Skytrek

A photographic guide to Skytrek

Skytrek

Location: 16430 Flinders Ranges Way, Hawker SA 5434 (-31.449, 138.757) http://www.skytrekwillowsprings.com.au/

About the Skytrek

Skytrek is a 79km 4x4 self drive tour through private property in the Flinders ranges. It costs $70 per vehicle (as at 20241018), and the tickets / admission are available from the reception desk at Willow Springs. The tour takes around 7 hours to complete, so this is a full day tour and people should bring lunch / drinking water etc. (i.e. this is outback - come prepared). Fuel and food can be purchased in Hawker (our preference) and Blinman.

Viewpoints

One of the great things about these falls are how many compositions are possible.

  1. From just near the car park you can shoot through the trees to the falls. This is basically the only way to shoot the falls where you are not shooting from the bottom of the falls.
  2. From the viewing platform, you get a great shot upstream with the falls on your right hand side.
  3. While you should not leave the path and platform, some people have clearly done this and photographed the falls from the flats just near the falls.

How to get there

The Flinders Ranges are in South Australia, some 450kms due north of Adelaide. The town of Hawker promotes itself as the entrance to the Flinders Ranges, and this is a reasonably accurate description. From a photographic point of veiw, the ranges take in several other ranges such as Gammon Ranges and Nilpena Ediacara National Park. Willow Springs is to the South East of the ranges.

Accessability

This tour is for 4X4 cars - i.e. those cars that have: 4 wheel drive, lockable differentials, and high ground clearance. Most hire car firms specifically ban taking their cars into places like this due to the likelihood of damage to the underneath of the car. You can get to Willow Springs via nice asphalt roads though. Many roads throughout the Flinders Ranges are 2 wheel drive accessable - but certainly not all.

Best time to visit

April to November is the best time to visit. This avoids the hottest part of the year.

Where stay

We stay at Hawker, which has two hotels and a caravan park. There are many other options though from station stays (e.g. Edeowie Station $30 per night (20241018)) through to Wipena Pound Discovery Resort ($282 per night (20241018)), and Prairie Hotel & Outback Lodge ($690).

How I photographed the Skytrek

What I took - what was in my kit

I have been to the Flinders Ranges, but not to the Skytrek. Not knowing what the environment would be like, I took my LowePro Backpack loaded with Linhof Technorama with Velvia 100 film for the panorama, and Canon 5DSR body, Canon 24 mm TS, Canon 16-35mm, 50mm Sigma Art, and Canon 70-200mm Lenses, Manfrotto 190 Tripod, and of course a range of lens wipes, spare batteries, sunscreen and bug repellant.

Techniques