At home on the Ranges
The Flinders Ranges promises OUTBACK ADVENTURE, and nobody knows it better than Tony Smith at Rawnsley Park Station.
THE FLINDERS RANGES is quintessential outback Australia. It took half a billion years to carve out these orange gorges and rust-red cliffs. Red river gums stand in rocky valleys. Endless vistas and year-round sunsets explode. At night, staggering stars twinkle in celebration of another remarkable day.
South Australia’s Flinders Ranges provide a top outback experience without requiring a major expedition. You’re amid dramatic scenery after an easy five-hour drive from Adelaide. And all the outback essentials are here: abundant wildlife, Aboriginal heritage, country towns, and the best contemporary visitor experiences.
Rawnsley Park Station is just such an experience. Owner Tony Smith is the fourth generation of a Flinders Ranges family. His parents Clem and Alison Smith bought the station in 1953 and ventured into tourism in 1968 with a single cabin and some sheepshearing demonstrations. It proved a visionary decision.
Tony and his wife Julie took over in 1985. Although Rawnsley Park still runs 2000 sheep, it has been transformed into an award-winning operation that has also won numerous state and national tourism awards.
Tony has a deep affinity with the Flinders Ranges. Visitors might encounter him patrolling on his quad bike, faithful kelpie Vader on the back. Ask Tony anything you like: there’s not much he doesn’t know about the region’s natural environment, history and top sights.
Over the decades, Tony and Julie have honed the ultimate luxury bush experience. Rawnsley Park sprawls over 11,735 hectares and you hardly need to leave. Accommodation choices include camping, caravans, cabins and luxury eco-villas. Enjoy evening meals at Woolshed Restaurant, where modern Australian tucker – including lamb from Rawnsley Park – is matched with South Australian wines.
Enjoy amazing scenery, plenty of wildlife and experiences such as the Daybreak Loop Walk or mountain-bike tracks. Then there’s the sunset drive to Chace Range, Tony’s favourite sunset spot for its lingering purple light. Rawnsley Park is also an incredible base from which to explore. Among experiences Tony and Julie Smith offer are day walks, guided multi-day bushwalks, 4WD tours and scenic flights over Wilpena Pound, a gobsmacking circle of eroded cliffs.
The Flinders Ranges is a top spot for 4WD enthusiasts. Moralana Scenic Drive, backed by red ranges, is stunning. Bunyeroo and Brachina gorges, formed from ancient seabeds, are unmissable.
The ultimate Rawnsley Park tour is surely overnight heli-camping, on which you’re whisked to an exclusive campsite in the Chace Range for a night in a swag surrounded by immense soul-soothing silence. Next morning, tuck into your bacon-and-egg breakfast as the climbing sun throws magnificent colour over the Elder Range and Wilpena Pound. It’s a splendid sight you won’t soon forget.
Ask Tony anything you like: there’s not much he doesn’t know about the region’s natural environment, history and top sights.
For more information, visit rawnsleypark.com.au