The Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park is a rugged and remote national park in the northern section of the magnificent Flinders Ranges, one of the true highlights of any visit to South Australia.  We were camped at the southern end of the park in the Italowie Gorge and woke to a very cold and grey day, the sky threatening rain but the high red rock cliffs surrounding us seemed to act as a layer of protection from the forces on the other side.   Today there would be no sand dunes, no desert and no endless straight roads.  Today was a day of mountains.

We followed the road eastward through the dry rocky hills of the national park, the road rolling and winding over the barren high country at elevations over 500 metres under very low clouds. We then turned south and left the park, travelling through beautiful pastoral land, crossing wide dry creek beds lined with magnificent river red gums.  We saw nary a car all morning and the remote countryside and the profound sense of endless space provided a beautiful way to pass the morning.

As we moved further south we saw looming ahead of us a mountain range famous for their ancient contorted geologic shapes, sharp ridges, sheer faces and rusty red surface.  We entered Flinders Ranges National Park from its northern end and stopped at numerous look outs to take in its sweeping views while being blown away by the bitterly cold winds.  One lookout reached 747 metres and snow could not have been far off.

At one viewpoint we initially stopped to appreciate the scene down this narrow valley with the high mountains all around.  But we weren’t alone as more than one hundred kangaroos grazed on the nearby slopes, totally oblivious to our innocent presence.  Will got out his drone and flew it high above us to film this magnificent setting.  He then swooped down on the kangaroos to get some up-close shots and ended up herding some of them around the mountain slope with his high-pitch sounding drone.  Hey, it was cold and we were easily amused.

The highlight of any visit to Flinders Ranges National Park is Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountains formed over the millennia with a single narrow gorge providing the only entry path into the middle of this geologic wonder.  We set up camp in the national park near the camp headquarters and after lunch headed off for the Wangara Lookout, an 8 km return walk through the gorge and up to a prominent lookout point where we could see the steep mountain walls almost surround us.  It was a beautiful walk, made harder by our unfit car-driving legs, and along the way we also stopped at Hills Cottage, the homestead of settlers who tried to make a living out of this harsh land more than a century ago.

That night around the fire we had the important task of burning all our remaining firewood because this would be the last night where the Cool Convoy could have a fire.  And a big fire was needed as the temperature dropped to near freezing.  Luckily we saved some wood for the next morning which was even colder!

Perfect blue skies greeted us the next morning as if someone took pity on us and wanted our last day in the national park to be memorable.  We drove south out of the park, stopping for photos of the magnificent red rock cliffs and enjoying the early morning sun on the dewy wet green grass.  Our last hurrah in the mountains was the Moralana Scenic Drive between Wilpena Pound and the stunning Elders Ranges.  We all agreed the Gammon Ranges and Flinders Ranges national parks deserve much more time to explore and enjoy.  Julie and I put them back on the list.

The land smoothed out, the soil became more fertile and farmers grew grain or ran sheep across these wide open spaces.  We drove down beautiful pastoral roads through the town of Hawker and stopped at the uniquely named town of Orroroo for a bakery lunch. This was our first taste of major civilisation for almost two weeks and mobile phones quickly came out to touch base with people far away.  We really enjoyed the drive further south toward Clare, a gently rolling road through healthy wheat fields and across vast paddocks running sheep or cattle.

In the Clare Valley we stopped at Taylors Winery which holds a special place for us because it was their wine, and especially their Shiraz, which featured heavily at Anna and Carl’s wedding.  We were a bit grimy for a swanky winery but enjoyed tasting a bit of what they had on offer before driving on to our caravan park in Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley.

And then it finally happened.  And it came without warning or fanfare.  We got lost.  Really lost.  And we got separated.  And there were a few moments of very funny chaos.  We can travel 4,000 km across the Simpson Desert and keep all six vehicles together the whole time but trying to find a caravan park in the small town of Nuriootpa completely beat us.

That night we enjoyed drinks and dinner in a pub within walking distance of our shiny commercial caravan park and the next morning used their green open spaces to dry out equipment, reorganise our vehicles, throw out what was no longer needed and generally pack for our trip to Adelaide.  There was a tinge of sadness in the air, our adventure was almost over.

We drove down to where we had safely left the trusty old trailer two weeks ago and through a huge team effort we repacked it with everyone’s gear that had to be pulled back to Sydney.  Then each car went their own way, first to a car wash to bring their vehicles back to some sort of human standard, then back to their car rental companies.  Julie and I gave the mighty Cruiser a well-deserved good scrub and then drove into downtown Adelaide to our team hotel with our trailer right behind.

That night the group reconvened at a nearby pub, clean hair, fresh clothes, sparkling from the comforts of a nice hotel and buzzing with a mixture of sadness and excitement at our last night together.  Team members from the two cars JALT and Crambos presented Julie and I with a nice signed card and some little gifts to thank us for our part in organising and leading the group.  This was a very nice touch, hugs all around.

Then it was on to our last supper at a Thai restaurant that Zach organised and enjoyed a great banquet meal which uniquely featured kangaroo and crocodile meat.  I also had to say goodbye to my sister Kathy and her husband John because they had an early flight the next morning.  This trip was the most time I have spent with Kathy in 40 years and it was a huge success.  We have to do it again someday.

And so the Cool Convoy was disbanded, most people traipsing out to the airport the next day to fly off into their respective sunsets.  It was the end of a glorious journey, a real adventure which had it all – long muddy tracks, deep scary water crossings, swims in hot springs, crossing 1,100 amazing sand dunes, travelling along the Birdsville Track and then two fantastic national parks.  There were endless laughs and not many tears, thousands of photos, countless memories and not even a single flat tire. It was a hugely successful experiment in family group travel and an experience never to be forgotten.

But for Anna and Carl and Julie and I we were still a long way from home and had another week of adventures driving back to Sydney, our friendly trailer following close behind.