Adel Aide & South AuStr Ali AFLINDERSRANGESAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali ATOURSAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali AFLINDERSRANGESNATIONALPARK& Cradock Rds; adult/child $8/5 �50; h9am-5pm
Mon-Sat,9am-4pmSat, 11am-2pmSun, closedJan
&Feb) is a large circular room with a paint-
ing of Wilpena Pound surrounding you on
all sides.
Yourambulla ̈ Caves, 12km south of
Hawker, have detailed Aboriginal rock
paintings (including emu tracks), with three
sites open to visitors. Yourambulla ̈Peak, a
half-hour walk from the car park, is the most
accessible spot to check out the paintings.
Around 40km north of Hawker towards
Wilpena, Arkaroo ̈Rock is a sacred Aborigi-
nal site. The rock art here features reptile
and human figures in charcoal, bird-lime
and yellow and red ochre. It’s a short(ish)
return walk from the car park (2km, one
hour).
T ̈Tours
Derek’s ̈4WD ̈Tours ̈ DRIVINGTOUR
(%0417 475 770; www �dereks4wdtours�com; tours
half-/full day from $115/170) These are 4WD
trips with an environmental bent, including
visits to Bunyeroo and Brachina gorges.
Skytrek ̈Willow ̈Springs ̈ DRIVINGTOUR
(%08-8648 0016; www �skytrekwillowsprings�com �
au) Six-hour self-drive tours on a working
sheep station (per vehicle $65), or they can
hook you up with a tour operator. Self-con-
tained cabin accommodation is also avail-
able (doubles from $100).
4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
BIG4 ̈Hawker ̈Caravan ̈Park ̈CARAVANPARK$
(%08-8648 4006; www �hawkerbig4holidaypark�
com �au; cnr WilpenaRd &ChaceView Tce; unpow-
ered/poweredsites $26/28,en-suitesites $39-45,
cabins$96-162;aWs) At the Wilpena end of
town, this upbeat, fastidiously maintained
acreage has generous gravelly sites and a
range of cabins. And there’s a pool!
Outback ̈Motel ̈& ̈
Chapmanton ̈Holiday ̈Units ̈ MOTEL$$
(%08-8648 4100; www �hawkersa�info/biz/out
back �htm; 1WilpenaRd; s/d motel$110/125,units
$120/150;a) Like a transplanted vision
from Utah, this orange-brick, drive-up mo-
tel offers the best rooms in town. The two-
bedroom units are good value for families.
Flinders ̈Ranges ̈Accommodation ̈
Booking ̈Service ̈ ACCOMMODATIONSERVICES$$
(FRABS;%08-8648 4022, 1800 777 880; www �
frabs �com �au; d$75-225) Bookings for rural cot-
tages and shearers quarters around Hawker.
Old ̈Ghan ̈Restaurant ̈ MODERNAUSTRALIAN$$
(%08-8648 4176; www �hawkersa�info/biz/ghan�
htm; Leigh CreekRd, Old HawkerRailwayStation;
mains$19-32;h5�30-8pmWed-Sat,closedJan) In
the 1884 Ghan railway station on the out-
skirts of town, this rough-and-ready eatery
is about as upmarket as Hawker gets. Expect
mains such as kangaroo medallions with
wattleseed and mustard, and beer-battered
garfish.88 Information
Teague’s Hawker Motors & Visitor Informa-
tion Centre(%1800 777 880, 08-86484014;
www �hawkervic�info; cnr Wilpena&Cradock
Rds; h7�30am-6pm)The town’spetrolstation
(fill up if you’reheadingnorth)is also the visitor
informationcentre�Flinders Ranges
National Park
One of SA’s most treasured parks, Flinders ̈
Ranges ̈ National ̈ Park (www �environment�
sa �gov �au; per car $9) is laced with craggy gorges,
saw-toothed ranges, abandoned homesteads,
Aboriginal sites, native wildlife and, after it
rains, carpets of wildflowers. The park’s big-
ticket drawcard is the 80-sq-km natural basin
Ikara ̈(Wilpena ̈Pound) − a sunken elliptical
valley ringed by gnarled ridges (don’t let any-
one tell you it’s a meteorite crater!).
The Pound is only vehicle accessible on
the Wilpena Pound Resort’s shuttle ̈ bus
(return adult/child/family $4/2 �50/9), which
drops you within 1km of the old Hills Home-
stead, from where you can walk to Wan-
garra ̈Lookout. The shuttle runs at 9am,
11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, dropping people
off and coming straight back (so if you take
the 5pm shuttle and want more than a cur-
sory look around, you’ll miss the return
bus). Otherwise it’s a three-hour, 8km return
walk between the resort and lookout.
The 20km Brachina ̈ Gorge ̈ Geologi-
cal ̈ Trail features an amazing layering of
exposed sedimentary rock, covering 120
million years of the Earth’s history. Grab a
brochure from the visitors centre.
The Bunyeroo–Brachina–Aroona ̈Sce-
nic ̈Drive is a 110km round trip, passing by
Bunyeroo Valley, Brachina Gorge, Aroona
Valley and Stokes ̈Hill ̈Lookout. There are
plenty of short walks along the way; a stop
at Bunyeroo ̈Valley ̈Lookout is mandatory.
The drive starts north of Wilpena off the
road to Blinman.