The Flinders Ranges - Clare Valley - Barossa Valley - Riverlands (SA Section of the Murray River)

Our next destination in South Australia was the 'Flinders Ranges'.

Approx. 200km north east of 'Port Augusta' we reached the southern end of the 'Flinders Ranges National Park'.

There were a few options for places to camp such as 'Rawnsley Park Station' although we opted to stay at the 'Wilpena Resort' which has various accommodation options from camping to luxury rooms and is located at the base of the famous 'Wilpena Pound' which is a natural amphitheatre of mountains.

There were a lot of open areas to choose from away from the crowds which was great.

The only problem with the area and SA in general is the copious amount of flies. During our stay it definitely earned its reputation as Australia's fly capital. Almost every person was wearing a hat with a fly net on it but we went one step further and setup our mosquito net between the trees that we named" The Bunker". With out some sort of protection it would have been unbearable.

The bunker (above).

The first day we headed off on one of the many walks to 'Mount Ohlssen Bagge' which is one of the peaks of Wilpena Pound.

The walk was around 2.5km almost straight up but it was well worth the effort.

Half way up (above)

Almost at the peak (above)

We made it. At 923m it isn't exactly a huge mountain but what it lacks in height it makes up for in natural beauty. The 3 photos below show sections of the natural amphitheatre. It was unfortunately impossible to capture the whole panorama in one shot.

 It's very hard to see in the photo but between the two peaks you can actually see 'Lake Torrens' in the distance.

The photo below (from the web) shows the pound from the air which is probably the best way to view it.

After a couple of days relaxing in our bunker we continued to through the northern end of the southern section of the park through 'Bunyeroo Valley' and through 'Brachina Gorge' to the western side of the ranges.

Driving into 'Bunyeroo Valley (above and below).

Driving through 'Brachina Gorge' (above and below). 400 million year old rock formations line the sides of the gorge. This whole area reminded us a bit of parts of the Kimberleys but also had a striking resemblance to the American rockies due the large number of pine trees.  It is a must see destination when in SA and we would love to go back some day and explore it further!!

After popping out onto a highway we then headed south again back to 'Hawker' and then turned onto the 'RM Williams Way' towards the 'Clare Valley'.

We spent one night in a caravan park in Clare and visited a few of wineries the next day including 'Annie's Lane'

Annie's Lane Cellar Door (above and below).

That same day we continued south to the 'Barossa Valley' where we spent 2 nights in an awesome cabin/house at Angaston (thanks Mum and Dad for the Engagement present). It may not look like much from the outside but it was a fully decked out self contained house with a fireplace and spa etc... As we had been mostly camping it was a well deserved break and the timing could not have been better as a huge storm blew in and the conditions were almost cyclonic.

The view (above).

We spend two days here visiting the various wineries including Saltram, Penfolds, Grant Burge, Jacobs Creek and a couple of others. The Barossa would be our pick of all the wine regions we have visited so far. It is a stunning valley and has the best wine (in my opinion).

Saltram Cellar Door (above and below).

From the Barossa we made our way south to Adelaide through the 'Eden Valley' and stopped for lunch at the 'Hahndorf' which is the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia. As the weather was still bad we didn't take any pics unfortunately. We spent that night in Glenelg and caught up with an old friend of Kristy's 'Sonja' before heading further south the following day to the mouth of the Murray River.

Lake Alexandrina near Goolwa in which the Murray river runs into. It really isn't much to look at considering the largest river in Australia runs into it.

After spending one night in a park in Murray Bridge we began the next part of our trip which was to follow the Murray River from the mouth to the head waters in the Victorian high country.

Boarding a ferry at 'Mannum'

North of Mannum (above)

Big Bend Lookout (Above and two photos below) which is a large sweeping bend in the river with large cliffs.

A few facts about the Murray!

We continued the drive further north to 'Blanchetown' before heading east to Waikerie (below).

This whole region is littered with vineyards and fruit crops all along the river through the many small towns. It is like driving through an oasis as the un-irrigated areas are so dry yet the towns are so green thanks to the Murray.

'Berri Estates' above. The largest winery in Australia and the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Around here it's all about quantity rather than quality. You know those 5 litre boxes of cask wine you can buy for $10. It comes from here!

That day we made it as far as Renmark and camped at one the many free camps all along the Murray. This spot was called "Plushs Bend"

There are a total of 15 locks and weirs along the Murray that control the irrigation waters for the whole valley. I loved learning about the history and engineering feats that have occurred through this region (and the snowy mountains) in the last 100 years.

Weir and Lock number 5 near Renmark.

Just east of Renmark (above).

From Renmark it is only a short drive to the Victorian border which felt more like a race track.

Keeping the tradition alive, Kristy with the "V".

The Murray tour will continue in the next blog!