Northern Flinders Overview

The few visitors who arrive in Northern Flinders are welcomed by an impressive palette of colors. Sage-green shrubs dot the ground below while orange hills fade to red, blue, and purple mountains in the distance. After a rare rainfall, thousands of yellow flowers blanket the normally dry ground. The vastness of the Outback is apparent here: the mountains are large, the gorges deep, and the human company scarce. To cover the few hundred kilometers between Flinders Range National Park and Gammon Ranges National Park, drivers can either come up through Wilpena and Blinman or stick to the highway from Hawker and follow the paved road as far as Copley. The stops described here are located along the highway, though the dirt-road route to Gammon will show you what the “back of beyond” is all about.

Travelers looking to head north of Gammon and Arkaroola will need a Desert Parks Pass. For info, call the Desert Parks Pass Hotline (☎1800 816 078) or talk to the rangers at Balcanoona in Gammon Ranges Park or at the Parks Office in Port Augusta. (☎08 8648 5300. Year pass $95, day pass $11, overnight pass $20. Prices may vary.) The pass allows unlimited access to the Simpson Desert, Innamincka, Lake Eyre, and Dalhousie areas, among others. It comes with a packet of brochures and great regional maps.