A Good Look Around : Wilpena Pound - Flinders Ranges

22 - 24 September 2014

We started early in Clare with a yummy - and fairly cheap - breakfast at the bakery and a few photos at the park and then headed off towards the Flinders Ranges. We made the usual stops - at Quorn and Hawker - and arrived at Wilpena Pound Resort in the early afternoon. Our last - and only other - visit to this part of the country was in 1991, when we camped and lived out of the back of a Landcruiser ute. We were doing it in a bit more comfort this time.

Musk Lorikeet at Clare

These Emus were wandering past our accommodation at Wilpena Pound Resort

Grass Tree

Because rain was forecast for the next day we decided to make a start and go for a walk after a cup of tea. We opted for the "Hills Homestead" walk which was described ass 6.6km return walk - and we found it was as described. A well made path, with only a short uneven uphill section. We also made the extra 600m return trek up to the lower "Wangarra Lookout". The upper lookout was out of our reach because of dodgy knees, and unfit bodies. The view from the lower lookout was still awesome. This part of the country is beautiful and we both took lots of photos along the way.

Dinner at the bistro was reasonably priced, nothing fancy, but tasty. The night was quite cool but nothing like we had experienced over the previous few days. We awoke to bright sunshine, despite the forecast of rain. We checked, and rain was still predicted, but not until evening, and cloud from about lunchtime.

We checked in at the Visitor Centre and picked up a map. On the recommendation of the young man there we decided to head to Brachina Gorge. We had camped there on our our last visit here. This time though we were driving a Toyota Corolla (a hire car) so weren't so confident of getting all the way through to the gorge - and we were right.

The unsealed road from the Wilpena - Blinman road was a fairly easy drive, with some fabulous views along the way, but alas we came to a creek crossing with a huge puddle and water flowing over the causeway so we couldn't go any further. (Well maybe we could have, but we weren't prepared to take the risk). We drove a short way back up the road to park the car and walked back down for a look around.

After that stop we drove on to Blinman which is where the bitumen ends. This is a busy little town, with a pub, a shop/cafe and a few other businesses. There was even an art exhibition in the Blinman Community Hall - part of the "Flinders Ranges - A Brush with Art" festival. We went in to have a look after the obligatory stop for coffee. There are some talented artists in these parts.

Shingleback Lizards are frequently seen on the road, dead and alive

Emus were a common sight on the drive. Males incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

We returned to Wilpena Pound - having made a couple of stops to take photos - in time for lunch. By this time there were a few clouds in the sky, but nothing serious looking.

View of Wilpena Pound from Hucks Lookout

Lots of wildflowers around in spring

Red-capped Robin with tasty grub in its beak for its young

After lunch we headed out on the "Boom and Bust" walk (also known as "Droughtbusters Hike") - about 1.5km, described as moderate. This is a loop walk and has a steady, but manageable, uphill climb to a great vantage point. The track is rocky and uneven - and I wished I had brought my hiking boots rather than my joggers. We were in sensory overload with spectacular views, including gathering storm clouds, abundant wildflowers and interesting rock formations. Although there weren't a lot of birds waiting to have their photo taken, this little robin happily obliged. We headed home as the clouds started to close in - looks like we had picked the best time of day for our excursion.

Overnight there was lots of rain, as well as thunder and lightning, but the morning broke clear and cool. Our last morning at Wilpena Pound so we decided to head to "Wood Duck Pond" just up the road a bit. We only stopped for a very short while, then turned back towards Quorn. On the way we stopped to do the "Arkaroo Rock Hike". This was accurately described as "moderate". The gentle climb took us up about 500m and afforded another spectacular Flinders Ranges vista. Everywhere you turn there is a "picture postcard" view.

The vegetation reminded us of a beautiful native garden. The Adnyamathanha rock paintings feature ochre and charcoal images depicting the creation story of Wilpena Pound. Out of respect for the traditional owners of this land, we have chosen not to include photographs of the art site. This is one walk that is a definite must do when visiting the area - it's only 3 km long and 2 km off the main road. The views are stunning, the flora magnificent at this time of year and lots of creatures to see - and maybe photograph. We were both very glad we had made this short detour.