by Janelle Prescott

12 sparkling diamonds, 11 camels amid the vast plains of the Flinders Ranges

Anticipation of our arrival in the town of Blinman (population 24) in the Northern Flinders Ranges was high - following a six-hour drive from Adelaide with driver Rocky, a former Detective with numerous stories to tell, we arrived at our destination, and met by cameleers, Ryan, Kym and Ori, 12 camels and 2 donkeys.

Dinner around the campfire was served, a quick briefing about what to expect in the morning and we were all soon tucked up in our swags for our first night under the stars. Magic.

Morning brought plenty of action. The art of packing 11 camels for a 6 day trek was soon to be learnt – weighing bags (two people lifting a bag at the same time and determining heavy, heavier and not so heavy) so the balance on each camel was just right; rolling swags as tight as possible (there were some successes and some not so successful) and learning to tie the perfect “quick release” knot.

After an introduction to each camel, including their name, age, their temperament we were heading out the gate.

Led by Ryan and his leading camel Cracker we spent six days discovering the beauty of dry creek beds, stunning gorges, soaring eagles, wildflowers, kangaroos, emus, wild goats, and sheep. The landscape was varied – from rocky creek beds, to green plains and rock formations spanning millions of years – there was something for everyone, and opportunities for everyone to deburr themselves, and the camels as well.

There was no planned route for this walk – we travelled where the camels led us and camped where camel food was plentiful. Upon arriving at each campsite we collected fire wood and set up our swags with the camels wandering amongst us – for such large animals they can sneak up on you very quickly. Evenings were spent enjoying fabulous meals prepared on the fire by Ryan (who knew you could cook papadums on an open fire) with the highlight being a deconstructed shepherd’s pie – YUM!

As we all leave South Australia we each take a little of our new friends Cracker, Bubbles, Thomas, Alf, Spankey, Taipan, Rowley, Mona, Nari, Victor and Henry with us. They made us smile, dance, sigh in horror at the smell of their “ward weed” regurgitations, stare in wonder at how a camel who drinks so little, can wee for minutes on end, but most of all they carried our food, gear and essential water and led us through the ranges on an experience we won’t soon forget.

Thanks to Ryan and Nat from Flinders and Beyond Camel Tours for their well planned and thoughtful tour – this trip was not about climbing the highest mountain, it was about immersing yourself in an experience with the camels in a region of Australia that is currently nominating to be included on the World Heritage list.