What goes up must come down
- Posted by Push Adventures
- On May 16, 2017
- 0 Comments
- #southaustralia, family, flinders ranges national park, in the flinders, inclusive, national parks sa, prairie hotel, push adventures, rawnsley park station, tourism, trailrider, travel, wheelchair
Let’s start with the up, we have just spent an incredible four days exploring the Flinders Ranges. As always the travelling to the destination is usually the hardest part of travelling with small children, so after eight toilet stops and 500kms covered we wound our way into Rawnsley Park Station through peak kangaroo grazing time. And settled into our comfortable accommodation in just enough time to catch a fabulous sunset.
Over the next couple of days we explored the Station grounds, including the Caravan Park, Eco Villas and it seemed all roads led back to the helicopter pad and the Woolshed restaurant. The helicopter sat luminescent in the outback sun, luring us to take up the opportunity to take to the skies and check out the aerial view of the station and Wilpena Pound. It was absolutely breathtaking! Our family all fit in together, so it was a really special experience. If you can get yourself into a seat, or don’t mind a helping hand this is a pretty awesome experience, check out Helivista for more information.
We jumped in the car and headed for a scenic drive in and around Wilpena Pound. The landscape of the Flinders Ranges National Park is unbelievable and the abundant wildlife keeps you searching for the next group of kangaroos or emus. We were fortunate enough to see a wedge tailed eagle!
We also took opportunity to head up through Blinman and wind through the Parachilna Gorge. The dirt road was well maintained, but it was still a dirt road! It was a thrill to drive through the low waters in the creeks and then come out the other side of the gorge and enjoy some Feral foods at the iconic Prairie Hotel.
Make sure keep an eye on your petrol though as towns are a fair distance apart, and whether you are walking or rolling the hot sun wouldn’t be very forgiving if you had to get the next town to fill up. Ensure your car is well maintained before hitting the road or leave the stress of driving to someone else and take a guided 4WD tour from Rawnsley Park station, I am doing this next time for sure!
We also took advantage of the incredible outback sunset and packed a picnic and headed to the top of Pugilist Hill, which is right across the way from the station. Camp fires and star gazing are also part of the appeal.
There is a huge amount of walking trails throughout the Flinders Ranges, unfortunately only part of a walk from the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre is really suitable for wheelchair users. There are a lot of dirt and gravel paths, but never fear there is so much to enjoy even if you don’t set foot on a trail.
We covered over 1000km during our trip and made it home safely but upon piling out of the car in the haste everyone does after a long drive, Scott took a fall and broke his leg. So our holiday high quickly diminished as we called an ambulance and literally crashed back down to earth. He is recovering well though and hope to see him home in the next few days, this won’t stop us for long.
The toilet situation:
Accessible toilets are far and few between in the Flinders Ranges. The Woolshed restaurant, Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre and the Prairie Hotel had accessible bathrooms in the places we checked out.
Looking for something else to do?
Check out the South Australia.com for their tips on exploring the Flinders Ranges.
Getting there:
You can fly into Wilpena Pound Resort or take the drive up National Highway A1, approximately 470km north of Adelaide.
National Parks for All:
Show your support for our friends at In the Flinders who have a campaign running to get a Trailrider for use in the Flinders Ranges, they just need your vote. A trailrider would enable people with mobility needs to get out and enjoy the trails.
Until next time safe travels to all.