Flinders Ranges: Over the remote, rugged Flinders Ranges

Remote and rugged, the Flinders Ranges are a place of ancient beauty

The Flinders Ranges in central South Australia is an ancient landscape, one of the oldest on earth - the mountains, once higher than the Himalaya, are more than 600 million years old and are one of the richest geological areas in the country. It's a remote and rugged place, most of the main roads are unsealed and some of the side tracks are 4WD only. The best time to visit is in spring, when the ragged hills and valley floors are carpeted in wildflowers.

Wilpena Pound

The heart of the Flinders is Wilpena, inside Flinders Ranges National Park. There are several good lookouts giving great views of the Elder Range and the outer ramparts of Wilpena Pound, a crater-like ridge covering 83 square kilometres that rises sharply from the surrounding flat plains. The rim is actually the stumps of massive mountains and the wooded interior - accessible through just one gorge - is 11km long and 8km across.

The best way to see the Pound is on a scenic flight. 20 and 30-minute flights available from Wilpena Pound Resort, where you can also pick up maps of walking tracks, including the Hills Homestead track, a two-hour walk to the ruins of the old Wilpena Homestead. 

Scattered throughout the area are the haunting ruins of pastoral and grazing properties long left abandoned to the elements, such as those of Kanyaka near Wilpena. In 1856 the Kanyaka Station leases totalled 365 square miles (945 square km or 94500 hectares) and the property housed up to 70 workers and their families. Visit the grave of Hugh Proby, the third son of the Earl of Carysfort and past owner of the station, who was swept away by flood waters while mustering sheep.

There are several tracks cutting across the national park, and while all roads in this area are scenic, the Brachina and Bunyeroo Roads, and the Blinman-Parachilna road are even more so as they follow dry creek beds and ancient gorge lines deep into the heart of the ranges. 

Brachina Gorge

Brachina Gorge is one of the Flinders Ranges National Park's most popular and spectacular tourist attractions and a refuge for the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby as well as many species of birds and reptiles. The Brachina Gorge Geological Tour is a 20km self guided trail that passes through 130 million years of earth history. The trail is best travelled from east to west, from the Brachina Gorge/Blinman Road junction. Geological maps are available from the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre.

Chambers Gorge

Chambers Gorge is a huge red rock gorge and waterhole with a gallery of Aboriginal engravings. The 10km access track east into the gorge is rough and rocky, but fine for 2WD vehicles except after rain. A short walking track leads into the gorge to the engraving site. The best time to visit is late in the afternoon, when the setting sun turns the walls of the gorge to a deep, fiery red.

Moralana Scenic drive

Moralana Scenic drive is a 28km unsealed road connecting the Wilpena and Leigh Creek Roads, this is one of the best drives through the Flinders Ranges. You will see stunning scenery featuring the southern wall of Wilpena Pound, Black Gap Lookout, red Range, Elder Range, and is especially colourful during spring and late afternoon. Signposted drive entrances are 24km north of Hawker on the Wilpena Road, and 42km north of Hawker on the Leigh Creek Road.

Arkaroola

Arkaroola is a privately-owned and operated 610-square km Wilderness Sanctuary at the far northern tip of the Flinders.  Perhaps the most visually stunning place in the Flinders, it features rugged mountains, soaring granite peaks, deep gorges and waterholes. It is also home to more than 160 species of birds and the rare Yellow-footed Rock-Wallaby.

The four-hour ridge-top tour that travels along the spine of the mountains to a stunning lookout is a must, but you can also follow one of the many self-drive 4WD tracks. With no light pollution it is also one of the best places to view the night sky and there are two observatories on the property. Scenic flights are also available.

Head south from Arkaroola and join the Copley Road heading to the tiny modern mining community of Leigh Creek. Along the way, stop at Iga Warta, a few kilometres beyond the Aboriginal settlement of Nepabunna. Established just a few years ago Iga Warta, which means 'place of the native orange' in the local Adnyamathanha language, is an Aboriginal cultural centre and café that also runs guided tours to rock art sites, bush-tucker walks, dreaming trails and campfire story nights. 

Parachilna

At Leigh Creek it's back on the bitumen for a quick run down to Parachilna. There's not much to Parachilna - a disused railway station and pub and that's about it - but a clever renovation and innovative menu has put The Prairie Hotel firmly on the map and a favourite with visiting movie stars who often use the Flinders as a backdrop for films. The restaurant is most well-known for its feral food - camel, kangaroo, emu, bush herbs and native spices - keep an eye out for the distinctive road signs advertising the menu on the way into the town.

Pichi Richi Railway

From Parachilna head back down the highway to Hawker, the purple walls of the Flinders a constant companion to the left, before finally finishing the loop at Quorn, home to the Pichi Richi Railway, one of Australia's best-known steam train journeys. The rail line, originally known as the Port Augusta-Quorn Railway, opened in 1879. It closed 77 years later in 1956 until it was restored in 1974 by the Pichi Richi Preservation Society, which now runs original steam stock on the narrow-gauge line through deep rock cuttings, along stone wall embankments and spectacular iron bridges. Trips depart most weekends from Quorn and Port Augusta. The historic station buildings make for great photographs. There are also several galleries in town and a 45-minute historic building walk.

Article by Lee Atkinson, November 2004. Image courtesy of Tourism South Australia.

All information was correct at the time of writing but may change without notice.