Carrieton Carry Ons

Posted On 19 October, 2019

From our base at the Carrieton Caravan Park we have been exploring the local area.

The first day we headed up to Hawker. We had lunch at the Flinders Food Company. The food was delicious. Nina and I had Steak Sandwiches and Emily the Burger with Mum going for the chips, of course. Successfully satiated we went to explore the town. We took mum to see the Jeff Morgan Gallery that has panoramas of the Flinders and a Rock Collection. As we entered she saw the gemstones for sale and demanded that she stand up to look at them. I tried to explain that she couldn’t stand that’s why she was in a wheelchair. Well she just got angrier. Nina was trying to negotiate how she could stay in her wheelchair and she would pass her the stones to look at. I flicked to full on Dad mode with a child’s tantrum and told her if she wouldn’t cooperate I would take her straight back to the caravan and there would be no more shops for her. Nina eventually got her to look at the boxes of stones in her wheelchair.

We eventually got her to stop looking at gemstones and took her through to look at the panoramas and rock collection. She got the grumps looking at the rocks I think because she couldn’t go searching for rocks anymore. When we left the rooms back into the shop she then wanted to buy one of the prints that are for sale. There are literally thousands of them to look at so I picked one and gave it to her and wheeled her to the counter. Nina eventually negotiated with her to buy a $3.00 drink coaster instead. As we were beating a hasty retreat she spotted socks. Nina “No you can’t have them they are not wool and you only like wool”. All in all I think I handled that pretty well in a calm and considered manner, or was that Nina, anyway we escaped the shop.

We then went on a tour along the old mail run through the old ghost towns of Belton and Johnsburgh. These were established when the SA government resumed a large number of pastoral leases in the 1880s and sold them to (suckers) people to grow cereal crops. Needless to say a series of droughts eventually saw them go under but not until late into the 20th century.

It astounds me how tenaciously these little towns struggled on in face of extreme isolation and conditions. Belton even sent half a dozen soldiers to the Second World War.

Carrieton struggles on. With an active Progress Association they run a Rodeo and Campdraft the Caravan Park and Shop are community owned and run.

The next day we headed to Orroroo. Heading in we saw a sign for the Giant Gum Tree. Putting lunch aside with much excitement we headed to see. Nina and Emily were extremely disappointed to discover it was just a large tree. They had visions of a massive fibreglass tree with a tea rooms selling crappy craft and Chinese made souvenirs. You know like the Giant Koala (Dadswells Bridge) or the Giant Crayfish (Kingston S.E.). No it was just a big tree.

We went back into town and had to be satisfied with the Gumtree Cafes famous pies. Well these were about twice the size of a Four and Twenty with three times the meat. In Salada designation (bite size, snack size, Man size) these were definitely Man sized.

We then headed off through Wilmington to the Horseshoe range. Wilmington has both a Puppet Museum and a Toy Museum fighting ruthlessly for the tourist dollars.

The Horseshoe range is similar to Wilpena Pound in shape and very pretty. the plains around are pretty barren but the floor of the valley is well treed.

We then returned back down to Carrieton.