{"id":24978,"date":"2017-08-22T06:23:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T04:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/arkaroola-vivre-dans-le-desert-australien\/"},"modified":"2020-07-05T17:41:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T15:41:34","slug":"arkaroola-life-in-the-australian-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/en\/arkaroola-life-in-the-australian-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Arkaroola, life in the Australian desert"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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amThe sun is strong. Not a cloud on the horizon. From the top of one of the surrounding ridges I observe Arkaroola. The few constructions which constitute the village seem very fragile in the middle of the desert environment. The red of the earth, the dominant color, fascinates me. I get lost in the contemplation of the landscape. The place is magnificent. Since the beginning of July 2017, I am working in South Australia at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. It is a private nature reserve which shelters a small village and camping lost in the north of Flinders Ranges, one of the longest mountain range of Australia. The first nearby location is a three hour drive away. And it takes seven hours to reach the surrounding “big” city, Port Augusta. Almost no sign of civilization for miles. Just the semi-desert nature, the rolling hills dressed in red and a feeling of absolute calm.<\/p>

Located 600km north of Adelaide, the arid and dry region records the passage of time and history. Many geologists come to the area to decipher the history of the rocks lining the ground. Sometimes it is the fossil of an animal dating back millions of years that is discover. Under my feet are millennial stones. Some of the trees I come across have seen the centuries go by without notable changes. When I look at photos from fifty years ago, I do not really see any differences. Apart from vegetation which is now denser due to the owners’ efforts to protect the environment. Arkaroola was once used as a “Station” (a property used for livestock production) and the vast majority of native plants and trees had disappeared. Today production is greatly limited and the environment of the reserve has returned to its natural appearance.<\/p>

Living in Arkaroola is living in the past, the present and the future. I have only been living in this Outback resort for two months but I have the impression that time has stopped. I arrived on a beautiful day in early July after nine long (very long) hours in the car. Amy and Stephen, two members of the staff visiting Adelaide came to collect me and my backpacks. The car was an old 4×4 trembling at the smallest pebbles. On the asphalt it was fine but once we started on the damaged track crossing the Flinders Ranges and the desert, it turns into a long agony. I welcomed the arrival at Arkaroola, in the evening light with great relief. Suddenly, there in the middle of the desert, was a piece of civilization. The buildings looked old-fashioned and rudimentary, but I immediately liked the song of the cicadas and the peaceful atmosphere that emanated from the place.<\/p>

The resort is built in the middle of the desert at the end of a valley surrounded by small hills. Here, the soil is red, dusty and stony. Eucalyptus make up the majority of the vegetation. The staff lives in a small rudimentary barrack set up at the entrance of the village. A restaurant-reception-store-service station, a shed, a swimming pool and five buildings housing the accommodation for customers make up the village. A little further away are several spaces for caravans and camping. And perched on the hills around, there are three observatories to watch the stars when the sky is clear. All around it is wilderness that spreads out. The great calm, without any noise of civilization. Semi-desert, the landscape of Arkaroola does not lack charm. In July, August it is winter in Australia and the places take advantage of the occasional rainfalls and more pleasant temperatures to regain some color. The trees are all green and many flowers deposit pretty touches of purple, yellow and red in the landscape. In summer, the temperature rises to 50\u00b0C and rain is very scarce.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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