Ikara – Flinders Ranges, SA

Leaving home on the Sunshine Coast we traveled south toward Adelaide to attend our niece’s wedding. We stopped overnight in Goondiwindi Caravan Park, Hickey’s Falls roadside stop, and Cooinda reserve in West Wylong. I became quite unwell so we stayed a few days in Griffith and then in Mildura until I was well enough to travel. Sadly we didn’t make it to the wedding. An overnight stop in Burra Showgrounds and then we arrived in the Flinders Ranges where we were booked for two weeks during the wildflower season. Total distance 2,390 kilometres.

Wilpena Pound Resort Campground

There are showers, toilets, laundry, kiosk, information centre, some powered sites and water. The water needs to be boiled before drinking, so they supply 10 litre containers of drinking water to campers each day. There is a restaurant and swimming pool at the accommodation section of the resort, which campers can also access. Each night we sat around the camp fire a spotted quoll would appear. One even climbed over Tims foot.

Around the Camp

Spotted Quolls are related to Tasmanian devils

Bush Walks

There were several bush walks starting at our camp ground, of various lengths and gradients. We did two of the easier hikes first to build up our fitness levels, then a big one.

Wangarra Lookout an 8km hike, goes past Hill’s Homestead, being restored by volunteers. The last kilometre is straight up the side of the mountain with views over Wilpena Pound.

Mount Ohlssen Bagge. 6.5km straight up, some areas we were climbing with our hands and feet. The blurb says 4 hours return, we took 4 hours to get up and 2 hours to get down. So happy we did, the views were spectacular.

Bunyeroo Valley & Brachina Gorge Geological Drive

This 85km 4WD track passes through 130 million years of earth history. Trail signage provides an insight into past climates, the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early life forms. It meanders through Bunyeroo Valley, Brachina Gorge and Aroona Valley.

The Flinders Ranges have been referred to as the ‘cradle of life’ and are the home to the ‘golden spike’ of the Ediacaran Period which is, the first geological time period to be declared in the Southern Hemisphere.

Parachilna

The town’s name is from the Aboriginal patajilnda, meaning “place of peppermint gum trees” Once a railway town, the only things left are the Prairie Hotel and Railway Museum. Tim celebrated his birthday with a “Feral Mixed Grill’ (a.k.a. ‘Road Kill Grill’) at the hotel.

Blinman

Once a pastoral and mining town, it currently has a population of 43 people. There is The North Blinman Hotel (1869), the Miners Crib Cafe (great pasties!), questionable mobile phone reception, a town hall where we saw a local art exhibition, a post office and tours of the old mine. Due to it being school holidays and a long week end, the town was buzzing, the mine tours were booked out so we missed on that particular experience. The annual community fundraising stall was selling locally made baked goods.

Quorn

In 1917, Quorn became the crossroads of any north–south (on the Central Australian Railway to Oodnadatta) or east–west travel in Australia, when the Trans-Australian Railway was completed between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie. This made Quorn an important town, given that anyone travelling east–west or north–south in Australia would need to pass through Quorn. As a result, many fine buildings were built as the town expanded.

Over 35 movies have been filmed in Quorn and the surrounding area. Dating from ‘Bitter Springs’ in 1949 to ‘The Tourist’ in 2021 to current day ‘RFDS season 3’, which is in production.

Willow Springs, Skytrek 4WD tour.

Willow Springs is a beautiful 70,000 acre or 283 sq kilometre Marino Wool Station, stretching over vast plains, hills and mountains. it is run the Reynolds family since 1924; currently 5 generations of Reynolds live and work on the property. There are camping spots and cabins dotted through out the property. We booked in for ‘Syktrek‘, the 80km self guided 4WD tour. for which they suggest allowing about 7 hours; we took 8 hours. This is not for the feint hearted. Twice the hills were so steep that even in 4WD low we started wheel-spinning and sliding backwards; engaging diff lock was what saved us both times. Several times I had to get out of the car and guide Tim as he ‘walked’ the car over boulders and deep ditches. The views from up high were absolutely stunning. But not sure I would ever do it again. Our under body protection started rattling and lost a bolt. The local mechanic in Hawker, checked our car out and said a lot of cars get damaged on that track and it’s quite common to have them taken out on a flat bed truck. (This was not mentioned in the promotional material.) Big plug for Chris’s Mechanical Service, who took very good care of us.

Rawnsley Park Station

Rawnsley Park is a 29,000 acre sheep station. It has camp grounds, cabins and lots of walking trails. We did two of their walks.

First walk was a warm-up, to Twidal Top.

Second was a hike through Kangaroo Gap Lookout, Pines Cave and Alisons Lookout. Stunning views and the wild flowers were like carpets of snow covering the landscape.