Adelaide & South Australia - Central Australia: Adelaide to Darwin - page 267

o Wilpena Pound Resort RESORT $$$ $$$

( 08-8648 0004, 1800 805 802; www.wilpenapound.com.au ; Wilpena Rd via Hawker; un-
powered/powered sites $22/32, permanent tent with/without linen $97/75, d $224-288;
) Accommodation at this plush resort includes motel-style rooms, upmarket self-con-
tained suites, and a great (although hugely popular) camp site. If you don't have your
own camping gear, there are permanent tents sleeping five. Purchase your camping per-
mit at the visitors centre, which also sells petrol and basic (and expensive) groceries.
Don't miss a swim in the pool, happy hour at the bar (5pm to 6pm) and dinner at the ex-
cellent bistro (mains $19 to $29 − the roo is the best we've ever had!).

Rawnsley Park Station RESORT $$$
( 08-8648 0030, caravan park 08-8648 0008, restaurant 08-8648 0126;
www.rawnsleypark.com.au ; Wilpena Rd via Hawker; unpowered/powered sites $22/33, hostel s/d/f
from $50/75/95, cabins/units/villas from $90/130/370; ) This rangy homestead, 35km
from Hawker just south of the national park, runs the accommodation gamut from tent
sites to luxe eco-villas. There are also some caravan-park cabins set up as dorms, man-
aged by the YHA ( www.yha.com.au ) . Also on offer is a range of outback activities includ-
ing mountain-bike hire (per hour $15), bushwalks (30 minutes to four hours), hot-air bal-
looning, 4WD tours and scenic flights. The Woolshed Restaurant (mains $10 to $40,
open noon to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm) does bang-up bush tucker, plus curries, seafood and
pizzas.

8 Information

Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre ( 08-8648 0048, 1800 805 802;
www.wilpenapound.com.au ; Wilpena Pound Resort; 8am-5pm) Info on the park and district,
internet access and bike hire (per half-/full day $20/40). Also does bookings for scenic
flights and 4WD tours, and issues bushwalking advice. You can pay park entry fees here
(per car $9).

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Blinman & Parachilna
North of Wilpena Pound on a sealed road, ubercute Blinman (population 30) owes its ex-
istence to the copper ore discovered here in 1859 and the smelter built in 1903. But the
boom went bust and 1500 folks left town. Today Blinman's main claim to fame is as
SA's highest town (610m above sea level).