14 Googs Track & Hiltaba Nature Reserve

Journeys of the Big White Wombat

Mark Ryan

Remote and unique places of Australia

Cover - The Big White Wombat on Googs Track, South Australia.

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This Journey of the Big White Wombat was restricted to the state of South Australia due to the Covid 19 pandemic travel restrictions. I travelled to Ceduna and directly north along Googs Track until it struck the Indian - Pacific Rail line just west of Tarcoola.

I then turned east to Kingoonya and south again along the very rough track toward Hiltaba Nature Reserve in the Gawler Ranges.

Journey 14

The big white wombat at Pildappa Rocks, South Australia.

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Pildadppa RocksAfter stocking up with supplies and leaving Adelaide, I headed north and stopped briefly for a bite at Port Augusta. Late afternoon found me near Iron Knob, so I decided to camp overnight at ‘Knobbies’, a community based camping area which relies on donations to keep running. I stopped the next night at Pildappa Rocks, just north of Minnipa. This is another free campground with

Pildappa Rocks bathed in sunlight, South Australia.

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only limited toilet facilities and camping spots ringing a large granite outcrop.

I climbed the rocks and took a few snaps of the area. There were only a few birds around. I managed to find this Singing Honeyeater (Lichenostomus virescens).

I also found time to have fun with a bit of a slide down the rock. Well, sort of…

Unlike Eyres Rock/‘Uluru’, people are still permitted to climb over Pildappa Rocks. There are some lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

It was a quiet and pleasant camping spot, a short detour from the Eyre Highway.

Having fun on a rock, South Australia.

A singing honeyeater at Pildappa Rocks, South Australia.

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Overnight camping spot at Pildappa Rocks, South Australia.

Near sunset at an overnight camp spot at Pildappa Rocks, South Australia.

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Goog’s TrackI spent a night in Ceduna and then headed north to find the start of Goog’s Track. According to the googstrack.com site…

“Googs Track is 120 kilometres of 4wd track traversing part of the Yellabinna Conservation Park. It runs north south from the dingo proof fence north of Lone Oak, 40 km north of Ceduna , South Australia, to Tarcoola on the East-West railway line. It is a popular adventure trek for 4wd enthusiasts, crossing 363 east west running sand dunes and is often compared to a ‘mini Simpson crossing’.”

“Goog” is the nickname for John Denton who built the track with the help of friends and relatives over a period of about 4 years, completing it in 1976. According to Goog’s widow, Jenny Denton, Goog would often sit on the verandah at their farm - ‘Lone Oak’, and gaze out into the never ending bush beyond the northern boundary and say, “ I wonder what is out there Mother”, his endearing term for Jenny.

The southern entry onto ‘Goog’s Track,’ South Australia.

7 Atop one of the many sandhills traversing ‘Goog’s Track,’ South Australia.The A view to the south east across part of ‘Goog’s Lake’, South Australia.

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About halfway along, the track takes a bit of a ‘dog leg’, and detours to Goog’s Lake, a dry salt lake, common to the region. There are many spacious campsites spread around the western end of the lake. Goog’s track continues to head north and eventually passes within 7 kilometres of Mt. Finke. I camped a night at Mt. Finke. There was no-one else present.

The big white wombat on a ‘Goog’s Track,’ sandhill, with Mt. Finke, South Australia, in the background..

A spiny cheeked honeyeater, near Googs Lake, South Australia.

9 A view east from the top of Mt. Finke, ’ South Australia, with the BWW, all alone, a tiny speck in the middle distance.

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Location of Mt Finke, within the Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia.

Standing before Mt. Finke, Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia.

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I mooched along the track until it left the sand of the Yellabinna Wilderness protection area. There was a government sign, so damaged by the heat and sun, that it couldn’t be read. However, that is not unusual for this part of the country.

The track became quite rough until I reached the recently graded Indian-Pacific railway line track, leading to Tarcoola and Kingoonya.

A sun and heat damaged sign near the northern entrance to the Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia.

The northern entry/exit point for Goog’s Track, Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia.

bigwhitewombat.com

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I travelled east along the track and stopped for a while to watch a match being played out near the tracks. It seemed that the Roos got cleaned up last week, and now it looked like the Eagles were on top, but the Crows were circling in a pack. It could have been anyone’s, but I didn’t have time to hang around and watch the outcome.

I left the ground early, shaking my head at the current state of the game.

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I was surprised by Tarcoola’s abandonment. There were about forty or fifty buildings in town in various states of repair, but the place was completely abandoned. Nobody lives there. Nobody. It’s a ghost town. The sign on the Wilgena Hotel advised, “Re-opening soon 2014”. Sadly, it didn’t happen. The only sign of life that I could find was a type of communications building, with a functioning spotlight shining into a yard. I drove further east to Kingoonya and stopped overnight in the ’free camp’. I walked across the track and had tea at the pub. There was only one other customer and the local electrician, doing some work on the hotel. We all shared a drink around the warmth of the fire that John, the publican, had created in the parking area, just outside the bar. Interesting place, Kingoonya.

John, the licensee of the Kingoonya Hotel, watching over the fire pit, Kingoonya, South Australia.

Sunset at the Kingoonya Free camp, Kingoonya, South Australia.

The Wilgena Hotel, now abandoned, Tarcoola, South Australia.

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The next morning, I headed south along the Kingoonya - Wirrulla Track. The first 180 kilometres were really rough. Plenty of hard, deep corrugations. This track was in desperate need of a grader. However, I did see some nice Sturt Desert Pea, (Swainsona formosa), the floral emblem for South Australia, growing alongside the track.

Tarcoola Kingoonya

Sturt Desert Pea growing alongside the Kingoonya - Wirrulla Track, near Lake Everard, South Australia.

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Just before entering the Hiltaba Nature Reserve, I camped a night in a gully beside the track. I took a shot of the late afternoon sun lighting up the spinifex on Yarna Hill. It was a pleasant but cold night amongst the Southern Hairy-nosed wombats that foraged around my camper.

Afternoon light on the spinifiex, Yarna Hill, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.The big white wombat camped in a gully near Yarna Hill, South Australia.

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Hiltaba Nature ReserveI stopped in at the Hiltaba Nature Reserve homestead property and spoke with the volunteer managers, Kevin and Shirley. I booked in for two nights to stay at the campground at Pretty Point. This is one of my favourite places in South Australia to camp. Volunteers of the Nature Foundation have put in several excellent walking and driving tracks on the property. I wanted to see if I could find some of the Southern Hairynosed Wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons), I walked along the recently created ‘David Cleland Walk’, a 7 km walking track between the Pretty Point Campground and the old Hiltaba shearers quarters, which are now group accommodation facilities. From the walking track on the flat ground about 2 km from the shearers quarters, I spotted a few wombats catching some late afternoon sun near their burrows. They ran for cover when approached.

It surprised me how nimble they were. I reckon they ran up to about 30 km/h at times.

An emu whizzes past a hairy nosed wombat, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia. A wombat at Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

17 My shadow looking at the big white wombat camped amidst the granite outcrops at Pretty Point, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

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Whilst camped at Pretty Point, I met the changeover mangers, Chris and Maria, and other members of their family. I offered my assistance and they kindly invited me lend a hand with a few maintenance jobs. I was also encouraged to stay and assist with the erection of a large machinery shed behind the homestead workshop area.

One night, I was permitted to stay near the Mt Friday Gorge, so I could climb the Gorge to the summit in the morning. I was hopeful of finding some yellow footed rock wallabies which are believed to inhabit the gorge. The afternoon sun lit up the gorge to a ridiculously glowing bright orange. The beauty of these rugged Gawler Ranges is breathtaking. I found a small Thick tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) and I tried my hand at a panoramic shot of the setting sun at Mt Friday. Whist on the top of Mt Friday the following morning, I did not see

The big white wombat, at Mt Friday gorge, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

A beautiful Thick tailed Gecko, near Mt Friday, Hiltaba Nature Reserve,

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any Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies, but I did manage to get a glimpse of what I think is either a Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) or Euro (M. robustus). These are quite common to the property and area.

The view from the well constructed 3 metre tall cairn at the summit, is spectacular.

The cairn atop Mt Friday, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

Sunset at Mt. Friday, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

A kangaroo on Mt Friday, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

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MT HILTABA

PRETTY POINT CAMPING AREA

HILTABA HOMESTEAD BUILDINGS

SCARRING CAUSED BY LIGHTING STRIKE AND

BURNT FOLIAGE

MAIN TRACK TO YARDEA, MT IVE, IRON

KNOB, ETC.

BARBER HILLMT PYRAMID

A view to the northeast, from the summit of Mt. Friday, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

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The rotational managers changed over. Fred and Petra took over from Chris and Maria. Fred directed activities at the shed construction site and other jobs around the place. At one stage during the process of putting a new roof on a water tank, he uncovered another beautiful little Thick-tailed Gecko. His ‘carpenter’s hands’, give an indication of the size of these little creatures. I also came across this ‘sleepy lizard’ or ‘shingleback lizard, (Tiliqua rugosa), soaking up the heat from warm rocks around the homestead.

There is always work to be carried out in a place like this. Some of our little jobs included: collecting and dumping rubbish from the campgrounds, cleaning fire pits and dumping ashes, filling up the shearers quarters accommodation diesel generator, turning on and off and checking the working order of necessary bore pumps and water tanks all around the property. Most of the water points had been decommissioned, but a couple remained to service the homestead and shearers quarters. As

well as delivering firewood and cleaning showers and toilets and looking after the other needs of paying customer/campers. There is rarely a spare moment for the managers and volunteers who come to help out. Not to mention the computer reporting and recording requirements.

The magic of the place is the scenery. Everywhere you look is a spectacular view.

A sleepy lizard warming up on homestead rocks, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

A thick tailed Gecko in good hands, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

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Construction of a machinery shed behind the workshop took us from this pile of steel…

… to this structure. The 8 x 5 metre tall steel posts are bedded into concrete filled 1 metre deep holes, all dug into the rocky ground by using hand tools.

Having helped with the shed building, I decided to head back towards Adelaide and home. I stopped a night in Kimba and another in Horrocks Pass.

New machinery shed, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

Steel for the new shed, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

Cloudy blue skies over the Homestead, Hiltaba Nature Reserve, Gawler Ranges, South Australia.

23 I stopped in Horrocks Pass on a gloomy winter’s afternoon. The layering of the hills and clouds took my interest and I grabbed a shot to the north-west, back towards Port Augusta, South Australia.

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I stayed one night at Melrose and took one of the many walking and bicycle tracks traversing the eastern flank of Mt Remarkable. A few of the local inhabitants were around during the cold afternoon including this kangaroo and kookaburra.

A kookaburra near Mt. Remarkable, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.A kangaroo near Mt. Remarkable, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

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I moved south to Wirrabara and stayed a night in the Wirrabara Forest - Ippinitchie Campground. This free, well situated campground in the old forrest area, provided a wonderful range of unofficial walking trails along the former logging tracks.

On the way to the campground, I stopped to check out the magnificent silo art tucked in at the back of the town.

bigwhitewombat.com

All in all, this journey was a quick but enjoyable intrastate getaway, from the enforced hibernation caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

You can’t keep a good wombat down!

Silo art at Wirrabara, South Australia.

The entrance to Ippinitchie Campground, Wirrabara Forrest, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.