A Spring Adventure in the Flinders Ranges

Water in the bush is not always a common sight in the majority of the country. Well, at least not in South Australia!

I have been heading to the Flinders ever since I was a young lad. Whilst we had a few days of rain, I rarely saw creeks running freely with water. Nor did I experience thunder and lightning overhead, given how usually dry this part of the world is.

If you’re lucky enough to see this dry landscape after the rains have quenched the soil, you’ll be rewarded with sights that have to be seen to be believed. To watch a dormant landscape suddenly spring to life in a display of colour is incredible. It’s something experienced by the whole body as the senses are awakened by the vivid wildflowers and greenery. Animals appear from every rock and tree, all with the simple yet life-giving presence of water.

Our cosy caravan set up at Spear Creek, before the weather hit. Photo: David Leslie

Spear Creek

Our Flinders trip began at Spear Creek Caravan Park, located just a few kilometres south of Port Augusta. The journey from Adelaide takes about four hours with kids and a caravan. It makes for a pleasant first day pulling into camp mid-afternoon.

Nestled in the foothills on the western side of the Mt Remarkable range, Spear Creek is a beautiful spot that offers private camping towards the back of the property. This is tucked away amongst the ancient red gums still standing beside a creek that rarely sees running water.

The caravan park has comfortable facilities in the powered section including toilets, showers and a camp kitchen. In the unpowered camps, there are flushing toilets in small sheds shared by a couple of campsites.

Dinner around the fire at Spear Creek. Photo: David Leslie

Walking Tracks

A walking track follows Spear Creek into the thick of the ranges. It makes for quite the adventure as the walls of the gorge get taller and narrower the further you venture along.

The rain made the landscape flourish, so we were treated to blooming flowers, which provided a stunning contrast against the rocky escarpments.

The track starts off with a vehicle track but turns to a single-file and runs along the gurgling creek. This makes for some interesting crossings and great photo opportunities. The kids loved exploring the little waterfalls and balancing across the stones as they tried not to get their feet wet.

The wildflowers provided a stunning sight for us and the kids. Photo: David Leslie

Setting Up Camp

Back at camp, we built a fire and enjoyed our first meal in style: a leg of lamb cooked in the camp oven to perfection. Sitting around the fire with not another soul in sight, and comforts like toilets and showers only a stroll away, was a magical and relaxing way to start our Flinders trip.

Little did we know that the weather would impact on our humble campsite that was a little too close to the creek…

With a delicious meal of roast lamb, we were ready to settle in for the night. Photo: David Leslie

The First Day

The following day we decided to head out for a day trip to Alligator Gorge. From Spear Creek, we drove to Quorn where we stopped at the information centre and collected our day pass for Alligator Gorge. From Quorn, we drove to Wilmington and found the turn-off to Alligator Gorge a few kilometres south. All up, the drive (including the Quorn stop) was two hours to the point of heading off along the walking track.

If you need a day trip activity, you can’t go past Alligator Gorge. Photo: David Leslie. 

Alligator Gorge

From the car park, we headed straight down the stairs to Alligator Gorge and followed the track to the Narrows.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs we were immediately faced with a rather wet obstacle. The creek was flowing, and we saw a few other walkers returning with wet shoes in hand… so we reconsidered. We ended up walking along the gorge to see how far we would get. I certainly found some of the creek crossings challenging as I was holding my 5-year-old in one hand, my wife’s in the other, my 2-year-old in the backpack, and a large camera hanging around my neck.

I must confess, I was probably more worried about the camera…

We pushed through and, despite getting our socks wet, found ourselves dwarfed by the deep cuttings of the gorge. This is a truly spectacular place and needs to be experienced in person. Photos cannot do this place justice! With the creek running high it was quite an adventure, but we had a great time. Even though we didn’t cover that much ground, we were exhausted by the time we got back.

The whole family had a great time exploring Alligator Gorge. Photo: David Leslie. 

Settling in For a Rough Night…

That night back at Spear Creek, we were packing up dinner when the first of the lightning flashes lit up the sky. Within a few minutes, the heavens unleashed and we quickly retreated to the comforts of the caravan! After a few games of scrabble and some dessert, we headed to bed as the rain started to subside. Any thoughts I had of flooding creeks turned into dreams… only to be awoken around midnight to a strange sound.

As I came to, my heart raced when I realised I could hear rushing water… and it was getting louder. I leapt out of the caravan with my torch just in time to watch the water flow before my very eyes. What was a very dry creek quickly turned into a torrent of water five metres wide, and inching closer to our camp! We rang the caretakers, and after explaining what was happening they replied, ‘that creek hasn’t had running water since 1979!’.

With our exit to the campground cut off by the creek, we didn’t have much choice but to stay put and watch. I placed a few large rocks marking the edge of the water, and watched the creek. Eventually it settled, so I managed to get a few more hours of sleep.

Our campsite before the rains hit. Photo: David Leslie

The Aftermath

The next morning, we awoke to find the flowing creek still in full swing. It’d cut a deep groove into the once dry creek bed, which was going to make dragging the caravan challenging. The caretaker came over to tell me from across the creek that the vehicle track was completely underwater. They’d been the caretakers of the park for 30 years, and had never seen so much water in the creek.

After packing up, we had to cross the creek to leave – which was now a foot deep! It also had a sharp entry and exit to contend with. Luckily, I had lifted my caravan before the trip to make it more off-road friendly. Even still, the drawbar and tail bottomed out, so I dragged it through the creek with its wheels in the air. I was happy I got a new set of Cooper mud tyres on the patrol – that made it a lot easier, and it ended up being a pretty exciting experience!

The vehicle track was completely underwater, which made exiting a little tricky! Photo: David Leslie

From Spear Creek, we were heading north to Wilpena Pound. This had been a great start to our Flinders adventure. With more extreme weather on the way, the ‘adventure’ had well and truly begun!

Spear Creek is a beautiful spot and we will definitely be back. They have a 4WD track on their property which we didn’t try, but that’s just an excuse to come back again. If you’re passing through Port Augusta and need a place to stay, definitely keep Spear Creek in mind!

Heading North to Wilpena Pound

After tackling the flooded creek next to our camp at Spear Creek we managed to make it out in one piece. We then continued our journey around the Flinders Ranges north to Wilpena Pound. As we drove along the main road through Quorn and Hawker, it became obvious that the storm we had experienced was far worse the further north we travelled.

The main highway was cut in many places by swollen creeks forging new paths across the road. Just about every ford was covered in either water or debris from where floods had come rushing past. Thankfully all roads were open, so we made it to Hawker for lunch before pulling into Wilpena Pound.

Me and the kids at Wilpena Pound. Photo: David Leslie

Bushwalking at Wilpena Pound

The main creek running through the pound entrance and next to the campground was full and flowing quickly. Only one of the access points to the campsites was open, as the other was underwater. The dirt roads around the area were closed, and there was mud everywhere. After chatting to some other campers, we found that the entire place was underwater during the storm. Everyone had wet tents and bedding hanging out to dry in the sun!

With the roads closed, the only option was to go bushwalking… which isn’t a bad choice when you’re in the bushwalking capital of the Flinders Ranges! Although, most of the walks were closed due to flooding as well.

We crossed the creek to explore a little further Photo: David Leslie 

Wandering the Vehicle Access Track

We decided to wander along the vehicle access track that leads you into the Pound itself. Most of the longer walks branch off from this track. There is also shuttle bus that will take you to the trail heads of most walks that lead into the heart of the pound.

The shuttle bus wasn’t operating in the muddy conditions, but the path was still quite picturesque – especially for the kids. Just over halfway, we needed to cross the main creek – so it was off with the shoes and into the very cold water to get to the other side!

Once we reached the end of the path, we enjoyed a snack and a look around before exploring the local area further. There, we found a beautiful little waterfall amongst more flowers.

A family of emus wandering around. Photo: David Leslie 

Making Camp

Back at camp, the afternoon provided the opportunity to get cleaned up and have some fun around the campfire. The Wilpena Pound Campground has good showers and toilets, and whilst very populated, the sites are spread out so you can find your own spot in relative peace.

Apart from kids riding their bikes, you may be disturbed by the odd family of Emus. These animals have become very used to visitors, so they have no shame in wandering through your camp! This can give you quite the surprise if you haven’t seen them coming.

Our caravan set up at the Wilpena Pound Campground. Photo: David Leslie

Visiting Sacred Canyon

I’ve been to Wilpena Pound many times, but have never visited Sacred Canyon. So, with reports showing this as one of the only roads now open, we decided to check it out. The drive out again showed signs of the heavy rains, with about 20 creek crossings to be negotiated. The road was open to 4WDs ‘only’, but it didn’t require anything more than slowing down to avoid a rough ride.

Once at the car park, Sacred Canyon is just a short walk up the creek. It’s incredible how quickly the creek narrows as the walls steepen. You find yourself scrambling up rocky ledges to avoid getting your feet wet.

The walk finished at a stunning spot that looked like an amphitheater, with a trickle of water making its way down a waterslide carved into the rock. On the surrounding walls is Aboriginal rock art, which reminded us of how special and ancient this place was. This provided not just a great morning of exploration, but some valuable education for the kids.

Sacred Canyon is a special place to visit if you’re in the Flinders Ranges. Photo: David Leslie

Glass Gorge

Leaving Sacred Canyon we decided to check out Brachina Gorge. But unfortunately, the ‘road closed’ signs were still up, so we continued north to Blinman. It was getting close to lunchtime, so we found a nice scenic loop through Glass Gorge to take us into Parachilna Gorge before returning to Blinman.

Glass Gorge is not the narrow, steep-edged canyon that we had experienced elsewhere – but it really was a beautiful drive. There were plenty of creek crossings to get the 4WD tyres wet, and lots of flowers to brighten the drive. We stopped for lunch next to a creek where our girls whipped off their shoes and played in the water. With the sun shining, it was actually quite warm. We could have stayed all afternoon exploring the rock pools and cooling off in the creek.

We continued along the track as it wound its way west, then south back towards Parachilna Gorge. There was plenty of evidence that a few days earlier this track would have been impassable – even to 4WD’s. The debris along the road and the ruts cutting across the road were signs of a lot of water flowing down the track.

We continued back towards Parachilna Gorge in the Patrol. Photo: David Leslie 

Parachilna Gorge

After rounding a corner, we were faced with the longest and deepest crossing so far. Parachilna Gorge was flowing nicely and whilst not deep enough to lock the hubs, it was quite endearing to cross so much water in what is normally a dry part of the country. It also gave my wife an opportunity to test out her 4WD skills so I could get some photos!

We followed Parachilna Gorge back to Blinman, and then back to camp at Wilpena. When we arrived we had just enough time to clean up before treating ourselves to dinner at the resort’s restaurant.

There was so much water, it’s lucky we were able to cross in our 4WD. Photo: David Leslie

Exploring Wilpena Pound

Wilpena Pound and the surrounding areas would need weeks to explore properly. With so much of the park off-limits due to the rains, and with small children in tow, we could only scratch the surface of what this beautiful place has to offer. Having said that, it’s the perfect place to bring the kids, especially for the beautiful scenery.

There is something for everyone to enjoy in this region. The Flinders Ranges should be on any nature lover’s bucket list – no matter where you are based in Australia. From Wilpena Pound, it was time to head south and begin our journey home… but not without a few more sites to see! Plus (finally), the chance to lock the hubs in and see what the Patrol could do! With the huge amount of water and more on the way, the last part of the trip was sure to be an adventure.

Visiting Quorn is a bit of a hub when it comes to exploring the Flinders Ranges. There are so many places to see leading out from this quaint little town, as well as good facilities and a playground for the kids – but one of the main attractions is the Pichi Richi railway.

The charming town of Quorn is a popular stop in the Flinders area. Photo: David Leslie

The Pichi Richi Railway

The Pichi Richi Railway was opened in 1879 to link Quorn to Port Augusta, as part of the Great Northern Railway. Nowadays it is a great tourist attraction. It still runs some of the old steam and diesel engines along, taking passengers to and from Port Augusta. If you don’t book tickets on the train, it’s still worthwhile watching as the train rolls into the station.

It was quite spectacular and educational for the kids to see a magnificent steam engine rolling into the station. Operating as traditionally as possible, it takes you back into an era been and gone. Once stopped, you can get close to the engine to have a good look and take a few photos.

The spectacle draws quite a crowd as the engine turns around. It then hooks back up to the carriages for the return journey to Port Augusta. If you time this with lunch at the playground, it makes for a great part of your day.

It’s quite exciting to watch an old steam engine operate. Photo: David Leslie.

Argadells Station

Just North of Quorn is a station called Argadells. This property is well known for its camping and 4WD-ing, and is home to Mount Arden. This is the highest peak in the Southern Flinders Ranges. Along with five gorges on the property, you can spend a lot of time exploring this beautiful area.

Just when we thought we had seen a lot of flowers… well, I have never seen anything as spectacular as the sea of colour from Mt Arden out the back of Argadells!

Camping at the Argadells

Argadells has a caravan park and unpowered sites further down along the creek. It also has bush camping out the back, only accessible by 4WD. We stayed in the unpowered campsites which was absolutely wonderful. Shady trees line the creek, there’s lots of grass, a big fire pit, and… a flushing toilet!

The unpowered campsites at the Argadells was a great experience. Photo: David Leslie. 

Settling in for Another Rough Night…

As we set up camp, lit the fire, and got ready for some tucker… the wind picked up, and big black clouds rolled in over the range. I had about 10 minutes from the time we noticed the change before it unleashed its fury on us! As I hurried to secure the fly over the caravan, and put double pegs on the ropes – thunder and lightning struck.

With the torrential rain came a very strong and fierce wind that rocked the caravan. We hadn’t quite finished cooking, so I had to run out to grab the oven off the fire. Once inside, we sat down to a hot meal while the storm raged around us. Whilst a little scary, we were safe and warm in the caravan and I found myself thankful that this time we weren’t in a tent!

The torrential rain made the creeks rush with water. Photo: David Leslie. 

The Ascent Up the Arden 4WD Track

The next day the sun was shining and there was little evidence of the storm that hit the evening before. The caretakers came down to make sure we were okay before checking on some other campers. They told us they would check out the tracks and make sure it was alright to head up Mt Arden. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, we got the all clear to venture out.

Whilst the track was muddy in some places, the going wasn’t too tough. As we passed through a steep gorge to the west of the property, it was like heading back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth! We very quickly forgot we were just 20km from Quorn as we headed out along the tracks to climb Mt Arden. The track at Mt Arden is very steep, and definitely only suitable for vehicles with low range and a bit of clearance.

The Mt Arwen track is pretty steep but absolutely worth the views. Photo: David Leslie

A Carpet of Flowers

As we climbed higher, the view behind us became even more spectacular. From driving through overgrown tracks littered with flowers, we were now gazing out onto entire mountain sides that had turned bright yellow and purple. This really is the meaning of seeing a ‘carpet’ of flowers. The only word to describe it is ‘magical’!

Once at the top, we were greeted with calm conditions and 360-degree views all the way to the Gulf, and as far north as Wilpena Pound. After one more photo, it was time to head down the other side.

The sides of Mt Arwen were absolutely bursting with colour! Photo: David Leslie

The Descent Down the Arden 4WD Track

If we thought heading up was steep, we didn’t know what ‘steep’ was until we started heading down! The track is one way; you are not allowed to climb up the descent track. We soon realised why, as we were left hanging by our seat belts staring straight down!

The track has some big holes, so the Patrol soon found its limit as it stretched its legs and picked up a few wheels. This resulted in us sliding for half a metre or so at times. All in all, if you remember to pick a smooth line, stay in the ruts, first gear, low range, and keep braking and steering to a minimum – it’s a straightforward yet exhilarating descent.

Once back down, we continued through the valleys, followed the creek back to the range and back to camp. This was a very fun track with a few steep inclines and declines in the creek bed and surrounding hills. There was plenty to see, as the wildlife was out to greet us along with even more flowers, turning it into a sea of colour.

Argadells is an adventure destination all by itself. We could easily spend a week here exploring the property and surrounding areas. Make sure you put Argadells on your list for your next Flinders Ranges trip!

A family snap at Mt Arwen before we began the descent back down. Photo: David Leslie

A Spontaneous Stop at Mambray Creek

Now – truth be told, we were never planning to visit Mambray Creek as this is predominantly a bushwalker’s paradise. That said, we had received word that there was more nasty weather on the way. For us, Mambray Creek provided the perfect stop over to ease the distance of heading home.

I have stayed at Mambray Creek many times, as I used to arrange guide walks through the Mt Remarkable National Park. I have seen water in the creek, but nothing quite prepared me for how full it was this time! To see the debris marked a few metres higher in the trees, it’s a wonder the actual campsite had not been washed away in the storm.

The water was flowing rapidly through Mambray Creek. Photo: David Leslie

This is a beautiful spot, though it’s a little more commercial these days as it resembles a caravan park. It’s still set amongst the old river gums and gives you a sense of bush camping with some clean facilities only a short walk away.

If you get the chance, pack your hiking boots and an overnight pack and explore the National Park; its true treasures are accessible only by foot.

We took the opportunity to stroll along the nature walk beside the creek, finding hollowed out trees for the kids to play in and lots of wildlife to see. After that, it was just one last fire and a game of scrabble left of our Flinders Ranges trip.

Mambray Creek was the perfect place for a stop on the way home. Photo: David Leslie

Our Trip in a Few Words…

The Flinders Ranges is a remarkable area, boasting some of the oldest geological formations in the world. There is so much to see and so much adventure – no matter what you’re into. This place is a spectacular spot to visit, all year-round.

However – just add water, and the entire country comes to life! Everything is lifted up a gear, and I can honestly say that in all my years of travelling and guiding the area there is nothing like the Flinders Ranges in the spring!

When do you think is the best time to visit the Flinders Ranges?