Member - Craig D (SA) replied:

I have been there bushwalking in Feb and to be honest the heat can be unbearable, not to mention the flies! But, like you, I didn't have any other option at the time. We did enjoy the trip, though, so I'd say if you can handle a bit of heat then why not - a holiday's a holiday after all.

Gossy replied:

Yep - very hot!
Not too bad with air conditioning etc but walking etc is bad. Flies can be quite bad in summer too.

Not trying to put you off though. Nights can be great (don't take a warm sleeping bag).

Enjoy,

Member - Debbie R (SA) replied:

Yes it can be hot, but it is such a beautiful part of this State and indeed this country, any adversity will be handled with a smile.
You will do yourself a serious disservice if you let heat and flies dictate your travels.
DEBBIE














Yes it can be hot, there is no doubt about that, but it is suc

mfewster replied:

The swimming pool at the hotel in Wilpena Pound can also be used by campers and is a big help at that time. Do it.

DIO replied:

As has been suggested by others, not the best time of the year to visit that area. Of course a lot depends on what part of the Flinders that you intend to visit. If you go to Wilpena Pound and stay in am air conditioned motel unit you could probably survive. If you intend to camp with no 'creature comforts' you could find it a bit uncomfortable. Following are some temps and rainfall for Jan 2007
Hawker Leigh Creek Pt Augusta

Max Temp 41.3 41.8 43.8
Aver. Temp 32.5 34.2 33.1
Rainfall 176mm 56mm 52 mm

If the heat doesn't get you then the rain might. When it rains in that part of the country, it's often a result of thunderstorms. Roads get washed out and closed for days at a time.

Good luck with your plans.

MEMBER - Darian (SA) replied:

Yep - been there in April a few years back (northern sector) - very high 30's, extremely dry (as one would expect ) and flies quite thick. We love the Flinders but it was hard to love it under those conditions - autumn came a little later that year. February plus a little global warming most likely adds up to it being a real trial of sorts.

Members - Chris/Lindsay (VIC) replied:

We walked to St Mary's Peak in January 1983. We were lucky as it was only about 30 but we still got sunburnt! I suppose the fanatics will say due to global warming you can't do it now. We also crossed the Nullabor in the same January with mild temps but got hit with 48 in Kalgoorlie. A bit of luck and you will have a great time. Also we dropped in there in July this year and the camp has a lot of nice shady trees. Chris.

Willem replied:

I live closeby

Up to the middle of January should be mildly warm. After that it can get hot during the day but with balmy evenings. Flies can get annoying but wear a hair net and you will be OK. February is usually the hottest month of the year around these parts getting up to the high 40's. But like with everything else, if you go prepared, it does not matter what the temp is, you will enjoy the ride.

Cheers

Member - Duncs replied:

I wouldn't argue with Willem on this one he spends every summer closer to the Flinders than most of us.


We went to the northern Flinders wouth end of Strez Track for the solar eclipse in December 2002. It was hot and windy and it was beautiful.

We camped at Innamincka for a week last October and it was high 30's to mid 40's and fantastic.

I would rather be in the Flinders with temps in the low 40's than on the norht coast of NSW with temps in the low 30's. Give me that dry heat anyday over the humididty of the coast.


Duncs

Motherhen replied:

We visited the northern Flinders mid April last year. We didn't do the St Mary's peak all-day walk, but did the climb to the rim at Mt Olssen. We started out early before it got too hot. The breeze when we got to the top revived us. On the way down, a group of international visitors from a tour bus were struggling, with some of the ladies becoming overheated and having to abort the climb. Depends how you and your lady can cope with the heat, and if you want to do climbs such as this one at Wilpena. Further north, as far as Arkaroola, we did drives rather than walks.

It is a beautiful area.

The previous year we holidayed in January, and spent much of our time around the Eyre Peninsular. Although it was generally cool on the coast, inland was quite hot, but not enough to stop us enjoying the inland of the peninsular and the Gawler Ranges, and doing a few walks. I don't cope well with heat, but have needed to take holidays around January rather than in winter.

Dave B (NSW) replied:

I've been many time through the summer with international visitors and I would rather go in January than February as Willem says.
Just make sure that you take plenty of drinking water with you when you go for walks.
The air is very dry and you don't see the perspiration, it evaporates very quickly, but you still have to replace the fluids.
Go for it, it's a beautiful part of Australia.
Have a browse through a book on the geology of the Flinders and it will help you understand what you see when you get there.

Dave

Squizzy replied:

As all have said about the heat, but I have taken my most colourful photos of the Flinders during summer.

The purples, browns, reds, etc, are at their best during that time of the year.


We have had many summer camps using Rawnsley Park as our base, as it has a swimming pool and better bush camping.


Geoff.