Ratings: CP ** Surroundings ****
Wedge-tailed Eagle on the road to Wilpena Pound
Good morning! The rising sun in the east imbues the ranges in the west with soft hues of pink as we gaze out from our camp site in this semi-arid region. Hawker was established in 1880 and the area produced wheat until drought forced farmers into sheep farming or bankruptcy. Others merely left to begin again elsewhere. However it is home to Jeff Morgan, an artist of some repute who, in addition to his unique and detailed Flinders Ranges landscapes, has painted a panoramic view of Wilpena Pound on canvas which is housed in a purpose built cylindrical building open to the public.
Ancient and dramatic rock formations form shadows and surprising colours as the light changes.
A meandering road leads to layer upon layer of rock exposed over time.
Inside "Ikara", the local Adnyamanthanha peoples' name for Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges National Park. It is a natural rock formation from millions of years of erosion and was seen by settlers as an ideal enclosure for stock with a natural water supply and only one access point. We followed Wilpena Creek and reached the Hill's homestead. The Hill family leased the Pound from 1900 to 1921. Jessie Hill, a daughter of this pioneer family, tells her touching story on signs titled "If walls could talk".
The awe inspiring surrounds of Wilpena Pound providing an environment where bird life and tawny dragons thrive while the yellow footed rock wallaby is under threat due to feral goats devouring their food!
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