The photo below was made in the early morning in the Balcanoona Creek bed  in the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park in South Australia in the winter of 2021. The Balcanoona  pastoral Station was acquired by the park in 1982 and is in Adnyamathanha country.  

It was the colours, textures  and light that caught my eye.

I was there for  6  days walking throughout  the Vulkathunha- Gammon Ranges National Park with friends under the auspices of ARPA bushwalkers.  This ARPA  event was known as the Balcanoona Camp,  and we were based  at the old  shearers quarters at Balcanoona Station, which is now the HQ of the national park. This was my  first time with  the ARPA bushwalkers  and  I was a C grade walker.  I wanted to be able to  have some  time to take photos, and to do so whilst walking through the ranges  on the various  hiking trails.  

Since much  of Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park is accessible by 4WD only,  walking with ARPA was an easy way to get to know and access the various walks  in the  national park. The camp's organisers had a deep knowledge of the rugged  Vulkathunha Gammon Ranges that they had  gained from  many years  exploring and walking in  the national park. 

Whilst staying at the shearers quarters I  would wander around  photographing in the dry Balcanoona creek bed  that wound around  the old station's homestead.   There was  no water in the creek and the waterholes were dry.  This  photographic wandering was usually in the early morning  around sunrise, but occasionally, switch the photo below,  I would walk it in the late afternoon after a days walk. 

Sadly, the 2 5x4 versions of this part of the  wall of the Balcanoona Creek have been misplaced/disappeared/lost.   

We have organized to return to  the Vulkathunha- Gammon Ranges National Park   in the winter of 2022 (or 7days.  This time our party of 4  will do it  on our own.  We have booked to stay at Nudlamutana Hut, which is located  between rugged hills approximately 2 km off the Balcanoona/Arkaroola Road. It is on the boundary between the Vulkathunha - Gammon Ranges National Park and Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary, and do our own walks.   I understand that we may even have access to a 4-wheel drive. 

This  option offers possibilities  for large format photography.