Sunrise from our Mt John Roberts Camp.
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.
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.
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.
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