Last weekend we went out to the “Piano Fest Out West” at a station outside Bathurst.  It is a weekend of beautiful piano music held at an old farm outside Bathurst, now largely used for recreational purposes, I think, rather than farming.  It was owned at one stage by the Australian artist Olsen and his wife, an clearly is set up now for weekends such as this one.

The people who run the Sydney International Piano Competition also run this event.  They co-ordinated four piano-players to make the program work, at least one of whom is a past winner of their competition. 

They also make it attractive by offering gourmet food and wine as part of the package.

Obviously attractive to us.

The property could easily be in the Home Counties of England, though with considerably better weather!

We returned about a week ago from South Australia, where  we did the Arkaba Walk.  It is called one of the “Great Walks of Australia”, although how these walks are chosen I do not know.  It was a very good three-day / two night luxury camping walk (see later for the “camping” accommodation !

Arkaba is about 500km north of Adelaide, and so it is a bit of an effort to get there – flight to Adelaide, long drive in the hired 4WD to get to the Arkaba Station.  The Station is an ex-sheep station, now being carefully reverted back to its natural state.  The old station building has been beautifully converted, with relics of its past scattered around. 

The guided walks are a way of supporting the efforts to do this.  Arkaba Station is at one edge of the Wilpena Pound, which is an ancient volcano crater.

Our first day walking started at Wilpena, and we walked right across the ancient crater to a pass over the mountain range which makes one edge of the pound, and is called Bridle Gap.  On the way was a settlers cottage: it was a hard life …

The track was very clearly delineated and easy to follow, but our guides were also useful in pointing out all the points of interest.  Reaching the “campsite” (at Black Gap”) was a revelation: the sites are in fact accessible by four-wheel drive, and comprise the cooking hut, two-person open-air sleeping platforms, “long-drop” toilets (sitting in privacy, toilet paper rolls, handbasins, towels, but no flushing), and showers (via buckets of hot water, solar heated or gas).  Food was excellent, breakfast good.

The second day was spent walking the length of the Arkaba Station, ending up at Arkaba Creek.  Once again, the accommodation was superb, food excellent, etc.  The scenery was breath-taking and the walking excellent.

This was the scene we woke up to.  Not bad, for “camping”.

The third day was through parts of the Arkaba Station, ending up at the homestead.

An excellent guided walk.  Wonderful country.