Caroona Creek to Mt Bryan East

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Today we started walking with me feeling a little disorganised. I had to tape my knees after getting off the bus, because the bus was over-full, so I couldn't stretch out my legs straight to tape my knees. So everyone had to wait while I did some hasty knee taping. <blog edited> Anyway, the walk soon turned good. I had also mistakenly grabbed yesterday's map for today's walk. So I had little idea where we were, just what I could recall from the map. As you can see from the photos, this weekend's scenery was in quite some contrast from the 3 days of last weekend - the bareless hills of the mining town of Burra. This weekend was lots of saltbush interspersed with low trees. Everything looked cool, backdropped by the unknown, the unmarked on our maps, ranges off in the east. <blog edited>Tourilie Gorge was a highlight today. After many of our days of hiking had been heading north and east, after morning tea, we sharp turned westwards to enter this gorge. A gorge soaked in history. History held in time. The settlers on the westward plains, before the railways, had bullocked their produce and supplies through this gorge to the steam paddlers on the river. Their road was still there, built up retaining walls, guard rails on the edges, blasted cuttings, and even old nails from the bullock trays? All the more amazing because this area was so little visited once the railways were established. Abandoned to nature, only to be taken up years later by a hiking trail. Amazing, and it really stood the test of 100 years + of disuse. Most of it was in remarkable condition, the dry wall retaining walls supporting the track in good condition, very few collapses. Even the fence posts and some loose wire forming the guard rails still in place. Carefully routered fence posts. Amazing. Olly found the nails, and even pieces of pottery, amazing stuff! Stumbled across some lovers, and yes, they seemed to be! Their car and double swag layed out, she seemed most awkward about being seen unexpectantly by so many people. Need to do a more interesting lunch in future I think, getting a bit bored of my standard Nutella sandwich and nuts. Fruit is still good, but maybe some celery and carrot sticks with dip? Robin's certainly looked good!

So glad to walk this weekend, really missed not walking at the last End to End 3. <blog edited>

Mt Bryan East School and ruined church were special, we used the combination for the lock from the guidebook. We should have stayed here last night! We, as in Lyn and myself, had discussed it last time. But no-one seemed too enthusiastic. After the walk, which finished by 3pm, we drove off to Hallett to check the accom options there, the pub, or Hallett Railway Station which had been converted to a Heysen Trail hut. John and Julie were also there, and after talking to some locals found an art gallery that would be willing to accommodate us. We are a bit sick of staying in Burra, and if we are prepared to go down for the evening meal, it was a very viable option. Not many others were interested, but Lyn is certainly keen. Hopefully there will be a small group of us there next time! Next weekend we walk up and over Mt Bryan itself, it will be good to walk straight to our place to stay, and not drive for 1/2 an hour.

We stopped off at the Gaslight Tearooms in Burra on the way home, a regular little Burra end-of-walk thing to do now! The scones, which had looked so good, were just too sweet. The drive home was cool, <blog edited> Took a few photos out the car window, oh the shame of it. Well, my cd has ended, and my typing isn't so accurate now, so I shall sign off. <blog edited>