Day 21: Wirrabara Forest to "Beetaloo"

Sunday 25th August 2013:

The theme for the weekend was "Show Your Colours" and Dean Mortimer did that with his Sunday flag.  With the federal election only 2 weeks away, this may be an insight into the policy initiatives that could come out of a minority-controlled Senate.

The usual morning briefing was held in sunshine that promised another beautiful on the Trail.

Michael Middleton was awarded Morris Minus for notoriously leaving his boots home.

Morris Minus checks out Michael's borrowed boots

The walk-in was 2km up the TV Track.

Then we continued where we left off the day before, with lots of undulations, lots of views and picturesque sections of the Trail.

Morning tea was in a quiet spot on the ridge, but no views.

Then it was more undulations on the dirt track.

The view to the right.

The view back to the TV Tower where we started the day.

More undulating dirt track.

Our lunch stop had the views we did not get at morning tea.

Setting out after lunch.  Some of us are still admiring the views.

 Distant views to the wind farm near Redhill.

We finished the day meandering through some picturesque countryside.

The walk was 19.3 km on the Trail + 2 km walk-in, for a total of 21.3 km.

Day 20: Block 9 Road to Wirrabara Forest Old Nursery Carpark

Our accommodation for the weekend of 24th & 25th August 2013:

A group of 12 stayed at Smith's Farmstay at Laura for the weekend - it is recommended for anyone doing that section of the Trail.  Molly and her twins came right up to the fence to greet us.  We stayed in a comfortable cottage, enjoyed a big BBQ on the Friday night, and somehow squeezed into the small kitchen when we had to.    Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to use the outdoor fire-pit or check out the private walking trail through the property.

The main cottage at Smith's Farmstay

The creek below the cottage

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Saturday 24th August 2013

We gathered for the walk briefing at Block 9 Road in overcast conditions.

Dean Mortimer added a touch of intrigue with the coloured bands on his walking pole.  The theme for the weekend was 'Show Your Colours' but Dean kept mum about the meaning of his colours until later in the day.

Mary Cartland was awarded Morris Minus for her stylish behaviour - and we saw more of that later in the day.

Vineyards alongside the Trail were a surprise.

As I took this photo, I quipped that it would show the Crows supporters bringing up the rear. That got a smile from Dean.

The dangerous John Fox shows why the target animal is the Fox.

Carol Clark carried a cup and some anonymous wag made a donation without her knowledge.

Good one Dean.

The morning walk took us through a very pretty section of track, alongside a creek.

Mary Cartland shows her true colours.

 Unlike some of our previous outings, there were no big water hazards this weekend.

In spite of the fact that morning tea was on the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere......

.... the Kelly's made it a civilised affair with tea and muffins.

After morning tea, the climb along the ridge gave us glimpses of Spencer Gulf.

Another highlight was the wildflowers which were starting to bloom.

A spider orchid

A day on the Trail isn't complete without Mary showing us her style on the stiles.

We were enjoying a quiet lunch when the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped several degrees.

After lunch, we kept climbing to the radio tower on the ridge.

A few more undulations, then the walkout to the cars on the TV track.  Fires had been through the area last year and the regrowth gave the burnt trees a very different look.

Ten padlocks on the gate and one combination lock.  No prizes for guessing which one kept us amused for ages.

Our best brains never did crack the combination

A nifty potting technique near Taralee Orchards.

The walk today was about 21.1 km in total (16.3 Trail + 4.8 walkout) with a fair bit of undulating ridge walking.  As usual, we gathered afterwards for drinks and nibbles.

Dean's coloured bands turned out to be his method of keeping score for his poll of coloured stones .  A random selection of females was asked to choose from 4 coloured stones with no reasons or explanation offered.  The bands on Dean's walking pole announced the score at the end of the first poll.   At lunch the same poll was conducted amongst a random group of males and again Dean kept score by the coloured bands on his walking pole.  The winner for the day was Blue.