152 White, Tril^ to Northern End of Flinders Ranges. [,st^''71„ 



A Trip to the Northern End of the Flinders Ranges. 

 By (Capt.) S. a. White, M.B.O.U., President R.A.O.U. 



The vast interior of our island-continent has a great fascination 

 for many people, especially scientists, for whom it holds an in- 

 exhaustible amount of material. A rare opportunity was afforded 

 some members of the field naturalists' section of the Royal Society 

 of South Australia (of which body the writer has the honour to be 

 president) when Mr. and Mrs. J. Lindo, of Moolooloo cattle and 

 sheep station, invited them to visit their home in the Flinders 

 Ranges. 



On the 8th October, 1915, at 7 a.m.. fourteen persons, repre- 

 senting many branches of science, boarded the north train. The 

 first day's journey was pleasant, for the weather was perfect and 

 the train passed through a land of plenty. Waving cornfields 

 spread out as far as the eye could reach on either side of the line. 

 This was a great contrast to the scene in the previous October, 

 when the writer passed through from Central Australia ; then the 

 country was bare and brown. The pretty little town of Quorn, 

 nestled in a bend of the Flinders Ranges, was reached about 

 6 p.m., and here we remained for the night. At an early hour 

 next morning a start was made further north upon the line, which 

 ends at Oodnadatta. Soon after we started clouds of dust rose 

 out upon the plain, and before long dust began to settle down 

 upon everyone and everything in the train ; this state of affairs 

 continued for the rest of the journey. After lea\dng Hawker 

 (about mid-day), and reaching the western side of the ranges 

 (having passed right through them), the dust became worse, and 

 we reached Parachilna railway station at about 2.30 p.m. in a 

 dust storm. Here ^Ir. Lindo was awaiting the party with two 

 four-horse teams. 



When the luggage and human freight had been stowed away 

 there was little room to spare, but a start was soon made through 

 the dust and sand tow^ards the ranges, which rose, bold and 

 imposing, to the east. When the hilly country was reached the 

 dust almost disappeared. The sleek horses which composed the 

 teams were in great heart, and made little of the heavy loads up 

 the steep inclines. At many places halts were made to collect 

 botanical specimens or for bird -observing, and at one spot the 

 peculiar formation of the rocks absorbed some of the pho- 

 tographers' time and material. The scenery was wild, rugged, and 

 grand. Just at dark the horses swept down a gentle incline, 

 passed the wool-shed, and tackled the last hill in good style. 

 After 24 miles of up-hill work they pulled up at the entrance to 

 a bright little garden at Moolooloo, where the party received a 

 hearty welcome from Mrs. Lindo and family. 



Moolooloo is situated in the Fhnders Ranges, 2,000 feet above 

 sea-level, about 400 miles north of Adelaide, and within 40 miles 

 of the extreme end of these fine ranges. The station was the 

 starting-point of the great explorer M'Douall Stuart in 1861, on 



