Arkaroola

Located at the northern end of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, Arkaroola is a rare gem.  A privately owned property, Arkaroola has been set up as a Wilderness Sanctuary and is a wonderful place to spend some time exploring in your 4WD.

We spent 4 nights in Arkaroola, we were only planning to spend 2 - you will find that a common comment amongst the campers with no fixed itinerary, everyone we spoke to extended their stay they loved it so much.  4 days is not long enough to explore everything however we gave it a good try!  A great area to stay for long or short stays as there is always something to occupy yourself with. 

The Facts:

Location:                       
Arkaroola is 700kms north of Adelaide. The road in is unsealed with dry creek crossings. It is achieveable by 2WD we are told, as are many of the roads around Arkaroola.  If you are unsure of how your vehicle will go on the roads, always check with reception as they know the conditions well.
 

Accommodation:
The property is all run from one central reception area.  We stayed in the Arkaroola Caravan Park that had fantastic facilities from hot showers to BBQ area, rainwater tanks and a communal camp fire.  Each spot has their own fireplace with a swivel cooking tray and lots of space.  There is plenty of different types of accommodation from bush camping sites, bunk houses, cabins motel and hotel rooms.
Price:  We payed $28 per night for the caravan park, $20 for a powered site for 2 adults plus $4 per additional children per night. The bush camps (unpowered) start at $15 per night.
Facilities:  Lovely clean showers and toilets.  There is a laundry with a BIG tub (big enough to bath a 5 year old) and washing machines are $3 a load (no dryers).  All facilities are located in the Caravan Park. 

Food:   
The Pick and Shovel Bar has cold drinks and quite a good price on bar food.  We ordered a bowl of wedges and sour cream that was enough to feed 4 kids and it was only $8.  A coffee will set you back $6. There is a tv in the bar area should the call of that important sport be too strong - we were lucky enough to catch the second NRL State of Origin game (unlucky enough to see QLD win).  The Native Pine Restaurant has main meals from about $20, while they don’t have a children’s menu they offer a children’s serve of the menu items at half price. Our girls devoured a schnitzel, chips and salad for $10.

Shop:                                      
The general store is located next to reception and prices are as you would expect this far from major towns. They have a small range of grocery items, bread and meat in the freezer and plenty of souvenirs. 

Internet and phone:             
There is no access through normal internet packages or mobile phone reception, however there is an internet kiosk that can be used and costs $2 per 20 minutes however this is just for browsing (ie: you can’t upload images etc).  If you need to upload images or work online you can purchase 1 hour blocks from reception and use your laptop connected to their satellite broadband however this is painfully slow!  There are a couple of pay phones around the village in the event you need to make a call.  There is a fantastic comfort in knowing that no one can disturb your holiday and the perfect excuse NOT to work!

Tours:                                        
There are plenty of tours through Arkaroola that are arranged by the Reception staff.  Tours start at $40 per person with some offering a family rate however none of the tours fit into the Low Cost Location criteria to be included in this section.  Tours will only be conducted with a minimum of 3 people so keep that in mind if travelling in small numbers.

FREEBIES:                                
There is plenty to keep you occupied during your stay at Arkaroola that won’t cost you any more than petrol.  We spent 4 days and could have spent much longer!          

Drives:                                    
Most of the roads and drives through Arkaroola are free.  Those road that are not free have locked gates that you need a key for from reception.  Keys cost $40 per vehicle (non refundable) as well as a  $50 deposit (refundable when you return the key).  Grab a map from the helpful reception staff to see where you can explore at no cost.

Walks:                                               
All of the self guided walks are free.  You can pick up a guide from reception for 50c.  There are plenty of locations to explore that we have not listed in this review, areas like the Bolla Bollana Smelter Site, hot springs and gold finds!

While we did not do all of the walks and drives on offer the ones I have described below will show you the versatility of the location and how the only entertainment you will need is some snacks and your vehicle!

Bararranna Gorge

An easy short walk with younger children or a longer walk if they are up to it.  6.8kms in total we completed the walk to the first waterhole and gorge that was about 3km return. The children saw plenty of birds during the walk, from big Eagles to little Willy Wag Tails. A word of advice, watch out for the spider webs that hang from the ends of the fallen trees. Greg almost walked into a web whilst helping me down a slope then he quickly realised it was still a populated web!

The walk is through the dry creek beds with round river rocks underfoot, along the banks which is easier going but our kids didn’t find nearly as fun, or by the edge of the water that changes from craggy rocks to sandy banks. 

Stubbs Waterhole

Another good walk with children, this one includes a creek crossing as you hop across the stepping stones.  Our children love to hop across and climb rocks.  They are always on the lookout for interesting patterns and rocks that might hide a secret fossil.

This walk also ranges from sandy banks to over the dry river beds with rounded rocks underfoot.  You can walk further along this track however we only went for a short walk, about 1.5km return to the car.

The scenery is amazing as with all spots in Arkaroola and if you look around as you walk you might spot the aboriginal drawings in rock caves. 

This is a great place to enjoy your lunch with lots of sandy banks to sit on, just don’t leave anything lying around as the wallabies will make sure nothing is left!

Road to Paralana Hot Springs

Just east of Arkaroola Village is the road to the Paralana Hot Springs.  It is along this road that you will find Stubbs Waterhole and Bararranna Gorge as well as plenty of other spots to stop and check out like Tillite Gorge (we were told it may have been a little hard for our little ones), the Ochre Wall and more.  The drive alone is well worthwhile especially when you are greeted by the view at the top of Welcome Pound. 

Lets face it, it’s a bumpy dirt road that is a whole lot of fun to drive and explore.  You could stay in the car or stop off at many of the gorges and waterholes for a full day (or more) of adventure.

Nooldoonooldoona Waterhole

Another easy walk with children the waterhole is surrounded by towering gorge walls and plenty of wildlife to spot on the hop.  The girls loved spotting the ‘sparkly’ rocks that shone in the sun.

From the carpark a short walk takes you to the first waterhole then climb over some big rocks to get into the gorge to enjoy more little nooks and creeks.  The walk only took us about 15 minutes to get to the first waterhole and then as long as you have time to explore from there.  An incredible spot that leaves you in awe.

Arkaroola Waterhole
One of the best suggestions made to us was to head down to the Arkaroola Waterhole at dusk to see the Yellow-Footed Rock Wallabies.  While we got down to the waterhole a little late we still managed to spot half a dozen little wallabies bounding around in the rocks cliffs around us.  The girls were absolutely thrilled to see them.

Arkaroola Waterhole is only a short drive from the Village and only a very short walk from your car.  On the drive in we prepared the girls to be quiet so they would get to see the shy wallabies - it was the quietest time I have ever spent with 3 kids!

Arkaroola Waterhole in itself is another lovely place to explore during the day however make sure you visit at night and be sure to be nice and quiet to see the Yellow-Footed Rock Wallabies that the folks in Arkaroola have been working hard to increase numbers in the area.

The Pinnacles

While this can easily be viewed from your vehicle, it is worth getting out and taking the walk up the mountain path beside the carpark.  This gives you a full 360 degree view of the amazing mountainous scenery. This walk is only about 100m however it is steep (our monkey’s had no troubles).

We didn’t have time but you can walk to further along around the mountains for a better view of the area, we walked about 50m around the hill.  The area was in full bloom while we were there and was thick with stunning red and pink flowers that just added to the majesty.  Well worth spending the time to walk.

Ningana Visitor Information Centre

The Info Centre is across the road from Arkaroola Reception area and has a host of information.  Jasmine liked being able to see real fossils that had been collected from all over the country and also seeing the explanation of the different effects she had seen in the rocks during her walks.  Jemma liked the two pythons that were in the tank and both of them were a little scared to touch the one on the counter all curled up, even after I had told them it was ceramic (it looked incredibly real).

There are big posters about the history of the area, shots of the night sky taken from the observatory and seismograph readings taken from the area.  The Visitors Centre shows you that Arkaroola is more than just a great place to explore.

For information on all of the activities in Arkaroola, accommodation and tours please talk to the lovely staff in Reception area or visit the Arkaroola website.