Industrial soil

The cities of Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla represented the most horrible areas I had visited yet. With huge smelters puffing vast black clouds of pollution into the atmosphere, they were smelt before they were seen. The rancid smell of rotten egg lingered on the sea breeze as the production of sulphuric acid was in  full swing. The people seemed depressed, unfriendly and awfully rough. The food was terrible. The shops were few and far between. And so I peddled harder then ever to reach the desert landscapes that stretched out between the towns. The weather was hot and dry, and I took this all as encouragement to  ride long distances with very few rest stops.
Between Port Pirie and Port Augusta however, were two stops worthy of mention.
The first was Port Germein; a tiny town claiming to have the longest wooden jetty in Australia. At about 1.7km's, it was indeed a long walk out to the end. I met a young local bloke drinking beers with an unnecessarily large tub of blue swimmer crabs that he was catching. After some chatting he gave me some sample crabs which I put straight into the tucker bag. A delicious dinner.
A few hours later I was back on the bike riding into the Mt Remarkable National Park to spend the night. The park encompasses the south most reaches of the greater Flinders Ranges, and is home to a stunning variety of plants and animals.
I was able to take some nice shots of a few wallabies and birds, and was planning on taking the 30km gauge hike the next morning until.... TORRENTIAL RAIN!
It rained through the night. It rained all morning. It rained all day. It rained the next night... But I was lucky enough to get away the next morning under a blue sky. However, my tent had leaked, my sleeping bag was soaked, my mattress was soaked, my clothes were soaked and everything was starting to smell like wet dog.
I had not planned on staying for an extra day, and had not come prepared with any food. So all day I sat in the shower block trying to dry my gear, hungry and depressed. Luckily I was invited to eat dinner with a lovely American couple Crash and Sherly. I was treated to a hot chilly dish with frosty cold beers. We sat up exchanging stories of adventure and my spirits lifted quickly.
Between the evils of industry (necessary evil) and the beauty of a natural wonder, I was beginning to understand S.A.