Flinders Ranges
|
9 days
|
Saturday 6th September - Sunday 14th September 2008 |
| 4 nights |
camping in Wilpena Pound |
|
|
| 2 nights |
accommodation in the Greenwood Lodge, Arkaroola |
| 2 nights |
accommodation at Gum Creek Station, Blinman |
A genuine favourite of ours. One day you find yourself having lunch in a narrow gorge surrounded by 150 metre high cliffs and the next you’re gazing over the wave like ranges of the Flinders from the peak Of St Mary’s. There is tremendous diversity in scenery and a great variety of experiences awaiting you on our trip into the Flinders Ranges. It’s also one of our most sociable trips with the evenings spent sitting around an open fire taking in the atmosphere and enjoying excellent food after a day of stimulating activity.
DAY 1
Our journey begins at the Keswick Railway Station at 8.00am, a central location in Adelaide where we pick everyone up from before departing for morning tea in the quaint town of Redhill. Then it is on to one of the best features of the Southern Flinders Ranges – Mambray Creek Reserve. Here we do a short walk of 2 hours enjoying lunch on the tree-lined banks of this most picturesque location. We arrive into Wilpena Pound late in the afternoon where we will set up camp in a well-shaded area, enjoying excellent shower and full bathroom facilities close at hand.
Approx. 5 kilometres walking
DAY 2
A gentle start on our first full day in the Flinders Ranges. Today we’ll depart for a very scenic outing beginning with a drive along part of the Morolana Scenic Drive. This is followed by a fantastic walk following the Heysen Trail up to Blacks Gap and onto our campsite via the Pound.
Approx. 12 kilometres walking
DAY 3
The Flinders is full of many hidden gems and today we reveal one of them, the walk around Wilcolo Creek and Bunyeroo Gorge. Our days walk follows the gentle path of the Heysen Trail before we follow what at the start begins as a small creek and soon becomes a deep dramatic gorge. We return to a delicious BBQ dinner around the campfire.
Approx. 14 kilometres walking
DAY 4
For some today’s walk is the trip highlight. Today we walk from camp to Tanderra Saddle, from where we can look straight into the heart of Wilpena Pound. For those seeking a more challenging walk there is the option of walking all the way to St.Mary’s Peak and then returning via the green and gentle interior of The Pound itself and back to camp. We’ll be tired souls after the days adventure but delighted by what has been seen and achieved. This evening we eat out at the local restaurant (OE).
Between 17 - 22 kilometres walking
DAY 5
Time to depart Wilpena and enjoy a day with a different pace and feel. We depart first for the historic small town of Parachilna where we have morning tea in the Prairie Hotel (OE). Then it’s on to the mining town of Leigh Creek where we do some reprovisioning before making our way to lunch at one of the landmark establishments of the Flinders, The Quandong Café at Copley. Lunch here is OE. Then it’s onto to meet a local Aboriginal guide who also works as a Ranger in the remote area of the Northern Flinders. You'll be fascinated with some of the insights plus his workaday life. Then it's on to one of Australia's most unique locations at Arkaroola where we have comfortable twin share lodge accommodation lined up for the next two nights.
DAY 6
Today begins with a walk to the areas best gorge – Bararana. You'll experience a feeling of total remoteness here. The journey through one of oldest landscapes is both dramatic and enchanting. This most impressive waterhole is where we will have lunch before a short walk back to the coach and an afternoon return to Arkaroola.
Approx. 10 kilometres walking
DAY 7
A once in a lifetime experience awaits you today with the world famous Ridgetop 4WD tour from Arkaroola (OE). Alternatively, you may instead prefer to relax until we return at lunchtime. After lunch, we make tracks for the warmth and charm of Gum Creek Station and accommodation beside the giant Red Gums that line the creek. This will be our place of stay for the next two nights. Gum Creek Station has a very warm and welcoming feel and you’ll enjoy the twin share comforts of this once bustling shearers quarters with clean and modern amenities. This is no rough bush experience.
DAY 8
Again we find ourselves somewhere different today as we journey from our place of stay to the delightful Blinman Pools. This is a very easy straightforward walk through rolling countryside when suddenly we are stopping alongside deep blue pools of clear fresh water. It’s a relaxing pace finishing at the small village of Angorichina. Then it is time for a decent cappuccino in the small outback town of Blinman.Then we head back to Gum Creek Station to get the fire blazing, the BBQ sizzling and dine under our blanket of stars, a fitting way to spend our final night together.
Approx. 14 kilometres walking
DAY 9
In the cool light of early morning we’ll depart driving past the beautiful rocky escarpments that are such a feature of this area before stopping to visit the art site of Arkaroo Rock (here we can break from the journey and enjoy a 4-kilometre walk) before a short coffee stop in Quorn (OE). Then it is onto our lunch stop at the Stone Hut Bakery (OE) before returning via the Clare winemaking region. We expect to be dropping people back into Adelaide’s CBD around 6.00pm. Those catching flights out that evening can be dropped off at the airport.
PRICE
Trip Cost $1860.00 ex-Adelaide (includes the GST)
OE denotes Own Expense
