Mt Remarkable National Park

Flinders Ranges


Bush boffins rave about the steep, jagged Mt Remarkable National Park, which straddles the Southern Flinders and rises above little Melrose like a protective overlord. Wildlife and bushwalking are the main lures, with various tracks (including part of the Heysen Trail) meandering through isolated gorges. Remarkable! The main access point is at Mambray Creek, 50km north of Port Pirie, or you can walk into the park from Alligator Gorge or Melrose.

From the car park at Alligator Gorge, take the short, steep walk (2km, two hours) down into the craggy gorge (no sign of any 'gators), the ring route (9km, four hours), the walk to Hidden Gorge (18km, seven hours) or Mambray Creek (13km, seven hours). Or you can sweat up the track to the 960m-high summit of Mt Remarkable (12km, five hours); the trail starts behind Melrose Caravan Park.

There's accommodation within the park at solar-powered Alligator Lodge ($170, sleeps 10), which has decent cooking facilities and showers; and at Mambray Creek Cabin ($65, sleeps four). Bush camping is $20 per night.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Flinders Ranges attractions

1. Melrose Heritage Museum

3.16 MILES

Occupying an old courthouse (1862) and Melrose's former police HQ – from where the local cops once patrolled as far as the Northern Territory (!) – this…

2. Jacka's Brewery

3.24 MILES

In Melrose, don't miss the amazing, decaying multistorey stone ruins of Jacka's Brewery (1878), which once employed 40 staff, in the backstreets. Bring…

3. Port Germein Jetty

18.57 MILES

Around 27km north of Port Pirie, little Port Germein (population 370) is famous for it's enormous timber jetty. It was built in 1881 to enable large wheat…

4. Sundrop Farms

24.44 MILES

Hey, what's that bizarre glowing tower just off the highway 10km south of Port Augusta? It's part of a giant greenhouse tomato-growing facility: hundreds…

5. Giant Gum Tree

26.8 MILES

What was going on in Orroroo 500 years ago? If this giant river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) could talk, it'd be able to give us a first-hand…

6. Port Pirie Railway Station Museum

27.91 MILES

A gorgeous piece of Victorian-era architectural confection (1902), this National Trust museum was once Port Pirie's railway station, and it remains the…

7. Solomontown Beach

28.17 MILES

Feel like a dip? Put your memories of 'Shakka the Shark' at the Port Pirie Regional Tourism & Arts Centre to one side and jump off the jetty into the safe…