Burnsie's Blog: Flinders Ranges

Well this section was meant to be about the Flinders Ranges and the amazing Wilpenna Pound. Sadly due to a 1 in 50 year storm - we didn't get the full experience of the Flinders Ranges, however that said we saw enough to ensure we will return next year.
We left Peterborough on the Wednesday morning knowing the storm event was coming. It was suggested we would be better off staying put and waiting out the storm, however we decided that we would see if being a few hundred km north would lessen the ferocity of the storm. We arrived at our destination - Willow Springs Station - around 2pm. Some wind but the sun was shinning and we had time to set up camp and have a beer before things deteriorated. Whilst we were staying on station land- we were basically 'free' camping - no power or water, however we were only about 1km from the station homestead where there was amenities and a camp kitchen.

Our perfect campsite

Beautiful sunset

Sunshine at last

Ready to weather the storm

Max

Marshmallows!!

We could hear the wind coming down the gullies and just gusting past us. Hard to sleep through this even though our campsite was pretty protected.
The next day we thought we couldn't put our trip on hold despite the weather so we headed into Wilpenna Pound to have a look around. Whilst the Information centre and Café both had access to power, both phone lines and mobile connections were down and they closed both facilities. All roads and walking tracks in the area were closed due to the amount of rain. Still not to be daunted we headed into Hawker to have a pub lunch - Not going to happen - Most of SA lost power and phone/mobile service for 48 hours and all the shops etc; were closed. The main service station in Hawker had their own generator so they were busy as the only business for a few hundred km that was open. Back we went to Willow Springs Station and their camp kitchen!! With their own generator they were able to supply a warm, safe spot for us to while away the day with some fellow campers. Hot showers, heaters, cooking, cold beers and DVD player/games - we were pretty much better off than most people in SA.

Friday saw the winds starting to ease and by lunchtime the rain has stopped allowing us to enjoy a drive around the area. The homemade pies at Bliman are something not to be missed and the hospitality at Parachilna Hotel is second to none. We met up with some local Police at Parachilna and Max had the best time hanging out with them. They were amazingly patient and shared their lunch with him and allowed him to 'monitor' the police radio. One very happy little boy,