FLINDERS FINALE - Brachina East & Mambray Creek

We knew we were in for some weather as we headed south towards the Ikara - Flinders Ranges, and we were relieved that it didn't hit us until we were well and truly on the bitumen again. And more importantly OFF the Oodnadatta Track. Rain at best can be an inconvenience, at worst it can leave you stuck and stranded.

We pulled into Leigh Creek to pick up a few supplies, including water which we opted to buy this time. 

It was turning off the highway into Leigh Creek that we realised that neither indicators were working!

Certainly not ideal, as we would need to drive through Adelaide, and its traffic, in a day or two to get home. Andy was able to make an appointment with a mechanic the following day in nearby Copley to have it looked at, and hopefully fixed. This would mean a 220km/3 hour round trip including 40km of 4WD there and back. We knew the electrics were not 100% (an understatement), and they would need some TLC in the future. 

After arriving at Brachina East campground I checked the fusebox under dashboard and there were spare fuses. We identified the correct fuse for the indicators, and on a wing and prayer replaced it with one of the spare ones. Huzzah! It worked. It was just that the fuse had blown. The indicators were back in working order and the trip to Copley was cancelled. Hurray for us!

With that fixed it was time to get set up, and settle in to one of our favourite camp grounds in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges. We had camped here in the first few weeks of our trip and it felt like we were completing the circle.

 Driving into the front, complete with lightning and low, dramatic thunderclouds. What were we thinking? It did rain a bit as we sped down the highway, but had mostly finished by the time we arrived at the campground.

 More ad hoc fixes. Duct tape on a holey tent with rain forecast. It held up. No one, and no bedding got wet inside the tents.

 Outside was a different story, and quite wet. But we don't let that get in the way of some riverbed mud play. Dry or wet riverbed, it doesn't matter, they are amazing play spaces for kids to explore.

 Slightly drier...

Brachina East campground is nestled along the riverbed in Brachina Gorge, and is split into a 2WD and 4WD section. The 4WD part isnt too hairy but there are some pretty big rocks so you do need high clearance to access the gorge itself, as well as the campground. We did see a very anxious 2WD van. going through the gorge on our previous visit - I imagine they would have been checking underneath for damage once they got out.

 The view back towards our site. We had the best site (in our opinion). We were in the 4WD section and right up the end of a no through road so no passing traffic. There is so much space to wander and appreciate the bigness of this ancient, ruggedly beautiful landscape.

Last time we were here there was no grass. It was barren, dry and rocky. The transformation after winter rains was stunning. So much new green growth. We have never been to the Ikara-Flinders Ramges when it looks like this. It was a lovely surprise.

 It was really cold. And wet. So wet. Here we are early one morning. I am wearing layers and layers and pretty much all the warm things I have, including 2 pairs of pants!

 Taking a walk with my boy. James had noticed a whistling kite hunting over a flat section above the creek beds. Soaring and diving, and landing on the ground with its catch in its beak. We later noticed several whistling kite nests in the river gums in the creek beds. The bird life here at Brachina East is stunning; ringnecks, kookaburras (the proper laughing ones), splendid fair wrens, read breasted robins, kites, kingfishers and butcher birds. It was raucous at times.

 Touring around the Ikara-Flinders. We had stopped at the scree slope/rock wallaby viewing area to see if we could spot some. We had not seen any here before - turns out we weren't looking properly. They are much smaller than you think they should be, and virtually invisible unless they move. Luckily for us there were a few hopping across the slope.

 Playing in another riverbed, this time flowing.

We had 3 nights at Brachina East in the Ikara - Flinders Ranges. 

It was very foggy and wet on our first morning, and we had planned to do a walk. As we started to head off it started to drizzle in earnest. Normally I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of weather and just put appropriate gear on, and head out. The thing was, we were wearing ALL our warm gear, and had limited wet weather gear. To go for a walk in this very wet rain would mean everything getting soaked. And we had no way of drying it. Plus it was very cold. Once we were wet, that is how we would be staying.

We pivoted and decided to go for a drive up to Blinman. Despite consecutive days in the car, some of them quite long, the kids were really good about this. 

The plan was to do a loop drive; heading to Blinman North for some bakery treats ( and a spare fire lighter), drive west along Parachilna Gorge Road to collect some firewood, before heading south along the highway and back into the national park along Brachina Gorge road. The scenery is amazing.

 We stopped at the newly completed Heysen Trail Head in Parachilna Gorge. The Heysen Trail runs (or walks) for 1200km from here to Cape Jervis at the southern tip of the Fleurieau Peninsula. You can see how cold it is - this is about midday, and we are still rugged up. Brrr.

 We did manage to find some great firewood on our way through Parachilna Gorge and had a lovely fire. One of the perks of camping in the cooler weather.

 The gorgeous yellow footed rock wallabies. Jemma was the best wallaby spotter, but once you get your eye in and realise you are looking for mini kangaroos as they are very petite, they are much easier to find. They love to be up high, tucked in against the rocks, although this one seemed quite happy under a tree in the campground. 

 Euros in the campground one morning.

 Day two had us back at The Prairie Hotel - Parachilna for an end-of-trip blow-out lunch celebration. 

Jemma and I also were very brave and managed a shower at the traveller's amenity block. $2 each for a hot water shower was fine. The getting naked in a tin and concrete barn with the wind blowing through the cracks was not. After we warmed up, we felt much nicer, smug in our cleanliness. The boys are less inclined to risk hypothermia for hygiene and decided to wait another day before a hot shower.

 Fine dining. 

We had a wonderful lunch and talked about this epic adventure we have all been on, giving some thought to how we will answer the usual questions - how was your trip? what was your favourite part/thing? 

They are not easy questions to answer, as we have done and seen so much, and had some intense experiences as a family. Some things are easy to pinpoint as awesome, but other aspects of this kind of journey are harder to articulate. I will try and dedicate a blog post to addressing these questions later.

The more we talked about it all, the more we remembered. We each have our own perspective. When asked if we would like to do something like this again, the answer is a great, big YES! 

 Braised kangaroo tail got the thumbs up from James. He has been so adventurous, trying new foods, on this trip.

 Happy faces, full tummies. Some of us cleaner, and less smelly, than others.

 

I really love the Ikara - Flinders Ranges. I find the geology and landscape fascinating, and difficult to wrap my head around. There is wildlife everywhere you look. Having been here several times now, we have seen it in a few different seasons, each with their own characteristics. 

 Exposed ancient deposits of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges near Brachina Gorge, with riverbed in the foreground.

 Enormous huntsman surprised me in the loo!

 On our last morning at Brachina, and second last morning of the trip,  Jemma got stung not once, but twice on her eyelid by a giant ant that had walked into the tent. Poor kiddo. It looked very sore and she was pretty upset. We applied SOOV (magic stuff), being careful not to get it in her eyeball proper, and it settled down quickly after that thankfully.

Three nights went by in a flash and it was time to go. Another heavy pack down on this morning, tinged with some real excitement about the prospect of going home. Just one more night to go...

 Approaching the coast south of Port Augusta we got our first glimpse of the ocean since leaving Middle Lagoon on the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome in mid July. Different ocean. Different state.

Having said we don't love one night stops, our last night was deliberately just that. For our last night we stayed at Mambray Creek campground in Mt Remarkable National Park. This was also where stayed on our first night on our previous trip with the kids - some more symmetry there, which I like. 

It provided a good staging position for the last push home, just 3hr 15 mins drive down the road. Easy peasy. With just one night, the idea was there would be no time for moping and we wouldn't have to wait long before we would be on our way again, and not too far at that. AND it is a beautiful spot. We felt it was a strong finish.

 The creek was flowing!

After arriving and finding our spot, just metres from the creek bed we could hear a white noise. What could it be? Water! And lots of it. We have only ever been here when the creeks have been dry so it was a real treat to see it like this. 

 Fallen trees are the perfect playground. Stakes made higher by the cold water flowing underneath, hehehehe.

 Lots of beautiful big trees line the creek

 "Not getting wet" - the usual! At this point I didn't care too much about the state of things as tomorrow I would have clear access to a washing machine, and could wash the day away if I pleased.

 Family selfie at Mambray Creek. I think we look relaxed, happy and excited. That's probably not a fair assessment as I clearly have the edge over our thoughts.

We spent our afternoon here weighing up whether to have a hot shower or not, playing in the creek bed, taking early morning walks, enjoying the shrieks and crazy noise of the huge flock of corellas. 

 It might be the last day/s but drink bottles still need filling, and coffee still needs to be made, and more importantly drunk.

We were up early and were on the road by 8:30, excited to be heading home to our dogs who must have just about given up on us by now. 

 In the car, on our way home, on 13th September 2025. And that's it. Done. Tour of WA (and a bit of SA and NT) 2025 = complete!

 

Down the guts AKA going home * Kulgera -> Coober Pedy -> Coward Springs*

The pack up at Trephina Bluff campground was done efficiently, but with heavy hearts, and mixed emotions. We were now definitely, unequivocally, undeniably and absolutely on our way home. 

There were still some adventures to be had; I am surprised at how many photos I have been able to upload from this 4 day leg.

The plan was for a 4 day/3 night run from Central Australia (NT) to the Flinders Ranges (SA) with each night being a one night stop. And lots to see along the way.

We headed back through Alice Springs for a quick top up before heading south proper. First stop was Henbury Meteorite Conservation Reserve for a quick look and walk. It was pretty warm, there is no shade or shelter, and the flies! The Henbury Meteor crashed here 4700 years ago, fragmenting on impact and leaving 12 craters in the Central Australian Desert, some of which can still be seen.   

 Kids on the rim of one of the visible craters. 

 The highlight (for me) of this walk was these giant, armoured grasshoppers.

 Back on the Stuart and heading south. Adelaide is on the map! As is Kulgera - our destination this day.

Kulgera (Night 1) sits just inside the Northern Territory border with South Australia. We have stayed here a few times now as it has always been conveniently distanced. In our books it's a one night stop with basic facilities, camping out the back of a roadhouse. It was definitely looking more tired than on our previous visits.

 Derelict pool at Kulgera Roadhouse. 

The washing machines and laundry were flooded. The shower block needed emergency maintenance after I alerted reception to flooding (and more) there as well, putting my much anticipated hot shower was put on the back burner indefinitely.

 Tidy and neat camp set up at Kulgera. We didn't do a full set up as we were just staying overnight and would eat in the pub. Saying that, a partial set up still requires everything off the roof and out of the back of the car!!

 I did manage to get some washing done and dried in the hot, hot wind. 

Folding the washing and stacking it precariously like this seems contrary to the objective. I'm not sure how clean the clothes were getting at this point. I would say they were just getting a freshen up with the highly fragranced washing pods I was using by this stage.

 Silly photo opportunity at the Kulgera Roadhouse

 Father's day at Kulgera

 The most exciting thing happening at Kulgera was the RBT set up by the police. Every vehicle, going both ways, was stopped and tested. There was a very exciting moment when a car approaching from the south saw the roadblock and quickly did a 180 and screamed away the way they came. The police responded with a chase complete with lights and sirens. We do not know the outcome. The downside to all this excitement was the noise. The roadblock was up all night with lights, chatting clearly audible, and the road trains slowing down to stop or starting up again.

 It is just 19km from Kulgera to the SA border.

 Jem is in SA, James is in the NT. Andy is half and half.

 Next stop - Coober Pedy (Night 2)

We have been to Coober Pedy before, and this time it was just a stopover.

 The amazing Sturt's Desert Pea growing in a Coober Pedy garden bed. I adore these stark, hardy flowers and can remember the first time I ever saw one 'in the wild' on our first big trip. We have a photo of that first one up on our wall at home.

 SURPRISE! We surprised the kids with a night in the Coober Pedy Desert Cave Hotel. The rooms are underground! Moving every day with our set up is not ideal, so Andy and I sweetened 4 big driving days with a night in a hotel!

 Little bottles of soaps and shampoos. And our own bathroom!

 The room was basic but perfect for us. I think we arrived about 3pm and did not leave the room until we headed out for dinner later.

 Yep - this will do us nicely. It was so dark in there when all the lights were off. 

 Something not quite right here....

 Coober Pedy town signs. 

We topped up on a few items at the Coober Pedy IGA before hitting the road for another biggish day in the car. We only had 190km to cover but via dirt roads/tracks on the William Creek Road to William Creek and the south eastern end of the Oodnadatta track.

 Air out for the comfort of all passengers. William Creek Road, Coober Pedy.

 Road sign says the road we want is OPEN. Always a good sign. The state, and status, of the roads is always changing and we had been keeping an eye on things so that we could make a good plan for this section of the trip. It turns out we got lucky, beating a big band of rain by just 24 hours which would have turned these dry, dusty roads into muddy quagmires. This rain would catch us up further down the track.

 A classic - the William Creek Hotel. Oh boy were the flies on fire here. Worst of the trip so far. Little did we know, there was worse yet to come. Uggh. Flies make everything so hard. They usually accompany warm to hot weather so everyone is already testy, flies just factor this testiness right up.

 The inside of the William Creek Hotel. We stopped for some lunch and cold drinks. Away from the flies thankfully.

William Creek was fairly buzzing with human activity as well due to the filling of Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre. As this is a rare event it attracts tourists from far and wide to take special sightseeing flights over the lake.

Record rain fell over inland Queensland due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred in late February of this year. At the time we were still planning to travel through inland QLD on this trip but due to widespread flooding and devastation we pivoted to the route we were now on. Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre started to fill in May 2025 and the water was still coming down when we passed through in early September 2025. Hence all the bloody flies!

We did not do flights over the lake but enjoyed being able to see the southern end clearly from the roadside.

 Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre south, from the Oodnadatta Track.

Us with Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre in the background. I think we can  credit the idea with seeing the lake to James who suggested it when we first realised we were going to have to make some changes to the last stage of our trip.

The Oodnadatta track varied in condition. In some parts it was extremely corrugated and in others it was lovely and smooth like a highway. 

Coward Springs (Night 3), Oodnadatta Track.

 Camping at Coward Springs - we had a lovely, shady spot tucked in off the road. The flies were next level. Pretty sure we were the only ding-dongs without fly nets. You can see our screen house aka mozzie dome tent aka MDT set up between the two tents. This becomes our bug haven for eating, playing and resting. 

 James and I took a walk at sunset. Due to the natural springs there are lots of birds around. And heaps of flies. Did I mention the flies?

 The light was beautiful.

Coward Springs is named for the mound spring that bubbles up out of the ground. A plunge pool has been made out of old railway sleepers creating a 'natural spa' to contain the water. While not hot, it is warm water ~29C and welcome on a warm day. No photos of the bath as there were other people in it every time I went, and that would just be weird. Jemma and I had a lovely soak and play. Andy and James didn't get around to it for some reason.

Coward Springs really is an oasis. The campground is lovely and shady, with fantastic facilities including hot showers. There is also a cafe serving ice creams and coffees - somehow I missed out on this! It is a unique mix of heritage and conservation.

It was once a station on the old Ghan railway, constructed in 1888, and abandoned before the line closed in 1980. It was later added to the SA Heritage register. The current owners, along with managing and hosting the campground are restoring the old buildings at the site.

 Evening in our little bower. It was lovely once the sun went down and the flies went to sleep. The mosquitoes did a quick sunset appearance but didn't hang around for too long. 

 Dawn with the moon setting at Coward Springs

 Payniac at Coward Springs - early morning getting ready to pack down before the flies get too bad.

 Jemma in the dirt. 

 Sunrise at Coward Springs

From Coward Springs to Marree at the end of the Oodnadatta Track is just 130km, and took about 2 hours. Our maps (Hema 2017) showed that the bitumen did not start again until Lyndhurst so we were pleasantly surprised to find that it now goes all the way to Marree. Once we realised we pulled over on the side of the road just out of Marree to pump up the tyres again - we get way better fuel economy with correct tyre pressures.

 Airing up again. Note the left headlight is out, and had been at least since Litchfield. It would need to wait to be fixed when we can get the Patrol in for service when we get home.

And there is rain forecast......