First of the Flinders

Posted On 16 October, 2019

We are on the move again now reaching into the southern Flinders Ranges. And guess what we found another painted silo. I could hear the cheer of delight from Nina and Emily half a K back. This one is at Wirrabarra (which I found out is pronounced Weer-ab-a-ra not Weer-a-barra as I was quickly corrected).

Our lunch stop was at Melrose home of the North Star Hotel. I always remember as a kid there would be a calendar from the North Star in the sleep out at Nana Jean’s house in Gawler Street Nuriootpa. Brian used to be the publican there. So we had to stop and have a look. Mum was convinced that Loueen had worked as a school teacher at Melrose. Mind you there have been a few towns we have passed through where Loueen has worked as a teacher. Maybe we can get an update in comments of which towns, if any, you worked as a teacher in thanks Loueen.

From Melrose it was onto our destination of Carrieton. Now relying on the GPS of the Touareg everything seemed to be fine. We were heading in the direction of Orroroo, which seemed right to me. It then sent us onto the road to Hammond, which was gravel. I’m happily chugging along. Meanwhile the GPS in the Amarok is telling Nina to turn around then eventually gave up saying ‘you got us here you find the way out’.

I pushed on assuming that it was just a bit of dirt road until we linked up with made road at Hammond. Well there was made road at Hammond. About 200 metres of it. Using my Bank training I made opportunity out of adversity and took this snap of the old general store at Hammond. (Whenever the bank would go through a redundancy phase, which was often, they would tell you to think of it as an opportunity. They would wouldn’t they).

We wound down ever narrower dirt roads until we finally hit the bitumen about 10kms south of Carrieton. I guess we might have saved 3 or 4 kms on the Going Places Scenic route but lost maybe 30 minutes. Oh well lesson learned don’t rely on the GPS.

At Carrieton they have turned the old primary school into a caravan park on the oval and accomodation in the old school buildings. All run by the local Progress Association.

I reckon this is Geoff Lawson and after his Test Career petered out in 1991 so the school petered out in 1997.

We were met by someone we assumed to be the caretaker and set up camp. Nina went to the local store to get cash to pay the caretaker only to be told he is not the caretaker only some overly helpful temporary resident. Okaaaaayyyy! We later saw him fixing the blocked urinal. Okaaaaayyyy!