Rawnsleypark Stn - info

Greetings, I use Rawmsley as my base for the FLinders, Good Camping area, good showers etc, cabins if you need them, ideal location, Cheaper than Wilpena and just as good to camp. Fewer "compeditors" for space and the like. Very close to Wilpens pound if you want to teck through it. I like the quieter aspects of it. It will be COLD at this time of the year. Warwick

We like Rawnsley - wonderful scenery around the camp and some good walks on offer, varying from easy to hard (the Bluff walk is a beauty - fab. views but hard in spots and takes quite some hours - there is a 'W Pound' sidetrack walk off that climb too). The ridge walk behind the CP is great also. They have fuel, gas and a shop if you forget anything etc. Reasonable rates in the powered CP - we took our new 18' offroad van there last year and went 'out the back' to the unpowered camping area - the road was a little squeezy but a full height van can get out there without scratching anything - it's about 1km up the valley - ton of room, but the small native pines offer little shade for the summer - not an issue in the cooler months. They do have flushing toilets out in the camping area, with washing water taps too as I recall. Showers are back in the CP. They might sell firewood - can't recall - we take some with us. I can understand the place being desert-like in summer and autumn, but the whole region is ! Not much point being there until they have had some rain to freshen the place up - we made the mistake of going to Arkaroola one April - after a long hot summer, within a 7 year drought - that was hell - even the native animals couldn't survive it.

Hi. I was there a couple of weeks ago. I've been there a few times now. First, Rawnsley Park is in the Flinders Ranges!! so it tends to be a bit drier than the North Coast of NSW!! So it is not all lawns and big deciduous trees. Plenty of trees, but not many big ones. Sites generally levelled gravel, a fair size (4WD, van with annex plus room to move). Fantastic views of the Western face of the Pound, plus the Chace Range to the South. By Sept/Oct it will be warming up, but also getting more popular, especially if you coincide with the school holidays.
So, if you like the Flinders, you should love Rawnsley. But if you prefer the Ottways, then Rawnsley will appear 'barren' in comparison. Bit like going to Hotham in July and complaining if it's covered in snow!
Plenty of walks within the park area and surrounding country, plus close to various "must see's".
But then, I am biased!!

Hi Truckster
There is also nothing wrong with staying at Wilpena Pound Also. The only thing is you have to watch for the locals going through you gear. LOL


Cheers


Stephen

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Funny you should say about hearing mixed reports.

I have heard mixed reports about Toyotas and Nissans, Waeco and Engels, IPF's and Lightforce and the list goes on.
I wonder why that is? Maybe everybody has a different opinion.

Go there and make up your own mind if it suits you.
There are lots of other places to go in the Flinders if Rawnsley doesn't suit you.

Dave

The Flinders is camping heaven at the moment and there has been so much rain that it will still be great in September. Rawnsley or Wilpena are both good for camping. If you want to get out of the camping ground and happy to go off the bitumen for a bit, you wont have any problem finding a spot down Parachilna Gorge, with the added advantage that you can start at the Blinman pub end and work your way throught to the Parachilna pub end. Excellent free camping in the Gorge. Great food at the Parachilna pub but the camp ground area there is being re-developed and not recommended for a stay.
\With a few days to do it in, you might consider a circuit. Start at Rawnsleigh, move up to Wilpena, a night in Parachilna Gorge, lunch at the Parachilna pub, drive south and home. This has the advantage of seeing the ranges from both sides at the time of day that the sun is hitting them. You can't really go wrong.

We stayed just up the road at Willow Springs station , we have a 21'6 (inside) Billabong van & got into campsite #1 - probably the only one that van would get into - there are heaps of private sites for camper trailers ... we enjoyed it a lot - we drove the Skytrek - but I think there is an access issue to some of it - I recommend Willow Springs .