The Flinders are an ancient mountain
range with rocks dating back over 500 million years. The rugged and arid scenery
is breathtaking and affords incredible views and fantastic hikes. The Central
Flinders are organized in a national park 280 miles north of Adelaide and comprise
rougly 100,000 hectares.
There are plenty of four-wheeling spots in the area, most on private land so
you have to obtain a permit. These tracks are hardly challenging and the scenery
is the main attraction of the area. The terrain varies from sand to rock and
low-range is only needed for steep climbs and descents.
Hawker, a tiny village, is the last
place to stock up on supplies and the gas station doubles as tourist info where
useful brochures are available.
Probably the most renowned trail around is here is Skytrek on the Willow Springs
Station, a 70,000 acre sheep property. It is about 38 miles long and takes roughly
6 hours to complete, including several stops to enjoy the breathtaking views.
It was originally constructed to assist with mustering sheep and to build several
mustering yards and mostly follows the ridge tops.
We had called the day before to book for the Trek to ensure that we could pick
up our permit. As the owners are busy running the farm, they are not always
at the residence. Guided tours can also be arranged. We arrived at the property
around 9am and chatted with Carmel for a while who provided us with a detailed
map for the track. Along the way, 40 markers correlate to bits of information
on the flyer about the history of the area, the farm, sheeping industry and
local fauna and flora. It was very interesting and entertaining!
The trail starts through a sandy gorge with gum trees and some Aboriginal petroglyphs. We crossed a few dry creeks and passed through many gates. Several fences are constructed to keep the sheep within boundaries but we actually saw more emus than sheep. These large flightless birds can run up to 30mph but appear permanently befuddled.
Long stretches of this trail can
be driven in 2WD. We had already discovered that most four-wheeling in Australia
usually means going onto a remote, unpaved road which does not necessarily involve
tricky obstacles but requires a reliable vehicle with high clearance.
We passed through an ancient sea bed where wave ripples can be observed in some
rock surfaces. This is testament to the history of this old continent which
was once covered by huge seas and lakes.
Further down, we reached Old Moxan's Hut where station employees used to live
until the early 60ies. It was built around the turn of the century and is one
of many historic buildings in the Flinders. Skytrek passes through a protection
area for the shy and rare yellow footed rock wallabies and the government has
granted users of the track limited access to this area. The animals are protected
and you're very lucky if you see one.
We got to the base of a mountain slope and started to ascend the steep rocky
track. This part of Skytrek gives the area its name. We seemed to climb into
the sky and snaked up the ridge, followed along the mountain side onto yet another
ridge until we hit the top of Mount Caernarvon, one of the highest vehicle access
points in the Flinders. The very rocky terrain reminded us a bit of some trails
in the Big Bear area in California. On the top the 360 degree view is phenomenal
and a plague names the neighboring peeks and formations. The rugged mountains
are extremely beautiful in their starkness. After signing the guest book we
slowly crawled downhill.
Towards the end of Skytrek, we detoured for 4 miles to Skull Rock, an impressive rock formation formed by calcium run-off. Finally, we returned to Willow Springs Homestead and handed back our key.
Back on National Park roads, we continued to explore some of the dramatic gorges and peaks of this area. We continued through Banyeroo Gorge and passed several backcountry sites which offered no facilities but beckoned to the visitor with their beautiful, quiet setting. We found Brachina Gorge to be one of the most stunning features in the park - the colors in the rock seemed to be ablaze and the rugged solitude was peaceful. We traveled along the river bed for a while; it was mostly dry and we crossed shallow water only once. With the jagged rocks this is a bad place to be caught without a spare tire and higher clearance might come in handy, though it is not necessary.
As the day came to an end more wildlife was active and every so often, an inquisitive kangaroo would eye us from the side of the road but they rarely found us intimidating enough to scatter. With a bounty of hiking trails available for all abilities and interests, it is easy to spend several days in this fantastic area but we pushed on into the true Outback.