Prairie Hotel Overflow Accommodation. (Donga's)
This was el basic accommodation in what are similar to the mining site Donga's you might find in the outback. Cost was $60 per Donga with included access to showers etc. The Donga was airconditioned with an old through-wall unit which was well up to the task. Once the temperature of the day was erased from the room, it stayed down and the noisy AC could be turned off. Bed was comfortable and all of our party had a good nights rest, especially after dinner at the Prairie hotel itself. The Prairie Hotel also offers luxury units should you wish.
Rawnsley Park CampGround.
Rawnsley Park is a well known and cheery place with lots of options ranging from cabins to bush camp sites. There is a large camp kitchen which is very handy if you are a late arrival as we were, as well as spacious and clean toilet/shower blocks spread about the site. We arrived when the place was virtually booked out but still managed to find a suitable bush camp site for our party. It was basically crawling with people, and a lot more congested than other times I have been there - still managed fine.
Grindell's Hut
Note that the accommodation isn't actually in Grindells Hut. The actual hut is behind the house, just as well as there was a nasty murder perpetrated by the occupant.
The House has been renovated and is a very pleasant place to stay in such a remote area. The Gammons have been devoid of useful rain for some time, and the ranger asked that we minimise the use of fire as they are concerned about the fire risk so early in the season. The house has gas cooking so we were happy to comply. We used the house as a base for several bushwalks, one up to Bunyip Chasm and another down Balcanoona Creek. Great country, well worth a visit.
Arkaroola Sanctuary
Arkaroola is a private sanctuary and one definitely worth visiting. The campground is a basic affair with good toilet/shower facilities. If you're tired of your own cooking, dinner is available at the restaurant. Again, the place was teeming with people compared to my other visits, but still coped well and was a pleasant stay. We did one of the 'Extreme' 4WD tracks and had a most interesting time of it, visiting interesting outlooks, waterholes, and steep hillsides to scare the passengers.
Wilpena Pound Resort
Of the high-traffic campgrounds, this was the most pleasant. Campsites are distributed along winding trails among native pines and the ground is well prepared for camping and fire pits prepared. There are open camp kitchens and several well designed and clean toilet/shower blocks within easy walking distance. There is a ranger HQ on site with helpful staff in attendance. A shop supplies food and coffeee as well as a good range of camp supplies and souvenirs. We arrived late in the day so decided to catch the bus out to the trailhead for a walk up to the lookout - the bus driver got off the bus at our stop and gave us a helpful and informative talk about the area and where to find the trail etc. Wilpena in my view is one of the best run parks in Australia (but I haven't seen them all)
Bendleby Ranges
Bendlby Ranges is a large farm property that has taken on a role of supplying camping facilities and 4WD tracks. It's in the southern Flinders area but is still red dirt country. Campers have a choice of near camp sites with access to toilets and showers or remote sites which have a long drop loo only. All sites are pleasantly distant from one another, so even when Bendleby is busy, you hardly know it. A pleasant campsite to finish the trip.
On previous forays into the outback, I have usually pitched our car camping tent, a Black Wolf Turbo Tent. It's a good sturdy tent and it pitches relatively quickly for it's size. The downside is that it's 20kg of canvas and aluminium that has to be rolled in the dirt to stuff it into an impossibly tight bag. This trip I took a Swag. I've slept in swags before, but not one of the new types with pseudo tent shape and aluminium hoop poles to raise the canvas. I'm a convert. This thing literally pitches with just 2 pegs and I can pitch it or pack it in 2 minutes flat without breaking a sweat.
Swag pitched at Wilpena
