Copley

 31 October 2021 - 2 November 2021

We decided on a couple of nights in the caravan park at Copley so we could get some chores done, and be available by phone for some family commitments. The caravan park has a cracker view of the Flinders Ranges and plenty of space as there were only a few people there.

We treated ourselves to dinner at the pub - Leigh Creek Hotel - just a short walk away. There was no chef on a Sunday night but we were told there was pizza available. Pizza is Mick's favourite so he was well pleased. We shared a supreme and it was pretty good - thin, crispy base, plenty of topping and not too much cheese.

On Monday Mick settled in to do some photo editing while I did some chores and started to research places to stay in the Flinders Ranges. The caravan park at Copley also boasts a bakery and cafe, so we decided to sample the pies for lunch. The number of vehicles pulling up out the front suggested we had made a good decision. We chose plain beef and they were very good - plenty of good mince and tasty gravy.

Aroona Dam is just a short drive from Leigh Creek

After lunch we drove down to Aroona Dam, just past Leigh Creek. The dam was built to supply water to the local mine, and then to the town. It's quite a nice spot with toilets and picnic tables. From there, we stopped in at Leigh Creek to pick up some groceries and then home to Copley.

The weather forecast for the next few days didn't look too good - rain and possible thunderstorms, so we agonised about where to go next. We both agreed that we wanted to go to Arkaroola and to also camp in the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park. The National Park would be closing at the end of the week, for a week, for pest management activities so we decided that if we wanted to go, this would be our only chance.

On Tuesday morning we were still agonising over whether to look for accommodation or to go to Arkaroola and Arkaroola won out. We fuelled up and headed off on the road from Copley.