Moralana Scenic Drive.

Moralana Scenic Drive.

About 10klms south of Rawnsley Park Station there is suggested 28klm drive called the Moralana Scenic Drive. This drive is one of the most spectacular in the Flinders Ranges and meanders along a well maintained gravel road that takes us through a very picturesque valley flanked by Wilpena Pound to the right and the Elder Range to the left.

Two views over the Wilpena Pound Ranges

Every turn in the road reveals another breathtaking view of the ranges with different scenery in the foreground. There are many expanses of beautiful cypress pines with massive amounts of corellas feeding in them. These birds sure can make a noise as they feast on the nuts on the pines.  Underneath the trees are a few different wildflowers but unfortunately we are too late for the massive display of colour.

The road takes us across many picturesque dry creek beds with huge majestic Red River Gums along their banks. (Some of these gum trees are 400 plus years old.) Most of these creeks only flow once or twice each year - but by looking at the erosion they have caused and the size of the rocks and large rubble they have dumped along their path, they must have a huge volume of water in them when they do flow.

One of the many dry Creek Beds we cross on this drive. The banks of the creeks are lined with Majestic Old Red River Gums. Some are said to be over 400 years old.

A view of the Elder Ranges.

As well as being a very interesting and a gorgeous drive it is also very quiet – we virtually have it all to ourselves, only seeing one other car. Our journey, however is interrupted several times by emus, kangaroos and wallabies crossing our path.  We also stop several times to take photos of emus and kangaroos grazing in the fields. I have never seen as many Australian birds and animals as I have in the Flinders Rangers.

We have to stop for Several Emus and Kangaroos - they own the roads out here - but you also see the results of many who make the wrong calculation.

At the end of the scenic drive we decide to do a big loop back to Rawnsley Station via Hawker on the main road. It might be a main road but it is still devoid of much traffic. Going this way, gives us the opportunity to stop at different viewing points or when we want to take photos.

We have our picnic lunch on the top of a small hill with fantastic 360° views. There are monuments on this hill to the Adnyamathanha people - the traditional land owners, the original surveyors of the area and the overland telegraph line. We also have a surprise visitor for lunch - a very inquisitive emu who just wondered up to see what we were doing.

This is our lunch spot. Very out in the open and quite high up - wonderful views and a nice cool breeze.

On the way to Hawker we see cattle and sheep drinking at troughs that have been filled by water pumped to the surface by metal windmills, several derelict old pastoral homesteads and many different views of majestic mountain ranges. It is a very pretty and interesting drive.

The 40klms from Hawker to Rawnsley Park Station has many sightseeing stops and this time we can stop and take in the views- (It is a lot easier to stop when we do not have the caravan in tow.) At one viewing place we stopped, we saw 12 emus all together. They looked just beautiful walking in the fields that were a mass of yellow and different shades of green.

We did a total of 120klms –saw plenty of beautiful scenery and had a fantastic time.

There were 12 emus in this group. I felt very lucky to get 9 of them to look at me. I love this photo.