Flinders Ranges Walk
Guided Walking Holiday
MELROSE | ALIGATOR GORGE | DUTCHMAN’S STERN | WILPENA POUND | BUNYEROO GORGE | TANDERRA SADDLE | PARACHILNA GORGE | CLARE VALLEY
On this solo walking tour you’ll enjoy a fantastic selection of walks in South Australia’s longest, oldest and most fascinating mountain range. Walk through stands of northern cypress-pine, open woodlands, hilltop heath and amazing gorges, all the while enjoying vistas of sweeping plains and endless mountain ranges.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Mount Remarkable national park
- Dutchman’s Stern for Gum forests and sweeping views
- The natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound
- St. Mary’s Peak, central to the Adnyamathanha creation story
- Parachilna Gorge, where the Heysen Trail ends
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Your Itinerary
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Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
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Day 5
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Day 6
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Day 7
Day 1 : Drive from Adelaide to Melrose, walk Alligator Gorge (2km walk)
Leaving central Adelaide, you head north to the very start of the Flinders Ranges and Mt. Remarkable National Park, to enjoy a picnic lunch, then visit beautiful Alligator Gorge for a short easy walk through the vivid red sandstone gorge. Tonight enjoy dinner at the North Star Hotel, Melrose.
Day 2 : Dutchman’s Stern (12km walk)
After breakfast head north to walk at Dutchman’s Stern. The walk today is a steep but steady incline through sugar gum forest to the top, where you will be rewarded with 360° views over the sweeping plains and Lake Torrens in the distance. The path then makes its way through drooping she-oak woodlands back down towards the start of the walk crossing paths with the famous long distance Heysen Trail. After visiting Quorn, an old railway town, continue to the heart of Ranges and Rawnsley Park Station.
Day 3 : Black Gap to Wilpena Pound (12km walk)
Drive to Black Gap to commence your walk towards Bridle Gap and the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound, following a part of the Heysen Trail. The walk up to Bridle Gap can be quite steep and rocky in sections, but the views at the top are worth it. From Bridle Gap it’s a gentle walk down in to the valley floor of Wilpena Pound through a variety of mallee, native pine and heath. These habitats provide excellent opportunities for keen naturalists to observe interesting local birds, including wrens, robins, parrots and raptors.
Day 4 : Wilcolo Circuit and Bunyeroo Gorge (14km)
A scenic drive to the first walk today, Bunyeroo Wilcolo Circuit walk. It’s a fairly easy walk with more gentle hills than other parts of the Flinders Ranges, offering a nice contrast to the steep and rocky terrain of yesterday. Enjoy unbeatable views of the ABC Range and the Wilpena Pound Range from the halfway point lookout. After a picnic lunch explore the geological wonders of Bunyeroo Gorge.
Day 5 : Tanderra Saddle (St Mary’s Peak) (15km walk)
A short drive to Wilpena Pound to start one of the more challenging walks of the week. St. Mary’s Peak stands proudly above the Pound and is central to the Adnyamathanha creation story. Aboriginal people of the Flinders Ranges ask visitors not to climb to the summit of the peak and so you will climb as far as Tanderra Saddle with stunning views of the surrounding ranges and plains.
Day 6 : Aroona to Parachilna Gorge (18km walk)
The walk today will once again follow part of the Heysen Trail, passing through a variety of terrain, through cypress pine forests and mulga country. As you follow the ABC and Heysen Range leave the National Park behind and make your way to Parachilna Gorge, where the famous Heysen Trail also comes to an end. After the walk drive to the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna.
Day 7 : Return to Adelaide via the Clare Valley
Today you return to Adelaide via the picturesque Clare Valley and visit one of the local wineries. Return to Adelaide by around 4.30pm.
This tour has an early start from Adelaide and requires an overnight stay the night before. We will be pleased to arrange this for you. Please wear your walking gear on the morning of the first day and take your day pack with you
