Nathan Davies: I know the coast like the back of my hand, but Arkaroola was amazing

Eyre Peninsula boy Nathan Davies loves the coast. But this year, the family went to the Flinders Ranges. It was amazing, he writes.

Generally when writing a column about the best holiday spots in South Australia – and I’ve written a few over the years – I would choose somewhere on the West Coast of Eyre Peninsula.

It’s where I was born and raised and I still think it’s one of the most magical pieces of coastline in a country that specialises in magical pieces of coastline.

But this year the family and I did something a little different – we turned right instead of left. Instead of making our way down through the flat farm country of eastern Eyre Peninsula on the way to Port Lincoln, we made our way through the rugged red-dirt country to the north on our way to Arkaroola.

Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. Picture: Tourism SA

Huge wedge-tailed eagles feasted on the carcasses of dead roos as we cruised up the Outback Highway towards Parachilna, Warumpi Band playing on the Hilux’s stereo. We stopped for lunch in Leigh Creek, a town on the way out. Since the coalmine closed the population is about a fifth of what it once was, and shrinking. We fired up the gas stove on the edge of the well-maintained footy oval and didn’t see another soul as we fried up our bacon and eggs. It was fascinating, and a little sad, for a town that was once a bustling outback hub.

Fuelled up, we turned the old dual cab east and gave all her nuts and bolts a good test as we rattled through a couple of hours of corrugations on the way to Arkaroola.

We passed through the Indigenous settlement of Nepabunna on a dirt road that dipped through ancient river beds, lined with giant red gums that were growing long before the arrival of Europeans.

The countryside got progressively more rugged until we rolled into Arkaroola itself, nestled in the shadow of Griselda Hill.

We grabbed a well-deserved (even if I do say so myself) beer from the bar and checked in to Greenwood Lodge, which is somewhere between a backpackers’ hostel and a basic hotel room, with lodgings surrounding a communal kitchen and dining area.

You’d need many days to explore all the good four-wheel-driving around Arkaroola – and we gave that a fair shake in the Toyota – but it’s on foot that the real wonders of this region are revealed.

Arkaraoola – view from the air.

There are three main bushwalks that start in Arkaroola Village – Acacia Ridge, a four-hour walk along a spectacular plateau with breathtaking views, Mawson-Spriggina, an easier four-hour walk through the picturesque Mawson Valley, and the straight up-straight-down scramble ascent of Griselda Hill (give this one a miss if you’re not good with heights).

All three are great, but it was Mawson-Spriggina that really captured my imagination. It’s wide-open country with deep red-ochre colours and views framed by towering buttes that look like they’re straight from a cowboy movie. Stay still for long enough and you’ll likely spy one of the rare yellow-footed rock wallabies that call these escarpments home.

When wife and son decided to take on a 15km hike that would have been too much for the daughter’s little legs, we bid them farewell and instead sign up for one of Sharpie Coulthard’s cultural walks.

I think we may have got the better deal. The softly spoken Coulthard took his charges on a walk through the country that helped sustain the Adnyamathanha people for thousands of years, showing us bush-tucker sources and explaining different creation stories. It’s an informative and meditative experience.

But, if none of that appeals, it’s worth driving to Arkaroola to wander out into the pitch-black night, find a quiet rock and stare at the stars. They’re as good as you’ll ever see.

Nathan Davies’ son Sam on a hike at Arkaroola.