On Friday night I set my alarm for 6am to make sure I wasnt late for my 7am booking. Awake in the morning and ready with plenty of time to spare, I headed out to the airstrip for my scenic flight. There was a minimum of 2 people on the flights, so I had booked onto a flight that already had someone booked in. However, when I got there the other person (or people) never showed, so I was left with the option of missing out or paying for 2 seats. I opted for the latter – expensive, yes, but I hoped it would be worth it.
The pilot Hugh was a pleasant chap and he said it was a perfect morning for a flight. A couple of clouds over Wilpena Pound, but no wind. And he was right. It was an awesome view from up there. We started by flying along the Chace Ranges before heading up over Wilpena Pound. The Pound is impressive from the ground, but from above it is amazing. It looks like someone has moulded a bowl out of clay. We then headed along the Heysen Range, looking at Bunyeroo, Brachina and Parachilna Gorges before
turning around and crossing Wilpena Pound again, this time north to south. With that, the 45 minute flight was done and we landed back at the airstrip safely. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. Im not sure if it was as good as the Uluru sunset flight, but it was pretty close!
Before returning to the cabin to cook breakfast, I went to pick up the key for the driving track. At reception, I found out that the track was now open, so I was going to do both. They were not as long as Skytrek, so it should only take about 4 hours. So I had time to use the kitchen in the cabin to cook a proper breakfast. I have to admit, flying on an empty stomach, quickly shifting from side to side taking photos, left me a bit queasy so I waited until my stomach settled. While I waited, I made a couple of sandwiches to take with me for lunch. With breakfast done, it was time to head out.
The track was pretty simple, although there was one section that I would have been hesitant to do in an
without It was a steep descent, but as it was the only one, I guess it would have been okay to ride the brakes. It was a pleasant drive through some diverse countryside. There were stops pointing out the various types of trees along the way, but as these were all trees that had been pointed out on Skytrek on Thursday, I didnt stop very often.
I then drove down the road a bit to the end of the track. Im not sure why, but the track is now done in reverse order. The track is much shorter than the track, but definitely more fun. There were some steep ascents and descents, but the track surface was pretty good so it wasnt difficult and handled them with ease. But there were some great views on the top of the hills. One of the hills had a picnic table that would have been a great place to eat lunch if Id remembered to bring my sandwiches with me! So I did the track and returned to the cabin for a late lunch.
I stayed at Rawnsley Park and went on one of the many walks. There are some long ones up to Wilpena Pound that I would like to do on a future visit, but I only wanted to spend the morning, so I opted for a walk out to the Pine Cave. It started with a walk up to Alison Saddle, an easy uphill climb with good views of Rawnsley Bluff to the north and Elders Range to the south. I turned east and headed along the ridge, on a rocky path that was easy to lose track of. The track finished at a small cave among the pine trees. I walked back along the flat walking track south of the hill before returning to my car via Alison Saddle. The walk was only 2 hours, but it was really nice. The views from the hill were great, and the walk through the trees had lots of birds.
I then got in my car and got ready to head to my final location for the trip – Bendleby Ranges. However, I needed to stop in Hawker to get some fuel and some bread as I would be camping for the
next three nights.
