From the ancient gorges of the Flinders Ranges to the depths of Coober Pedy and the lure of the inland lakes, Carolyne Jasinski heads off through the north of South Australia in search of what makes this place such an alluring and interesting part of the state.

Words and photographs Carolyne Jasinski

I’m heading to the Outback. Just uttering those words draws people in. Their eyes light up with the notions of wide, open spaces, wildlife, wilderness … and who knows what else! But what is it about the Outback that makes it so alluring? What is the essence of our Outback spirit?

Is it found in the ancient gorges of the Flinders Ranges? In the culture of our First Nations people who believe all life began there? Or is it in the science that proves their theory? Discovering fossils of the first life forms on earth is impossible to ignore.

Is it the lure of lakes that rarely fill with water or in the tiny settlements defying all odds?

Is it driving along rough tracks where only the well-equipped dare venture?

Will following in the footsteps of the early colonial explorers such as John McDouall Stuart and Edward John Eyre help find SA’s Outback spirit? Or do we need to dig deeper in places such as Coober Pedy to uncover the real gems?

Perhaps the heart of the Outback is found in the early settlers who battled impossible odds and those quirky and tenacious characters who still call it home.

There’s only one way to find out – by exploring South Australia’s interior; that unforgiving, spectacularly rugged country. But forget visions of thirsty, sun-blistered adventurers trudging through relentless scrub and arid plains. Ours is not a tough trek; it’s a pretty cushy adventure for 26 modern-day explorers. Unlike our intrepid pioneers who set out on foot or with the aid of camels, we have swapped those four-legged carriers for a 4WD bus. It might be luxurious, but an adventure nonetheless, that covers a lot of territory and experiences.

The search begins…

The trek starts in Adelaide as we head out along expressways that bypass suburbs and cut through farmlands with olive plantations, tomato hot-houses, vegetable plots and pastures. Back in the late 1830s when SA first took shape and transport was thanks to the original form of horse power, this could have been considered the start of the Outback.

Now it’s just on the way to our first taste of the Outback at Wadlata Outback Centre, 300 kilometres north in Port Augusta.

Spirit of our explorers

Wadlata puts a spotlight on those early explorers who paved the way through Australia’s harsh interior. Men like Edward John Eyre who might have failed in his journey north but discovered SA’s vast inland lakes and, with his Aboriginal companion Wylie, conquered the west.

Then there’s Charles Sturt who believed he would find an inland sea and sail to the tropics. Instead, he came across an immense purple, iron-stone plain, devoid of vegetation. It’s known today as Sturt’s Stony Desert. His party was forced to turn back to Adelaide when it reached the impenetrable Simpson Desert.

According to some accounts, the very careful John McDouall Stuart had no visions of fame and grandeur. He just wanted to cross the centre of the country from south to north. After four attempts, he succeeded.

Thanks to his discoveries, and that “never give up” spirit – so typical in the Outback – the Overland Telegraph Line, linking Australia to Europe, the original Ghan railway and the Stuart Highway were built, following his footsteps.

Ancient gorges … ancient spirits

The Flinders Ranges are the geological backbone of South Australia’s Outback – an extraordinary landscape of jagged peaks and deep gorges stretching for 450 kilometres. But to the Adnyamathanha people, they are much more than rock formations. They believe this is where life on Earth began and where their ancestors will live on forever.

And, they are right. Geologist Reginald Sprigg’s discovery of Ediacaran fossils — the oldest multicellular life form on the planet — in the 1940s, helped prove their theory and the timeline. Science now tells us that the Flinders Ranges, once covered by an inland sea, are at least 800 million years old … perhaps double that in parts.

 

How did our First Nations people know? How have their paintings shown the lay of the land for centuries without the help of flight offering views from above?

Their spirits have always guided them, helping create Aboriginal Dreaming stories and songlines that have been passed on through generations. And now I feel as if they are looking out for us, too.

We stop in Wilpena Pound, a giant amphitheatre, pushed out of the ground by incredible forces and hollowed out by time and erosion.

Aboriginal guides welcome us to their home with a smoking ceremony that lets the spirits know we are no threat. To the Adnyamathanha, Wilpena is Ikara – a meeting place.

We get to walk in their backyard, admiring an ancient landscape dotted with cypress forests and gum trees that are hundreds of years old.

The ruins of Old Wilpena Station and the Hill homestead in the heart of the Pound stand as testament to the tenacity of pioneering pastoralists. They battled for years to keep going but consistent droughts forced them out of the Pound and further south.

Outback characters

“They’re a different breed of people out here,” is how our driver Darren Whale describes the quirky characters we find on our search for the Outback spirit.

“They’re tough and practical and they always have more than one important job. In fact, they have to be able to do everything because when things go wrong, they may only have themselves to rely on.”

For example, the cook at the Lyndhurst Hotel also operates the fuel pump and books campsites. Alex, a 20-something astrophysicist giving Dark Sky presentations at Arkaroola, is also the barman.

Our Ridgetop Tour driver and guide, Pierre Cazes, knows more than a thing or two about rocks and he also helps operate an observatory at Arkaroola. And Darren, with his wife Janine, double as our guides. We can thank this pair for much of what we learn about Outback SA.

Entrepreneurs rule out here; characters like Bob Backway who runs the Lake Eyre Yacht Club. You may laugh at the prospect of a yacht club on a lake that rarely fills with water but talk with Bob for an hour and you’ll be as enthused as he is about sailing in the Outback.

And men like Trevor Wright who liked the Outback town of William Creek so much, he never left. Trevor started with a pilot’s licence and a plane, offering tours to remote regions of SA.

Now his company, Wright’s Air, has 23 planes all over Australia, he has trained more than 350 pilots, and he leads the way in Outback flights over iconic destinations such as Lake Eyre and the Painted Hills.

When the spirit shines

Just being in the Outback is a privilege, but there are some experiences on our adventure that are truly unique … inspirational moments when some find their version of the Outback spirit. Such as seeing Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fill with water, bringing life to the stark white, salt-crusted landscape.

The most surprising thing about Kati Thanda, apart from the water, is its size.

We fly for two hours along 145km before reaching the Warburton River inlet which feeds the lake with rainwater that fell up to three months ago in north Queensland.

Water in Lake Eyre is such a remarkable event it makes headlines around the country. When it comes, fish burst to life and birds flock in, as do tourists who come to witness the phenomenon on flights out of Marree.

The Ridgetop Tour at Arkaroola is not for the faint-hearted. Cramped, for comfort and safety, into an open-sided, safari-style 4WD, 10 people take a hair-raising trek over, around and through some of the most spectacular Australian scenery imaginable. We bump and grind from one amazing lookout to the next. Around each ridge top is another view of peaks and troughs that loom large then fade off in layers to the horizon.

Taking ‘Outback’ up a notch

Sealed roads become scarce the further inland we go and we’re all glad to be in our 4WD beast of a bus. We’re most grateful that it’s someone else’s beast.

We giggle and groan through Bunyeroo and Brachina gorges, stopping to photograph more fossils and the yellow-footed rock wallabies.

Then we taste the Feral Feast at Parachilna’s Prairie Hotel before hitting Angorichina Gorge, passing the start of the 1200 kilometre Heysen Trail. Tackling the Oodnadatta Track from Marree is like taking a drive through SA’s Outback history.

It follows the old Ghan railway path, past sidings like Curdimurka and along Lake Eyre South and into William Creek. There are hot Mound Springs to explore and even a place to stay – Coward Springs – with its thermal pool and date farm produce for sale.

Going underground in Coober Pedy is the best way to see how that determined Outback spirit has enabled locals to live in one of the harshest environments. Underground mines, shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, churches and, of course, homes help escape the heat.

The verdict

In 10 days, we have travelled some 2600 kilometres in a loop from Adelaide to the far reaches of Outback South Australia. Did we find the essence of SA’s Outback spirit? Absolutely. Because it’s everywhere … and it’s different for everyone.

It’s in the landscape, the wildlife and the wilderness. It’s in the history of those who have lived there since the beginning and those who forged an existence in the harshest of conditions.

It’s in the people who discovered ways to conquer the Outback and those who strive and thrive in the isolation. Maybe it’s most evident in those who take us to the Outback in search of what makes it special, and those of us who come along for the spirited ride.

The writer was a guest of Outback Spirit.

 

This article first appeared in the June 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.