Parachilna, Flinders Ranges
The tiny township of Parachilna in the far north of South Australia is not strictly in the ranges. It is located about 8 kilometres west of Parachilna Gorge. This small community has never been huge with a population rarely exceeding 20 over the years. It was first surveyed in 1863 and was at its peak during the time that the nearby copper mine at Blinman was operational.
A Special Place
Parachilna has a special place in my life. In 1969 I was appointed as Head Teacher of the tiny Parachilna Rural School there. It was my first teaching appointment and a very rugged introduction to the profession. The school had a total enrolment of 12 students. During my two year appointment the total number never exceeded 14 students, and at one stage I had the grand sum of 4 – all from one family. I filled the role not only of teacher, but also that of Principal, cleaner, gardener, building maintenance officer, nurse, banker and many other menial but essential positions. I even had to be the presiding officer for a Federal Election, the school building being the only suitable polling booth for some 40km in any direction.
Prairie Hotel
Today the school is closed and is used as a backpacker hostel. There are several houses in the little township and one hotel, the oddly named Prairie Hotel. When I first moved to Parachilna the hotel was my home for several months. There was no teacher housing provided because previous teachers had boarded at one of the nearby cattle stations and had provided the means to transport several students to the school each day. Eventually the Education Department, at my insistence, provided me with a new 8 metre long caravan to live in, complete with shower, toilet and washing machine. I still had to rely on power from the hotel’s generator.
Tourism
In the late 1960s the Flinders Ranges as a tourist destination was just in its infancy. Today the area caters for hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. In those early days it was only a few thousand. A few years ago we visited both nearby Blinman and Parachilna for the first time in over 20 years. We were amazed at the changes that had occured, especially to the hotel. The vastly refurbished hotel now attracts tourists worldwide and boasts that it is Australia’s most awarded outback hotel. Check out its website for more.
Driving to the Flinders Ranges
No Comments »17th April, 2006; Category: Camping, Caravanning, Flinders Ranges, General, South Australia
One of our favourite places in South Australia is Aroona Valley in the heart of the Flinders Ranges in northern South Australia. We have camped there on a number of occasions, the first time was during our honeymoon many years ago.
Access
Aroona Valley is about five to six hours by road north of Adelaide. Except for the last section, the highway is now all sealed. When I first travelled there in the late 1960s about the last 100 kilometres was dirt road – and not in a very good condition either. It certainly was an adventure in those days, but I had to go there because my first teaching job was at nearby Parachilna Rural School.
One can take several routes from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges.
- The main highway through Port Wakefield, Port Pirie, Port Augusta then Quorn and Hawker is the longest.
- Through Gawler, Clare Valley, Wilmington, Quorn then Hawker is the most picturesque but can be rather slow in parts because there are many interesting places to stop on the way.
- Another picturesque route is Gawler, Clare, Riverton, Burra, Peterborough, Orroroo then Hawker.
- The most direct route is Gawler, Clare, Jamestown, Orroroo and then Hawker.
From Hawker one has several choices to get to Aroona Valley and other parts of the ranges:
- Many people base themselves at Hawker, leaving their caravan there and driving through the various tracks north of there.
- Others take the route to Wilpena Pound and base themselves in the shady camping ground there.
- Yet others go only as far as the lovely caravan and camping ground at Rawnsley Park on the southern edge of Wilpena Pound.
- The other route is due north from Hawker towards Parachilna, turning off at the Brachina Gorge dirt track heading in towards the ranges.
Oh no, writing about such interesting and beautiful places makes me want to pack and leave immediately. This would make up for the disappointment of the last trip there a few years ago. We took our caravan to Rawnsley Park Caravan Park for ten days. On the way I was aware of having a sore throat. I then spent much of the next ten days coughing, wheezing, sniffing, sneezing and generally feeling miserable.
I spent some of the time huddled up in bed. This wasn’t as bad as it seems. I had a ten million dollar view of the ranges through the caravan window.
The Flinders Ranges
The Easter weekend usually sees many Australians heading off of a long weekend break travelling to various parts of the state or even interstate. The traffic on such weekends can be quite busy, not to mention dangerous. Added to the long weekend are the school holidays which started this weekend in South Australia. This just adds more reason for potential chaos on our roads.
Flinders Ranges
This year we are not venturing forth anywhere. Not being tied to a job now we can choose when we travel and try to avoid the school holidays and long weekends if we can. In years gone by we would use long weekends or school holidays to set off to the Flinders Ranges in the north of South Australia. We often packed up all our camping gear in the trailer on in the 4WD and race off for some tranquility in these beautiful ranges – along with thousands of others seeking the same tranquility.
Good therapy
Despite its crowdedness these days it is still possible to find quiet spots in some of the gorges and valleys in the ranges. There are plenty of gullies and gorges to investigate. The creeks running through these gorges contain waterholes and fabulous rock formations. Sitting quietly on a fallen tree trunk watching the water trickling over the rocks is very therapeutic – I can thorougly recommend it. Sitting still also enables one to appreciate the rich birdlife of the area.
Artist’s paradise
The Flinders Ranges exhibit picture perfect scenes at almost every turn. Magnificent towering gums line the creek beds, their branches twisting and turning trying to embrace the azure sky overhead. Fiery red rock faces light up the morning – or evening – skyline. Delicate flowers adorn the ground and stately native pines go marching up the slopes. Artists and photographers could spend years recording the many gowns dressing the mountains in splendour.
Oh dear – I think I’ll go and pack the tent in the 4WD and head off right now.
All Creatures Great and Small
No Comments »15th April, 2006; Category: Animals, Birds, General, Murray River, Photos, South Australia, Zoos
When we go to visit friends or family in other parts of the state or interstate we have sometimes asked the question, “What’s interesting to see around here?” Most people haven’t a clue about their own town and district. They don’t think like a tourist in their own place on Earth.
I’m fairly familiar with my own district but it came as a delight to read about it in today’s paper. There was an excellent travel article about the district where I live in today’s Adelaide “The Advertiser” newspaper.
Many of the features mentioned in the article are within a few minutes drive from my home in Murray Bridge South Australia.
To read the full article “All Creatures Great and Small” click here.
It sounded so interesting I must get out and revisit some of these places.
The Limestone Coast South Australia
I wonder if you are like me. I read about a place or see a television programme about a tourist destination and I want to go there. Sometimes it is because I have never been there and it looks so inviting and so beautiful or interesting.
The Limestone Coast of SE South Australia
Sometimes it is because I have been there already and the story brings back very pleasant memories. That happened this morning when I was reading the travel section of The Advertiser, the daily morning paper in South Australia. The article covered the area known here as the Limestone Coast. The south east part of South Australia is dominated by limestone, hence the name.
Great Holiday
A few years ago my wife and I had a wonderfully relaxing holiday in this part of our state. We stayed in a cabin in one of the caravan parks of the town of Robe. From our cabin we had a beautiful view out over the bay and along the beach. This beach is one of the few that you are able to drive on. It is also perfect for walking on, or just plain sitting there watching the waves gently roll in on to the sand. There are times in the lives of each one of us where one just has to sit on a beach – and do nothing – except watch the waves come in.
Birding
The birding around Robe and along the Limestone Coast is quite good too. We went for several drives along the coast south from Robe, calling in several Conservation and National Parks along the way. All of them are good birdwatching spots. There are also some good camping and picnic areas as well. Even near to the town itself there are several places for great birding.