You might remember this photo which was taken back in May.
R M Williams, the Aussie bush outfitter has featured it on the cover of their Spring/Summer catalogue.
Apart from the beautiful gum tree, Mt Aleck, part of the Elder Range is in the background.
Disused bore and windmill, Gammon Ranges near Umberatana Station, northern Flinders Ranges.
I really like shooting these sort of scenes. They are so peaceful. About zero degrees as the first rays of the sun lit up the area. Definitely beanie and gloves but for change, a cloudless sky.
More pictures from this fascinating and beautiful place.
The jagged rock face of the gorge.
A close up of the patterns formed by distortion of the earth’s surface, set in stone for all to see.
Rock crevices with hardly any soil – yet hardy trees and shrubs somehow manage to survive.
Again, a close up of the rock formations from the previous picture.
So called ripple rock on the edge of this rock pool in Arkaroola”s Barrarina Gorge.
As mentioned in the previous post, this is beach sand that’s been turned to stone millions of years ago, then over millions more, the sea floor has been twisted and buckled into the positions found today.
Throughout the gorge there’s ample evidence of another geological activity.
Everywhere there’s clearly defined layers or bands of rock.
The northern part of the Flinders Ranges is quite different in make-up to the rest of the ranges to the south.
Here over a billion years ago were very high mountains where erosion was taking place. The eroded material was laid down on the sea floor and eventually turned to stone.
Today those layers are the band we see here, again subjected to massive pressures on the earth’s surface that formed the new ranges 500 to 700 millions ago.
If you want to see more pictures of Barrarina Gorge head on over to the Overflow section which can be found in the headings along the top of this page.
Barrarina Gorge in the northern Flinders Ranges is one of those places created by untold amounts of rushing water over countless centuries.
The water has gradually cut a twisting ravine deep into a mountain to reveal the geological events on earth over many millions of years.
The height of the walls of Barrarina Gorge are impressive.
They too have a story to tell.
It’s hard to imagine this sheet of rock, pointing straight to the sky, was once the sea floor complete with all the ripples and swirls of sand you’d find on a shallow beach today.
Because the walls are so high, the winter sun does not light up the floor of Barrarina Gorge until late in the morning.
This is a bit of a handicap for taking good photos, but not impossible.
I had to abandon the tripod and there were a few apprehensive moments carrying an expensive camera and lens while teetering over a rock pool, but well worth the effort
Or where do old trucks end up? The lorry spent its declining years in an Outback collection of old vehicles until some civic minded citizens decided it was an eyesore.
It was, I suppose, originally destined for spare parts but it seems not too many of it’s ilk are still running.
The town’s looking a lot better for the old girl’s departure but it had a certain charm even in dilapidation.
It’s now just a photographic memory.
It’s a grey and cold winters day, yet still a photo opportunity.
The clouds above act as a giant light diffuser which helps to bring out colours.
The image is helped too by the parallel lines running across the landscape with varying textures, starting with some low hanging clouds over Mt. Deception in the far north of South Australia.
F20 @ 1/80th sec ISO 400, focal length 190 mm – hand held
One of the most spectacular gorges in the whole of the Flinders Ranges, Barrarina Gorge boasts 200 metre high walls and a view of geological evolution going back hundreds of millions of years.
Here is the beginning of the gorge on the Arkaroola Creek where high water from summer rains has begun to recede, enabling access right along the this amazing formation.
More pictures from this recent trip up north, including the walk along Barrarina Gorge to follow soon.
The Sentimental Bloke is on the road for a few days and won’t be near such a civilised thing as access point for posting pictures here.
The picture – the Gammon ranges near Balcanoona in the northern Flinders Ranges.
Here is a link to a map of the area which unfortunately doesn’t show Balcanoona. It is about half way between Nepabunna and Arkaroola.
