Part 2 -Thru Hiking the Lavender Federation Trail
Interstate walkers Ross Kendall (Ballina, NSW), Roger Edwards (Canberra, ACT), Alan Gillard (Ballina, NSW) recently completed the Lavender Federation Trail, from North to South and have been kind enough to share thier great story with us.
Ross Kendall tells the story,
"Alan, Roger and I are all in our sixties and doing things that we never had time to do during our working days. Since 2009 we have hiked a long trail every year, including the Larapinta Trail, Bibbulmun Track, Great North Walk, Australian Alps Walking Trail and the Heysen Trail. I really enjoyed the Heysen Trail because of its diversity and its length of 1200 km: when it comes to trails, the longer the better!".
Part 1 of this story was in the December 2018 Footsteps and covered their journey from Clare to Truro.
If you missed part 1, you can catch up via the website via this link
Here are some "Catch up" photos from the first part of their journey
 
 
 
 
21 September Truro to Moculta 11 km
A short day today. We are scrubbed and wearing clean socks, if not clean clothes and have managed to dry our tents out in yesterday afternoon's sun. The bakery opens at 8am and we are not leaving town until we sample their wares one more time! Again, their wares are excellent and it’s a great way to start the next section of the trail. Truro is the town of barking dogs and we were sent on our way by a succession of them, all wagging their tails so not really threatening us.
The weather on this day was perfect for hiking - by far our best day, with no cloud, light winds and a climbing temperature. We were soon back on the main trail which followed a fence up and down gullies and over hilltops. I was soon driving a mob of kangaroos in front of me as we enter back into cropland. Large red gums have reappeared as we edge closer to their favourite habitat, the Murray River. Bees are out in force around the fields of flowering canola. For the first time on this hike, when we make a stop, I am looking for shade, not sun. Glen Turret Road has two magnificent lines of smooth barked gum trees leading down to the station of the same name. Further on we cross a large pipeline carrying water from the Murray River to Stockwell.
The trail brings us to Shannon Road and we divert off trail a short distance through a copse of old pine trees, to the Shannon Mausoleum. This unusual structure was built in the mid-19th Century for the use of the pioneering Shannon family. Generations of them are interred in the structure but there is absolutely no information outside to indicate who is inside. It is located on private property so I guess they know who is interred there.
We followed the pipeline for 1km and came to a large vineyard, the first for a while and we realized that we were on the edge of the Barossa Valley, being only 9km from Angaston.
A short spur trail took us into the small village of Moculta. There are lots of lovely old buildings in the village including the Soldiers Memorial Hall, the Community Post Office and the original cottage of Gottfried and Johanna Rosenzweig, early pioneers. This is clearly a town with a penchant for time capsules. Around the Soldiers Memorial Hall are various plaques telling of time capsules either dug in or dug up.
Our campsite for the night is under cover again at the beautiful oval, no doubt the prettiest oval so far. There are toilets and water and even a functioning BBQ as well as a large undercover area with grapevines growing through it. We took advantage of the warm conditions and did some hand washing. Council workers and dog walkers approached us to say “G’Day”! The afternoon is warm in the shelter away from the wind but the temperature plummets when the sun goes down.
22 September - Moculta to Keyneton 17 km
A whopper of a frost greeted us this morning and my mind went back to the young farmer I was talking to at the Point Pass Hotel who said he had crops in the ground and didn’t want to hear the “F” word! He wouldn’t be happy but after the initial shock of getting out of our tents, we knew we were in for a beautiful, fine day.
The Moculta Road returned us to the LFT and we were soon walking past Parrot Hill on our right. Appropriately there were plenty of rosellas and corellas around this morning. The LFT made use of some forested road corridors in this section. We entered private property following a rough bush track across a creek and up a hill. Amongst the forest, the ground here was strewn with fallen timber as if a cyclone had gone through. “Plenty of firewood” I thought, but we were a long way off pitching tents yet. It was a matter of picking our way through the dead timber until we came to a long and well-maintained dry stone wall.
The trail follows this wall for several kilometres. Some kangaroos grazing on the other side of the wall were startled at finding me only metres from them, having approached them unseen. In their casual but purposeful way, they bound off to a safe distance. The rocks of the wall were covered in lichen. The wall continued heading South to Henschke Winery but the LFT diverted off here to follow several quiet dirt roads. Some of these roads had mountain bike trails along their edges. They seemed well used and maintained with banked corners and many jumps.
Along Paschke Road we stopped to look at a Pioneer Cemetery with a couple of families interred. There was an information board giving history of Bridget Evans and her 12 offspring. We walked along Blandford Road, lined with some massive old gums and North Creek. Dairy cows were in the surrounding paddocks, inquisitive but wary.
The village of Keyneton, like many others, had seen more prosperous times. At the main crossroad was the former Temperance Hotel, where in days of old, you could get a good cup of tea, but no grog! Further along the road I found the Soldiers Memorial Hall, built by the North Rhine Band of Hope and Total Abstinence Society! They sound like a fun group! If nothing else, they left behind some lovely old buildings. A Church, community Post Office and small book exchange are next to the Soldiers Hall.
Vineyards were introduced here in the 1860s which must have caused friction with the hard-core members of the Abstinence Society. The vineyards are still flourishing.
Our camp for the night was at the Recreation Grounds where we spent some time in the afternoon on the grassy slope in front of the pavilion, enjoying the warm sunshine. Again, we could camp under cover and make use of the toilets and water tank.
23 September - Keyneton to Springton 23 Km
Tents were meticulously positioned the previous night to catch the rising sun’s rays but it was all for naught as cloud blew in overnight and blocked it out. With no frost, the temperature was a bit warmer than previous mornings.
The spur trail took us past the Lutheran Church which has an ivy encrusted bell tower, still in use to call the faithful to prayer. The bell was cast in Silesia in the 1860s and is still going strong.
Back on the LFT, we start by walking through paddocks, then pick up an old road corridor with a broken-down stone wall on one side and a wire fence on the other. We are soon inspecting a ruined stone house right next to the trail. On the Heysen Trail, some of these ruins have been repaired for use by hikers. Perhaps this will happen on the LFT later.
Outcrops of rocks started to appear around us. A track took us up to Innesfree Station which has dressage facilities and stables but no horses to be seen. Next to an extensive lake there is also a large area under vines. The trail led us past the station house and through a scenic valley with massive boulder outcrops to our left. A boggy creek had to be crossed with no obvious way through - we fanned out and found a way across downstream, avoiding the need to take our boots off and wade. Soon after, the trail seemed to come out into a farmer’s backyard but there was no-one about so we kept going.
Miles Smith Road fell away into the valley of the Marne River. Near the bridge over the Marne, was Lartunga Station with many outbuildings. The Marne was the largest river we had seen so far with pools of water and running at its normal depth. The road climbed gradually afterwards, then we went through fields with scatterings of enormous old gum trees. Another old dry stone wall was followed amid fields of cattle. A lady on a farm quad was checking her cattle but paid us no attention as we walked across her land - her dog, sitting on the back, at least barked at us!
"I would like to thank land owners for allowing us onto their land where possible."
Coming into Springton we passed more vineyards, some Highland cattle, some alpacas, used to protect herds of sheep and St John’s Lutheran Church. We made straight for the general store and an ice cream. The proprietor was full of bad news for us - the B & B has closed down, there is no other accommodation and there is no general store or pub in Tungkillo.
That meant that we had to resupply from here to last us for the final 5 days of the hike. Could be worse because luckily our man had a supply of pasta sides, 2-minute noodles, biscuits, salami and tuna. We bought up big and returned several times in the afternoon.
For us, it was back to the oval. We were by now connoisseurs of country South Australian ovals and could write a book on the subject! This one was equipped with a covered 3-sided shelter, clean toilets and plenty of seats.
We went for a look around town and saw the Herbig Tree, where the pioneer family lived for 5 years. Those pioneers were tough. Today, the cold wind whistles through the tree and I couldn’t imagine spending 5 minutes in the tree! At the top end of town is a small estate of new houses being built. On Springton Road, up from the General Store is a rambling old house of Germanic origin, painted cream and green, which I want to take home with me!
The publican rises to the occasion with pub pizzas for us that evening. The SANFL Grand Final has just been won, controversially and the pub banter is lively. A police siren screamed through the main street eliciting a comment from the publican that 3 LFT hikers were holding up the post office. I said something about a slow getaway!
24 September - Springton to Tungkillo 27 km
Another frost covered oval greeted us this morning. Dog walkers were out, also council workers in the nearby depot and several truckloads of tree loppers, who set up headquarters behind our shed to plan their operations for the day. Past 6.30 there was to be no further sleep but Roger and Alan were up already so I gave in. We had a quick breakfast at the General Store, where, as usual our man was doing a lively trade. He must have been sad to see us go!
The walk up steep Herbigs Road warms us up, then plunges down the other side and past the old Lutheran Church of 1865, now privately owned. Dairy cows abound including a massive bull which stamped the ground and snorted at me, making the flimsy fence between us seem wholly inadequate.
We climbed to the top of a range and followed dirt roads along this range. The wind was cold again today and blowing into our faces. We passed a pig farm where a large porker had found a protected spot in the sun and was enjoying a nap. Further along, small enclosures held mother pigs and their piglets, whose defense mechanism when startled was to play dead. We passed a gum plantation then turned on to Lucas Back Road which climbed then petered out to a track, then nothing as we followed a road corridor into an increasingly rocky range of hills.
We continued along the top of the rocky range then had a short walk along the bitumen Sedan Mt Pleasant Road, before turning South along a road that ran under a range of boulder topped hills. We passed a large lake on private property, complete with jetty and boat then climbed another range to see the enormous flat plain of the Murray River way off to the SE. This was a beautiful area to walk through surrounded by massive rocks sculpted by wind and water, green grass and views afar. Being the longest day of the hike, we paused around 12.30 and took shelter from the cold wind in a sunny spot between the rocks. Here we stayed for an hour and were surprised how cold it was when we got up to leave.
Here we had a choice of following the LFT or a spur trail, which had been recommended to us. We took the spur trail, which crossed the top of the rocky range. Up there we could see Tungkillo away to the SW. Along Harding Road a shearing shed was in full operation with pens containing before and after sheep. Through the sheep exit chute I could see the shearer hard at work. Just before entering Tungkillo, the trail went over another large water pipeline from the Murray.
Tungkillo was a quiet village. I paused at the sad post office building, now falling into disrepair. Over the road it looked like a tavern was in the process of being fitted out - sadly not quickly enough for our visit. The Soldiers Memorial Hall was soon reached and we settled into our normal routine of pitching tents under cover, filling water bottles and finding a sunny spot away from the wind. Padded outdoor chairs added a level of comfort for us.
As per the last couple of nights, dinner was a cook up on our camp stoves with supplies obtained in Springton. We considered ourselves fortunate in the early part of the walk to be able to eat out for most dinners and many lunches, reducing the amount of food we had to carry.
 
25 September Tungkillo to Mt Beevor 20 km
Another frost and a cold, cold start but luckily, first up, a climb to warm us. For the next two days we have no known water supplies and no known camp sites. We had a vague idea of staying at an establishment called “Diggers Rest” near Mt Beevor but could not find anyone who knew anything about it or any contact details. We figured that it must be closed and made other plans.
Early in the day we followed Baker Creek which encouragingly had plenty of water in it. The creek was surrounded with large gums and the noise from Kookaburras, Magpies, Pigeons, Galahs, Corellas, Crows and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos was deafening. Added to that was the bleating of sheep which were also unusually vocal this crisp and cold morning. The frosty grass was crunching under our footsteps.
Just off the Tepko- Mt Torrens Road a local farmer had an old-style red telephone box at his driveway entrance. We crossed another flowing creek but Tea Tree Spring, just off the trail, was dry. A couple of kilometres on the trail crosses Muir Creek. We planned to camp somewhere around Mt Beevor, 5 km ahead, so Muir Creek is our last chance for water. Of all the creeks seen today, this one has the least likely looking water but we have no choice. We fill up with around 3 litres of water each to last us tonight and tomorrow morning. With heavier packs we totter off uphill.
From Muir Creek it’s a climb up to Mt Beevor of only 150 metres but we feel it with the extra weight of our water. Most of the climb happens in the next 2km, then the trail settles down to a steady and easy climb to the summit of Mt Beevor. On our right is a great view down into the valley to our west - ahead is the cluster of telecommunications and aviation equipment at the top of the mountain.
We found a campsite below the top of the mountain and set up the tents. The afternoon is warm and sunny and we had the whole mountain to ourselves. Judging by the lack of tyre marks on the road, we figured that visitors to Mt Beevor are rare. The view from the top is amazing. From Mt Lofty and the Barossa Range to the Coorong, Murray River and the Southern Ocean. In the dusk we see lights of towns - could that be Murray Bridge?
26 September Mt Beevor to Preamimma 25 km
The summit of Mt Beevor was windy and cold as we crossed it this morning and headed along the straight fence line towards the Murray River. The day soon warmed as we crossed paddocks with cattle and a couple of large dams. We descended the steep gully down Pym’s Road then climbed steeply along Range Road to a high plateau.
Range Road went through a property “Butterfly Retreat” where a beagle was having a lovely snooze in the sun. He stirred and made a halfhearted attempt to follow me but I soon left him behind. We followed Range Road for a few kilometres then the trail branched off following some broken down fences through private property. I stopped for Roger to catch up and soon found that he was being pursued by the beagle, who I had mentally dubbed, Benny. We climbed over a couple of fences and felt sure that we had seen the last of Benny but he always found a way through and bounded up to us with a wagging tail and a smile on his face - Benny was having a great day out! No amount of harsh or threatening language or actions affected him - it was all part of the game.
For the next 4km we passed creeks, dams and boulder strewn hills. Benny ignored the sheep and kangaroos but ranged far and wide, swimming in a dam, climbing hills and always keeping an eye on where we were. Climbing out of Gum Gully we found a farmer and explained that the dog wasn’t ours. He didn’t seem worried about Benny but was more concerned about activists who had found evidence of Aboriginal rock art on his property. The trail continued past the farm station house, then climbed a stile and headed up a gorge. We watched anxiously as Benny had three fences between us and him - surely he can’t get through that maze! He quickly found his way under the first fence and sauntered through the paddock to the next fence. Zap! -an electric fence which his nose must have touched because he shot off like a greyhound across the paddock, under the fence and up the hill behind. He was last seen travelling at a speed I wouldn’t have thought him possible of, over the top of a hill, and heading in the direction of his home. Bennys big day out was over.
Along Long Spring Gully Creek the trail was overgrown and boggy in parts, rocky in others but the creek had water in it. We followed this winding waterway for several kilometres before turning onto a road where a rusty old FJ ute marked the entrance to a property.
Our aim was to find a water tank which we had read about near Trevellan Park Station. We found the cluster of broken-down farm buildings and machinery where the water tank once was, but it was long gone. Suddenly water became an issue. Since leaving Long Spring Gully Creek, the landscape had changed to almost semi desert with very little grass. Creeks were now bone dry, the temperature seemed to have jumped and the heat was reflecting off the track up to us.
Our new plan was to make for Preamimma Creek and if it was dry to ask for water at the nearby station. On the way to the creek we passed the old Preamimma gold and copper mine with its 12 metre chimney dating back to the 1860s. Preamimma Creek was dry so we downed packs and headed up to the beautiful stone building of Preamimma Station. The owners could not have been more helpful and allowed us to fill our water bags and to camp on their property, in a copse of pine trees.
In the later afternoon, as if to reinforce that we had walked into a different climate zone, we watched as the only snake we had seen on the whole hike, a black snake, wriggled under Rogers tent.
 
27 September - Preamimma to Monarto Oval 11km
As we left this morning the owners of Preamimma Station were on hand to wish us well. They had already been up for hours mustering sheep when we left. We thanked them again for their hospitality.
The trail now crossed several creeks but all were dry - our next chance of water was at Monarto Oval, which, because of yesterday’s big day, was now only 11 km away. We crossed over the Murray Bridge to Onkaparinga Pipeline and climbed easily up to Highlands Road, which is well named because a glance at the track profile tells us that from here to Murray Bridge is all downhill!
Close to an impressive farmhouse of contemporary design, the trail turns off the road to go through the Monarto Forest, a huge area of rehabilitated woodland originally set up as part of a Greater Monarto City concept in the 1970s. The satellite city plan failed but the forest is still here and is being enlarged with vast new areas being planted. The trail wound its way through the Monarto Forest for around 5km following a dry creek. The original plantings are now mature trees of 40 years old, but many, being not indigenous to this area have not survived this harsh climate. I wished I could have identified the different trees but one I could identify was a robust boab, which was doing very well.
This area is the longest section of foot track through woodland so far on the LFT and a delight to walk through. We passed a ruined stone cottage and inspected its rooms, now being used to store items by the tree planters. The trail has been rerouted since our map was printed to go through more forested areas to the north of Hartmann Road.
On a short day we were in to Monarto Oval early and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the sun, exploring the area. A walk was taken, over the old railway tracks, to explore a possible side entrance into Monarto Zoo to access their kiosk. The faint track on our maps is not accessible and we are left to dream of all that food so near and so far away. Tonight, again we must settle for rehydrated pasta.
Graham Hallandal visits us in the later afternoon to discuss our impressions of the trail. He brings a bottle of champagne, which tastes like liquid gold, to celebrate our hike. Thanks Graham!
28 September Monarto Oval to Murray Bridge 18 km
The overnight rain didn’t worry us - again we were safely under cover and able to wrap up dry tents. We shoulder our packs again, this time with almost no food left in them and feeling ridiculously light, and head off early.
We were soon walking along the western boundary of the Monarto Zoo, heading down to the Princes Highway. Graham had mentioned that this is the largest zoo in the world and that they had planted millions of trees and bushes, which became evident as we walked around the perimeter of the zoo for the next 5-6 km.
The LFT follows a mountain bike trail along the southern boundary of the zoo. Some of this is hard going with thick patches of sand and small and frequent undulations, perfect for bike riding but hard going with a pack.
Gazing into the zoo we see a variety of different animals which you aren’t meant to see on a bushwalk in Australia - giraffe, bison, antelope and wild horses, maybe the Przewalski Horse? It’s great to see them with extensive fields to forage in. The forested zoo ended and we walked beside sheep paddocks again.
The trail now shadows the Adelaide to Melbourne train line for most of the way into Murray Bridge. We walk through the Kinchina Conservation Park, another revegetation project through small gorges and over rocky ramparts. We follow the course of Rocky Gully Creek which, on a series of stepping stones takes us under the railway.
The trail climbs out of the creek bed to pass next to Mobilong Prison where the unfortunate residents are walking laps of the prison oval as we are on the last lap of our long walk. The Overland train passes us with a blow of the horn and many waves from the passengers. The trail follows the rail line past market gardens and industrial sheds before entering the suburbs at Cypress Terrace.
A newly opened section of the LFT takes walkers along an extended walk through Mobilong Swamp where a wetland connected to the Murray River has provided a perfect habitat for birds, amphibians and reptiles. The 1.5km walk through the swamp took us down to the bank of the Murray River, then under the rail and road bridges and on to the wharf area of this historic old river port.
There was much to see there but it would have to wait - we were on a mission and there was a weather change approaching. The trailhead of the LFT is in Sturt Reserve and we paused to take photos and shake hands. Under gathering storm clouds, we headed up to find the essentials, a bakery, hotel and laundry.
As with most long trails, the sum of the LFT is much more than the addition of all of its parts. Our journey through country SA was over but the memories remain of sweeping views, pretty villages and friendly and hospitable locals.
Ed: This is the end of part two of this amazing story, and the end of the journey. You have just followed the trio over the last 3 LFT maps - starting at Truro - map 3 and finishing the story here at the end of Map 1 - Murray Bridge.
It should be noted that the walkers, Ross, Roger and Alan completed their walk during what has turned out to be one of the worst droughts on record, over much of South Australia. The Lavender Federation Trail also happens to go through some of the worst affected areas of the drought as well. This makes thier walk even more significant and special.
We especially want to recommend to anybody walking the LFT that they should take special care, especially with water supplies.
Well done Ross, Roger and Alan! Thanks so much Ross for sharing the story with "Footsteps".
If you have just read this story and no realised that this is the SECOND half, you can still go back and read the first half here.
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