North of the Heysen Trail

[mikethepike]

The Heysen Trail was initially envisaged to go to the northern end of the Flinders but it doesn't extend further north than Parachilna Gorge for a number of reasons. I'm intending to walk a north to south traverse of the northern Flinders in August, sticking in large part to ridgelines and creek beds. If you are potentially interested in coming, then go to the 'Find walking companions...' folder where the trip details are posted. Thanks. And I just might hear from you.

[jez_au]

Hi mikethepike, just returned on Saturday from 7 days hiking from Mt Hopeless south to Arkaroola. It marks the completion of a Flinders Ranges traverse: the Heysen Trail then three weeks walking from Parachilna Gorge to Mt Hopeless. That very northern section was the hardest of the three north of the HT walks, but there was water almost everywhere, finding drinking water was no problem, even enjoyed a few swims. Described by locals as the best season in 40 years. Flew by helicopter from Arkaroola to Mt Hopeless, then walked across the gibber plain, Mt Babbage, into Hamilton Creek at Terrapinna Springs (gorgeous swim), following the creek south west for three days to Greenhill Well, south to Daly Creek and Yudnamutana Gorge, the Armchair, Mt Painter and back to Arkaroola. Had intended to fly from Arkaroola to Moolawatana by airplane, but the airstrip was closed from rain damage. This would have been a very different walk without the flowing Hamilton and Yudnamutana Creeks, in drier times water drops would be necessary. Unlike your plans, didn't walk across the Mawson Plateau, another time.

Last year in the Arkaroola to Angepena Station section we walked through Mainwater Pound, climbing Benbonyathe Hill, Gammon Hill and Arcoona Bluff. It was also a wet season, so again drinking water was not a problem. Due to widespread road closures (all roads north of Hawker) flew by aircraft into Arkaroola and walked out to Angepena, the roads south to Hawker reopening the day we reached Angepena. It was described by locals as the best it had looked in 20 years.

The year before we walked from Parachilna Gorge to Angepena Station, climbing Patawarta Hill, Mt Tilley and Mt Hack. It was dry, drinking water from old tanks, dams and waterholes.

(for the benefit of others reading this and not particpating in mikethepike's walk, premissions from landholders are required for each section, but the landholders also have knowledge of the current status of water/tanks/dams. These are very isolated walks, you will likely not encounter other people.)

There are some blog entries here: http://jez-hiking.blogspot.com/search/label/Beyond%20the%20Heysen

Hope you find some good walkers. I'm 34, a regular walker and pretty fit, but that last week was tough, daily distances not that great, but walking times long. Lots of bush bashing and hot, steep climbs. If you are prepared for that and water, you and your companions will be all good. As you say, the best the Northern Flinders and Gammons has looked in a very long time, you'll love it!

[mikethepike]

Hi Jez
Thanks for your post. It was interesting to read your blog with its photos and videos. April would have been a fantastic time to walk up there this year but in August there should still be plenty of water. A couple of pioneer Gammons walkers reckoned that April was the best time in the northern Flinders, barring very hot weather, for water. You've really seen the area in exceptional conditions yet the views from Painter and The Armchair still look very familiar. Re the northern extent of the Flinders, I don't see how any of those isolated hills belong. It would still be nice to go there though or start from the Strezlecki Track but we'll need all the time saved to deal with the Plateau and side trip to Mt Crocker. With SC in the party I can see how your blog got its name 'Beyond the Heysen'.

Re the Gammon section, I was planning to traverse the full length of the Yankaninna Range, I haven’t seen any mention of anyone ever doing that. How often has its unnamed high point even been visited (post Euro settlement this refers to) if you think that the majority of Gammons walks are mainly concerned with the gorges and a few standout named peaks. And there was nothing in the sandstone area for the miners.
cheers, Mike

[jez_au]

Hey Mike, the Yankaninna Range sounds good.

Yes April is the best time to walk the Gammons and northern Flinders, the rains come over summer - the leftovers of the wet season in the continent's tropics, so April is the end of the wet. Like the northern wet season, rain outside of summer is rare. Speaking to locals on the weekend, you should still be right in August as there is so much water around, they assure me there will still be water in the waterholes then.

Yes those couple of hills out on the plains probably are not part of the Flinders (I am no expert on how to define these things.) We started out at Mt Hopeless because so many before us have done so, and them likely so as Warren Bonython did so in his famous treks through the 60s to traverse the Flinders. My hindsight advice to myself would be to start from Mt Babbage.

Let me know how you go in August, I'd really like to hear about it. We're thinking we might collate some of our track notes, maps and logistics of the hikes north of Parachilna and those of others into a central compository which will assist others in planning such trips, you might like to contribute a route map and track notes as well.

Jeremy

[peregrinator]

Jeremy

I hope you are able to collate track notes, maps and logistics about the area north of Parachilna Gorge. This would be very valuable, given that not much information has been published. (And some which has is out of print and possibly out of date.)

The notes and photographs on your blog are excellent. Thank you for those.

John

[jez_au]

Hi all, we (the Friends of the Heysen Trail) have made a page available on the Friends of the Heysen Trail website for walkers interested in walking north of the Parachilna Gorge trailhead to Mt Hopeless or Mt Babbage.

Myself and my walking companions who recently completed three weeks walking from Parachilna Gorge to Mt Hopeless have included our track notes, route information, GPS data and links to photos.

I encourage anyone who tackles walking north of Parachilna Gorge towards the end of the Flinders Ranges to contact me and share their experiences, track notes, route information or maps so they can be published on this page. You could include information on a Word document and we will host this document and provide a link to it.

If you find incorrect information on the page, or can contribute more torwards it, for instance a correction to a pastoral station entry, or addition of a tour operator, please do contact me.

Visit http://www.heysentrail.asn.au/beyond_the_heysen/

[peregrinator]

Jeremy, thanks for the link to this excellent information. I won't get a chance to use it until next year, but it really helps my planning.

One question. If there is a difference between info in the handwritten track notes and the table summing up all the data, which is likely to be the most accurate? For example, the notes show Patawarta Gap to Narrina as 6 hours 20 minutes, and the table has total duration as 7 hours 16 minutes. (You can probably guess from my enquiry that Patawarta Hill is on my itinerary! But I'd love to know why is called Hill not Mountain?)

[jez_au]

If there is a difference between info in the handwritten track notes and the table summing up all the data, which is likely to be the most accurate?

Thanks peregrinator, the track notes were written by another person in the field, and are a summary (you round time off out in the field). They probably don't include rest breaks. The figures in the table come from a GPS unit and are ridiculously accurate, allocating each second to the moving or stationary field. That said, there can be some minor differences between the total times and the time difference between the start and end times. The end time is always accurate, it is a few moments after I set my pack down. The start time is either the start of that day's recording, or if I looked carefully when filling in the table it is when movement was first recorded (as the unit was turned on a few minutes or more before we started walking to find its location). The timer is reset when I started walking.

But for your example of our day's walk from Patawarta Gap to Narinna Spring, it was really two walks in one. We left our packs near our previous night's campsite and climbed Patawarta, returning later to grab them and continue on to Narinna Spring. The GPS times I have in the table make no distinction between the two walks, the hand written track notes may omit the rest break between the two walks. I'm not sure, I can check the actual GPS files which unlike the ones on the blog include all the times, so it is easy to break it down a bit. I just need to find the dvd with the photos and GPS files from that trip, and I seem to have misplaced it. I might be able to track it down in the next couple of weeks if you like.

[mikethepike]

Due to other commitments this longer walk won't proceed in one go but the Gammons part of the walk is scheduled for Saturday 6 August - Sunday 14 August.

Sat 6 Aug: 7.00 am Genesis bus to Arkaroola. Arrive approx 4.30 pmCamp overnight at Arkaroola.
Sun 7-Fri 12 Aug. Walk to the Copley-Balcanoona Rd via Yankaninna Range (this is likely to be its first known full traverse) and then along the south-easterly tending ridgeline of the Blue range to the road.
Sat. 13 Aug. Genesis bus back to Adelaide. Arrive approx. 6pm.

If you are interested please send me an email and I'll get back in touch.
cheers
Mike

[peregrinator]

If there is a difference between info in the handwritten track notes and the table summing up all the data, which is likely to be the most accurate?

Thanks peregrinator, the track notes were written by another person in the field, and are a summary (you round time off out in the field). They probably don't include rest breaks. The figures in the table come from a GPS unit and are ridiculously accurate, allocating each second to the moving or stationary field. .

Right, while I was studying the topo map, I guessed your tabled figures would have been GPS-based, so I'll go with those. It didn't occur to me that the track notes might have been written by another person. Thanks again for the great resource. If I have anything useful to add after my 2012 trip, I'll let you know.

[rogo]

Jez, I see you're involved with the Heysen Track Friends. I am just looking at it as my walk next year. I plan to do a great walk each year in a different state.

But I only have 7-8 days available. What sections would you recommend? Our group would probably be middle aged women and a smattering of preteen kids. So maybe middle section with towns?

Cheers

Ro

[jez_au]

Hi Ro, the two most popular week long sections of the trail would be in the south, from the southern trailhead at Cape Jervis to Victor Harbor or Mt Compass. It is coastal: cliffs, sandy and rocky beaches, hilly bush through Deep Creek National Park, some farmland. There are numerous campsites along the way, although the campsite on Tunkalilla Beach and further east at Balquidder don't have any facilities yet, and no water, but they are beautiful spots. A fellow bushwalk.com person, photohiker, walked this section last week, you can view his photos here: http://photohiker.zenfolio.com/p520807059

The second popular section would be in the north, from the northern trailhead at Parachilna Gorge back to Wiplena, Hawker or Quorn. This is classic Flinders Ranges territory, dramatic hills and mountains, red rock, Wilpena Pound. Lots of views, drier and more open but dramatic landscapes. There are numerous campsites along the way.

Another good section is through the Adelaide Hills, maybe from Mt Compass or Mylor in the south, through to the Barossa Valley in the north. From Mylor through to Cudlee Creek camping is scarce, there is a mix of town and hill suburbs, not that you would necessarily know on the trail. It does mean there is more B&B type accommodation available, and shops.

From the Barossa Valley through to Gladstone is for the most part open farmland.

The heysentrail.asn.au website has a Google Map page which shows each campsite and it's facilities (http://www.heysentrail.asn.au/heysen_trail/googlemaps.php). If you are flying into Adelaide and then using buses, there is also a page detailing bus services (http://www.heysentrail.asn.au/heysen_trail/transport.php). Bus services are more regular and easier to organise in the south and in the hills, but more difficult in the north in the Flinders Ranges. THere is also a Service Directory which is useful to work out what is available where: http://www.heysentrail.asn.au/heysen_trail/service_directory.php

[rogo]

thanks for all the great info. Something to research