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The Flinders Ranges
 The
fabulous Flinders is often portrayed as the gateway to the Outback
and that's exactly what it is.
Situated only 160
kilometres or so north of Port Augusta in South Australia, the Flinders
are easily accessible to the residents of Adelaide and to those
'crazy Victorians' charging across for the school holidays. This
accessibility, as well as its incredible beauty, make the Flinders
a very popular destination during peak season.
For the grey nomads, who aren't restricted by such mundane considerations
as school holidays, it is worth putting some effort into avoiding
the crowds.
Although the Flinders
Ranges National Park is actually divided into two sections, it is
the northern Flinders that boasts the majority of the attractions.
Central to this is the amazing Wilpena Pound. It's a quite spectacular
natural amphitheatre that is five kilometres wide and 10 kilometres
long. This is where the major campground is located, along with
information centre, pub, shop and petrol station. There
are some awesome bushwalks here and they range in difficulty from
those in the pleasant stroll category to the downright gruelling.
The effort is always well rewarded.
There are also more
basic, and significantly cheaper, camping spots available throughout
the park. The roads are bumpy and rough but, for the most part,
are suitable for caravans - if carefully driven.
The scenery throughout
is spectacular, rugged and breathtaking. The mountains here were
formed hundreds of millions of years ago and are reputed to be among
the oldest in the world. It's heady stuff and a place you will most
definitely want to linger. Emus and kangaroos abound.
This is a dry, dry
part of the world and there are restrictions on when you can have
campfires. However, if you visit when they are allowed, the Flinders
is a great place to do some socialising around the campfire.
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