On our first night at Rawnsley Park we enjoyed the sunset from Station Hill.  We sat with our dink and nibbles on the tailgate of the cruiser and enjoyed the red (iron oxide) sandstone glowing with the setting sun.  Rawnsley Bluff on the southern end, was named after the surveyor HC Rawnsley.   Other prominent peaks have been named after the family of another early Government Surveyor William Evans. Chace Range is on the southern side of Wilpena Pound and was named after explorer and bullock driver William Chace.  The formation of this range is quite different to Wilpena Pound.  The range behind the Rawnsley Park Tourism development is different again and is named Elder Range after pastoralist and merchant Alexander Elder.  

The current owners and managers of Rawnsley Station are 4th generation Smith family members Tony and Julieanne. The station has been in the Smith family since 1953, and was originally owned by Tony’s father Clem. Initially devoted to sheep shearing, the station ventured into tourism in 1968, when the first cabins were opened and sheep shearing demonstrations began. 

Tony and Julieanne took over Rawnsley Park in 1985 and since then, have transformed a small struggling sheep station into an award-winning tourism facility that attracts 20,000 visitors each year. Though tourism is the main industry on the property, the Station still runs 2000 sheep. They were one of the first tourism operators in South Australia to gain official ecotourism accreditation and have won multiple State and National Tourism Awards and have invested substantial finances into eco-villas over the past decade.

We had a fantastic day exploring Wilpena National Park.  Peter had booked a 30 minute flight over the Pound with Wright Air.  We left Rawnsley Park about 8.30am as we needed to confirm the booking at the Wilpena Visitor Centre an hour before the flight.  Blinman and Parachilna are further up the road from Hawker.  The web tells me Blinman is the highest town in SA.  Parachilna is where we were headed yesterday.  We could have done the round trip!

Our flight over Wilpena Pound with Mark our pilot was fantastic and well worth the $231.00 each.  There were five of us in the Cessna 180.  We were impressed with the earphones and at a cost of $2,000 each set, I guess they should have been good! They certainly made the flight far more enjoyable.

After the flight we did a walk around the Old Wilpena Station homestead and outbuildings.  It was close to the airport and within walking distance of the Wilpena Resort.  There are so many old stone buildings in South Australia.  Many have been lovingly restored, others need some TLC.  But sadly that also means lots of dollars.  I counted 9 sets of double doors, all with flywire, opening onto the verandah of the homestead.  It is now used by National Parks, so we could only walk around it.

We purchased lunch back at the store at Wilpena Resort and then did the 4 wheel drive to Bunyeroo Gorge and Brachina Gorge.  Mark the pilot had recommended we do the drive if we had a suitable vehicle.  The scenery was certainly worth the drive.  He also gave us lots of information about Wilpena Pound and said the best time to visit are the summer months.  I thought it was very dry, but Mark says their rain comes mostly during the summer months.  The remnants of weather systems that bring rain to Broome, provide this area of SA with their best rains.   

I was particularly fascinated at the number of Pine Trees on the ranges.  The trees are protected now and even a dead Pine Tree cannot be removed from the Park.  In past years goats have severely damaged the trees, but over the last 70 years there has been a successful programme to cull them. 

Wilpena Pound is also known as Ikara, the aboriginal name for meeting place.  It is a natural amphitheatre of mountains.  It started its formation 600 million years ago.  In the early years of settlement in the area it was used for various purposes, including horse breeding and wheat farming. The highest peak is St Mary at 1171 metres.  The landmark came under the control of Australia’s National Parks Commission in 1972.  

We have also heard or read lots about the Heysen Trail during our touring of South Australia this trip.  We were told of a lady that was starting the 1,200 kilometre walk that day.  The trail is from Parachilna Gorge to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula.  She intended to walk 37 kilometres a day and the walk would take her 32 days.  That is pretty good going!  It appears the walk is only open between April and October.

We were back to the caravan by 3.00pm.  Time for a rest and shower before we finished our touring day with a drink during Happy Hour at the Rawnsley Park Woolshed.  Due to Covid the serving of meals was limited.  We were happy with a drink and a look.  The Woolshed has been very tastefully decorated.  We sat on the verandah and watched the sun set on the ranges once again.  We've very much enjoyed our two nights at Rawnsley Park and touring of Wilpena Pound.  I was pleased that Peter had enjoyed this visit as much as I had.