Flinders Ranges Part II

Skytrek is a 4WD self drive tour on Willow Springs Station Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Willow Springs Station is located around 450km north of Adelaide, or just over 1000km from Bendigo Victoria. This trek takes approximately 6 hours and is an exhilarating 4WD experience that takes you up to Mount Caernarvon, at 921 Metres its the highest points of vehicle access in the Flinders Ranges. The track starts fairly sedately through huge Red River Gum lined creek beds, aboriginal etchings, groves of native pines and black oak and bluebush plains in the mountain valleys. There are plenty of historic points of interest along the way like windmills, mustering yards and an old shepherd's hut.

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/100 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f16, 1/0 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/200 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/320 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f16, 1/320 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f16, 1/200 sec

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Flinders Ranges Part I

The Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound are located in South Australia around 450km north of Adelaide, or just over 1000km from Bendigo Victoria. The first day here we went to see the ranges from Moralana Scenic Road. A 130km round trip from Hawker up the Wilpena (Binman) Rd to the Moralana track, an easy outback red dust track except for some creek crossings. It skirts along the South and West side of Wilpena Pound across to Barndioota (Parachilna) Rd where we circled back to Hawker.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/3200 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/160 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/100 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/160 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/160 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 220, 11mm f16, 1/80 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f22, 1/125 sec

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Millewa Community Pioneer Park in Meringur

On the way to the Flinders Ranges we stopped at Meringur, a farming settlement to the west of Mildura. It is located at the end of the Red Cliffs-Meringur Road towards the South Australian border. Meringur has a population of 20 and the only business still operating is the Meringur Post Office. While in Meringur we visited the Millewa Pioneer Forest and Historical Village open air museum. The Pioneer Village which has many original buildings and artefacts from the Millewa pioneers. Well worth a trip to see. We found the original Werrimull Railway Station building where my Mum actually worked as the Station Mistress for a short time in 1955 when Dad was a Ganger on the Victorian Railways and he was based in Werrimull, a few Kms East of Meringur.

Shadows of the past . . . . 

 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 250, 16mm f16, 1/80 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f2.8, 1/60 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 220, 16mm f16, 1/80 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 1600, 35mm f2.8, 1/60 sec

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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 1600, 11mm f5.6, 1/30 sec

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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 1600, 16mm f2.8, 1/60 sec

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A Wild Dog or Not?

Speaking of wild dogs from the previous post (here) this fearsome beast came screaming out of the saltbush and dust at us while we were stopped for a cuppa at a rest stop near Orroroo South Australia.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm Macro f2.8 @ ISO 200, 105mm f5.6, 1/160 sec

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Hmm she thought it was pretty funny . . . . . . 

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm Macro f2.8 @ ISO 200, 105mm f5.6, 1/80 sec

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Lookout at Orroroo

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 16mm f16, 1/125 sec

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Dog Proof Fence

Heading to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia we stopped briefly at Wycheproof, a small regional town in the centre of the Shire of Buloke, in North Western Victoria. Mount Wycheproof is a mountain located in the town. Standing at 43 metres (141 ft) above the surrounding terrain, Mount Wycheproof has the distinction of being the smallest registered mountain in the world.

iPhone 4

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43 Kms further North West on the Calder Highway, near Culgoa is a historic marker for the dog proof fence  (Click text to view in Google Maps) This marks the site of the dog netting fence which crossed the highway at this point. Part of the fence is included with the memorial. The fence stretched approximately 325 kilometres from Tyntynder on the Murray River to the South Australian border and was intended to prevent wild dogs and other vermin entering farmlands to the south.

 iPhone 4

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iPhone 4

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4x4 self drive tour of SKYTREK

Just back from a 4x4 self drive tour of SKYTREK, one of the Flinders Ranges most popular and exhilarating 4WD journeys. Rated as one of the top 20 4x4 treks by Australian 4WD Action Magazine
RATING
Remote: 6/10
Scenic: 10/10
Iconic: 9/10
Adventure: 10/10
Challenging: 6/10

Photo's soon but in the meantime here's the promotional video from YouTube