembered being brought here by her mother and being painted up for ceremonies. Who were the Aboriginal people in this district?”
“The Bangala people were the people who frequented this area most and the Kokotha people as well.”
Here, scattered throughout ochre pits are stone chips from other parts of Australia. Some are from thousands of kilometres away and are proof that this ochre was highly prized and was part of an extensive aboriginal trade route. The pits are part of an ancient river system dating back to well before the Ice Age, which drained the Gawler Ranges area. It reached the sea somewhere near modern day Smokey Bay.
Out in the distance stands another great monolith, Mount Sturt. For the Bangala people it was a major landmark and for off road enthusiasts it's a focal point of any trip into the Gawler Ranges National Park. Along the way you're sure to come across the kangaroos and other wildlife that make light work of the salt bush and mallee scrub.
They are just one of many eye catching surprises as we approach Mount Sturt, along with the first glimpse of the lake which bears the giant monolith's name.
Along the lake's shore there are more outcrops of rust coloured ironstone and in the distance, a shimmering salt lake - one of many at the top end of Eyre Peninsula. It lies in the shadow of a landmark named by Edward John Eyre in memory of another great South Australian explorer Captain Charles Sturt.
For the postcards crew it’s the end of day one on Geoff's Gawler Ranges Safari. He runs regular tours and can be contacted on 8680 2045.
Geoff also does pickups at the Ceduna Airport or you can rent a 4WD vehicle. Excellent accommodation is also available in the area at the Kimba Community Hotel. For more details and bookings visit www.sahotels.com.au/kimba
And if you have any further questions on the Gawler Ranges please email info@postcards.sa.com.au
