7 Days: Sunday 8th to Saturday 14th May 2011
3 Nights: Rawnsley Park
2 Nights: Callitris Lodge, Arkaroola
1 Nights: Prairie Hotel, Parachilna
There is only a short window of time when the Flinders Ranges offers walkers the most hospitable conditions in which to enjoy this fabulous network of trails in such diverse settings. Park Treks 7-day fully accommodated trip sees you staying in some excellent locations with all of the amenities on hand after a days trekking. If you’ve longed to get to the Flinders Ranges but wanted to do so in comfort then this Park Trek trip is the best way to achieve your aim. Restaurant dining combined with our famous organic outdoor dining around a campfire, under the blanket of a million stars is very hard to beat.
This trip is part of a Park Trek 2UP. It is linked in with our Kangaroo Island trip which runs from Monday 16th May to Friday 20th May 2011. if both trips are booked together as a 2UP the combined outlay is $3400.00. This makes for a saving of $170.00!
DAY 1
8.00am departure from the Keswick Railway Station, however if you are all together at one place of stay then we will arrive to pick you up at your front door. The tour departs Adelaide and heads out to Redhill where morning tea is served and you make your lunches for the day’s walk. Then a little further up the highway you will pull into Mambray Creek Reserve and do a short walk up Mambray Creek of around four kilometres approximately. Continuing on, the next port of call will be Hawker for a final fuel stop before arriving into Rawnsley Park and settling in for the evening. Your guides will get the fire underway, the wine will be uncorked and you can settle in for a fireside dinner.
Accommodation: Twin share cabin for three nights.
Each cabin has its own ensuite.
DAY 2
We normally get away at around 8.30am after breakfast and making lunches. We would propose today to either walk in Bathtub Gorge or to walk the Heysen Trail through Blacks Gap and into Wilpena Pound. Both walks are graded medium and have their challenging spots. If there has been rain in the area then the Blacks Gap walk is probably the preferred option.
Both walks are around 12 kilometres.
DAY 3
A very early start today as we head up to St Mary’s Peak. You have the option of either doing a 17-kilometre walk, or a 22-kilometre walk. The full 22-kilometre walk goes to the top of St Mary’s Peak. The 17 kilometre walk goes to the top of Tanderra Saddle (the launching point for an ascent of St Mary’s Peak) with fabulous views. Todays walk is for many the trip highlight as the views over the Pound and Lake Torrens are awesome. With all the rain of the past 12 months the Flinders Ranges is a green as you are ever going to see it.Then it is back down for a final night’s meal in the Rawnsley Park restaurant. Wine beer, etc will be at your own expense.
DAY 4
We’ll depart Rawnsley Park this morning. Then its time to head up the road towards the little outback town of Blinman for one of the most delightful walks called the Blinman Pools. This is a 14-kilometre walk that begins and ends in a small place called Angorichina Village, where there is a small store that sells refreshments at the end of the walk. There may be time for a coffee in the small town of Blinman. Then it is on to Arkaroola for a 3-hour journey. We expect to get into Arkaroola around 6.00pm. Tonight you’ll eat out in their Pick and Shovel Restaurant, dining from a pre-set menu. Wine, beer, etc will be at your own expense.
Accommodation: Callitris Lodge – Motel accommodation (Two Nights).
DAY 5
This morning there is time to wander through Bararanna Gorge, a walk that covers up to 10 kilometres. This is a truly amazing landscape. Over the eons water has carved out these deep and stark gorges and the result is spectacular. Then it is back to Arkaroola mid afternoon with the option of doing the Acacia Ridge walk of 5.5 kilometres back into Arkaroola Village. Then as evening descends we’ll get the fire under underway and it is time for a bbq meal under one of the starriest skies you are ever likely to come across.
DAY 6
At 8.00am, having checked out of your rooms it is time for the Ridgetop 4WD tour (optional). We highly recommend this experience as guests on all other trips of ours into the Flinders Ranges absolutely rave about it. If you want to book it then let us know in advance so we can guarantee you a spot. We have not costed it into the trip but it comes in at around 110.00 per person (inc. GST) (2010 prices). After the high of the Ridgetop Tour it is time for lunch and then we must make our way back to Copley and rejoin the sealed road. This trip of 120 kilometres will take about 2.5 hours and a cuppa at the iconic Quandong Café will help realign your sensibilities. Don’t forget to try their famous quandong pie, the regions most revered fare.
After Copley it’s on to Parachilna and your evening spent at the Prairie Hotel. Dinner that night will be in the famous “Prairie on a Plate” restaurant were you can order a la carte. Their menu is famous and makes for a fitting end to a memorable time away in this most dramatic landscape. Dinner tonight is at your own expense.
Accommodation: Heritage Rooms at the Prairie Hotel.
All rooms have ensuite bathrooms, heating and cooling and tea and coffee making facilities. These rooms have been renovated recently and are in the original part of the hotel. The bedding configurations are that each room has a double bed and a single bed. (you could essentially sleep 3 per room but if you are a single traveler and sharing be aware that one person will have the double bed and the other the single).
Please note that there are only four of these rooms so we are unable to offer single supplement here unless you are prepared to upgrade to a more deluxe room.
DAY 7
After an early morning departure it’s time to head back to Hawker for a quick refuel before making tracks for a final day’s walk. Most likely we’ll walk up to the Yourambulla Caves for a visit to the Aboriginal artsite. Then we will make our way to lunch at place called the Stone Hut Bakery. Huge oversized pies and muffins and a host of other pastries are on hand to feed you. Lunch is also at your own expense. Then the final afternoon’s drive takes you through the Clare Valley and back into Adelaide. The traffic into Adelaide on a Saturday evening should not be too hectic. We will probably drop you off in town around 7.00pm or else out at the airport.
If you are flying out on the last day of the trip please book a flight that departs from 8.30pm onwards.
NOTE: Single Supplement of $450.00 for the first 5 nights (trip cost is non-inclusive of this supplement)
Price: $2,080.00 (ex Adelaide) (incl. GST)
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