Lizzie's world adventures: Decision time

Next stop, Gladstone Gaol

On our way up from Adelaide we made a little detour to Gladstone where there is a gaol open for tourists to go in and have a look around.

In 1881 this gaol opened its doors for both male and female inebriates and debtors, during the second World War it became a internment camp for Italians and Germans.

After 10 years of not using the prison it became a corrective training camp for young adult offenders in 1953
Somewhere in the year 1975 the last prisoner was transferred to the still existing gaol in Port Augusta and by 1978 it was open to visitors.
The only current inhabitants is a mob of kangaroos which just lay around casually in one of the courtyards.

So anyway we went and have a look at the gaol. Like all old jails it's always a bit eery in there, I always feel like I'm not supposed to be there. Not that I've been to that much old jails but still, I felt the same the one other time I went to one.

This woman scared the shits out of us. They had put some dolls in some of the cells for some extra excitement I think... Not that that's what you need, feeling uncomfortable enough as it was we were now squinting around every corner and very precocious with looking inside the cells.

After this, uhm, pleasant day trip we headed for Port Germein where we knew yet another free place to sleep near the jetty.

This jetty, built in 1881, was the longest one in South Australia and at some point the longest in the Southern Hemisphere even. By 1883 the jetty was about 1,664 meters. After the last ship had laid anchor at the jetty in 1947 storm damage reduced the length to 1,284 meters. Which is, if you ask me, still quite a length. Certainly for a morning walk.

After that pleasant walk up and down the jetty we made our way up to Port Augusta, the decision making point.

Driving into Port Augusta we went straight for the information centre (of course) but only to arrive at the Wadlata Outback Centre. Which was totally awesomesaus because they held all the answers to our million questions.

As soon as we walked in there we (that is to say, Katrien) knew which direction we wanted to go. And as I really had no preference as to where to go I though it was a great idea.

So after almost an hour we walked out the door quite satisfied. First of all we had established that we would go North, up to Alice Springs! Secondly the very friendly woman who helped us at the information centre had laid out a big plan for us to go.

The plan started with the Flinders Ranges Nat. Park.

So from Port Augusta we headed North-East toward the Flinders Ranges, spent 2 nights in the park, did an awesome dirt road drive and went hiking. Because we were heading north the climate obviously became much warmer again and the flies started to come without going.

hence the second photo where we got driven so close to insanity by all the flies flying right in your face we had to make ourselves a safe cocoon under my big mozzie net.