Flinders Ranges — the first proper outback

The drive from the Barossa to Wilpena is a gentle lesson in scale. By the time we rolled into the resort campground the light had turned that particular orange you only get this far from a coast.

Wilpena Pound

The pound itself is a natural amphitheatre — a ring of mountains surrounding a flat plain. We did the Tanderra Saddle ridge walk on day three: eight hours, a great deal of flies, and the best lunch of the trip eaten on a rock with a thousand-kilometre view.

Life with no signal

Four of the five nights had zero phone signal. Turns out that’s an acceptable trade when the alternative is a sky like this.

Note for future us: bring more water than you think you need, and then bring another two litres.

Next leg

We’re pointing further north — a long drive to the top of the Eyre Peninsula, then west along the Nullarbor. This is where the trip starts to feel like the trip.