Rawnsley Park Station – Flinders Ranges

Our next destination was a BIG bucket list stop, the Flinders Ranges. We had planned to camp at Wilpena Pound, but this is ‘another’ version of Kings Canyon, i.e. a private resort inside a National Park, with commensurate pricing. Kris’s mum suggested we try Rawnsley Park Station, a farm stay 20 km away from Wilpena that boasts breath taking views of the outer walls of the Pound, but with more reasonable pricing, a pool and better facilities. Our friends from Adelaide, Eric and Michelle, booked ahead a nabbed a cosy cabin a few minutes walk from us.

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The views from our camp site. Magnificent colours at sunset.

After obligatory wine, cheese, dinner and more wine, we planned our four days together. This was to include St Mary’s Peak, a gruelling 661 m ascent. On our first day Eric and I grabbed cameras and spent a delightful morning taking pictures around the lower Flinders. We then did the gentle walks to Arkaroo Rock and Sacred Canyon to see some interesting rock art and petroglyphs.

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Emus were everywhere.

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1880 School house and church, an obliging subject inside and out.

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Sacred Canyon.

Next morning, Eric and I walked the 12.8 km loop to Rawnsley Bluff, a respectable 460 m climb. After finishing the steepest descent on the return walk, we were congratulating ourselves on our lack of injuries when Eric badly sprained his ankle. An inglorious end to a fabulous walk that provides lovely views from the escarpment both into Wilpena pound and across the surrounding ranges. I radioed ahead to Kris for ice packs and a medicinal glass of wine, stat!

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Could this possibly be a trail marker? Rawnsley Bluff lookout.

All too soon we bade farewell to Eric and Michelle and packed up, ready to travel north to see some more of the Flinders.

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2 thoughts on “Rawnsley Park Station – Flinders Ranges

  1. We have enjoyed all your recent blogs, but sometimes can’t seem to log in to reply, so please thank Sam for his most recent one about Caernavon Gorge. His descriptions were excellent and we could almost think we were seeing everything with our own eyes.
    Bad luck about the tyres, but they had done a few kilometres!
    Love from us.

  2. We camped at both Arkaroola and Wilpena Pound and again the Flinders Ranges was one of our best memories not only for the scenery but for a storm at Arkaroola. This storm hit us in the small hours of Father’s Day and Tim slept through it!!! Ros nearly got herself strangled when she tried to kiss Les a happy Father’s Day as he was desperately hanging on to the guy ropes of the tent fly which looked more like a balloon jib. Eventually all was sorted out in the morning and Ros went to the Ablution Block only to run in to Rachael Edwards on a school excursion from Canberra. Her parents, David and Jenny, and brothers Tim and Rohan were with us in the U.S.