Heysen Trail, Flinders Ranges
A Photography road trip to the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. In winter. My longest solo trip with Tom the Cruiser Camper and Betty the Blue Kia.
I was keen to explore both Parachilna Gorge and Brachina Gorge, and possibly Mungo National Park if time permitted. The 1600km trip over from home was fairly uneventful, kept company by various podcasts and refining my Apple Music Favourites playlist - quite a few unexpected 'fave' tracks lurking/planted there … looking at you Mitch!! 😁
First night stop was out the back of the Punt Hotel, Darlington Point - a purpose built area just for vans! Free but a “meal and drink would be appreciated” - happy to oblige! Nice Schnitty and the fire was great! Early start next morning, stopping at “Town of Frogs” Balranald for lunch, down by the Murrumbidgee River. Balranald looks to be on the up! Then on to stunning Lake Bonny for the night, with campsites right on the lakes shore!
Made it to Wilpena Pound.
Next up the long drive to Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, with steady rain falling most of the day. Stops at Burra for lunch and groceries , and refuelling at Hawker along the way.
The last 30mins drive was a tad scary. So much rain I had to pull over several times due to poor visibility and the volume of rain!.
The unpowered sites at Wilpena Pound are in a bushland setting, amongst River Gums and native pine trees. Fortunately the rain eased not long after I arrived and I was able to setup without a drenching, with facilities a short stroll away. The phone service was an unexpected bonus! Soup and toasted naan for dinner. The camp kitchen was well stocked with appliances, but lacked the one necessity for my off-grid camping … my trusty K-Mart Toasted Sandwich press for the naan and a few Rueben sandwiches later.
A late night snack of my world famous Banana bread (toasted of course, thanks Tom) and Rum ‘n’ Raisin Dark Chocolate capped off a pretty long couple days!
Most of the hikes start near the Wilpena Pound Visitors centre. A small IGA provides all the necessities as well as a few niceties! Due to the heavy rain from previous days, the roads to the gorges were closed, fingers crossed for them to reopen before I needed to leave! Overnight temps were down to 2°. First time I've had to use the diesel heater, installed back in 2023 - worked a treat! The heavy doona and insulation under the mattress also helped, as well my bed socks and bed beanie! 😃
For my first day exploring, I decided to a do a slow drive north from Wilpena up to Blinman. Before leaving on this Photography road trip I decided to leave my 400mm lens on my Sony as much as possible, allowing me to seek out more 'intimate' landscape shots - today would be the same. For other shots I had the versatile Sony RX10M4, and my trusty iPhone 14 Pro - I've been utilising the RAW format more and more with some pretty good results!
I hadn't driven 5 minutes and already had to pullover to take some pics - the morning sun was lighting up the Ranges beautifully. Plenty of Roos out for their breakfast, along with Pink Gallahs, Little Corellas, Red-Rumped Parrots, Ringneck Parrots and Budgerigars!
View from Hucks Lookout
One of the locals
Hucks Lookout provides a great view to the west of the eastern side of the Wilpena Pound 'wall'.
Blinman is an old mining town - Copper was discovered there in 1859. There’s a pub, a cafe and general store, with tours of the old mine available.
On the way back, I parked on the side of the road and went cross country to get a better view of the full length of The Great Wall of China. Quite impressive - roughly 800m in length.
View from Hucks Lookout
Old cottage, Blinman
The Great Wall of China
Further on towards camp, a mountain range to the east caught my eye. Turning on to a long a dirt road, then on foot and through the scrub for a closer look. Not sure exactly sure where it was, however after a dive into Google maps, I think I was probably looking towards Mount Caernarvon. Some lovely rolling hills with rocky outcrops, mostly running north-south.
Not far from camp is "The Spirit of Endurance" … The Cazneaux Tree.
I read about this magnificent Red River gum a while back, and was keen to see it. Apparently, "The Cazneaux Tree is not only an iconic symbol of the Flinders Ranges but also of the Australian outback". Photographer Harold Pierce Cazneaux – the grandfather of Australian explorer Dick Smith – photographed the tree in 1937 and called his work “The Spirit of Endurance” based on traits he felt epitomised the tree’s survival in the semi-arid climate. Some estimate the tree to be over 500 years old.
“This giant gum tree stands in solitary grandeur on a lonely plateau in the arid Flinders Ranges, South Australia, grown up from a sapling through the years, and long before the shade from its giant limbs ever gave shelter from heat to white men. The passing of the years has left it scarred and marked by the elements – storm, fire, water – unconquered, it speaks to us from a Spirit of Endurance.”
On a particularly chilly morning, I headed south from Wilpena to explore. Again, pulling over just a few minutes after leaving the Pound - the birds were doing their thing again, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun.
Back on the road, I pulled over where I saw a few cars parked, and walked to the top of hill, where a couple of artists had set up their easels and were silently taking in and painting the view … 'twas a nice view indeed! The Elder Range.
The Elder Range … very Heysen-esque!
Back to the Pound and I did the walk up to Hills Homestead.
Hi Jeremey!
When I returned to camp I had a neighbour, Jeremey, off on his own camping adventure, with his motorcycle. We started chatting and quickly struck up a friendship - a very lovely human with some great stories!
Although … he was a little worried about the massive storm heading our way, and fortunately was able to a dig small moat around his tent. Turns out he had less to worry about the rain and more about the hail storm!
With more water in the creeks from the rain and hail, in the morning I headed off to explore some of the creek beds. Hail was still mounded up!
It was quite special to observe the flow of water through the typically arid creek beds!
Then back to camp for a Rueben Lunch.
There's another section of the Heysen Trail that leaves from the camp area and heads north-ish. I walked a section of that in the afternoon. Plenty of roos, include a white one! I managed to get a camp fire going that afternoon despite the soaked ground. Was great to sit around the fire, swapping stories and thoughts on life with Jeremy! Thanks for company!
Jeremey and I had arranged to hike across Wilpena Pound, rim to rim, to Bridle Gap … and back. Just over 18 km return, roughly 6 hrs, with the promise of an amazing view at the gap. Part of the Heysen Trail, it starts at the Wilpena Visitor Centre, towards the Hills Homestead before crossing the Pound floor.
We made it back just in time to take in the sunset from Hucks Lookout, with a bitterly cold wind as company! Twas my last night at Wilpena.
Up for sunrise the next morning, then back to camp to pack up.
Time to head home, and to capture some of the old homes and sheds from the roadside, as well as some awesome clouds that seemed to follow me east. Lunch and a wander around Orroroo.
Tom & Betty living their best life! :)
Stayed the night back at Lake Bonny, waking up to a wonderful sunrise. I only just woke in time!
Lucky it was only a couple of steps from my camper! 😃
Then on to Red Cliffs/Mildura for a 2 night stop. Dust storms along with an altercation with an emu on the highway - fortunately we both survived, Betty with a bingle and Ol’ Man Emu lost a few feathers. Headed up to Perry Sandhills first, which had been on my 'to see' list for a while. Then a great pub lunch at Wentworth, some wine tasting back in Mildura - when in ‘Rome’!
On to The Punt Hotel, Grong Grong for my last night. Dinner at the pub with the locals! A few laughs!
Next morning, very thick fog for the first hours drive. A GREAT coffee at Coolamon Perk Cafe!
Finally on to Berry, accompanied by my now much refined Apple Music Favourites Playlist! 😉
Managed to squeeze in another ‘Tiny Dancer’ marathon along the way … and maybe a tad too much Simple Minds!
Another great trip with Tom and Betty. 😍 - the diesel heater was a welcome addition. A bit disappointing the roads to Parachilna and Brachina, and Lake Mungo, were closed.
I guess that provides another opportunity to head west in the future …
