Pildappa Rock, Minnipa, South Australia

Tuesday August 9th, saw us head East towards Port Augusta. We stopped briefly for fuel at Poochera before continuing on through Wudinna. We arrived at Minnipa late in the morning and continued some 20 Km North to Pildappa Rock. The road was unsealed for most of the way but in excellent condition.

The camp at Pildappa Rock is a free camp with a donation box. There is a one way loop around the base of the rock with one large camping/day use area and a few private areas. Not a huge amount of sites but we found a nice private area for the two of our vans to set up. There is a couple of basic but clean drop toilets and a few tanks of water. Very nice camp as you are parked right at the base of the rock itself. The weather was windy with rain threatening so we didn't tackle the rock on day one.

Wednesday morning we loaded the four of us into the Jeep and took a day trip to Gawler Ranges National Park. Once again the 30 Km was unsealed but excellent. Beautiful green fields everywhere during our drive. There is a self registration station at the gate to the park with information pamphlets. We paid our day fee and headed off towards Organ Pipes which we were led to believe was one of the Park's highlights. About a 10 Km 4WD track that lived up to it's rating. Luckily the numerous wet/muddy areas usually had a high/dry detour around them. We took the easy route around most of them but was an enjoyable drive. We saw several very large Kangaroos along the way.

Once we reached the end of the road there was a short walk into the Organ Pipes. Fairly easy walk but a bit of rock climbing and a few wet areas. The drive and walk were well worth it as the Organ Pipes were really interesting. Unlike anything we had seen previously on our trip(s). Row after row of Vertical rock pillars. I'll let the pictures do the explanation as they are really unique. We got lots of pictures and enjoyed a few peaceful minutes at the beginning of the gorge where small waterfalls were trickling water. Beautiful!

Back into the car we retraced our route on the 4WD track. We met a couple of vehicles this time which meant some backing up and getting off the track but we negotiated with no problems. We then took a short drive to a camping area called Yandinga. Some nice areas for camping but no facilities that we could see. There was a walk to some falls but not clearly marked for direction or distance so we gave it a miss.

Next stop was the Old Paney Homestead. The homestead is still standing and you can walk through it although it is mostly empty. There was a lovely old stone water tank amongst beautiful yellow fields near the homestead. We drove to the beginning of the walk to Policeman's Point but again there were no markings or distances displayed. We enjoyed our picnic lunch in the car overlooking the ranges and the homestead. The park is quite nice but they don't seem to be investing the monies they collect for day passes and camping fees into maintaining or improving it. One would think that basic toilet facilities and picnic tables would be located at the various camping areas. Also if they want people to enjoy the park and experience the walks they need to display ratings and distances as is common practice in other National/State Parks. Most people don't mind paying to access these special areas but do expect basic services in return.

We returned to our campground for the afternoon. The weather once again took a turn for the worse with winds and rain. We put off the tackling the rock again. We did however get some neat pictures of the rain pouring off the rock in waterfalls! Once again it is difficult to describe the rock but is like a smaller version of Uluru with a a bit of Wave Rock around the base. Hopefully the pictures do it some justice and give you an idea of what it looks like.

Thursday morning was moving day but as we were only going 150 Km we enjoyed a leisurely morning before finally tackling the walk to the summit of Pildappa Rock. The walk is quite easy as there are gently sloped areas on either side of the rock. The rock itself is quite rough textured that allows for good grip. Because of the abundant rainfall there is lichen or moss growing on much of the surface as well. The view from the top was magnificent with green/yellow fields everywhere. The top surface of the rock was also very interesting with lots of holes where water pooled and plants thrived. I'll let the pictures try and describe the experience. Quite amazing and even more so given that one never hears about this natural tourist attraction. Great morning and campsite. We gladly left a donation for our stay and would recommend highly to fellow campers.