The Heysen Trail 5. Up Aaron Creek.

The choice I had made to come and hike in South Australia appears to be the right one. I strapped my monumental obelisk back on my back and continued the slug-fest with the rolling hills of the Heysen trail.

 

Sizable lumps to go up and down all day

 

Hiking is an intense and exhausting game, causing my mind to start fantasising, wandering off and even has been blatantly deceitful at times. However, seeing a fully landed spaceship appear caused me to rub my eyes in disbelieve and question my sanity for the second time in one day. No wait - it is true!! I have photographic, non-altered evidence.

 

Yeah, really!!!

If you were surprised in the first instance cop this. "I have seen the exact same space craft before." Dear reader, before you click out of my blog in disgust, let me explain! More than 40 years ago, real estate agents built a display 'spaceship' at the entrance of Willetton in Perth, Western Australia. It was part of an advertising campaign luring young families to build in the area. The ship mysteriously disappeared one day to make way for a doctor's surgery. What you and I would like to know is: 'who would have flown it here? Extra terrestrial's from outer Willetton?'

 

Pondering possible dangers of infiltrating cockroach like aliens "Men in Black" style, probing the surrounding wildlife, I crossed into the Deep Creek Conservation Park leaving the grassy hills behind to enter gum tree country. Like wrought rafters forming a sheltered dome to walk through, I carried on a winding trail which had started to climb. This was a magic little stretch of forest called Cobble Hill, where small rocks were protruding out of the ground the size of little cobbles, making it hard to stay balanced. After an hour ascending, some of these little rascals must have found their way into my pack because the weight seemed to unfairly increase with every step.

 

The rugged shores of the Fleurieu Peninsular

Bathing in a layer of sweat, I arrived fatigued at the Cobble Hill Campsite. Cold gusts of wind hammered the bare hill on which the tent pads were set out without much protection. Even though I wished for the long day to finish, I simply did not want to be spending a cold, sleepless night being blown apart in my tent.  Only one decision could be made - carry on!



The arrows to follow in South Australian red


A ‘real’ hiking hut was promised by my map only 2km down the track. All I had to do is cross Aaron Creek. 'How hard could it be?'

I had only ventured 100 metres from the campsite when a large roo appeared in the middle of the track. Sturdy, with ears pinned back, it continued chewing grass or chewing gum while reaching in his pouch for his 24 calibre gun, staring me down. Ok, I may be exaggerating a little here but it simply wouldn’t move. I consulted my ‘defense against rampant roos’ manual. Rule number one: avoid contact with hind legs at all cost. Rule two: no boxing. Rule three: do not provoke a glaring roo otherwise rule 1 and 2 will become a problem. Lucky for me there was enough room to tiptoe around the gunslinger.

Pffw*#eeww!!

Relieved that I had avoided a scrap with the Aussie icon, I had only walked another 50 metres when suddenly both my feet slipped from under me. With legs up in the air, I went for the biggest arse- plant ever, staining my shorts a suggestive colour brown for the rest of the hike - a continued reminder of this ham-fisted incident. When I looked down on the totally flat horizontal ground, I saw that a layer of slimy green substance covered the red compacted earth.

 

Aaah!

'That' green stuff!! A light bulb went off.

Kermit has struck !!! 

 

My mate Aaron from Perth would have been in stitches if he could have seen me on my way to Aaron Creek. 

With my ego at the mechanic for a quick fix, I crossed the tranquil stream several times through the tall, lush grass growing adjacent. A hidden but solid branch was waiting dormant to do as much damage to an unsuspected meandering shin as it could – my shin fully obliged. With blood trickling down my leg, I could imagine Aaron telling me I was a ‘bloody idiot’ in his disarming, but outraged way.
 

Very pretty - but a possible weed growing alongside the trail

A bench appeared like magic next to a small waterfall. I sat down and would have licked my wounds if I could bring myself to lift my leg up to my mouth. Choosing the first aid kit instead as a more hygienic way to treat the gash, I applied the aid to myself in the absence of a volunteer; in fact I hadn't seen anyone else on this trail yet. Again, I took a breather and reflected on mateship in all of its form – a good moment up Aarons Creek.

Still baffled by how much can happen in five hundred metres on a hiking trail, I climbed out of the valley and arrived at the Eagle Hole Campground. I was all alone in my comfy wind-free hikers hut, unless you count the decomposing kangaroo only thirty metres away. Dinner was a delight; pasta, pesto and ‘au de rue’ wafting around killing the parmesan smell and any lingering armpit whiff stone dead.
 

The Eagle Hole hut. No tent but a gasmask needed

At dawn I heard a loud rumble coming from the grassy slope beyond my dead Skippy. Around twenty of the alive versions raced down the slope at dusk and started grazing not far from my shelter. The birds were plentiful and in full song. The sun set and I just had enough time to wash myself before hitting the sleeping bag at a wicked 6.30pm, dog tired.  Other than a large branch falling down nearby, an owls 'oohoo' and the occasional inhale of rotting roo, nothing disturbed me that night.

Grey Bits

Day one of this enormous 1200km hike can be done as a 16km stretch with a 9am drop off at the Cape Jervis ferry terminal.


If you like to find out more about the spaceship find more information on the following website www.adelaiderememberwhen.com.au

Thank you David and Anne Lymn for the additional info.
 

Aliens in disguise