We are camped at Rawnsley Park at the foot of the Flinders Rangers. This is a sheep station that has been owned by the Smith family for over 60 years. They still run 2000 sheep but the industry is tourism. Farming in this area is marginal north of the “Goyders Line’ of rainfall”
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Chilly nights ( down to 1C) and cool days are perfect for exploring.
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain rage in South Australia. Wilpena Pound, a teaspoon shaped Nation Park in the centre of the ranges, covers nearly 80 square kilometres and is a popular place for bushwalking. St Mary Peak is the highest point at 1170 metres. The geology is very ancient…deposited 500-600 million years ago. Amazingly a giant asteroid slammed into the Gawler Ranges. It hit with such a force that debris from the impact formed lakes and spread 300 kilometres east into the area now known as Flinders ranges. Later the debris settled into water above earlier layers and then later again it was folded, compressed and uplifted. Erosion and weathering again changed the geology. One of the drives through gorges signposts the different layers.
Now dingos and foxes have almost been eradicated eradicated and there are permanent water holes so the kangaroos have flourished and are there in huge mobs; red kangaroos, greys, euros and the rarer yellow footed rock wallaby. We were lucky enough to see some. They are beautiful.
We did a couple of great drives. The first through the centre and out east to very marginal farm lands only getting back after sunset. The road crossed a lot of cattle grids. My eyes were on red alert for kangaroos.
and also through Glass, Brachina and Buneroo Gorge and the township of Blinman.
Blinman is an old copper mining town with buildings dating to the 1860s We had lunch at the hotel. Think the township population is about 20 these days.
We also visited Sacred Canyon and walked up the creek bed into the gorge to look at the Aboriginal rock carvings.
Creeks in the Flinders Ranges are mostly dry and surrounded by huge river gums that suck moisture from deep below the dry creek bed.
Its a fantastic place and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here.
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