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Dumbing 10-Sep-2009 At 4:42:07 PM prb

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It's easy to underestimate the country up around Moonarie, but unlike Wendy I wasn't a virgin so
should have known better...

One afternoon on a solo weekend I decided to check out the Point Bonney cliffs. They'd been climbed
in the 60's before Moonarie was "discovered". I decided to walk from Top Camp via the inside of the
Pound rather than along the outside of the Pound, figuring the undergrowth would be more easily
negotiated (I was probably correct). Not taking water and a torch was crazy, in fact dumb. The first
problem was that, from within the Pound, I couldn't tell which peak was Point Bonney. The next
problem was that the shrubbery in the saddles was extremely dense so getting through the saddle I
eventually picked was very slow going. I then decided that making it down to the bitumen road and
following it back to bottom camp was my best option. Well, weaving down through the rockbands on
the outer wall of Wilpena Pound in the twilight was tough. I got to the road at dusk; unfortunately there
was no moon that night. Several cars went by but the drivers must have been freaked out by the sight
of a guy stumbling along the road in the dark and I didn't get a lift. I walked straight past the turnoff to
Arkaroo Rock (ie. to Bottom Camp), never saw the sign and wandered for miles, probably almost to
Rawnsley Park, decided I must have missed the turnoff and turned around. I went backwards and
forwards several times, totally lost, couldn't see a thing, getting more confused and dehydrated.
Eventually, I headed for a light in the distance which turned out to be rangers having a party at a
property. One kindly gave me a lift back to Bottom Camp. It was about midnight.

These days, I (almost) never go off the beaten track around Moonarie ill-prepared!