29 OUR SWAMPS Soar with the eagles Discover a vast and on a scenic flight over Wilpena Pound ancient land filled in Flinders Ranges with startling colours, National Park. amazing wildlife and Discover wildlife and stories as spellbinding wetlands in the heart of the desert at Coongie as the location itself Lakes National Park. Recognised as one of Australia’s National Landscapes, the Flinders Ranges offers Bushwalk through an inspiring landscape of incredible amazing gorges in beauty, featuring rugged mountain peaks, Mount Remarkable spectacular gorges and peaceful creeks and Flinders Ranges lined with grand old River Red Gums. The national parks. jewel of the Flinders Ranges is Wilpena Pound, a magnificent natural amphitheatre Soak off the red desert resembling a huge crater rising out of the dust in the central warm plains in Flinders Ranges National Park. thermal spring at Witjira Well-marked walking trails explore the park National Park. with fantastic opportunities to encounter wildlife and learn about the region’s rich Aboriginal and European heritage. Admire the dazzling white salt pans of Lake The Flinders is also the gateway to the Eyre National Park, legendary Outback, a place of surprising the largest salt lake contrasts renowned for its red desert sands, in Australia. brilliant blue skies and vast unspoilt beauty. Sturts Desert-pea NORTHERN TERRITORY Poeppel Corner QUEENSLAND Simpson 30 Eringa Witjira NP Desert CP Dalhousie See page 59 for Cordillo Downs accommodation Simpson ideas in our Coongie National Parks. Desert RR Lakes NP Marla Oodnadatta Innamincka RR Innamincka Lake Eyre North Lake Eyre Mulka NP Tallaringa CP Coober Pedy William Creek Lake Lake Blanche WESTERN AUSTRALIA Eyre South Wabma Kadarbu Marree Mound Springs CP Vulkathunha- Gammon Ranges NP Tarcoola Roxby Downs Lake NEW SOUTH WALES Frome Glendambo Leigh Creek Lake Lake Everard Torrens Woomera Flinders Head of Bight Lake Ranges NP Gairdner Hawker Ceduna Great Australian Bight The Dutchmans Stern CP Port Mount Brown CP Flinders Ranges & Outback Region Augusta Yunta National Parks & Reserves Orroroo NP National Park Telowie Mount CP Conservation Park Gorge CP Remarkable NP RR Regional Reserve Port Pirie Main Roads Eyre Peninsula Minor Roads Spencer Tracks Gulf Clare Renmark Port Lincoln Gulf 0 km 200 St Vincent ADELAIDE Victor Harbor VICTORIA Southern Kangaroo Island Ocean Mount Gambier Visitor Information Centres Coober Pedy Visitor Information Centre 1800 637 076 Hawker Visitor Information Centre 1800 777 880 Leigh Creek Visitor Information Centre (08) 8675 2056 Port Augusta Visitor Information Centre, Wadlata Outback Centre 1800 633 060 Port Pirie Tourism & Arts Centre 1800 000 424 Park Visitor Centre Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre, Flinders Ranges National Park (08) 8648 0048 NORTHERN TERRITORY Poeppel Corner QUEENSLAND Simpson Eringa Witjira NP Desert CP 31 Dalhousie Cordillo Downs Simpson Coongie Desert RR Lakes NP Flinders Ranges National Park 91 330 ha Marla Oodnadatta Innamincka RR Innamincka Lake Eyre Located in the central Flinders Ranges, North Lake Eyre Mulka Flinders Ranges National Park is a place NP Tallaringa of stunning scenery with a wealth of CP geological features, wildlife and Aboriginal Coober Pedy William and European cultural heritage. A series Creek of rugged mountains, River Red Gum Lake Lake Blanche lined creeks and rolling hills covered with a WESTERN AUSTRALIA Eyre South patchwork of native pines and wildflowers in Wabma Kadarbu Marree Mound Springs CP Vulkathunha- spring are among the park’s many natural Gammon features. Wilpena Pound, one of the most Ranges NP recognised geological landmarks in South Australia, forms the hub of the park. From Tarcoola Roxby Downs Lake NEW SOUTH WALES here you can take in the park’s magnificent Frome scenery along a network of bushwalking Glendambo Leigh Creek Lake Lake trails catering to all levels of fitness, enjoy Everard Torrens scenic drives or join a licensed tour operator Woomera on a 4WD tour or mountain bike adventure. Flinders For an insight into local Aboriginal culture Head and European settlement visit the award of Bight Lake Ranges NP Gairdner Hawker winning interpretation site ‘Ikara – The Ceduna Meeting Place’ at Old Wilpena Station. Great Australian Bight The Dutchmans Stern CP See Aboriginal art at Arkaroo Rock, Sacred Port Mount Brown CP Flinders Ranges & Outback Region Augusta Canyon and Perawurtina cultural heritage Yunta sites. Numerous accommodation options National Parks & Reserves Orroroo NP National Park Telowie Mount are available. Phone Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre on (08) 8648 0048. CP Conservation Park Gorge CP Remarkable NP RR Regional Reserve Port Pirie GO BUSHWALKING Main Roads Eyre Peninsula Hills Homestead Walk Minor Roads 6.6 km 2 hrs Easy Walk Spencer Tracks Gulf Clare Beginning at the bushwalking trailhead at Renmark Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre, this trail follows Wilpena Creek, encountering Port Lincoln relics and reminders of pioneering life Gulf inside Wilpena Pound. Signs entitled, ‘If the 0 km 200 St Vincent ADELAIDE walls could talk’, tell the story of Jessie Hill, daughter of the first pioneer family to live in the homestead. Walking trail brochures and Victor Harbor VICTORIA Mountain views, Flinders Ranges National Park maps are available from Wilpena Pound Southern Kangaroo Visitor Information Centre. Island The Flinders Ranges is home to Yuluna Hike two types of Aboriginal rock art – 8 km 4 hrs Moderate Hike Ocean engravings and paintings. Some of Experience the landscape that inspired these are believed to be thousands the artist Sir Hans Heysen during his visits of years old with the most common to the Flinders Ranges. Beginning at the type of engravings known as ‘intaglios’ – pecked out figures and symbols Aroona car park 50 km north of Wilpena, made by the merging of many the trail weaves through a section of the small percussion marks that form a ABC Range and takes you past a historic recognisable shape or line. pug and pine hut. Mount Gambier Want to know more? Download the latest Flinders Ranges National Park Bushwalking brochure from www.parks.sa.gov.au Location & Getting There 453 km N Adelaide (6 hrs). Access via Hawker, along Sacred Canyon the Princes Hwy or Main North Rd from Adelaide. Contact (08) 8648 0048 Accommodation See page 59 32 Mount Remarkable National Park Mount Remarkable National Park 18 271 ha The appeal of Mount Remarkable National Park lies in its amazing diversity of flora, dramatic gorges and wilderness experiences. Arid zone plants and animals, and species from the more temperate southern regions both thrive in the park making it a popular bushwalking destination. Hidden Valley Hike, Mount Remarkable National Park There are three separate vehicle entrances into the park each providing different Mount Brown opportunities to explore. Mambray Creek, Bounceback started in 1992 as a Conservation Park 2264 ha recovery program to save the north of Port Pirie is home to some of the populations of the Yellow-footed park’s best attractions, including Sugar Gum Rock-wallaby found in the Flinders Lookout and the secluded hiking experience Ranges, Gawler Ranges and the Olary At 970 metres above sea level, Mount Brown of Hidden Gorge. Alligator Gorge is easily Ranges. Over the past 18 years, the is the highest peak in the southern Flinders accessible from the Wilmington entrance, program has evolved from a focus Ranges. The park is a former forest reserve while Melrose offers walking access to on the recovery of a single vulnerable comprising undulating country, rugged Mount Remarkable along a section of the species to a holistic landscape ridges and open woodlands. A circuit trail Heysen Trail. Accommodation is available approach, where all elements of the at Alligator Lodge and Mambray Creek ecosystem are considered. From feral with a spur track to Mount Brown summit Cabin (bookings required). Mambray Creek animal and weed control to strategic starts at Waukarie Falls. At the summit, a revegetation and fauna recovery, the commemorative lookout for Robert Brown, Campground is a popular camping spot, program has successfully helped the the naturalist aboard the Investigator sailing particularly during holiday periods. recovery of many native plant and ship led by Matthew Flinders’ voyage of GO BUSHWALKING animal communities. The success exploration, offers panoramic views of of the program has seen it extend the surrounding countryside. Mount Remarkable Summit Hike across a range of land tenures in 12.2 km return 5 hrs Moderate Hike addition to national parks, working GO BUSHWALKING This trail commences from the War side by side with pastoral landowners, Mount Brown Summit Hike Memorial Monument near the Melrose privately owned sanctuaries and the 15 km loop 7.5 hrs Moderate Hike township. The trail enables access to Mount Aboriginal community. Take this challenging, enjoyable loop hike to Remarkable Summit (960 metres) with the summit of Mount Brown. Along the way sweeping views of the Willochra Plain see evidence of a kilometre-deep canyon along the way. formed some 600 million years ago. Upon Want to know more? Download the latest reaching the peak, enjoy spectacular views Mount Remarkable Summit Hike brochure from www.parks.sa.gov.au across the southern Flinders Ranges. Want to know more? Download latest Mount Brown Location & Getting There Summit Hike brochure from www.parks.sa.gov.au 45 km N Port Pirie (1 hr); 260 km N Adelaide there are three access points: the park headquarters at Mambray Location & Getting There Creek is 45km N of Port Pirie via Hwy 1. The Alligator 14 km S Quorn (30 min); 343 km N Adelaide. Access via Gorge entrance starts 1 km S Wilmington and continues Finlays Rd and Richmans Valley Rd. 13 km to Alligator Gorge. Walking access to the Mount Remarkable section lies directly behind Melrose. Contact (08) 8634 7068 Contact (08) 8634 7068 Accommodation See page 59 33 Telowie Gorge Vulkathunha-Gammon Conservation Park 1967 ha Ranges National Park 1 24 716 ha Over immense time, Telowie Creek has cut the spectacular Telowie Gorge through the south-western flank of the South Flinders Location & Getting There Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Ranges.