Central Flinders Ranges

We met Paddy’s brother Paul at Wilpena Pound in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, where we set up camp for 3 nights. We enjoyed a Welcome to Country given by a young indigenous man, then headed back to camp for a yummy roast and a campfire. Ikara means “meeting place” which was fitting this is where we met up with a member of our family!

The next day we did a 12km return hike to the Tanderra Saddle, not far from Saint Mary Peak/Ngarri Mudlanh (which we chose not to climb as it is considered a sacred place in the local Adnyamathanha culture). It was a challenging hike with lots of rocks to climb but extremely worth it when we reached the Saddle. An absolute magical view of the ranges. We headed back to camp after lunch up on the mountain. Unfortunately Paul had a fall on the way down badly bruising his back. He landed heavily on a rock and he did an amazing job continuing on. He was very lucky he did not do any major damage.

The following day we did an early morning cultural tour out to Yura Mulka (Sacred Canyon). Our guide Ranee, an Adnyamathanha woman, was so knowledgeable and we learnt a lot about the Adnyamathanha culture and their deep spiritual connection to the land of the Flinders Ranges.. We walked through a gorge where they have gathered for thousands of years and were able to see many indigenous rock drawings and hear stories of their ancestors.

I enjoyed a restful afternoon at the van whilst Paddy and Paul climbed another mountain. We finished the day with another campfire. Nights are very cold but there is nothing like sitting out under the stars all rugged up and enjoying the warmth of a fire.

We left Wilpena Pound on Saturday 31st May and drove to the town of Blinman. Not much there in this old mining town but we struck gold at the cafe as they sold gluten free pies and delicious gluten free muffins!! Paddy was in heaven. After lunch we called past Wadna, an indigenous gallery/shop. We had a great chat with the owner Kristian Coultard, an Adnyamathanha man who mentors the guides and young people on their culture. From there we drove about 20km’s further where we picked a campsite by the very dry creek beds of Parachilna Gorge and set up for a couple of nights of free camping under the stars. We took a quick drive on a few 4WD tracks which were a bit tricky but fun to do. We even saw a wedding car with the bride and groom and all the bridal party who were out in the middle of nowhere taking photos. Very random but a lovely sight to see! We climbed the ridge line of the rock mountain beside our campsite to watch an incredible sunset. Back to camp for another fire and to enjoy the serenity, although we were interrupted occasionally by goats climbing the rock mountain close by which then created a rock slide. The goats were not the only ones on edge!!!

The next day we took a drive to Parachilna. There is only a pub there (Prairie Hotel) that everyone on our travels raves about but unfortunately it was closed as the wedding couple had hired it out for the whole weekend for their celebrations!! I’m sure there will be another time someday we will return for a feed. We spent this day exploring the Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges which were dry (as expected) but beautiful. I enjoyed an evening of book reading, whilst Paddy and Paul chatted around the fire. The following morning we visited Blinman Cafe again for Paddy to grab another gluten free pie before hitting the northern part of the Flinders Ranges.