We continue to follow NRMA Marketing Manager, Lucy and her young family on their 4,900km road trip from Sydney to Kangaroo Island via the Flinders Ranges.
Arriving at Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges
Wilpena Pound by air is the best way to see it!
The summer heat in the outback is intense – by 10am the temperature gauge in the car registered 40 degrees Celsius, leaving another 10 hours of daylight for the current record of 51.2 to be broken. It came close.
Fortunately, as the mercury was rising, so too was the mood in the car, as we finally approached Wilpena Pound. The scenery became progressively more interesting, with gentle hills turning into mountain ranges and the odd dead tree replaced by healthy cypress pines.
Although native to Australia, the trees had me thinking I was in the United States. It reminded me of the approach to Yosemite – the pine trees, the impressive rock formations (albeit on a smaller scale) and the sense we had arrived somewhere really special.
We were extremely pleased to be staying put for a few days at the Wilpena Pound Resort. Situated at the base of the Pound and shaded by river red gums, the resort was no fancy-Port Douglas style resort. Far from it. It was friendly and casual, catering for campers as well as more upmarket holiday makers.
One memorable evening was spent by the pool – a welcome oasis – as we watched 10 or more kangaroos grazing and generally hanging out under the gum trees just metres away. In what turned out to be a fairly regular occurrence a family of emus casually wandered by as we ate breakfast.
The nearby visitors centre provided excellent information on the many walks in the area – which I considered doing for about 10 seconds – before deciding to see the Pound by air! Please allow me to list a few excuses. Although fit, I was 6 months pregnant, had a child in tow and it was 40 degrees.
Jasper struggles with his earmuffs
From the cosy 4 seater Cessna we enjoyed breathtaking views over the Pound and surrounding mountain ranges. I spent 30 minutes gobsmacked by the geological formations below, while concentrating hard to hear the pilot’s explanations over the loud, but reassuring noise of the plane’s single engine. All while I was fighting the overwhelming urge to burst out laughing at Jasper in earmuffs.
I was relieved to discover that I’m not the only person who thought Wilpena Pound was a volcanic crater. I learned that the 17 x 8 km bowl is the result of millions of years of erosion which you can clearly see from the seams of layered rock which surround the Pound.
Next stop – our final destination of Kangaroo Island.
Do you think long family road trips are a thing of the past?
