Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Wow I can now definitely see why the Flinder’s Ranges is a 4WD and traveller’s paradise. It was amazing to say the least and we only scratched the surface of what the Flinder’s has to offer. As it was our first visit and a short one at the that we decided to base ourself in one spot and do day trips from there. We stayed at Rawnsley Park Station and we more than impressed. (read more in our post titled “Home on the Range”) The facilities and camp sites were second to none and the view we woke up to was spectacular. Absolutely breathtaking.

For our first full day in Flinder’s we decided to pay $45 for a crack at the 4WD track at Rawnsley Park Station. I was a bit worried about the cost but it was worth every penny. The drive itself was beautifully scenic and the 4WD was just enough, nothing extreme to wreck the vehicle but enough to give you a 4WD thrill. Most of the track was AWD accessible there was only a small part at the end closed off to 4WD only which had some steep hill climbs. It was after the steepest hill climb that we reached the summit of a lookout that gave us panoramic views over the Flinders. It was so worth the bumpy ride there.

On the second full day we head into Wilpena Pound, an iconic landmark of the Flinder’s especially from the air. We decided to see “The Pound” from as high up as we could which meant a steep walk or as I put it rock climb to the top of Mt Ohlsen Bagge around 923m above sea level. It was a steep, steep walk that seem to drag on forever but the view at the top was worth all the sore limbs the next day.

We left Rawnsley Park on the third day and headed to the quaint little town of Blinman. When we arrived it was overcast and with the buildings all being made of stone it looked like a movie set from the snow country. Our visit to Blinman was to complete a side trip out to Nuccaleena Mine, an abandoned Copper Mine from the 1850’s. Due to the road out there being quite rough the ruins are in quite good condition which is fantastic. It always breaks my heart to see these ruins scattered across Australia with people’s name etched in them or grafitti’d. Don’t people realise this our history they are defiling. Enough of my rant but it was fantastic to see none of that at Nuccaleena.

From Nuccaleena we headed North to the mining town of Leigh Creek where we had a quick stop over before heading further North to begin our Birdsville Track adventure.

NEXT POST – our adventures from Leigh Creek to Marree, out to Lake Eyre and up the Birdsville Track.