Flinders Ranges National Park

It would be ideal at least spend a long week end in this part of the region and be able to do some 4WD tracks.

The fast track goes north of Quorn , through Hawker, Parachilna, Beltana, Leigh Creek and then either Maree or Arkaroola in the Northern Flinders that unfortunately I didn't have any chance to see. Another route is the scenic route, that goes from Adelaide to Arkaroola via Melrose and Wilpena Pound. Both the route are sealed, but few 4WD tracks cross the Flinders and the different gorges in the middle. 

My journey started in Adelaide and went north to Blinman, crossed west back to Parachilna and south again. I spent 5 days there and make some outdoor activities, as hiking and abseiling in Moonarie creek, middle way between Rawnsley Park Station and Wilpena Pound. From Adelaide to Port Augusta and Quorn, the first stop has been an aboriginal cultural site with painting on the rocks, Yourambulla Caves, that is just before Hawkler; the end of the day was at the campsite for climber near Moonarie creek on a private property. After spending the following day there hiking and abseiling the Great Wall, as the climber of the area call it, a 50 mt high vertical wall at the top of the range, Ben and I stayed for the night at the campsite and got ready to leave the next morning. We went to WIlpena Pound Resort, that doesn't have just a resort but even a small visitor centre and a shop with souvenirs. From there it's possible to take some walks and explore the area, the Old Wilpena Station for example, the best preserved pastoral heritage in Australia; part of its trail is known as "Ikara", in Aboriginal means "meeting people" and is a large public artwork. We continued in direction of the Sacred Canyon where there are aboriginal remains of engravings on the rocks of the bed of this little canyon. I found it quite interesting not only for the engravings, that I saw for the first time there, but for the atmosphere the little canyon suggested: peace and quiet, with my imagination going back to ages and figured some families of Aboriginal people chatting around a fireplace, repaired from the rocks around.

From the Canyon we went back to main road and went north at Strokes Hill look out, that overview all the ranges, the Wilpena Pound and the other peaks, shown on a bronze model at the lookout, then we followed the road to the Great Wall of China - it's funny how Australians like to copy names from other languages and places.

My journey continued in direction of Blinman, but instead of following the scenic route on the sealed road, we took an unsealed road heading to Bunyeroo Gorge, where we turned and followed for Brachina Gorge. The area is of geological importance and all the way on the road there are signs that date and explain the name of the different rocks and range formations, for this reason the road is called Brachina Gorge Geological Trail. It's beautiful to camp near one of the gorge and depending on the time of the year you decide to visit the Flinders, you'll find yourself lost in the nature with just few other visitors. It's like having all the area just for your peace and your pleasure. The area is furthermore full of wildlife so it wouldn't be uncommon to spot Kangaroo, Emu, native birds and Wallaby around, plus some pest rabbits.

Blinman became a little town in the 1860s and '70s. Cooper was found there in 1859 and hundreds of people arrived there to help remove it and the town was formed in the next decades, the mine is still there and a tour of it will take you back in the 1880s, while Parachilna has been a backdrop for some movies and the famous "Rabbit Proof Fence" too. The Praire Hotel is a stop over for many visitors, it is famous for the "Feral Food Platter" and its Fargher Lager. The restaurant at the hotel is really stylish, it's a premier outback experience that enables to try emu, kangaoo and camel meat cooked in different way, so it's your choice to choose between a BBQ or a tasty burgher. The cuisine of it is high standard level, so be prepare to spend a bit more money and to have less quantity than a normal roadhouse in the outback, the quality is anyway more satisfying. Just outside the entrance there's the railway that is used by the Old Ghan train and by the longest coal train travelling in Australia. Between Parachilna and Blinman, Angorichina Village is a perfect spot to stop and go exploring some of the best walks and scenic wonders in the Flinders Ranges too. Enjoy the unique environment of the Flinders ;)