FLINDERS RANGES Facts

[kipo]

Originally Posted by DRTrev

It is within the National Park and you are expected to pay the fee (currently $5) per bike to access

You're supposed to pay ? I must be awfully in debit to the State Government

That area is a Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby nursery and at all times of the day you can get reasonably close (don't cross fenceline) to the animals which park themselves on the rocks and look at you. There is a raised viewing platform (dirt) on the opposite side of the road.

Well I'll be buggered, I never knew that, always been too busy chasing Slatts and Doc to do any touristy sightseeing.

...

[kipo]

Be wary of Mexican tourists in the Bunyeroo Gorge driving Land Cruisers with big bull bars.

You go into a left hand corner a bit too hot and realise there is no way you're going to get around despite using all the RHS side of the road. So, plan B is to head right into the scrub and then some Mexican decides he wants to be on his side of the road while you're on the wrong side of the road and he's blocking your exit strategy. The Mexican locks everything up, you lock everything up and you pull up with your front wheel against his big bull bar. Then you have to listen to his abusive tones about idiots on motorbikes while you sheepishly push your bike back and take off.

Bloody Mexicans.

[Aussie Trev]

Kipo's task for this thread is to write up a detailed instruction sheet as to how to negotiate the difficult and sometimes dangerous step/s into the front bar of the Blinman Hotel.

The follow up may take longer, that is how to exit the front door of the said hotel, slide down the first step and then stumble into the roadway and run, in an unbalanced and not so straight line, to the accommodation across the road.

Seeing as his dad was born in the hotel, you'd think he'd have it worked out by now....

[hahnelw]

The two locations above have some excellent riding. The Copper Track, which can be accessed via the Warraweena Private Conservation Reserve, was a great ride with long sandy stretches in a creek bed, that winds its way through to the Nuccalleena Mine and then on to Moolooloo and a short ride beyond that to either Blinman or Parachilna. There are also other tracks on Warraweena but we didnt have time.



Our accommodation at the shearers quarters are Moolooloo Station



The road into Warraweena from Beltana

On the way to Arkaroola you can turn off to the Paralana Hot Springs (sounds great doesnt it but they are small and radioactive. Worth a look but not too exciting) The ride out there though is fantastic, with an old crater, a great view of the Gammon Ranges from the eastern side!.





Two pics of the road to Paralana







Spent a bit of time looking for the springs and as you can see from the bottom picture they arent awe inspiring!






Our humble accommodation at Grindells Hut in the Gammon Ranges. What a location! The bottom one is the view from the verandah!!!

[farcall]

Great work fellas.

For a interstater looking to explore some of these tracks (between Leigh Creek & Wilpena latitudes) for a few days, where is the best place to set base (nice and central)?

Requirements - tent site, grog shop or bar and fuel.

Angorichina Village looks nice and central... but is there better? No fuel at Blinman?

Or is it better move base a couple of times?

[Aussie Trev]

Originally Posted by farcall

Great work fellas.

For a interstater looking to explore some of these tracks (between Leigh Creek & Wilpena latitudes) for a few days, where is the best place to set base (nice and central)?

Requirements - tent site, grog shop or bar and fuel.

Angorichina Village looks nice and central... but is there better? No fuel at Blinman?

Or is it better move base a couple of times?

You've answered your own question. Ango is the shot. It's in the middle of everything and you could not get a better outlook of the Flinders from your back door.....

The owners are fantastic, shop is great, cheaper booze than hotels around there and has all fuel (no LPG) as well as tyre workshop. You can set your camp and forget it - no security issues at all. Dave has some firewood but there plenty in the gorge/creek crossings just down the road.

The Blinman pub is an easy 15 kms away with wood oven pizza's and cafe etc. NO FUEL AT BLINMAN.

There's also a great ride going north from Parachilna which diverts into Beltana and out again, ending up just under Leigh Creek where there is a Supermarket, fuel, Tavern, PO etc. Full phone coverage too. From Beltana you can slip into Warraweena via Sliding Rock. Nice country.



Saying all of that you could do a night or two at Wilpena Pound camping area and there are some great local sights....Stokes Hill Lookout, Huck's Lookout, Sacred Canyon, Moralana Scenic Drive/Ride, etc etc. Has all fuel too, and 4G on something like a HTC 1XL will work there (mine did the other day).

[senfiddy]

Originally Posted by hahnelw

There are also other tracks on Warraweena

Yes there are...

[Aussie Moose]

Great work all.

The Flinders Ranges is one of my all time fav spots.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Moose

[HerrMnnn]

Great thread, keep 'em coming... all I have to offer from my one trip up there so far is a big plus one to Angorochina Village, and to the PAR's listed earlier.

Would it be possible to label those photos above with the track names? Some of those Waraweena tracks are $33 per bike according to their website, it would be good to know which one was which to help decide which tracks to go on... (ok, all of them are probably good, but time and money won't always allow that).

[Aussie Trev]

Originally Posted by HerrMnnn

Great thread, keep 'em coming... all I have to offer from my one trip up there so far is a big plus one to Angorochina Village, and to the PAR's listed earlier.

Would it be possible to label those photos above with the track names? Some of those Waraweena tracks are $33 per bike according to their website, it would be good to know which one was which to help decide which tracks to go on... (ok, all of them are probably good, but time and money won't always allow that).

I used to spend a lot of time on the Warraweena Station and Sliding Rock many years ago but only got around in a 4WD. We drove all of the tracks and my memory of them is that they were rough but more than accessible on a bike. There was a great track from there to just south of Leigh Creek which was so rough the owner used solid tyres on his little 4WD because he got too many punctures otherwise.

The Public Access Route (22 kms each way) on there is free and would typical of other PAR's. The Copper Track is $33 one way and ends up down near the Nuccaleena Mine and I'm assuming that you use PAR 3 to get out of there and onto the Moolooloo HS track.

There are other tracks as well, and it looks like they all attract a fee to experience them.

We were going to call into Warraweena and talk to the owners about these tracks when we were up there last week but ran out of time. We'll have 100+ riders up there in April 2013 based at the Ango Village and we'll try and get to Warraweena and sort some things out about access and some sort of discounted fee.

The truth is that there is so much FREE riding to do up there that sometimes a fee goes against the grain, but DRZ Walker (Doc) and others can sometimes gain access to some properties tht offer that 'extra' special trail, but that is exclusive to them.

[Aussie Trev]

Originally Posted by kipo

Be wary of Mexican tourists in the Bunyeroo Gorge driving Land Cruisers with big bull bars.

You go into a left hand corner a bit too hot and realise there is no way you're going to get around despite using all the RHS side of the road. So, plan B is to head right into the scrub and then some Mexican decides he wants to be on his side of the road while you're on the wrong side of the road and he's blocking your exit strategy. The Mexican locks everything up, you lock everything up and you pull up with your front wheel against his big bull bar. Then you have to listen to his abusive tones about idiots on motorbikes while you sheepishly push your bike back and take off.

Bloody Mexicans.

Enviromental terrorist!!

I'm shocked to hear of such behaviour within one of our National Parks, and by one with such a link to the area.......unbelievable...

Here's how a responsible member of our community manages oncoming vehicles also out enjoying what the Flinders has to offer....



I reckon the wallaby nursery is only 100 metres further on from where the photo was taken from.

[senfiddy]

Originally Posted by HerrMnnn

Would it be possible to label those photos above with the track names?

All the pics from my post above were taken on the Mt Gill track.

Also, this is taken from the website....**Motorcyclists staying on Warraweena recieve a special day rate of $28 to ride as many tracks as they wish.




Cheers,
Graeme

[kipo]

Originally Posted by DRTrev

Enviromental terrorist!!

I'm shocked to hear of such behaviour within one of our National Parks, and by one with such a link to the area.......unbelievable...

Here's how a responsible member of our community manages oncoming vehicles also out enjoying what the Flinders has to offer....

Funny part was later that day we were heading home via Moralanna Scenic Drive, I came around a corner a bit crossed up and guess what, the same Mexican was coming the other way

[Aussie Trev]

Originally Posted by kipo

Funny part was later that day we were heading home via Moralanna Senic Drive, I came around a corner a bit crossed up and guess what, the same Mexican was coming the other way

[HerrMnnn]

Originally Posted by senfiddy

All the pics from my post above were taken on the Mt Gill track.

Also, this is taken from the website....**Motorcyclists staying on Warraweena recieve a special day rate of $28 to ride as many tracks as they wish.


Cheers,
Graeme

Thanks Graeme, I didn't see that $28 thing, obviously wasn't reading with my good eyes...

it looks like there is easily enough great riding there to warrant an overnight stay.