 | Flinders Ranges Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 32 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (32) The original Ghan linking Adelaide to Alice Springs was completed in 1929. It was built to the South Australian narrow gauge of 3'6" (1067mm). A new railway, on wider standard gauge was built in 1980, and the old railway has been closed.
On road B83, you sometimes pass close to this old railway, and in Qorn you can even see the railway and the old locomotives and carts. I stopped in Qorn for a drink and a rest, and, looking at the railway station, I thought, I should have a look! Qorn is a little city south of the Flinders, and I liked a lot the colonial architecture, history for itself, the steel columns, the balconies, the old fashioned houses on the main street (picture3); I would have liked to stay a bit more there.
The new Ghan does not stop in Qorn, but some people (Pichi Richi association, based in Qorn) their website is not accessible at time of writing) maintain the old railway on a short portion, operate sometimes the locomotives and I was lucky to see them in action (picture 4)
At the southern entrance of the city is a strange park, (Lions Park), displaying vintage agricultural tools and machines over a huge area; old repainted ploughs, tractors, harvesters, etc. . . If you are interested in mechanics and agriculture, it may prove interesting. . . . I stayed for half an hour. . . !
|
 | |  |
Visiting Flinders Ranges?
Read reviews about Flinders Ranges Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Wilpena, with Wilpena Pound is one of the most visited places of the Flinders; a colleague from the South Australia geological survey told me in Perth; “if you go to the Flinders, you have to go there!” I am happy to have followed her advice!
I arrived rather late in the afternoon at Wilpena, and enquired for maps and information at the tourist information centre (next to the gas station). To enjoy this place you have to be on the crests or fly above; I chose to walk up (anyway, it was late to book a flight), and despite the advice of the employees of the tourist information centre who told me it would be night before I get up, I chose to walk to the Wangara lookout. This is one of the many trails starting from Wilpena resort. I was at the lookout before sunset and decided to head to a summit on the north western ridge of the amphitheatre., a few kilometres further. The trail was marked, not at all difficult. So I enjoyed the view over the pound or the outside plains, and on the way back, it was night and I enjoyed a lot the “Tchup! Tchup! Tchup!” of the wallabies in the dark, jumping on the dry leaves under the trees. I liked this sensation of walking under the stars, seeing almost nothing, listening to the noises of the bush. One of those wallabies was surprised as much as I when we met on the trail and I had time to photograph him for VT!! Haha! Walking up I enjoyed the views and also the local gondwanan flora; a beautiful hike. I had not time to make another hike the next day, but looking from the maps, there are a few worth to make.
|
| | |
At Wilpena is an old homestead which has been fitted as an open air museum. It tells about the settlers who lived here one century ago and shows some interesting old houses, tools, explains on posters the life of the settlers in Wilpena; sheep was the central interest and livelihood of people at that time, with forestry; there were much more forests than today in the area, and the gum trees were precious.
You can follow a ”Living in Land” interpretive trail, under huge gum trees, look at a few house, see where people kept their poultry and other small animals, also the place where gum trees were sawn before being sent to the railway station on log wagons, agricultural tools. . . . . Well, a look into the past!
When you drive to the main road you pass by the airfield where you have to go if you book a flight above Wilpena Pound. On the first picture, the red leaves of a vine stock in front of a settler house, used now as an office by the people maintaining the heritage trail.
You can book flights for 20’, 30’ or one hour, for respectively 125A$, 145A$, or 215A$; minimum 2 persons; special fares for children. Longer flights can be arranged; booking at the tourist information office.
|
| | |
I hesitated before posting some information about this holy place; it is very severely protected, and will even be more in the near future.
You may get close to it on Google Earth, but on low resolution and cloudy image, but I won’t tell more. . . Here I quote Environment and conservation minister Gail Gago (Ediacara Reserve proclaimed Conservation Park): “Just 30 Ediacaran sites exists around the world, but those found in South Australia are arguably some of the best. Unfortunately, these fossils are subject to poachers, which is why their exact location won’t be publicised, and another reason we’ve increased their conservation status,”. . . . ./
. . . /“There’s a fantastic display of these fossils at the SA Museum, so all South Australians and tourists from around the world can appreciate their beauty and significance.. . /. . .
Well, I drove on a sandy dirt road, then walked a few kilometres (with two bottles of water!) to reach the hill and once I identified the "Wonoka Formation", I knew just above was the formation (The Pound Quartzite) containing the fossils. I was not at the very location where the palaeontologists study and extract the fossils, but I knew what I was looking for, and I could put my fingers (I had no hammer, of course!) on the rocks and the fossils I have seen there.
When I drove to the place, was I going to a mirage or reality (Main picture)? I decided to visit first this outcrop (picture 2), and walked across the sandy “bush”. No, the fossils I saw were not spectacular (picture 3), but it was just to be there close to them once in my life.
I then walked to the top of the hill from where I had a 360° view, (here, picture 4, view to the Flinders) and made an “auto-portrait” on top, with Lake Torrens, very far in the background.
I had a very personal reason to visit the place, and if I did not see the fossils as spectacular as in the books or museums, I felt a sort of peace and happiness (and also a bit pride!) having visited this place.
Ah! I had to open a barrier before my 15 km drive (and 4-5 km walk) in order to reach the area; I found a “warning” on my car when I came back, in the form of a writing in the dust covering my car, which said something like “Trepasser! Watch out”. Nothing more.
|
| | |
If you want to know on what you are walking or driving, know a bit about the history of our planet, learn to get your eyes to learn to look at landscapes and rocks (and not forget their beauty and poesy), take the opportunity to travel through Brachina Gorge when you are in the Flinders.
At the Eastern end of the trail (road) going through Brachina, an information booth where many posters explains what you will see on this trail; I quote the introduction: ”As you proceed along the trail, you will pass 20 kilometres across the edges of exposed layers of rocks, which become younger the further you drive west (or older towards the East).
Twelve different formations of rock units will be seen. The boundaries of these are clearly signposted and information is provided in the car parks located in each formation.. . . . . . If you wish to see all of the features allow 3 to 4 hours to complete the trail” (End of quote).
Well, I had some special look to some formations, found the explanatory boards a bit outdated, old fashioned geology, but as I did not know the area (I mean geologically!), I enjoyed the trip through Brachina Gorge. The rock on picture 3 looks very common, but it is the“cap carbonate” (a fine grained limestone or dolomite!) of the Marinoan stage, the last “snowball earth stage” of the planet; this rock, exactly the same, can be observed almost at every latitude on the planet from Siberia to South Africa! Ah, only a marvel for the geologist! Just before (well, a few million years!), the moraine (diamictite) you see on picture 2 is an evidence, if not of snowball, at least of glacial conditions in the area at the time. These rocks rest on the Trezona Formation, containing 630 million years old stromatolites (Main picture), limestone constructions by cyanobacteria; stromatolites still live in Western Australia, Bahamas, few places of Africa. . . . Before I stop writing about rocks, let me just tell rocks and atmosphere are our planet; these Archaeocyatids, extinct sponges (picture 4), making beautiful rocks at the base Cambrian, lived during a period when CO2 was hundreds times more concentrated in the atmosphere than today (and they disappeared. . . when CO2 content of the atmosphere diminished. . . ). All these rock formation of different hardness, of different resistance to erosion, disposed in layers, give the shape to the landscape, make the crests and valleys. . . (picture 5). Ooops sorry for this geological “tip”.
Entry : 7.5 A$ for a car, whatever the number of passengers.
Other, buses, motorcycles, camping fees: see website. Address: PMB 22 Hawker SA 5434 AustraliaPhone: Phone: (61 8) 8648 0048Directions: Brachina Gorge can be reached 10 km south of the North entrance of the Flinders Ranges National Park, or its western end from the B83 main road 55 km North of Hawker. There are signs.Website: http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/sanpr/flinders_ranges/visit/index.htm
|
| | |
Visiting Flinders Ranges?
Read reviews about Flinders Ranges Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Beltana
The south Australian outback was more populated in 1908 than in 2008! There were a number of villages inhabited by miners, prospectors, farmers, railway workers. . . . but when the mines were depleted, when the hot dry climate finally chased the farmers, and later the new railway was laid 20 km west, the village of Beltana began to empty very quickly! When I visited, I think there were 4 houses inhabited permanently and a few houses, temporarily (holiday houses). There are many ruins, but the local people decided to make their village a sort of a museum, and a visit gives a bit an idea how people lived in the outback 50-100 years ago: news arrived with the telegraph (main picture), in the little lost village (second picture). There is information at the historic display (picture 3), a little aluminium shelter, on which a few posters are pinned on and containing a few old tools and artefacts. Walking in the village you will discover the old school (picture 4), the old police station (picture 5), and a few other buildings; all are closed. Hard life in the outback! Directions: Road B83, 125 km North of Hawker, to Beltana roadhouse, then, signs to the right, 7 km on dirt road.
|
| | |
The title is just a stupid French play with words, but I really was moved! (the title means: the emu moves me!
Moved because they were really wild, living in the outback. Most of the Emus I have seen were quite shy, but this family here I met near the western entrance of Brachina Gorge let me get close, and I could watch them for half an hour or so. . . . There are many other birds in the Flinders, and, if you see them, it is more difficult for a person coming from “up over” to identify them; I do not tell of photographing! They usually do not pose for the tourist! Well, bird watching is a pleasant activity in the Flinders, and even common ducks (not that common to me!) or eagles can be seen easily, and of course, many species of parrots like here this Lorikeet.(picture 5) Directions: Outback
|
After the visit to the museum, it was time to move off for the Flinders. Adelaide, Port Wakefield, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Quorn, Hawker. . . . a long way to drive, few stops are illustrated here; from the names it is obvious, the north bound road goes along the gulfs; Gulf St Vincent, then Spencer Gulf. As I was going to “ranges”, I looked for the crests carving the horizon. . . . . I had to be patient, and during the drive I stopped many times, and looked at the “South Australian land”; there were fields, ruins of farms, the red earth, the dry landscape; it progressively became red and dry going north, after leaving the area of Barossa Valley north of Adelaide.
The little boy exploring the outback had to drive carefully, as his eyes were all times caught by so many things he wanted to have a close look at, was surprised, amazed, enchanted, . . . ah, innocent re-discovering the outback. . . . . . .
As innocent and optimistic as the first European settlers of the area, who benefited from good climatic conditions, built farms, raised sheep, cultivated cereals and other crops, and were hit by draughts and had to leave the area after a few years of hard and exalting life in the outback; the abandoned farm you see on the main picture is just one of the many you see on the road to Hawker. The galahs of the second picture are not that bothered by the climate and the sun, and the gum trees in the creeks do well also (picture 3). Arriving at Hawker, at the southern end of the Flinders, I was welcomed by beautiful cloud formations and a promising sunset (pictures 4 and 5).
Directions: Driving North to Hawker
|
| | |
The outback has drawn many early settlers; some became prosperous, gathered huge wealth, other were less lucky, found beautiful places, but had very hard times to survive and finally left the area where they wanted to build a new home. The Aroona homestead, located in the valley of the same name is a moving example of the fate of the second sort of settlers; a few ruins, a surviving, back to nature vine stock (picture 2), left over parts of fences. . . . that is what is left from the courageous people who tried it. Aroona homestead was a “run”, where the settlers kept sheep on open range (picture 3), and in the first years, could sell lots of wool, but the dry climate soon cared for their ruin. Imagine, just a little more water, what a nice place to live it could be here, in the mountains, growing a few vegetables, keeping sheep and cattle, reading books in the shade of a big gum tree, walking on the hills. . . . . ! (picture 4). Aroona homestead id located on a small hill on the Heysen Trail (picture 5), easy to reach from a parking at the base of the hill.
Directions: Small 5 km long road branching on the north of Brachina Gorge, 15 km after the Eastern beginning of the geological trail; signs.
|
| | |
The South Australian Museum
A modern glass entrance for a modern building for a beautiful museum; in very wide display rooms, generally well lit, either by natural light or well designed illumination you will discover some marvels of nature and a beautiful Aboriginal cultures gallery.
The South Australian Museum is dedicated to life, rocks, exploration, and aboriginal culture.
Being short in time I did not visit the ground level mostly dedicated to mammals and sea life; the south wing is dedicated to aboriginal culture where not only artefacts are displayed, but also explained with signs, videos, put in perspective. A beautiful introduction to Australia!
Not only you discover the didgeridoos, (third picture) but also what for they are used, their importance in social life, beautiful painted or carved boomerangs (picture 2), masks and statues of Northern Australia (main picture). . . . . if some items are a bit “crowding” the show cases, other are very well displayed in a modern, very “open” way (picture 4).
Modern Aboriginal art is also present of course (picture 5), remembering the origins (mother Snake. . . etc. . . ). The southern section of the first level is also dedicated to Aboriginal cultures. Like every average European I knew a bit about aboriginal art and culture, had a first contact with it in my past travels, but here I got a comprehensive view of the first inhabitants of this continent; I was just stunned! But had to go and visit other sections of the museum, but purchased a few books at the museum shop when I left.
Entry: free
Open 10am-5pm
|
| | |
More Flinders Ranges Tips |
 |
 |
Search Hotels
Find the best room rates |
|
 |
|
on July 28, 2008
