Wildflower Creek Camp to South Branch of Italowie Creek Camp, Vulkathunha~Gammon Ranges National Park - August 2022

The view back towards Mt John Roberts from Wildflower Saddle.

Once again I slept very well last night. The long range weather forecast had been for rain overnight and today, so I was pretty happy to wake this morning and find things still dry... although the gun metal grey sky suggested we wouldn't be dry for long! Our plan today was to walk over into the South Branch of Italowie Creek via Wildflower Saddle with a side trip to Cleft Peak if conditions allowed, although the low, grey clouds were already putting that side trip in doubt. The good news was that we managed to pack up camp and enjoy our breakfast in the dry -  the bad news was that as soon as we were ready to set off on the walk it started to rain....bugger.

The walking up Wildflower Creek starts off pretty easy really.

We even had some nice creek side flats to walk.

Wildflower Creek.

Initially this morning Jo and I followed the open country beside Wildflower Creek as we made our way up stream towards Wildflower Saddle, however it wasn't long before the valley got more constricted and we were pretty well creek bed walking again - this time on wet uneven rocks! After just under an hour we passed by the entrance to Cleft Creek on our left and from here on Wildflower Creek got fairly rough and we started climbing reasonably solidly. The rain now was fairly persistent but thankfully fairly light, still it was enough to wet all the vegetation and make the rocks slick, although thankfully the gortex was hanging in there and not wetting out.

Once by passing Cleft Creek on our left Wildflower Creek got a bit rougher and started climbing a little more seriously.

Wildflower Creek.

With Wildflower Creek slowly arcing around to the south-west we arrived at a fairly open slope that we were able to climb west up to Wildflower Saddle. While the climb was steep and loose it really wasn't too bad as the open country allowed us to zig zag a bit, which not only eased the gradient a bit but also allowed us to miss any of the thicker sections of spinifex. It was a fairly short climb from the creek to the saddle and we soon found ourselves standing on the watershed between the south and north branches of Italowie Creeks - in the rain and the wind! It was obvious that the side trip from here to Cleft Peak was off the afternoon's agenda now, so as Jo huddled beneath her umbrella trying to stay a little warm and dry I rock hopped around a bit trying to do some justice to the scene with my camera - in the rain. Needless to say most of today's photos are taken on my phone with the DSLR mostly staying within it's dry bag.

The climb out of Wildflower Creek was a solid one.

While the climb needed a bit of grunt at least it was fairly short.

Wildflower Saddle.

I'm still looking pretty happy with life up on Wildflower Saddle.

We've just climbed out of that valley.

Wildflower Saddle.

Looking in the Cleft Peak direction from Wildflower Saddle.

Wildflower Saddle.

With hypothermia a real chance we figured that we'd better get off Wildflower Saddle, although that required a bit of caution too. For the first time since setting off on this walk there was actually something that kind of resembled a track as we dropped off Wildflower Saddle, although in reality it was probably just an open area of scree really that the local wallabies and goats use. To get off Wildflower Saddle we dropped extremely steeply down the wet scree / track, hugging the sheer walls of the gully most of the way. Like the climb into the saddle the descent was pretty short though and we were soon both down safely. With the persistent light rain still falling we decided to give Rover Rockhole a miss today and instead rock hopped our way downstream for ten minutes to arrive at the South Branch of Italowie Creek. After a little scouting around we found ourselves a nice flat camp 50 metres from a beautiful rock pool and camp was sorted. Now I'd like to regale everyone with tales of and afternoons spent adventuring... but I'd be bull shitting you! Most of our afternoon was spent lying on our backs watching the rain drops slide down our tents - still a bad days walking is still better than the best day at work!

We dropped down this steep and loose pad off Wildflower Saddle.

We had rock beside us for a fair bit of the descent.

Once off the saddle we arrived at the creek to find it gently trickling.

With the rain still coming down it was time to find somewhere to get the tents up.

The Dirt.

According to my map we walked around 4 kilometres and climbed about 250 metres on what was another fairly hard days walking. While the day was once again very short and the metres climbed suggest a fairly easy day, the rough walking and the rain kept us honest today. Once again we found water in numerous spots today with the creek leading down from Rover Rockhole actually flowing for long lengths and the South Branch of Italowie Creek featuring numerous big water holes. We used notes and maps out of both Chapmans Bushwalking in Australia book as well as Adrian Heard's A Walking Guide to the Northern Flinders Ranges. We also used our GPS topos, an Alltrails map that I knocked up and the third edition of the Illinawortina 1:50,000 topo. 

Relevant Posts.

The previous day of this walk, 2022.

Wildflower Creek to Junction Creek Camp via Cleft Peak, 2022.

It was a pretty relaxed afternoon once camp was sorted.

Once the rain did stop a bit the view from the tent wasn't a bad one.

Our South Branch of Italowie Creek camp.

The moon was poking through the clouds...maybe the weather would be more favourable tomorrow?

Mt John Roberts Camp to Wildflower Creek Camp, Vulkathunha~Gammon Ranges National Park - August 2022

Sunrise from our Mt John Roberts Camp.

Last night up on Mt John Roberts ended up being a very comfortable camp, all the rocks seemed to mould around me and I'd enjoyed a pretty comfortable sleep. Jo woke me at first light this morning and I enjoyed first light gazing out of the tent from the warmth of my sleeping bag as the day crept across the vast plains out to our east. Thankfully we still had a bit of water so we were able to enjoy a relaxed few hours on the summit without having to rush down to Wildflower Creek. This camp is one of my favourites in Australia I think, although you definitely have to work for it!

Not a bad way to wake up!

Once again this post will be a bit of a photo dump I think!

Eventually we decided that we'd better start dropping down towards Wildflower Creek as we were hoping to explore a bit of Shelf Chasm this afternoon. Last time I'd dropped off Mt John Roberts I eventually dropped into a gully that spat me out very close to the waterhole and camp at the junction of Wildflower and the North Branch of Italowie Creek, the thing was the gully had a couple of waterfalls that needed to be down climbed so I wasn't super keen on that route this morning. So, keeping that in mind we were watching the map fairly carefully as we dropped easily down the prominent west running spur off the summit.

Jo was enjoying her dehydrated baked beans for brekky.

The sun was well and truly up by now.

The glimmering salt of Lake Frome was easily visible out to the east.

We were looking pretty fresh after our mid morning start.

The top of the spur we dropped down off Mt John Roberts was fairly broad and easy.

Dropping off Mt John Roberts the scenery was pretty stunning.

Around 45 minutes after leaving the summit we reached a side spur dropping off to the south, this is the spot where I dropped into a gully years ago. This time we decided to follow the spur all the way down to the North Branch of Italowie Creek - it all looked do-able on our topos however I was never 100% sure we wouldn't get bluffed out until we were down the last slope and could the creek below us. It turned out that this spur was a pretty good choice, as while it was steep and slippery in a couple of spots, we didn't need to scramble. We arrived at the North Branch of Italowie Creek a couple of hundred metres downstream of the Wildflower Creek junction so we only had a few minutes walking before we arrived a the big open camp.

 

Our Wildflower Creek Camp.

Apparently this waterhole is one of the least reliable in the area - although it had water trickling into it on this visit.

The camp here is one of the more spacious and comfortable that I've enjoyed up here, there is ample room for many tents although the waterhole can be a little marginal sometimes I've heard - not today though we actually had water trickling down the creek today. With camp set up and a relaxing lunch enjoyed we figured that we'd better head off and check out Shelf Chasm before we ran out of light.

Heading towards Shelf Chasm we rock hopped our way up the North Branch of Italowie Creek a bit further.

Once again a lack of water wasn't going to be an issue this afternoon.

Finding the entrance of Shelf Chasm required us to walk up stream along what I think is still the North Branch of Italowie Creek (the nomenclature of these creeks can be a little confusing sometimes - at least on my various maps?). We were basically walking time and counting side creeks as we went and eventually we recognised the small rib of rock that marks the entrance of Shelf Chasm. Once in Shelf Chasm the walking got a little more claustrophobic as the walls closed in around us and once again the scenery ramped up. After around 20 minutes the walking started to get fairly rough and we found ourselves scrambling up and around numerous small bluffs and waterfalls as we approached the Old Man of Italowie rock stack.

The entrance to Shelf Chasm is marked by this rib of rock.

Once in Shelf Chasm the country got a lot more constricted. 

There is a bit of scrambling on this walk... that gets progressively harder.

Shelf Chasm.

With the day slipping away from us Jo decided to stay and enjoy some of the deep whirlpool like formations in the creek bed while I scrambled a bit further on up stream. Climbing up the rock stack I was able to not only to view the creek doubling around below me but also check out the old tin (log book) hidden in a crevice on the rocks. The entries in this tiny tin dated back to 1983 - yes, not a lot punters get out here by the look of it.

Clambering up onto the Old Man of Italowie rock stack allows for a bit of a view. 

There's an old tin stashed in a crevice on the Old Man of Italowie that is worth checking out.

At the spot where Shelf Chasm skirts around the Old Man of Italowie there are some beautiful rock and water scoured pools.

After enjoying the view and reading a few of the entries in the log book I dropped off the Old Man of Italowie and carefully climbed down to reunite with Jo. We now enjoyed a very pleasant late afternoon stroll back downstream to our camp, the fiery red bluffs above us now almost glowing beneath the slowly setting sun. 

Heading back down to camp in the late afternoon.

The country was really starting to light up now.

Rock hopping our way back downstream.

The Dirt.

According to my map we walked around 9 kilometres and climbed about 200 metres on what was another fairly hard days walking. While the descent off Mt John Roberts is generally easier than the climb it still requires some caution, we followed a side spur all the way down to the North Branch of Italowie Creek today and was pretty good.... although it's easy to get bluffed out as the contours on the topos don't always pick up the small bluffs that are a feature of these spurs as you get closer to the creek lines. Shelf Chasm is another rough and rugged walk which features a bit of scrambling, we stopped at the Old Man of Italowie today although it is possible to head up another kilometre. The waterhole at the junction of Wildflower and North Branch of Italowie Creeks had plenty of water on this visit although I believe it's one of the least reliable in the area. There was also lots of water in the upper reaches of Shelf Chasm. The camp at Wildflower Creek is vast, there is a lot of flat ground to pitch on and plenty of native pines to cast a bit of shade. We used notes and maps out of both Chapmans Bushwalking in Australia book as well as Adrian Heard's A Walking Guide to the Northern Flinders Ranges. We also used our GPS topos, an Alltrails map that I knocked up and the third edition of the Illinawortina 1:50,000 topo. 

Relevant Posts.

Day 2 of this walk, 2022.

Mt John Roberts Camp to Wildflower Creek Camp, 2012.

Jo spotted a Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby on our return journey... she has obviously got good eye sight because I would of struggled to photograph this wallaby even if I'd had the Hubble telescope strapped to my lens!

It's almost time for bed... after another brilliant days walking.