19/04/12 - Getting off the Pound

The classic aerial shot of Wilpena Pound (without the wing...)

Down safely, despite George's attempts

Rugged mountains in
every direction

Today was our first real treat – a scenic flight over Wilpena Pound. It was something we’d talked about doing since we first became aware of it over 3 years ago, and finally we were getting the chance to do it. The pictures speak for themselves, but we weren’t too comfortable when George the OAP insisted he sit in the front seat after he’d enjoyed kicking barrels close to the runway. Someone his age should have known better…

Scenic drives and classic skies

The view from St Mary's Peak -
Panorama style

We had to retrace our steps slightly back to Port Augusta, via a lovely scenic drive giving us our final farewall to Wilpena (apart from the 30m panoramic painting – 10,000 hours painting is a pretty solid effort!). 

Pier gazing for Leafies...

There they are - two massive ones!

Timing wasn’t on our side to see the cuttlefish at Wyalla, so we gave the larger cities a miss and ended up at the sleepy town of Tumby Bay. This was another place famed for its population of Leafy Seadragons, but our scanning of the pier only rewarded us with a dolphin sighting. The search continues…

Key Learnings:

1.       If you ever come across George Klutz, avoid him (I hope no-one I know is related to this guy!)

2.       If you want to get the panorama view from St Mary’s Peak, then paying $8 at the Hawker Panoramic building is slightly easier than the actual walk (but obviously not as rewarding!).

3.   Take care with Australian pay-phones – they have significant money eating tendencies