I have a favourite poem written by an Australian woman named Dorothea Mackeller, called ‘My Country’. She wrote the poem at the age of 22, while living in England and homesick for her country, Australia. It was first published in 1908.
It’s one of the best known poems and probably most Aussies would know a verse or two of it, especially the second verse which is widely used on its own.
Marree is one of the last towns to visit before you start entering desert country in South Australia. It’s over 650 kilometres from Adelaide in Arabunna country. It’s the junction of the Oodnadatta and Birdsville tracks and although there’s not a lot to the town itself, the hub is the hotel and it’s quite an oasis in this desert environment.
A sign that greets you as enter the town of Parachilna in the Flinders Ranges, gives you the Adnyamathanha peoples original name for the location as Varratyalinha. The word means Dead Finish Splinter – dead finish is the plant species Acacia Tetragonophylla. Another theory is that the Nukunu people lived in this area and referred to it as ‘patajilnda’ meaning peppermint gum trees, but little is known of the traditional owners who were dispossessed of their country from 1849, and much of their language has been lost. Sadly this is all that is recorded for this particular area as any other connections to traditional or dreaming stories has been lost over time.
The Quorn Caravan Park is a very neat and tidy park to stay in on a trip to the Flinders Ranges and especially if you are in town to see the Quorn Silo Light Show. Quorn is seen as the gateway to the Southern Flinders Ranges and rock wallaby statues greet you as you enter town.
In Australia we are used to seeing more and more silo art appearing in country areas but in South Australia there are now a couple of towns doing it a little differently. Recently we were in the town of Quorn in the Southern Flinders Ranges and we timed it specifically so we could spend a night in town to watch the silo light show.
The Mid North region of South Australia has particularly eye catching views in spring, mainly due to it being Canola season. Driving through the region your eyes are assaulted with the most brilliant colours and the whole area looks like it’s been draped in a patchwork quilt of the brightest greens, yellows and purples, thanks to the Salvation Jane growing. As you drive along there are plenty of old stone ruins, bridges and farm houses to see.
