Let me just start with WOW bloody WOW! The Flinders Ranges are amazing!
We left Arkaroola (Gammon Ranges) to have a few nights in the Flinders Ranges National Park. This did not disappoint and so far would be my favourite spot of our trip.
Our first stop was Mount Chambers Gorge. This was a quiet spot which was only spoiled by the howling wind that seemed to be ever present in the valley we thought we would hide in. It made it very cold but didn’t stop us from enjoying our surroundings, night sky and fire. We took the small walk up the gorge checking out the lovely rocks and native artwork, the gorge was lovely and we spotted wild goats climbing along the top of the gorge to find camp for the night. Â
We headed onto Blinman which has an old copper mine. We took in a yummy pub feed and beer of course. From here we continued onto Parachilna Gorge where we selected a spot to camp for a couple of nights. We camped on grass for the first time this trip, but it came with plenty of rocks still :). This was a lovely area and Fred even got his bike out and rode a hilly, rough 50kms. Earned his beer this day! Don’t think I slacked off, as I helped collect a big heap of firewood while he was out, earning myself a bevvie as well. While here I convinced the ladies to collect and paint a few rocks. This begins my rock painting with the intention of leaving small surprises around the places we are yet to visit. An artist I am not, but it’s fun and hopefully will put a smile on a dial or at least provide a humorous discussion or two.
This leg of the journey was abundant with emus. I’ve never seen so many and it appears that they must of experienced a good season as they were showing up everywhere we were going from here on. Oh yeah, the wild goats must also be blessed with a great season as well.
Time to move on again and we visited the town of Parachilna before continuing onto Brachilna Gorge. This was an amazing spot and we were tucked out of the wicked wind which makes the coolness much more bearable. It was luxury here, we even had drop toilets.
Next day we did a tour around this part of the National Park stopping to check out the ruin and the multiple lookouts. The lookouts showcased wicked scenery but also came with wicked icy winds. This place is a remarkable area and offers hikes galore, if you haven’t been, put it on your bucket list.
It was time to move on from this fantastic spot and De Trucksta wasn’t keen to leave here either. We got up to find we had 6 flat tyres, yep everyone of them was flat. Some more than others, both front ones had come off the bead. Bugger! After some frowns, mutterings and a lot of walking around the truck, luckily Fred was able to get the ATI to pump them all up, and with help from his friend, was able to rock the tyres back onto the bead. Phew! We don’t know why it happened and we haven’t had a problem since. Fred thinks that the air may of drained out of the tanks, perhaps a rock dislodged the water drain on one of the air tanks??
Our next and final stop for this leg of the journey was Willow Springs Station. This is a sheep station which offers camping and accomodation as well as a rippa 4wd self tour amongst other things. Another glorious spot and we nailed a great camp spot tucked out of the wind once again. It’s all about location location location lol.
We had a great few days here and visited the Wilpena Pound on Wednesday. This is impressive and after a 4km hike and a 400mt climb up to the lookout, we were rewarded with a complete view of the Pound. Contrary to what Fred thought, it didn’t house hundreds of unwanted dogs. It is a huge flat surrounded by mountains with only one entry/exit point. At the bottom of the lookout was the Hills Homestead.
On the way home we visited the Old Wilpena Homestead, it had fantastic old outer buildings and the old homestead itself has been renovated and is used as a headquarters for the SA Park Rangers. So great to see the lovely building being utilised.
We finished the day on Stokes Hill Lookout to take in the sunset. The wind was super crazy and almost eclipsed the actual sunset. We braved it though, snacking on cheese & crackers with a bevvie :). The things you just gotta do lol!
Thursday we headed off on a full day self drive 4wd exploration. Yes, yes, yesssss – bloody unreal! We didn’t take the truck but sat in the back seat of Gail and Gilly’s beast. Lucky call we reckon as there were definitely spots, particularly gates, that we wouldn’t have fitted through. This drive showcased awesome scenery, some crazy mad steep rocky climbs, windy lookouts and we found a beaut creek bed where we stopped for our sausage sizzle lunch which would rival any Bunnings. One of the highlights was the surprise Flinstone Mobile at the top of the second last lookout. Fred enjoyed a bit of fun here.
All good things must come to an end and we enjoyed an easy Friday meandering about the property and prepared for our departure the next morning, where I took my last chance to go back to the lookout for the sunrise. It was cold but much more pleasant than the sunset visit, minimal wind this morning.
And so now back on the road again, stay tuned……..