This trek is just one of many private tracks in the Flinders Ranges ideal for four wheel driving, although Skytrek is the most popular of them all.

We have been able to publish this route based on information directly supplied to us from Carmel and Brendon Reynolds who own and operate Willow Springs Station on which the SkyTrek is situated.

Skytrek consists of a series of Station roads, old mining and goat shooter's tracks, a fire break, linked together by 26km of constructed track over Mt Caernarvon to complete the circular route. The total trek will take approximately 6 hours to complete so you are required to head off before 10am.

Willow Springs is just north of Wilpena Pound. Wilpena Pound is about 450 km north of Adelaide and about 4.5 hours on the bitumen via Port Augusta.

Willow Springs Station
Phone: (08) 8648 0016
See advertisement for more information and links to website.

Bookings are essential and may be made by calling Brendan or Carmel Reynolds on: (08) 8648 0016.
Cost is $55 per vehicle (6 persons and under), $75 per vehicle for larger carriers, $25 per motor bike, $50 for registered 4WD Club outing (* see note below) per vehicle , $45 per vehicle for a Registered 4WD Club outing (* see note below) and staying on Willow Springs Station. The journey takes approximately 6 hours so clients must be started before 10:30am

* An official letter declaring that it is a registered 4WD Club outing must be presented

The property provides you with the opportunity to drive through one of the majestic areas of the Flinders Ranges - taking in Mt Caernarvon a drive to 923m with astounding views, and a side trip to Skull Rock including a short walk into a mini-gorge.

Other Activities on Willow Springs Station

Bushwalking, birdwatching and scenic flights area are all catered for on Willow Springs Station. Clients staying on Willow Springs Station are welcome to bring their own horses, to utilise the stock yards and to ride in privacy on a number of marked trails and station tracks. Hay and overnight camps are available upon request.

As mentioned in Permits, Tariffs for Skytrek access are $55 per vehicle (up to 6 persons), or $75 per vehicle (for larger carriers). If you wish to make forward bookings these need to be made direct through Willow Springs Station, or alternatively on-site bookings can now be made at Wilpena Visitors Centre, Rawnlsey Park Station or Hawker Motors.

When you pay your access fee to Skytrek you will receive a 6 double-paged document with everything you need to know about the drive including distances, a mud map, and information about the 40 markers you will find on the route that include points of interest and gates that must be left as found. There are also suggested lunch spots and long-drop toilets are provided for your convenience.

A key will be issued to you no later than 10.30am and must be used only during daylight hours. This key enables you to unlock various gates along the route.

For UHF users - you are requested to use Channel 4 Repeater (contact Homestead), Channel 7 Repeater (Emergency only 090 contact Hawker RAA, and 317 contact Hawker Police).

The track is suited to high-clearance, dual range vehicles. You definitely need to make sure everything is secured and tied down as it does get pretty rough on the last half, but the views are breath taking. There is some accommodation here in shearers quarters, along with some bush camping. All enquiries and bookings need to be made direct with Willow Springs Station.

While the earlier part of the drive is negotiable largely in HIGH range 4WD, with gullies and some rock-hopping needing LOW, later it becomes LOW range all the way, to preserve the track surface and second, to ensure your safety and maintain control. Some 4WD knowledge and experience is required, and the track is best suited to vehicles with high ground-clearance.

Early in the drive a rock wall with ancient Aboriginal petroglyphs, depicting past camp sites comes into view. The petroglyphs are estimated to be 20,000 years old.

Your Skytrek information pack will detail various tree species along the route as well as some interesting geological features such as an ancient sea bed.

The general area is home to Euros, Red Kangaroos, Western Grey Kangaroos and the Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby (Andu) with the Goats, Rabbits and Dingoes being mostly eradicated by either culling, the calicivirus of 1995 and fencing.

The Bunkers Reserve

Within Willow Springs Station and found along the route of Skytrek, is a private protected area purchased by The Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby Preservation Association Inc. for the purpose of nature conservation, with the assistance of the Commonwealth Government under the National Heritage Trust's National Reserve System Program. Under a licence agreement with the operators of the Skytrek, permission is granted to authorised participants to access this land BUT IS LIMITED TO THE ROUTE OF THE SKYTREK TRACK.

This group is part of the Hunting and Conservation Branch of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia so is quite an interesting concept, given that the purpose is conservation. However, one of our ExplorOz Members, is the Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the National parks in the Flinders and Gammons area and he personally advises us that he can vouch for the very good work the Sporting Shooters have done in culling the feral goats in "Operation Bounceback". Since Skytrek goes through property sold to the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby Preservation Association Inc. it is important that visitors understand that this is a private property within a private property and certain rules apply.

Grandfather Steve Reynolds and his younger brother Tom came from their family home of Willow Plain near Hawker in 1924 to inspect the Upalinna block which was one of the many subdivisions of the former Wilpena Station.

On arriving at Prelinna Hut located at the southern top of Upalinna they were confronted by a shepherd working for Wilpena Station. The shepherd knew that these young Irish lads were going to be a threat to his job and so was at first a little reluctant to allow them in the Hut and to spend the night with Him. During the evening Tom Reynolds, who at the time was suffering from a toothache, retrieved a bottle of brandy from one of his saddle packs. By the next morning the Reynolds brothers had a detailed account of what this Upalinna block was capable of carrying and where the watering points were to be found. They then spent the next couple of days riding around on horseback, confirming what the shepherd had told them and they then went and approached the Pastoral Board for a lease.

The lease was grated to them and the Pastoral board passed commented on how thorough their application had been.

Willow Springs Station, which neighbours Upalinna, was one of the early pastoral leases in the Flinders Ranges and was purchased by the Reynolds family in 1952. Willow Springs which was formerly known as Appealinna was taken up by Joseph Wills in 1856. Willow Springs remains a pastoral lease of 70000 acres or 28300 hectares.

The carrying capacity of Willow Springs Station is about 1 sheep to every 16 acres or about 1 sheep to every 40 large suburban house blocks. Land value in this area is about $200 a sheep area or $12 an acre. Rainfall varies throughout the property with the homestead averaging approximately 300mm (12 inches) and Moxan and other areas as low as 175mm.

Skytrek consists of a series of Station roads, old mining and goat shooter's tracks, a fire break, linked together by 26km of constructed track over Mt. Caernarvon to complete the circular route.

After a bushfire in November 1991, it became obvious that a track could be constructed over Mt Caernarvon by mainly following the ridge tops. This track was constructed to assist with mustering sheep and to build several mustering yards.

With a couple of discreet detours, (the Reynolds) assumed that it would become a tourist attraction and in time pay for the cost of construction of the road. It took 51 dozer hours to complete this 26km section and the track was opened in June 1995. Flinders Ranges Safaris started doing daily tours from Hawker shortly afterwards. (The Reynolds) then invited Pat and Des Trowbridge and their friends from the Nissan Patrol Club to come for a weekend and inspect it and to give us a few tips by asking each vehicle to fill in a survey and to suggest a name.

Several friends including George Aldridge spent some time helping (the Reynolds) with advertising and drawing up the pamphlets and map etc. and it was at this point that the Skytrek name was chosen. As part of the Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby Preservation Association acquisition of the Bunkers Block from March 2001, Willow Springs Station now leases the Bunkers proportion of Skytrek.

The Bunkers - History

The Bunkers area was originally within the lands of aboriginal people. From the 1850s, the area formed a part of various large pastoral leases and came under the management of the Reynolds family in 1952. In 1993, in support of the Bounceback program in the Flinders Ranges National Park, the Reynolds family authorised the culling of feral goats in the Bunkers Block by the Hunting and Conservation Branch of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia. As the culling progressed over several years, members of H&CB-SSAA became familiar with this spectacular and rugged area, noting many interesting features and the remnants of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby colony. Interest developed into commitment and the creation of a separate organisation was funded with the purpose of property purchase and protecting the native vegetation and wildlife of the area.