Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges National Park
A “pest control program” by the National Park Authorities of the Flinders Ranges was about to end that night at 9pm. All main access roads were open already. So we traveled towards Wilpena Pound, where we had our base camp for the next three nights.
Quorn, Hawker, Moralana Gorge Road
From Port Augusta we took The Outback Highway (B83) north. The traffic was very light, so there was a lot of opportunity to stop on the side of the road or do short walks. We drove through Quorn, where time seems on its own trajectory since the early 1900’s. About half way between Quorn and Hawker, we did a short walk to the Kanyaka Waterhole. Be warned – use a fly-net if you have one at hand. The flies there were from the persistent breed, at least when we traveled the area in February.
We did a feed-our-little-one stop in Hawker and met a Netherlandish-German couple, who run the Sightseers Cafe. We continued to head north on The Outback Highway for about 43km, then took a right turn onto Moralana Gorge Road. This unsealed road coasts along the southern end of Flinders National Park and meets the Flinders Ranges Way a few kilometers before the park’s entrance.
Moralana Gorge Road is a relatively easy driving road for 4WD. We even saw one or two 2WDs on our way. This road has been one of the highlights of our trip so far. Countless roos and emus – and a breathtaking scenery with ever changing landscapes. At one moment we were chatting in the car: “You know, this valley reminds me of Jurassic Park. You remember the scene, where there were herds of dinosaurs grazing peacefully in the golden sun.” “Yes, exactly like it looks here.” – So if you happen to go to Flinders, don’t miss this part outside the national park.
Bunyeroo Road, Brachina Gorge
The next day, we set out for Bunyeroo Road from south to north until it meets the Brachina Gorge Road. Both are unsealed and both are worth experiencing. The road conditions were good as it was dry season. Both roads offer spectacular views along the creek beds with impressive stone formations and huge eucalyptus trees. That day, we also had the pleasure to help a Swiss traveler, who got stuck with his 2WD camper as he tried to make a 180 degree turn just where the road was going through the riverbed.
Where Bunyeroo Road meets Brachina Gorge Road, we took a left turn into Brachina Gorge and followed it through to the end of the valley, then we turned around and went Brachina Gorge Road all the way back to Flinders Ranges Way. Views and wildlife were phenomenal. We saw about three to four times more roos and emus than we saw cars for the whole day. One of the highlights in Brachina Gorge was the sight of a Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby. They were almost extinct and are still on the endangered species list.
Sacred Canyon
On our last day in the Flinders National Park, we explored the Sacred Canyon, which is another unsealed road in good condition and an easy drive with a 4WD. Sacred Canyon is a 10mins walk from the car park through the river bed. The river narrows to a small gorge which you can climb through during dry season. Towards the upper end of the gorge there are old Aboriginal paintings, which were very difficult to see, and a cave shelter. The truly impressive sight there though are the rock formations.
The following hours we drove on Flinders Ranges Way until a flat tire stopped our adventure. After mounting the spare tire for one hour we decided to call it a day and headed back to Wilpena Pound.
Back to Port Augusta
We started back to Port Augusta late morning the next day. At the Mogas station in Hawker a taciturn bloke fixed our punctured tire in less than half an hour. During the whole procedure he might have said two, maybe there words. G’day or hello was not one of them. But he did a good job on the tire. After this short stop we drove back to Port Augusta, where we replenished water and other supplies. We were about to head into the Red Centre the next day with Coober Pedy as our first stop.