Day 31 (1/10 Friday) – Mount Remarkable

Set off for Port Augusta after breakfast for new tyres for the prado. Robbie and his offsider Reuben at Tyrepower were more than helpful. Had 5 left of the BF-Goodrich all terrain tyres on special so we will have a useful spare as well, instead of the current spare with an intransigent slow leak. Also gave directions for the bike route over the river into town. Port Augusta is really well set up from an infrastructure perspective. Great bike and pedestrian trail running along the river into town and out beyond, green areas, playgrounds for kids, swimming beaches onto Spencer Gulf. Really nice, yet you could easily just pass through and not realise what was on offer. We found the post office and picked up our first consignment of mail forwarded on by our trusty housesitters. Then on to the Wadlata Outback and visitor information centre for some local info, a coffee and a taste of quandongs (native peach) in the shape of a small pie – really quite good! Back to pick up the car and got a bit of local insider info from Robbie, who also used to be the mayor. Drove out to the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens – bit peckish by then as had been at least an hour since coffee and pie so had to have lunch before considering any other activity. Wandered around the various trails through different arid land displays, including display gardens as examples of what could be done at home. By then we were a bit hot and weary (temperatures had climbed up to the high 20s!!) and Chris had already retreated to the air conditioned car to do some work, so we headed out through Port Augusta and back to camp via Quorn, Wilmington and Horrocks Pass (very scenic coming down through the pass – rolling green hills, eucalypts, glimpses of Spencer Gulf and then the vista of the Gulf opening up before you as you descend back down onto the flat plains. The rocks of the Flinders glow a russet red in the setting sun with the lines of strata clearly visible against the green of the hills. Interesting the play of light at different times of day – the rock strata blend in to the rest of the hill in the morning light. Aiming for a proper walk in Mount Remarkable tomorrow.