Page 202 - Mit dem Wohnwagen durch Australien 2

has its light moments. We managed to hike higher than ever 200 vertical meters over a short hike up and were
rather knackered by the time we got back to the bus terminal. But what wonderful sights and we were mostly alone
on the tracks other than the lovely colourful birds and the occasional Kangaroos or even the king of the air, the
Wedge Tail Eagle.

The Flinders have surpassed our expectations. We even saw a bunch of the rare bright red Sturts Pea in one of the
gorges. Brachina Gorge is a travel through time. Remember the Stromatolites which started to build up our Ozone
Layer 3.5 Billion years ago? The geological formations in Brachina Gorge reveal rock layers from 600 Million years
ago. Then, thanks to the Ozone which screened out the deadly UV radiation, some jellyfish like animals started to
emerge. They left their tracks in the sand which turned to rock, now visible in the gorge. Awesome.

The creation of Ikara (Wilpena Pound) as the Aborigines tell it:
Yurlu the Kingfisher went to attend a ceremony at Ikara. He lit fires to signal his presence forming the coal deposits
in the region

At the same time two Akurra (Rainbow Serpent), creator figures, also travelled towards Ikarra. They climbed up the
mountain slopes to see what was happening. People were gathered for a ceremony. When they looked up to the
sky, they mistook the eyes of the Akurra for stars. When the ceremony began, the two Akurra split up to surround
the people. They stirred up whirlwinds and in the confusion caught and ate everyone at the ceremony except Walha
the bush turkey and Yurlu the kingfisher and two young men. The two Akurra were so full, that they decided to lie
down around the ceremony place and became the walls of Wilpena Pound.

Having completed the circumnavigation of Australia since we started 19 months ago, we are now ready to go north
up through the middle.

THE RED HOT CENTRE
Well, not quite so hot, after all it is winter, but very red and green and yellow and white and, and, and. It has rained
in the desert and it is in bloom. What beautiful flowers the arid landscape can produce. We have seen the unique
carmine red Sturts Pea but also the marginally less shining darker red Australian hops, the yellow honey grevillea,
the green yellow parrot pea and plenty of minute white, pink and mauve flowers on shrubs all over only outdone by
the little yellow balls of the witchetty acacia and all the blue and mauve daisies and salt bush leaves.
We could not have chosen a better time to travel north towards the centre of Australia. We did not want to miss the
Birdsville track and the Oodnadata track, so we decided to leave our caravan which is not off road worthy in Roxby
Downs, an upcoming mining town, and went by car for the weekend to Marree to the Australian Camel Cup Races.
Marree is about as far Outback as you can get. No Bitumen Roads, no Mobile Phone Service but the desert is
looming very close. What a show. About 20 camels entered the different races, not all of the riders finished them on
the back of their beasts. In between we enjoyed a dog race specially put up for pets, greyhounds were excluded.

A hilarious race with sniffing and little fights between the legs of the anxious owners took place. One of the mutts
even had a coat declaring her as a winner of one of these races. Especially for the kids there were donkey races.
The smallest rider was not older than 18 months and was held aloft by both parents and a donkey handler. All in all
a very satisfactory race day. We stayed in the renowned Marree hotel which was built in the Victorian era and has
not changed much since then.

The Oodnadata track held more surprises. In the middle of the desert we visited two springs. One of them is on a
little hill; the waterhole is perfectly round and takes most of the summit. The other one is aptly named the bubbler
and bubble it did. Smaller and larger air bubbles came to the surface, the big ones shrouded in sand and clay which
then settled again on the brim forming ever changing patterns.

Most of all we enjoyed a look over the full Lake Eyre. Apparently it has only been full three times since the white man
came to Australia and we were lucky enough to witness this spectacle. Millions of birds come from a far to nest and
rear their chicks as long as the bounty lasts, then they might disappear again for decades until the next time large
floods in Queensland produce such an amount of water again.

15 years ago when we came up the Stuart Highway towards Coober Pedy we stopped at Glendambo Roadhouse.
We enjoyed a lovely sunset and fled from a myriad of flies into the Pub. There we had a steak for dinner which was