Words: Matt Brace
Sunset at Rawnsley Park Station was a many-splendoured thing. The warm light was making the ochre earth glow as we strolled from our cabin to the Woolshed Restaurant for dinner. The last rays of the sun were highlighting the beige bark and emerald leaves of the eucalypts, and birds were in full song before settling down for the night. The station prides itself on its lamb but as we both gave up eating lamb some years ago we settled instead for grilled barramundi with apple–cucumber salad and wasabi-aioli dressing, and a bowl (OK, two bowls) of potato wedges with soured cream and sweet chilli. Sitting out on the covered deck we caught the scent of eucalypts and were lucky to meet one of the station’s lovely dogs, who was clearly keener on the potato wedges than us. It was a great way to start a romantic road trip through the edge of the Outback in the very wonderful state of South Australia.
Stage 1
We started at Adelaide airport and drove north through Hawker to Rawnsley Park, which sits at the base of the incredible Wilpena Pound (or ‘Ikara’ in the local Adnyamathanha language). It is one of the natural wonders of Australia: a huge amphitheatre in the heart of the Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park. The pound looks like an ancient and much-weathered volcano but is in fact a synclinal basin, caused by the ancient sea floor being uplifted, folded and tilted over millennia. This has resulted in striking rock formations that you can easily see from Rawnsley Park.
One of the best views is from the Rawnsley Lookout a few kilometres north along the Flinders Ranges Way, which is where we had a bush breakfast the next morning. If we had had more time, we would have joined one of the station’s three- or five-day guided walks which take guests right up onto Rawnsley Bluff for spectacular views of the interior of the pound. They even have a heli-camping experience, which includes a helicopter flight over Wilpena Pound and a swag camp under incredible star-lit skies. Instead, we settled for a less exhilarating but very pleasant 3km stroll from our cabin to the foothills of Rawnsley Bluff.
Stage 2
After a brief stop to see ancient cave paintings at Akurra Adnya (Arkaroo Rock), which depict aspects of local Dreamtime Yura Muda (stories), we headed north through the heart of the national park. We had an appointment with a local Adnyamathanha man, Kristian Coulthard, who had promised we would see secret, ancient rock carvings (or petroglyphs) but had kept us guessing about the details. We met him at an unassuming gravel rest area by the side of the Flinders Ranges Way and walked into the bush to some sand-coloured boulders. We started to make out shapes on these rocks: a circle, visible mainly because of the lichen growing in the grooves, and, in the middle of it, carved footprints. “Paw prints, actually,” said Kristian. This petroglyph told the story of a giant wombat (or yumiti) that came into an ancient campsite. “This is a direct link back to when megafauna roamed this land,” Kristian explained, “and it helps us date the petroglyphs because we know these giant animals died out about 27,000 years ago – the carvings must be at least that old.” The thought of a giant wombat appearing at your campsite was bad enough ,but a rock nearby revealed something much scarier. “This is the tail of a giant lizard at least six metres long,” said Kristian. We were suddenly very grateful we had left our tents at home and chosen a hotel instead.
There are lots of petroglyphs here and Kristian is dedicated to preserving them by keeping their location secret. You can only see them via tours through his company, Wadna, which is by far the best way because his interpretation vividly brings the landscape alive. We agreed that Wadna was the most authentic and thrilling Aboriginal tourism experience we have had in 25 years of exploring Australia.
Stage 3
We talked about the experience all afternoon as we trundled through the Parachilna Gorge and while having a snack in the shade of a towering, river red gum in a dry creek bed.
At the western end of the gorge the track meets the Outback Highway at a tiny settlement also called Parachilna. This place is dominated by a remarkable pub, the Prairie Hotel, which has been serving hungry and thirsty travellers for 150 years. We dined that night with the owners Jane and Ross Fargher over mouthwatering plates of emu pate, roast fish, wild boar ragu and saltbush dukkah, and hazy ales from the hotel’s very own brewery – the Parachilna Brew Project – which is also South Australia’s most remote brewery. Jane explained the hotel’s partnership with Wadna, while Ross gave us a preview of the fossil tour he was taking us on in the morning on their station, Nilpena.
My wife and I headed for bed in a lovely and recently refurbished Heritage Room where we dreamt of ancient landscapes and legends.
Stage 4
Next morning we were kneeling in the red earth on a low rise on Nilpena Station. The sawtooth ridge of the Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park stood out in the distance but our eyes were focused on a 20sqm rock slab in front of us. Ross told us to rest our palms on it and announced we were touching a fossil of one of the oldest known animals ever found on Earth. It’s called a Dickinsonia and it was alive 550 to 560 million years ago when this was a shallow, tropical sea bed. That’s more than 300 million years before the first dinosaurs.
There are scores of these slabs here and Ross and the international palaeontology team studying them have found an average of 200 to 300 fossils on each one. It is a quite remarkable addition to the world of palaeontology and was the perfect way to end our romantic and thrilling, time-travel road trip. In just a few days in the Flinders, we had had a glimpse of the ancient culture of one of the oldest peoples on earth and touched some of the oldest fossils on earth. Oddly enough, all that old stuff made us feel young again.
FACT FILE
How to get there
Virgin Australia and Qantas both fly to Adelaide from all major Australian cities. Rent a vehicle from Adelaide Airport, head north on the M2, A20, B82 and B80 through Gawler, Tarlee, Orroroo to Hawker then take the Flinders Ranges Way to Wilpena. The Adelaide Airport website has a handy rental car comparison section. Prices in July 2025 start from approx $66 per day (Economy car).
Romantic place to stay
Rawnsley Park Station has Standard Holiday units from $220 per night, Superiors from $260 and a Luxury Eco-villa for $545 per night. The Prairie Hotel has Heritage Rooms from $330 per room per night (incl. Bed & Breakfast and taxes) and a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Inclusive Package (two-night minimum stay) for $570 per room per night (incl. taxes).
Petroglyphs and fossils
The Prairie Hotel’s three-hour Nilpena Ediacara Extended Fossil Tour is $195 per person (min. four guests). Book at www.prairiehotel.com.au. The shorter Ediacara Experience tour is $82.50 per person but does not include visiting the fossil beds. Book through National Parks South Australia. Wadna has excellent guided tours to see incredible rock art in ancient landscapes. Tours start from $110 per adult ($55 per child aged 10–17). Book at www.wadna.com.au.
More information
Check out the South Australian tourism website: https://southaustralia.com/.
