I .... INNESTON, South Australia

Inneston Lake

Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park preserves part of the largest portion of remnant natural vegetation on the Yorke Peninsula.

Inneston saltwater Lake

IInneston is now a ghost town in the heart of the Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.  It was once a thriving mining town in he early 1900's. The historic walk starts just inside the gate at the car park and is approximately 4 km return.  It is a very interesting walk exploring the ruins along the way.

I

Some of the buildings have been restored and are available for holiday rentals.

We based ourselves at Marion Bay and did day trips to the various towns and sites on the Yorke Peninsula.  The beautiful coast is very rugged and the beaches are beautiful.

I will post some more photos of the beautiful beaches in the peninsula under "Y" when I get that far in the alphabet.  It's harder than I thought finding places we have been to, I haven't always taken many photos.  Well, it gives me something to keep my mind occupied and I am enjoying going through the photos so I hope you are enjoying them too.

H .... HAWKER, South Australia

Hawker is a small town about 365 km north of Adelaide in the southern Flinders Ranges. It is a popular stopping point to get any supplies needed before going into the Flinders Ranges.  There are a few cafes, a Hotel and a General Store as well as a couple of Service Stations, and very good mechanics for any repair work as well as most spare parts and tyres  as Hawker is the gateway  to the Southern Flinders Ranges.  Over the years that we have travelled many times to the Flinders Ranges and have required some new tyres as well as repairs so were very happy to have this service available.  The roads in the Ranges now are mostly sealed but back when we first travelled in 1968 most of the roads were not sealed and were very rough hence some repairs.

The beautiful Flinders Ranges

The beautiful views of the Flinders Ranges near Hawker

 

Sturt's Desert Pea in flower in Hawker

Hawker has some cute new signs on entering and leaving the town

The old Hawker Railway Station - now a restaurant

Some old machinery & signs near the old railway line

I walked around and found some history boards

The Jeff Morgan Gallery in Hawker is a great place to visit.  We have been there a couple of times and he always has new work to view, but the main attraction is a fantastic Panorama of the Flinders Ranges which he has painted. https://jeffmorgangallery.com.au/

In 2020, Jeff was awarded an OAM in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his service to visual arts and the community.

Ron's Creek painting - Jeff Morgan Gallery

It is impossible to show just how amazing the Panorama is as it is huge.  The photo above was taken just because my husband's name is Ron.  Unfortunately the photo doesn't do the painting justice.

My photo panorama

G is for GLEN HELEN GORGE, Northern Territory, Australia

 

The sunsets were magnificent

 I have had to search my photos and go back to 2006 when we travelled to the Northern Territory with friends.  Glen Helen Gorge was a lovely little place to camp and the gorge at that time of year was very pretty too.  We stayed a couple of days there to have a rest and to enjoy the great scenery.  Travelling can be quite tiring because we stop and do as many walks as we can manage, and in Australia there is a lot of driving, so we all needed a break.

The sunsets were magnificent

Glen Helen is about 130 km west of Alice Springs in the West McDonnell ranges on the Finke River and is only one of six  permanent waterholes on the Finke River.

Beautiful sunset

Another view of the camping area at Glen Helen

As these photos were taken way back in 2006 the camping area and facilities are probably  now much different.  We enjoyed exploring the area and the natural environment.  I imagine now there are many more visitors. Back then we loved the remoteness and ruggednes of the landscape.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos of this  beautiful part of Australia as much as I have enjoyed reliving the trip.

F is for FARINA

 We enjoy travelling to Farina in the north of our state of South Australia.  It is a 2 day trip to a fairly remote area but it is worth the drive to see the real outback of SA.

Some of the ruins which remain and make Farina interesting

Farina is 600 km north of Adelaide, South Australia.  It is now a ghost town with a difference as it has become a town where many volunteers help to restore and maintain the ruins that remain.  There is an underground bakery that has been restored and is open for several months of the year and helps to provide the funds to keep up the restoration work.  Farina Station has been owned for 30 years by the same family and includes the Campground and some amenities but no electricity for campers.

Our camping spot this trip

We have travelled to Farina a few times and enjoy seeing the restoration work as well as the great camping areas which are spread over a large area so although other campers are there it still has quite an isolated feeling which is what we enjoy.

Farina is situated between Marree to the north and Leigh Creek to the south.

There are many ruins scattered around the town and most have an information board to help understand what the town used to be like

Flinders Ranges views on way to Farina

Some wildflowers

Ochre pits on way to Farina

Entrance to Leigh Creek

Flinders Ranges

As you can see by the pictures above, Farina restoration is very much a work in progress, but they are not going to restore the buildings as I think that would spoil the "ghost town" feeling, but the buildings are being maintained so that they don't crumble and disappear which is what the volunteers are so keen to do.  A few train carriages have been found and will be restored and the little cemetary is kept in good  shape too.  There is an Anzac memorial to commemorate the town's men who went to war and those who were lost and a service is held on Anzac Day.