Southern Flinders Ranges

The Southern Flinders Ranges is somewhere we have visited a few times. On this occasion, we visited with our good friends Bev and Anthony… As soon as our illustrious premier allowed us out of lockdown, we were off and Rawnsley Station was our destination. We had booked a powerless site in the back blocks away from the main powered camp areas. The views around Rawnsley are certainly some of the most spectacular but by no means the only place to enjoy the surrounds. Choose your site wisely. We made the mistake of camping closer to the toilet block, not far from the track. Rookie error as every vehicle that drove past, kicked up a horrendous amount of dust and somehow, the wind was always blowing it our way. The places to stay in the Flinders is endless but no trip there is complete without a quick visit, and maybe lunch at Wilpena Pound. Take your time, you wont regret it. We had decided to camp in Brachina Gorge which was a great place to stay. There are campsites available for 2wd and 4wd vehicles and we chose a perfect spot over the dry creek, 4wd only and enjoyed the seclusion for a couple of very relaxing days. If you ever wondered why people from the outback tell you not to camp in the creek beds, this was an example of why not. In the middle of the night, I thought I heard water running and got up to investigate. The dry creek bed we had crossed the day before was flowing like you wouldn’t believe. The water level was about 2 feet below the ground I was standing on. The next morning, most of the water had subsided however there was enough there to show the damage that would have happened had anyone been silly enough to camp in the creek bed. A couple of standout highlights for us included the Wadna Arts and Craft centre just out of Blinman. This is a must visit with the most hospitable family to welcome you and explain the arts and craft on display. I bought a hand made and carved Boomerang which as the video in the Gallery shows was explained to me perfectly while he made some running repairs. We also really enjoyed our time camping at the well looked after sites at Willow Station. Sunset on the hill was memorable albeit too cold to really enjoy the cheese, biscuits and wine we took with us. Man! When the wind blows there is blows cold. Also, it’s really worth paying and driving the self-drive, SkyTrek at Willow Springs.