Bushwalk Australia

Hi all,
I'm doing a roadtrip down from Sydney to the Flinders Range and was originally going to go all the way up to Alice to do the Larapinta trail, but I realize now thats just a bridge too far for me. I'm looking for something to replace the Larapinta in the Flinders surrounds, maybe within 150km in the N/W directions or farther is OK if S/E. I'm hoping for something long distance, about 1-3 weeks in duration, but a series of a few-days-long walks works as well. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
I notice the Heysen trail goes through the Flinders, but given my unfamiliarity with the area I wouldn't know a good start/end point, and thats not to mention logistical concerns like parking. I've looked at the advertised trails within Flinders but all of them are daywalks.
So, Heysen trail, my best bet? Or do you blokes have a hidden gem that you could grace me with knowing?
(I have a 4WD vehicle and am experienced in these sorts of bushwalks. Limited cross country nav skills however)

Heysen is your best option. Start at the northern end (Parachilna Road) and go south, or pick it up at one of the major access points such as Wilpena or the Dutchmans Stern and go in whichever direction appeals to you. It's mostly reasonably well marked, with a lot of "follow fence" or "follow creek" sections. There are some fantastic campsites - usually with water tanks - and plenty of non-official camping options. Incredibly varied, great scenery and fantastic options for sidetrips as well; a lot of the nearby peaks and ridges are also relatively easy to climb.
The official maps are not the best but they do have a fair amount of useful information on them.
If you leave the vehicle at one of the more remote access points, it's best to leave a note saying how long you expect to be so no-one gets edgy about an unattended car and calls in a search.

Agree with north-north-west. Walking from Parachilna down to Quorn would take in some of the best parts of the trail. If you go as far as Melrose, this would also allow you to walk down up and down Mt Remarkable after spending the night at Gray's Hut (which is a great little spot).

My favourite part of this section (and of the whole trail) was actually walking from Mayo Hut to Hawker via the Yourambulla Range and Jarvis Hill Lookout. Walking along that range is as good as anything on the Larapinta in my opinion. Some people miss this by just taking the alternate routes into/out of Hawker (as most need to resupply) - the range is definitely worth the extra effort.

Aside from that, a few other tips for other parts, some slightly further south of the Flinders:

* Quorn - Maybe do the railway and the video show onto the silo was great (although make sure you rug up - it was freezing!).
* Walking along the dry stone wall up New Campbell Hill and then down to spend the night in Curnow's Hut was wonderful - the hut is in a lovely position
* I loved the section from Hallett to Caroona Creek - this includes Mt Bryan (especially the view from "God's Seat"), Mt Bryan East and Tourilie Gorge was a wonderful section to walk (the day after going south through those hills north of Burra not so much though)
* Burra - the town has heaps to look at, I think I walked further on my Burra "rest day" than any other day on the trail

Another thing I enjoyed were the old country pubs that were full of character. Ones like the Spalding Pub, the "Wild Dog" in Hallett and the Georgetown Hotel (the "pub that fell from the sky") all helped make my Heysen walk even more memorable.

great leads so far, thank you both

lseries92 wrote:My favourite part of this section (and of the whole trail) was actually walking from Mayo Hut to Hawker via the Yourambulla Range and Jarvis Hill Lookout.

Yourambulla is absolutely superb. Agree that it's just about the best of the Heysen.

Here's another view of the Trail that's now a bit dated but is a beautiful read nonetheless. The Comments are essential reading too as they respond gracefully to Christine's equally graceful critique. As a trip back in time, into the land of Voss and others it could make the Heysen unique. Where the Camino meets Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

https://christine-on-big-trip.blogspot. ... trail.html