10 things to see and do at Mount Remarkable National Park

Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park is best-known for its rugged moun­tain ranges, dra­mat­ic gorges, steep veg­e­tat­ed val­leys and exposed red quartzite cliffs, with some of the land­scape dat­ing back 800 mil­lion years.

Locat­ed between Spencer Gulf and the south­ern reach­es of the Flinders Ranges, about 240 kilo­me­ters from Adelaide’s city cen­tre, it makes for the per­fect week­end escape.

The three sec­tions of the park – Alli­ga­tor Gorge, Mt Remark­able (via Mel­rose), and Mam­bray Creek – have their own dis­tinc­tive ele­ments, includ­ing walk­ing trails for all ages and fit­ness lev­els, pic­nic areas, scenic look­outs, gorges, creek lines, ruins, and camp­grounds with great facil­i­ties. Mam­bray Creek even has cab­ins you can book.

You’ll see a range of ani­mals through­out Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park – and many of them are not shy. The park is home to the endan­gered yel­low – foot­ed rock-wal­la­by, lace mon­i­tors, tree goan­nas, echid­nas, scor­pi­ons and west­ern grey kan­ga­roos, as well as rich plant life and geo­log­i­cal treasures.

A birdwatcher’s delight, the park has 117 native bird species includ­ing bright­ly mul­ti-coloured wrens, Aus­tralian ring­neck par­rots, emus and wedge-tailed eagles.

It’s in win­ter that many parks across South Aus­tralia real­ly come to life, and Mount Remark­able is one of them.

Here are 10 ideas to try on your next trip, pre­pared for you by the park’s pas­sion­ate rangers and Nature Play SA:

1. Get your chef hat on and make some damper on a stick using a mix­ture of flour, water and salt, then cook it over the camp­fire. While you’re at it, try some oth­er camp­fire favourites.
2. Head to Ali Look­out Walk, which is a 400-metre, 15-minute return trip, for amaz­ing views of Alli­ga­tor Gorge.
3. Invent a game around the camp­fire at night. Use what­ev­er you’ve got at hand, such as a torch to play the game spotlight.
4. Let the chil­dren choose a short hike to go on, close to your camp­ground. Be sure to rug up with a rain­coat, umbrel­la and gum boots.
5. Explore the near­by town of Mel­rose and stroll along the Mel­rose Nature Hike. It’s 3 hours return, or 4.7 km.
6. Start­ing from Mam­bray Creek, explore the 2.4 km Davey’s Gul­ly Hike. Spot insects, such as Mitchell’s diur­nal cock­roach, on flow­ers, shrubs and crawl­ing among leaf litter.
7. Take your wet-weath­er gear and gum boots and stroll along Mam­bray Creek Walk, where you’ll walk through pud­dles and hear flow­ing creeks.
8. On a clear day head up to Sug­ar Gum Look­out, a short but chal­leng­ing climb. It’s 3 hours return, about 8 km, and over­looks a colony of endan­gered yel­low-foot­ed rock-wal­la­bies. Keep an eye out for the Flinders Ranges scor­pi­on here too.
9. Take a cam­era or sketch pad and cap­ture, sketch, or write about the mag­i­cal win­ter landscape.
10. Walk along the Alli­ga­tor Gorge Hike and take time to smell the gold­en wat­tle as it begins to bloom.

Here’s a peek of what you can see at Mount Remarkable:

Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park 

Mount Remark­able has plen­ty to see and do all year round. Check outNature Play SA’s brochurefor the per­fect selec­tion for every sea­son. Want to know more about this icon­ic park? Read our past blogs:Insid­er Guide Mount Remark­ableand5 trea­sures Mount Remarkable.

(Main image cour­tesy of Jason Tyn­dall, Nature Play SA.)

This sto­ry was orig­i­nal­ly post­ed in June 2017.