
Low Cloud cover over the Flinders Ranges
Like any trip that I plan, the weather will play a very important factor in the successful outcome of the trip. For the months leading up to our proposed trip to visit friends on the
Birdsville Track, the weather was just perfect, but the same could not be said days before our intended departure date. I was hearing first hand reports of a fair amount of rain having fallen around the
Leigh Creek area, so I gave Patsy a phone call up at Etadunna Station, and her reply was,” it was perfect blue skies and a balmy 23° C up along the
Birdsville Track”, so I hoped that things would take a drastic change for the better in the
Leigh Creek area.
Checking out the Elders Weather site the same could not be said with a large rain band forecast to pass through the centre of Australia and passing through the very country we hope to visit with some substantial amount of rain to be received. Leaving a foggy
Clare, we had rain on and off all the way up to
Hawker which was a real great start to the trip. From
Hawker north the rain increased in intensity to the point that we had to have the wipers on all the time and large sheets of water were now covering the sides of the Main Highway. Knowing first hand what it is like to be caught out on a wet
Birdsville Track, we decided to make
Leigh Creek our destination for the first night, as I had a strange feeling about the weather and the road conditions further north. Booking into the Caravan Park, the caretaker must have thought we must be crazy, asking for a non-powered site, and not a cabin as he expected.
It rained all night and a quick phone call to Patsy first thing Saturday morning confirmed that it was indeed raining up along the
Birdsville Track, with Patsy recording 4mm of rain overnight and a quick
check of the Elders Weather site confirmed that
Marree had received over 20mm of rain and
Leigh Creek 35mm. Experience told me straight away that it would be pointless to even attempt the drive up to
Marree, as with that amount of rain, all tracks would be soon closed if they were not already. Driving out of the Caravan Park, the Caretaker said you might as
well book into here again for another night, as the Main Road south was closed to all traffic due to flooding creeks.
Another quick
check of the Elders site and there was a massive rain front around 2 hours west of the area and if we did not get out them, even
Leigh Creek could become stranded. The very first
creek crossing south of the town had water flowing across the road and this continued on with nearly every
creek crossing the further south that we headed. We were warned by fellow travellers that were heading north that the road further south was closed due to flooding waters at one of the creek crossings over the Main Highway and there was a large line up of vehicles on both sides waiting to cross and there would be no way that we would be able to get through to
Hawker.

The first of many flooded crreks over the Main Highway

Shale over the Main Highway

Those dark clouds meant only one thing - more heavy rain
We passed a Police vehicle heading north and he made no signs of wanting us to stop or turn around, so we continued further south until only around 67 kilometres north of
Hawker where the Brachina Overflow crosses the Main Highway. Then as we were warned, the Highway was blocked by a torrent of very fast flowing water as the Brachina Creek raced across the Highway and stopped all vehicles dead in their tracks, including large Road Trains. After around an hour and a half, the water level was slowly dropping, but the clouds out over the Ranges were very black and would be dropping large amounts of rain on the Ranges, which would result in even more water flowing down the Brachina Creek. The first vehicle to
test the still very fast flowing water was a road train, but it still would not be safe enough for smaller vehicles, so all we could do a just wait. A quarter of an hour later, two more trucks went through the fast water followed by the first four-wheel drive vehicle. Safely negotiating the water crossing, he was followed by another five four-wheel drives, including us and we were now free of this barrier. It would have been a long wait for the large line up of conventional vehicles, and we wondered just how long they ended up waiting before it was safe for them to cross.

Deep and fast flowing water at the Brachina Overflow

The water level slowly dropping

This Road Train was to first to cross
After a quick stop at
Hawker, we continued south back to
Clare where we would rearrange our camping gear and decide what we would do for the next week. Checking the Internet when we got
home, all roads through the
Flinders Ranges and north of
Lyndhurst were now closed to all vehicles, so we made the wise but very disappointing decision to turn around when we did. The next 2 days we watched the weather charts and the worst of the weather had passed, so we decided that we would head back to the Flinders and spend 5 nights back up at
Wilpena Pound. Heading back to the Flinders and it was a real typical winters day here in
Clare, with low cloud covering all the hills and fine drizzling rain, and it was not until we were near
Orroroo that the cloud cover dissipated completely and clearer sky’s to the north.

Orroroo Town welcome sign

Fiona looking up at this massive 500 year old River Red Gum
We had morning smoko at the site of the very old River Red Gum at
Orroroo before heading north to the Flinders again. I wanted to
test just how quick the roads were drying out, seeing that they had now had no rain on them for over two days, and I knew just the road, which is just outside of
Cradock and was in fact the old Main
Hawker to
Cradock Road before the new bitumen road was made and takes the back way into
Hawker. The roads was very good to the point where we were actually kicking up dust with only a few puddles of water in the lower sections of the road. This was a good
sign that the roads further north in the Flinders would be drying out and would hopefully open to traffic again very shortly. Arriving at
Wilpena Pound, we booked into the
camping area, where we were able to get our usual spot and there were very few campers in the Pound, which I would have thought from the recent heavy rains in the area. When I asked just how much rain had fallen here, I was informed that Wilpena had received 75mm of rain, which explained why the creeks were all raging torrents like they were only days before. With the tent set up and the fire going, it was great to be back to one of our very special
places and still very close to
home. This was
bush camping with the best of both worlds, hot showers, normal
toilets and Internet coverage, yet still if a true bush setting of
Wilpena Pound. It was a cool that night around the campfire, with not a cloud in the sky and if it was going to stay like this, our week back in the Flinders would be just perfect.

On the old Main Hawker - Cradock Road heading towards Hawker

Those majestic Flinders Rangers - we never get sick of visiting them

The cloud cover starting to clear

The Elder Range Roadside Stop

The Elder Range

Getting closer to Wilpena

Rawnsley Bluff Lookout

Native Cypress Pines are very common in the Flinders

Native Pines and Rawnsley Bluff
Next morning the Ranges were blanketed in a cover of cloud so it looked like we were now back into the chance of rain, just what we did not want. With fire going again, the smell of the smoke was very pleasant and as Fiona was toasting her bread over the coals of the fire, we were visited by a number of varieties of local birds that were sitting on Fiona’s chair waiting for a free feed. Over the next four days, we visited many of the visitor attractions that the
Flinders Ranges are famous for. During one of our day drives, we revisited the Brachina Overflow where is crosses the Main Highway. The crossing had been
clearing of all
debris and if we had not been caught out there only days before, it is hard to believe that there was so much water thundering across this usually dry crossing. The weather for the week was overcast and the odd small shower of rain. The
Flinders Ranges has always been one of our favourite place to visit and
camp, but is does not matter how many times we have stayed up there, it is one such destination that we always look forward to visiting again.

Our camp amongst the Cypress Pines

Trying my new Solar Powerfilm Solar blanket

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Bush Camp Setting

Our Camp Setup

We had to make sure everything was away at night

Nothing beats a campfire when camping

Leaving Wilpena with a cloud covered Ranges

Not your usual view of the Flinders Ranges

There was still some water on the Sacred Canyon Road

These big Red Gums would have had a great drink from all the water in the small creeks

Low cloud still covering the Ranges from the Sacred Canyon Road
My only word of advice for anyone that intends to visit this iconic destination in South Australia, and if you have never visited the area before, do not under estimate the time that you will require to see all that the area has to see and visit. A first time trip to the area for the person that that likes to explore all that is on offer, then a minimum say of at least 2 weeks in the area would be recommended, and then you still not see all there is see. The Flinders can be visited any time of the year, but a visit in spring can re rewarded with great displays of
wildflowers, and with the local rains that have fallen right across the whole
Flinders Ranges area, this year is shaping up to be another great year for
wildflowers.

Fiona is the official "Gate Opener"

Heading up the creek towards Sacred Canyon

The first of the Aboriginal rock engravings

The rock pools are usually dry heading up the canyon

The Canyon starting to narrow

Working out which way to get around the water

The Main Aboriginal Rock Engravings wall at Sacred Canyon

Large pool of water at the Engravings site

Sacred Canyon Aboriginal Engraving Site

Entering Wilpena Pound

Heading out on the Bunyeroo Gorge Road

There were lots of Emus in the Flinders

Old Stock Yards at Yanyanna Hut

The Yanyanna Hut - used for overland hikers on the Mawson Trail

Views like this have made the Flinders Ranges famous world wide

The road takes you down to Bunyeroo Gorge

The rugged beauty of the Flinders Ranges

There was only a little still flowing in Bunyeroo Gorge

To think days before flooding waters were raging through Bunyeroo Gorge

Heading for Brachina Gorge

Brachina Gorge

Brachina Gorge

The forces of nature sent this massive Red Gum down Brachina Gorge in a past flood

This windmill is dwarfed by the Flinders Ranges

Brachina Overflow days after the flooding

These were the floodwater that stopped us from heading south to Hawker

A normally dry Brachina Overflow days after the flooding

Fiona examines the depth gauge at the Brachina Overflow

Debris on the depth gauge

Debris on the higher sections of the Brachina Overflow

This Crow would always be looking for any scraps

The Noisy Miners were always very shy and always hang back

The Apostlebirds were always first into our camp

Heading east on the Moralana Scenic Drive

View from Hucks Lookout

Stokes Hill Lookout

Stokes Hill Lookout

Stokes Hill Lookout

Stokes Hill Lookout

Appealinna Creek

Appealinna Ruins

Appealinna Ruins

Appealinna Ruins

Appealinna Ruins

The Main Wilpena to Blinman Road

The unusual shapes on the rock formation

Old ruins at Dingly Dell

Scenery on the Great Wall of China Road

Rock formation at the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China south of Blinman

Blinman Cemetery

William Kekwick Memorial

This Headstone said it all

Scenery on the Parachilna Gorge Road

Creek Crossing along the Parachilna Gorge Road

Leaving the Hawker Road to drive the Brachina Gorge Road

The Brachina Gorge Road from the Main Hawker - Leigh Creek Road

Brachina Gorge Road with some very dark rain clouds

Heading towards Brachina Gorge

Billy Creek

There were still small pools of water after the floods in Brachina Gorge

Driving conditions in Brachina Creek

Brachina Creek

Only days after the flooding, and the track had been used many times

Fiona wanted a water picture

Brachina Gorge rock formations

Brachina Gorge rock formations

The endangered Yellowfoot Rock Wallaby

I was able to get very close to this little fellow

Brachina Gorge

Aroona Lookout

Brachina Gorge Road

Moralana Scenic Drive

From the Moralana Scenic Drive Road

Wilpena Pound from Pugalist Lookout

640 Million Year Old Enorama Shale formation

On the Main Brachina Gorge Drive Road

On the Martins Well Road looking east

Information Shelter at the start of the Arkaroo Rock walk

Track conditions on the walk

On the Arkaroo Rock walk

Arkaroo Rock Art Site

Arkaroo Rock Art Site

Arkaroo Rock Art Site

Arkaroo Rock Art Site

Arkaroo Rock Art Site

Fiona admiring the Rock Art

This cage protects the Rock Art

Low cloud cover over St Mary Peak

It fined up as we were coming home

Moralana Scenic Drive

Large Gums in Moralana Creek

Moralana Scenic Drive

The clouds rolling in again on the Moralana Scenic Drive

At the Surveyors Memorial with the Ranges in the Background

Elder Range