This is FREE? Flinders Ranges. Ep.46 - Free Camping Roadtrip Australia

We headed straight to the Flinders Ranges after our stay at The Grampians. It took us a good 3 days of driving to get to the start of the Flinders and that included a massive shop in Adelaide! We filled up with groceries🍏, fuel, gas, bits & bobs etc, because after the Flinders we were heading straight up the Oodnatta track - so Adelaide was our last major restock point before we reach Alice Springs! ⛽️
Our first official night in the Flinders we stayed at Quorn Caravan Park,. Since we had done a massive food shop our caravan fridge was struggling to get down to temperature🌡 (as it was pretty much empty when we crossed the SA/VIC border & Amz had left it low on Tassie settings - whoops). We also wanted power so we could charge up the bulk of our electronics (all our batteries etc).
We had visited the information centre before checking in, so we had a good handful of maps🗺, to start planning what we wanted to see! Having a low-key night getting ready to tackle the Flinders Ranges! The next morning we got up early and tackled the nearby Dutchmans Stern mountain hike. Was a great way to get the legs pumping 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻after sitting down for three days of driving. The walk was relative moderate and we were up and back within two and a bit hours. We spotted plenty of Kangaroos and the noticeable different fauna about. 🌵
We then hitched up and headed north! On the journey up we stopped into the Kanyaka Ruins. A cluster of crumbled stone buildings which was once a bustling homestead🏚. The single palm-tree at the entrance was quite odd to see all the way out here. Next stop was the small town of Hawker, where we topped up with more diesel and fresh milk. 🍶 hint compare the fuel prices! We found it 10cents cheaper a litre at the mechanics, compared to the fuel station - only 50m away from each other!
Now deciding on where to stay in 'Flinders' was a tough one. After lots of deliberation we decided to spend 3 nights at the Rawnsley Park Station. Obviously with Rusty🐶 we couldn't stay at Wilpena Pound and were tossing up between Rawnsley, Willow Springs and Merna Mora. It cost us $27 a night unpowered at Rawnsley. It had great facilities, plenty of dog friendly walks around the station and great views of the Ranges from our campsite! So we were happy with our choice here.🏕
During our time here we saw;
- Arkaroo rock (aboriginal art)🎨
- Sacred canyon & engravings
- Wilpena Pound
- Cazneaux Tree🌳
- Bunyeroo/Brachina Road via Razorback lookout
- Moralana Scenic drive
- Hiked to Rawnsley Bluff and Wilpena pound lookout from Rawnsley Station👟
We then moved to a FREE camp North; to [Parachilna Gorge 1]. There is plenty of room, situated along a dried up river bed and bank. We had no problems finding a level spot for our van with only a few other campers scattered around each night.
From here we saw;
- Glass gorge
- Drove through Blinman🚙
- Great wall of China
We also spent some much needed downtime at Parachilna. Relaxing and sorting out our gear before we tackle the Oodnatta track. 🚧 Kurt even found a mouse living in our car 😳 we know right! It picked the most expensive place to nestle its home - inside of our drone case😅. We can confirm the mouse was caught and is now calling Flinders Ranges home 😝
Things we had on our list but didn't see/do this round;
- Skytrek 4x4 ($65 self drive adventure for 5-8hours)
- 'Feral platter' at the Prairie Hotel (emu, camel, kangaroo & goat)
- Blinman mine tour
- Trek up to Arkaroola Village
We were quite satisfied with the sights we saw and decided to save our $$$. 🤓
➡️To wrap it up Flinders Ranges as a whole was quite impressive. The ranges are spectacular up close and spread for kilometers on end. We saw plenty of wildlife driving around, an abundance of emu's, kangaroos, rabbits, goats, sheep, birds etc, the list goes on!
Personally we were a little underwhelmed😕 with Wilpena Pound. I guess after being on the road for 12months we have seen a lot of natural wonders and were a bit disappointed with the much hyped Wilpena Pound overall. If your on a time restriction we would suggest to give sacred canyon & the Moralana scenic drive a miss. After seeing Arkaroo Rock & Bunyeroo/Brachina drive, these seemed a bit of a waste.
Our ⭐️favourite things were the Bunyeroo/Brachina drive, Kanyaka Ruins, Arkaroo Rock & the great wall of China. This was purely our personal opinions, so always do your research & ask around!
Want to see unseen footage and be more involved with our travels than you can support us at Patreon - / sparkysontheloose
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Website - www.akindustries.com.au/sparky...
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[@chuckcarter7864]

I must congratulate you on your excellent production . The video and voice over is really well done .

[@ThePES_Channel]

Loved it!!!

[@scottbroadhead]

Great done footage. Keep it coming.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Scott Broadhead thanks!

[@CaTe-hg4sl]

Awsome guys!!

[@brycejames8770]

Great trip guide, interesting pronunciation of Cazneaux Tree try saying it with a silent x ( cassnowl).

[@MrHarryau]

Good stuff guys.Nice to see ya back. Safe travels

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks Andrew!

[@philipw7557]

Awsome guys good to see you back on the road. 😎

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Philip Webber cheers!!

[@bcd689]

thanks for the upload awesome content

[@roystad8916]

Flinders Ranges looks great,loved that last camp spot enjoying your travels guys 🍻

[@stronghold500]

I come from near there. At Sacred Canyon, if you stand still long enough and walk the full length ( not very long ). You won't be disappointed with the rock art. There is tonnes of it there. Look up high, on large rocks. You'll wonder if the Aborigines had scaffold. There is carvings on small rocks everywhere also. They tell stories like a map. There's carvings of rock pools, tadpoles, crabs ,circles and spirals etc. Maybe even people. Been a while. It's a map to follow to the Spencer Gulf. Good crabs and sea food in the direction indicated.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Sounds like a beautiful place.

[@jimbojones2457]

Fantastic video guys!! I'm heading to the Flinders Ranges at Easter. Can't wait! Been planning this trip for years. Thanks for sharing its beauty!!

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks for watching Jimbo!

[@dantheman6159]

Hi Jimbo, we are heading during Easter too from Victoria in a van. When do you leave and do you have an itinerary? Cheers, Daniel

[@jimbojones2457]

@@dantheman6159 sweet mate! I leave Melbourne on the 17th April. Overnight camp half way then arrive at Willow Springs on the 18th. Based there for 7 days then heading to Arkaroola for another 5 days.

[@dantheman6159]

Jimbo Jones cheers bud. Sounds like you are not mucking around by camping around Grampians etc. Heading straight there and then making the most of exploring the area by the Sounds of it. What’s the halfway stop you are making?

[@jimbojones2457]

@@dantheman6159 won't be stopping at the Grampians. My half way point will be Berri, SA camping on the Murray for the night. When are you heading off?

[@johnninness3440]

FABULOUSE VID NEED MORE THANKS FROM KORAT THAILAND

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks John!

[@madhawawijekoon1204]

superb.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks Dinesh

[@karenmbbaxter]

Awww.......I love owners who take their dogs on trips around Australia......Why should your 4 legged friend be left behind?

[@samueloshea6546]

Stayed in parachilner last year and the water was flowing through the creek. Rad spot

[@Sparkysontheloose]

That would've looked good, bet the wildlife was going crazy

[@samueloshea6546]

@@Sparkysontheloose yeah heaps of wallabes, we had just done a week in the Simpson then went through the flinders for a week on our way home. There is a big country to see out there, it's sick to see what you guys are doing. Good stuff.

[@stuiescampingadventures]

Where you camped at Parachilna, (the mouse spot), we camped there about two years ago. One of my favourite camp spots ever!!!! And free... How cool

[@gebi4pejo1]

Were heading that way in the next week or so...we were going there last year, but family matters got in the way heading to Kangaroo Island, Flinders Rangers upto Camerons Corner and home...6 weeks..

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Sounds like a good trip Sandra. Kangaroo island might still be on the cards for us as well, it looks so beautiful over there.

[@jay6817]

Was going to ride the motorbike there. Hmm, doesn't look like to many sealed roads.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

The only sealed road is the main one in but you only get to see what they want to show you rather then adventuring off. Best to have an bike that can be off road capable.

[@neversettle9991]

One tip: u must hv a drone 🤩

[@jessehummen7251]

Cool video! What tyre pressure did you drive on after you deflated it?

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks Jesse, 30psi all round. The car is heavy so we try to stay in the 30s

[@adrianmaynard1431]

Enjoying your vids. Were abouts to you source your music?

[@JeremyS404]

Hi Guys. What apps do you use to find all your awesome free camp sites?

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Hi Jeremy, we mainly use Wikicamps. There's also camps 9 book you can buy as well.

[@erikgranqvist3680]

Love your videos! Hos much water do you travel with? Living in Sweden, I am kind of used to have acess to water just about anywhere. Your country seems quite arrid.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Erik Granqvist G,day Erik, we have 120L on board. We have never run out of water you just have to be careful when going remote. Even when remote we buy bottled water to help us out.

[@erikgranqvist3680]

Sparky's on the loose Thanks for a fast answer!

[@dantheman6159]

Hi Sparky’s, do you guys have an itinerary from Victoria? We are visiting during Easter

[@Sparkysontheloose]

G'day Dan, you're best off looking on our blogs www.akindustries.com.au/blog

[@darcygillies469]

Hey! Me and the boyfriend are looking to trip up here in the near future I’m just wondering if you any have information or links to a site of where you stayed at, at the beginning of the video thanks so much!!

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Sorry it was so long ago.

[@seekdogsaustralia2592]

We are travelling with our dogs too. Did you leave your dog in your van when you went out for the day?

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Yes we did, it was a very cool day plus we didn't leave her too long so it was good. It's a great spot as she can run around when we are at camp.

[@seekdogsaustralia2592]

Thanks for the reply!!! We went a couple days ago and werent sure if we were allowed.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

@@seekdogsaustralia2592 ahh fair enough. We have been on the Gibb river RD with no reception for the past 18 days 🤐

[@seekdogsaustralia2592]

@@Sparkysontheloose sounds very difficult, but also amazing!

[@ulehuleh]

Did you guys leave your van at parachilna gorge free camp for the day?

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Yeah, felt safe and secure for us at the time

[@craigd123]

@@Sparkysontheloose I peed on your pillow

[@colinl9018]

How to solve 'mouse in car problem'. Evacuate all passengers and dogs, wind up all windows, crank sub woofer and release full can of fly/mozzie spray thru car, quickly close door and crack stubbie. By the time beer is drank the little bastard will have choked to death.................................................. if you don't find it immediately, you will in a couple of days. Just follow your nose. lol.

[@Ibadkhan]

couldn't see your UHF/VHF radio? or you don't use one? i believe it's important to have one if i am not wrong. Btw i am a 4wd as well and love to camp around. You just made me to visit flinders range again. Good luck

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Hello Ibad, we have 2 uhfs installed. One in each footwell. We mainly use channel 40 and only use the other if we are in a 4x4 area. Glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers

[@mickbetteridge2581]

I noticed you had your dog with you. Did you have to leave the dog somewhere ??

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Hey mick, we left her in the van while we did little trips around the place. Not ever dog likes this but ours loves it.

[@mickbetteridge2581]

Sparkys on the loose thanks for getting back guys. Enjoy your travels 👍🏻

[@neilwhitehead132]

what did you do with your dog???

[@Sparkysontheloose]

She chilled in the van while we ducked in, she loves it.

[@samsabastian5560]

Some of your pronunciations are a bit off folks. Wilpena, not Wilapena. Over all a great video. Thanks a lot.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

Thanks Sam, the bad pronunciation is normal for us.

[@virginialee6394]

Pleased you enjoyed the trip and that you appreciate the lovely flinders ranges but please note that it appears that you drove into the old ruins near Blinman. There is a no entry sign there for driving in as the area is fragile. Please also note it’s private property and some of us don’t appreciate dogs being allowed to run free. Or that people assume free camping.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

No idea what your talking about. We don't drive into places that have signs up.

[@virginialee6394]

Actually you did - see 14.42 - looks like your 4WD - walking in to see them is ok

[@Rainb9wdash]

Just so you are aware, it's a 5000 fine using a drone in any national park. Also saying you're disappointed in the rock art is so so disrespectful to the people of the land.

[@Sparkysontheloose]

So you're assuming that we dont have a commerial drone license or permission. Also the rock art has been vandalised to the point were it dosnt even look like it ever was art. Have you even seen the rock art, its disrespectful if you havn't.

[@bennn82]

Sparkys on the loose do you have a commercial drone licence and did you obtain permission to fly in the National Park?

[@craigd123]

@@bennn82 I said they could hoe