Map of the trip from home to the flinders Ranges.
Day 1 Port Macquarie to Cassilis
We left Port Macquarie on the 8 th of June, three weeks later than planned as we stopped to say farewell to our good friend John Corcoran may he rest in peace.
One week was in Urunga with friends Jackie and Mark , (as we waited for his funeral )too much eating out and drinking but, lots of fun was had.
So now we head to South Australia to see the Flinders Ranges and hopefully do the Oodnadatta track this will be dependent on weather and road conditions
We drove south then through Thornton and then west towards Singleton through Dunedoo and stopped at Cassilis in a free camp for the night.
Day 2 Cassilis to Cobar
We headed to Cobar to see Paul, Johns brother.
We took the road through Gilgandra instead of Dubbo and we were surprised to see Gilgandra was bigger than we imagined. After morning tea there we went through Warren, Nevertine, Nyngan and finally Cobar.
We had chinese for dinner at the club and drinks and a catch up with Paul.
Day3 Cobar to Broken Hill
Another long drive towards Broken hill, long and boring except seeing all the goats grazing near the road. We stopped at a road side stop 120 kms short of Broken Hill with half a dozen other vans overnight.
Day 4 Broken to Petersborough
An early start a scenic driving to Broken Hill and stopping for 1:5 hours.
Then west to Peterborough. There was a cold wind which put the diesel consumption up to 30 litres/100km
By the time we fueled up in Broken Hill, we had spent $700 in fuel to get there.
Overnight was in the free camp at Peterborough.
Map of Flinders ranges in general.
Day 5 Mt Little station
A late start with the washing done, water tanks filled and the dump point used and the shopping topped up we drove through Carrieton and Craddock onto Hawker.
A brief stop for lunch then onto Mt Little station our camp for three nights. Big open places and lots of dirt with the Elder Ranges surrounding us.
We attended the pizza night at the tavern an open aired place and shop where John got a new beanie and me a pink flannie shirt.
Day 6 Mt Little Station.
The morning was spent doing a 3 km walk within the station and into Mayo gorge a rare but permanent waterhole in this region.
Then after morning tea we drove along the Moralana scenic road, this road starts on the Outback Highway.
bringing us on the Wilpenea Road where we visited a few lookouts these included Elder ranges lookout and Rawnsley lookout.
There are lots of roos and wallabies around and they often jump out at you and sure enough we collected one, damaging the number plate and unfortunately killing the wallaby.
The late afternoon was spent around a fire toasting marshmallows, followed by pork ribs.
Day7 Mt Little station
Today we explored the property doing some rough tracks and even a few hills that required low range 4wd to climb to the top. First stop was Harvey’s rocks which had a 200m walk in. Yellow footed rock wallaby live in the rock crevices but we didn’t see any.
Next stop Goats and Goon, a small picnic shed with old relics a perfect stop for morning tea.
Then further along to a gully where a long rough walk came to a cave in the rocks. Someone else had just completed the walk and said it was a long way not to see much and the hole in the rocks was to high to climb into, so we pressed on to Black goat lookout a steep climb to the top of a hill,
and a road in with undulating moguls, making the drive interesting!
We skipped the top end of the drive and moved on to skull tree for lunch. A tree decorated with lots of animals bones and a dry creek bed.
Then on to Roys ruins and museum with more old relics and a falling down house.
Roy was one of many WW1 army veterans given land by the government to settle but the land was too dry and most settlements were abandoned. A look in Mount Littles shop, an old brick building with hand made beanies and other bits and pieces, a honesty box to pay. We had already bought things at the tavern shop at the pizza night, so nothing was bought. The drive around the property was very scenic .
Then back to camp for another fire and more marshmallows.
Day 8 Rawnsley Station/ Flinders Ranges and roads travelled. ( map)
We moved on to Rawnsley Station caravan park a spot closer to the Flinders Ranges drives.
We had Power & water for two days so time to do more washing.
The first afternoon was planning doing the Oodnadatta track without the van for a 6 day trip.
Day nine Blinman
A trip to Blinman to catch up with friend Doug and Arna. Lunch at the pub, sampling there famous pies then driving home we stopped at Mt Emily and the Great Wall of China.
The wall is made up of a horizontal bed of limestone.
then Stokes hill lookout showing north to Patawarta Hill and beyond and south to the Chace and Druid ranges, east over Bunkers and west to Wilpena Pound and also stopping at Hucks lookout.
Day ten Flinders ranges
Next we moved to the bush camp section at Rawnsley, the no power area.
Our adventure the next day was to Arakroo rock an ingenious drawing site. A 3:5 km grade 3 walk.
Day 11 Flinders Ranges
We drove around the National Park. Such a stunning drive. See last map.
First stop
Yanyanna hut used for people walking the Heysens trail.
Bunyeroo lookout
Razorback lookout
Bunyeroo gorge
Brachina gorge
Wonoka formation and sightings of the yellow footed rock wallaby.
The national park here at the Flinders Ranges displays 630 million year old geology, the landscape reveals layers of sedimentary rock that has been uplifted and folded.
Aroona lookout
Aroona ruins
and back to camp via more scenic areas.
Next blog and onto part 2 of this trip.
