The end for Swifty……
September 11th 2025
Still at Arkaroola , we set out on the third day for the Echo Camp Backtrack self drive. You pay the fee to get the track notes and the key to the locked gate along the way. It’s a 4 hour round trip.
This was a 4WD adventure that had some quite difficult terrain, however we were rewarded with some stunning scenery and a great oversight of the history of Arkaroola station. All the waterholes were dry despite high rainfall during winter around this inland northern corner of SA. Generally the area was dry and dusty with a sprinkling of green showing through from more recent rains. The massive River Red gums dominate the valleys and watercourses while the remainder of the landscape has the hardy dry country shrubs like Mulga, Black Cypress, Bullock trees and Acacias. There were a few kangaroos and emus, not many birds.
We found a great spot for lunch where we duly broke out the table cloth, zero beers and snacks, thoroughly enjoying the peace beside the towering red ochre cliffs.
The pictures will tell you how stunning the landscape was, although photos don’t really do it justice.
It had been a big day, much bouncing over rocky roads, inhaling dust. Andrew & Marilyn went to see the Yellow Footed Rock Wallabys being fed, with Doug Sprigg, the son of the original settlers at Arkaroola, sharing his story about living there, which was most entertaining.
We had made the best of Arkaroola. It was time to move on. We knew a severe cold weather blast was expected across southern Australia. The predictions were horrible. We rendezvoused with Neil and Erica in Blinman, then settled for the night at Alpana Station. Neil had nicely placed the Penguin beside an ensuite between 2 buildings…our site was out in the open paddock with a couple of small gums surrounding us. The wind was strong, it was already very cold. We were preparing for a repeat of the night at Arkaroola. Fortunately, it wasn’t toooo windy or wet. We enjoyed a lovely fire in the camp kitchen and survived another night.
The next day we all headed off to Willow Springs Station. After coffee and cakes, huddled in the warmth of Blinman’s cafe, we set off. This morning was very cold, almost Arctic! The sky ahead was black, the rain constant and the cold wind buffeted the car. We wouldn’t have been surprised to see snow. Driving into Willow Springs over red muddy roads in the rain, morale was low. We checked in with reception, not sure we really wanted to stay. At the camp kitchen we used the wifi and found we could make a booking at Hawker Hotel, about 60 km further south. It was a joyful few moments for everyone when we realised we would be dry for the night, in a room with the toilet nearby, out of the wind, with a heater, with a pub meal onsite. And no red gluey mud to deal with.
Erica was a bit sick with the flu. They had done the Flinders Ranges on other trips, so they decided to hightail it back home to Byron. We 4 felt we had come this far, silly not to see the rest of what the Flinders had to offer. So back to Willow Springs Station. It had stopped raining by now and the bitter Antarctic cold had passed. We had a good campsite near the amenities and a great camp kitchen and laundry, so we were happy.
We took a few hours driving around the spectacular Ranges. We took the Bunyeroo Gorge track and the Brachina Gorge track. The vistas over layered mountains with multicoloured hues, misty distances with dirt roads winding through, were an artist’s dream. I can see why Hans Heysen hung around the gorges painting such beautiful scenes. The red rocky gorges with the massive red gums capture the essence of outback Australia. How can such enormous trees live without water? How can they grow out of rock crevices? We went to Parachilna pub for a beer. I was impressed with the artwork adorning the pub walls. There’s quite a sophistication at this remote pub, it does cater for all sorts of visitors. We drove home along the Moralana Scenic Route.
Greeness is everywhere, there is a sense that this is rich pastoral country. That’s a false assumption, most of the green plants are weeds. I see all the beautiful reds and oranges of the rocks amongst my photos and get a shock when I see a green picture, and yet that is the norm not the exception.
The next day was the BIG one. Still at Willow Springs, we take the Skytrek self guided tour over the valleys and mountains of the station. Paying our $75 fee, we get some very comprehensive notes and a key to the locked gate.
We left at 8.30am. 8 hours later we returned from the 80km circuit. The first third of the day was amazing, many interesting places to see, history to discover, plants to learn about, wildflowers to find. The last third after the locked gate was when the instructions said, “engage 4WD”. We thought we’d done a lot of rough track, but now we were doing probably the hardest track we’ve ever ever done and it was relentless. Long steep upward gradients on a slippery gravelly surface to a high point, with a stunning vista, then long very steep downward slope over the edge before another steep climb reared up in front of us. The track had sharp rocks, boulders, deep holes, slippery slates, never ending. I was expecting to have whiplash by the end. But the scenery around us was breathtaking, the trip was worth it in the end. On the last highest hill on the property, there was a guest book you could sign and leave a comment. Nick read one out to me, it simply said “terrifying”. So enjoy the pictures, they were hard to come by.
Next day we moved to Rawnsley Springs Station, instead of Wilpena Pound campground as we’d planned. Excellent move to come here. We had the best campsite, on a high spot looking out at the rocky escarpment of Wilpena Pound. The sunsets were brilliant. Great amenities, a campfire at night, even a takeaway pizza on our second night.
We did a day trip to Wilpena just a short distance from Rawnsley Springs. The stop at the old homestead was delightful. The wattle and daub house was the best preserved we’ve ever seen and the red gum in the front garden was sooo big, it was magnificent.
We drove on to Wilpena Pound store, had lunch there and looked about. If you’re not able to do the walks, you can’t actually explore the Pound properly, although there was a shuttle bus we could have taken, which still involved walking at the end….one of us was a little incapacitated. Fortunately we had all been to the lookout at the Pound on another occasion.
Next came the last part of our trip. The long 1,935km to Lennox Head will be slowly paced to take advantage of this outback region. We started early with a coffee at the very good cafe in Hawker. Between Hawker and Broken Hill is endless open landscape, flushed with green but very few trees.
Peterborough was quite a bustling town. This is wheat country with a still active train service passing through twice a day. The wide main street has grand architecture with 4 pubs and numerous smaller shops and houses dating back to the late 1800’s. After lunch here, we continued to Broken Hill, where we found a delightful “resort” at Mt Gipps. Here there was a large restaurant which could cater for events, but it also serves dinner and lunch every day. We were tucked up in the unpowered sites on a flat grassy bank. The shower facilities were second to none, although a bit of a hike to get to. The night was warm and calm.
We spent a relaxed day in Broken Hill, a place that holds memories from a previous trip when we were stuck there with a hole in the petrol tank that needed repairing. This time we re-visited a favourite cafe, Silly Goat, the Regional Art Gallery which is fabulous, and the Memorial to the miners of BHP. Lunch at the retro cafe, Bells, plus a visit to a smaller gallery, and we’d done Broken Hill as best we could in one day.
Next day, the plan was to get to Nyngan for the night. This is a 580km trip on mostly dead straight roads with not much to see except millions of goats, denuding the landscape…. such a pity to witness this. Many roadkill kangaroos, all in all, a sad scene.
Wilcana park was a fair place to stop for a break. The Darling River was high and flowing unlike last time when we passed through here and it was dry. We pressed on to Cobar for lunch in a cafe we knew from a previous visit. Stocked up with food and drinks for the night, I took over driving for the last 130kms.
5 kms from Nyngan, I over-corrected when I was heading into the gravel on the left, causing the caravan to fish-tail. I was doing 100kmh at the time. It’s a strange sensation losing control. I thought “how am I going to stop this!” Then clunk, the van had tipped over onto its roof. This slowed down and ultimately stopped the car. I was facing the on-coming traffic in the right hand side, but only the back of the van was on the road. A man in an on-coming small truck who saw it all happening stopped to assist. He was a local and called the tip truck driver. Within an hour we were in a cabin in Nyngan caravan park, poor Swifty had gone to caravan heaven in a paddock with other wrecks and some lovely horses nearby for company. Next day we salvaged what we could from inside, mostly the food in the cupboards. The fridge contents were slathered with yoghurt. The tomato sauce bottle squirted it’s contents making it look like someone had been badly injured. My big regret was forgetting to get the gin, rum and coffee out….I’ll think of those as the sacraments to bless the van on its next journey wherever.
My lesson from this is not to drive late in the afternoon. This was just the second time I had driven the car with the van on…in all our time travelling around Australia, I never drove. The blessing was the tow-hitch that could swivel 180 degrees without tipping the car. The damage to the car was not minor, the lights on the back were wrecked. The boys rigged up an amazing substitute set, using Swifty’s rear lights. This made the car roadworthy enough to drive home even though it looks odd.
From Nyngan to Tamworth to Lennox Head. The journey ends and probably our caravanning days could be over. We’ve had years of adventures with Swifty, it’s sad he’s so battered about but looking at the silver lining, we can begin afresh in different ways. We’ve thoroughly explored Australia, now it is time to see a few International destinations we’ve always wanted to visit. All in good time.
This will be the very last blog. Thank you for taking the journey with us, it’s been thrilling, awesome and unforgettable. Our wonderful fellow travellers Andrew and Marilyn have saved us through thick and thin in so many ways, with mechanical help, meals, laughter and a great friendship, thank you. Neil & Erica, was a pity not to go the full distance with you this time, but what we did with you was so much fun, a little edgy at times, spectacular, hilarious and rich with memories.
Jenny & Nick
COME AWAY WITH ME 