The ups and downs of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia

YOU never know what you’re going to find when you hit the trails of South Australia’s largest mountain range.

Capturing the colours of the landscape.

ONE of Australia’s great wonders is of course the unexpected. We are the lucky country. Not too many places in the world can you see so many ever-changing landscapes by simply driving from place to place, towing the Jayco or by packing the camp gear.

We have travelled thousands of kilometres from state to state keen to see what comes next.

The hardest decision you will ever have to make is what to see or where to go next. This is what brings me to the Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia. The Flinders Ranges are great all year round but many say the best times to visit are from late autumn until about early October. Spring will reward you with the most brilliant display of wildflowers too. The range starts about 200km northwest of Adelaide and stretches for a whopping 430km.

We started our Flinders Ranges journey in the small outback town of Hawker. The main things around here are tourism and sheep. But it’s hard yakka farming with the stocking rates low, at about one sheep to every 4ha. But it is a pleasant town with a fantastic caravan park to kick off your Flinders Ranges journey from or a perfect place to call your home base while you travel in, around, up and down this South Australian icon.

News_Image_File: A winding road cuts through the Flinders Ranges.

Hawker was a thriving railway town from the 1880s until about 1956 as it was on the famous Ghan railway line until the route was moved further west when the line was upgraded. Today you can go and see how it was all those years back, with a great museum to guide you.

And with the searing afternoon heat, be sure to rehydrate with a cold ale at the local Hawker Hotel. It’s an awesome little outback pub. While in Hawker, be sure to take a look inside the Geoff Morgan Gallery and Panorama.

Local artist Jeff Morgan’s “endless” painting can be viewed from the ground floor or from the staircase landing.

It’s a 360-degree view of Wilpena Pound, a painting that is absolutely amazing.

Hawker is 55km south of Wilpena Pound, which is the pinnacle of the Flinders Ranges, a unique dish-shaped range of hills, covering nearly 80sq km. I take off for a few days of camping, hiking, four-wheel-driving along a self-guided trek in the hope of making it through to Arkaroola. My first stop is Wilpena Pound and a walk from the information centre to the range’s highest mountain, St Mary Peak.

Most tourists enter Wilpena Pound on day walks but there are also some good overnight walks too. The most popular, yet far from the easiest, is a circuit to the Peak.

Navigation is easy but the heat can be challenging so make sure you take plenty of water and go well-equipped.

The walk is along a well-used track but with a very steep climb to a lot of amazing lookouts. As you go, the story boards are well worth reading. There is the old cottage and old farm machinery plus plenty of seats to stop and rest. The hard climb is well worth the 360-degree view of one of the most spectacular lookouts I have ever seen.

News_Image_File: An elated writer after conquering the peak.

The Flinders Ranges offers up so many hiking and driving options, The Heysen Trail and Mawson Trail run for several hundred kilometres along the ranges, with tracks for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.

Always gain information on what is and isn’t allowed to be taken into the area, as the Flinders is a highly protected National Park. Find out where to and where not to camp, drive, ride or even run. One self-drive journey, which comes very highly recommended, is the Skytrek journey. It’s one of the Flinders’ most popular 4WD journeys. If you are similar to myself and fly by the seat of your pants at times and your holiday partner has little faith in your true ability when you have all the faith in the world, this is a great option.

Armed with a map, my tour was going to be an awesome experience – not a guessing game. Marked on my map was everything we needed, from all the Aboriginal etchings, natural springs, historic points of interest and distances.

However, no matter the extent and detail the map goes to, it’s what you find and see for yourself while on the tour that makes the Skytrek so unforgettable.

News_Image_File: The Volkswagen Amarok didn’t miss a beat.

The journey takes about six hours, passing windmills and mustering yards, but it is the river red gum creeks you go through, the beautiful black oak over open rocky plains, driving your 4WD up and through some very rugged mountain range, that looks as if it goes forever.

Our next move is to Arkaroola. When talking rugged mountains, towering granite peaks, magnificent gorges and mysterious waterholes, this is another one of Australia’s icons I have always wanted to tick off my wish-list towns to visit.

Arkaroola is home to the endangered yellow-footed rock-wallaby plus more than 150 bird species, making it a mecca for bushwalkers and 4WD enthusiasts.

The spectacular 4WD Ridgetop Tour is world famous, with tourists from all over the world just to say they have done it. You can descend on ancient seabeds and across razorback ridges and the peaks of the Flinders Ranges’ most rugged mountains, to the magnificent finish at Sillers Lookout.

It is one of those places you may only visit once in your lifetime but one you will never forget. Australia has some of the most diverse and magical places on Earth, with the Flinders Ranges one of the best.

Watch The Great Australian Doorstep TV Show Saturdays @ 5pm on Channel 7Two nationwide or tune into our Radio Show Sundays 7-8am AEST and 6am QLD/WA, 38 Southern Cross Austereo Stations Australia-wide

News_Image_File: Sunrise over our campsite.

TRAVEL TIPS

- Always let someone know your travel plans

- Take plenty of water as it can get very hot

- Make sure your 4WD is well equipped

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