Flinders Ranges: The Land of Vibrant Colours

Michael enjoying the views.
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What I remember the most about the Flinders Ranges is that we almost didn't see them.  It was pouring as we arrived at the turn off that we were going to need to take and we made the decision to just keep going to Adelaide,  that it wouldn't be much fun in the rain.  We hadn't got too far though when we reversed our decision.  After all, when is the next time we were going to get the opportunity?  So in the pouring rain we headed back and found our accommodation for the night.  We retired early and when we woke up it was the most glorious sight - clear skies and lot's of sunshine!  So we packed up our gear and got ready for a day of hiking.

One of the "fingers".
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To me, what the Flinders Ranges are about is the startling contrast of colours.  The rocks were the most beautiful shades of reds, oranges, and browns which were in sharp contrast to all of the green trees and blue skies.  There were also many mountain flowers, mainly yellow, that added to the vibrancy of the landscape.  The pictures just don't do it justice unfortunately.  We did a hike up to St.Mary's Peak (1170 metres) the highest peak in the area which gave stunning views of an area known as Wilpena Pound.  It's hard to describe what this looks like exactly, but brochures describe it as "the palm of an outstretched hand with the mountain peaks being the fingers."  Cheesy as that is it kind of works.  Anyway, it was beautiful and the 16.8 km round trip hike seemed well worth it when we got to the top and saw the views.  Stunning!

It's hard to describe what this looks like exactly, but brochures describe it as "the palm of an outstretched hand with the mountain peaks being the fingers."

The vibrant colours of the landscape.
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Heather and Michael