Gawler Ranges National Park

The Gawler Ranges are the eroded remains of volcanic activity around 1,500 million years ago, among the oldest volcanic landscapes on earth, worn down into rounded red hills of rhyolite above saltbush plains. The Organ Pipes, the park's landmark, are a cliff of hexagonal columns formed as thick lava cooled and cracked, similar in origin to basalt columns elsewhere but in a much older and different rock. Waterholes at Kolay Mirica and Pondanna hold water after rain and draw wildlife, and the park supports yellow-footed rock-wallabies, emus, red kangaroos and, in spring, wildflower displays across the plains. Tracks are unsealed and there are no services inside.

History

The national park began as the Paney Station pastoral lease of 1,200 square kilometres, bought in 2000 by the South Australian government with help from the federal government, and in 2001 some 420 square kilometres of the neighbouring Scrubby Peak Station were added to it (Wikipedia, Gawler Ranges National Park).

Highlights

• The Organ Pipes - a cliff of hexagonal rhyolite columns.
• The volcanic hills - rounded red ranges from 1,500 million years ago.
• The rock-wallabies - yellow-footed rock-wallabies among the boulders.
• The spring wildflowers - flowering across the plains after winter rain.

When to go

April to October; summer is extremely hot with no shade. Wildflowers follow good winter rain, usually August to October. Roads become impassable after rain and are closed, sometimes for days.

Practical notes

All roads inside the park are unsealed and rough, and high clearance is strongly advised. There is no water, fuel or phone coverage. Campsites are basic. The nearest supplies are at Wudinna or Kimba, a long drive away.

Nearby

Wudinna and the Eyre Highway lie south; Lake Gairdner is north.

Key facts