The Secret Walking Trails.

Within the Flinders Ranges Council area there are many walking trails where great beauty can be found. You do not have to walk for a number of days in this area as many roads come to the trail or at least within a few hundred metres of it. The Flinders Ranges Visitor Information Centre has many brochures describing these trails and if you ask then many more will be found for you.

The Heysen Trail

Although the Heysen Trail is not a secret, the fact that you can walk many small sections of it in half to one day within The Flinders Ranges Council area seems to be. 

Short  sections within  easy access of Quorn. 

Start at Melrose and in a short day be picked up at Spring Creek Mine site.
If you proceed on for another very interesting short days walk you will make it to Horrocks Pass road.
From Horrocks Pass you can walk to Waukarie Falls in a day and visit Mount Brown in the process. Another very interesting day walk is from Saltia Creek to near The Old Willows Brewery.

Emu egg nest found along the trail from Saltia

The trail then follows up the main road for approximately 2km turns right and follows the track along the railway line from the Summit to the Dairy crossing. Only an easy half day.
Dairy crossing to the weir and The Dutchman's Stern Conservation Park is another short day.
Dutchman's Stern to Depot Creek is also a short day. (The explorer Edward John Eyre visited here on his trip to Lake Eyre in 1839 and a memorial to him is situated a few km's west of here.)
Depot Creek to Buckaringa needs a camp out over night. There has been a rain water collection tank established at the point where this would take place.

Further short sections can be walked in a day or less on the way up to Hawker and Wilpena Pound.

Mawson  Pushbike Trail

The Mawson push bike trail follows some of the local formed roads right through the district from South to North. Starting from Wilmington you will leave the bitumen and head up the Gunyah Road. Then follow the back road from Gunyah turnoff to Quorn until you find a trail marker directing you to cross over the range and proceed along the Richman Valley road into Quorn. Here you will take the road to Warren Gorge then proceed on past Proby's Grave and Simmonston to Gordon. Ah!!! at last some bitumen. Sorry!! but it is only three km of bitumen to the Cradock turnoff. If you wish it is worth taking the time to visit Kanyaka Ruins and Death Rock as they are only three km's from here.

Kanyaka Ruins

At the turnoff take to the dirt road, now you are heading for Cradock. After a refresher at the Pub you then continue into Hawker. A very worthwhile experience particularly if you camp out at night and have time to leave the track for some short visits to the many sights of interest. There is a travel firm in Adelaide who hire out bikes (Rolling On Bike Tours) and they specialise in this trail.

Mount Arden

If staying at "Argadells" farm then one excellent walking trail is up to the top of Mount Arden which is situated on their property. This is a small day walk from Hanneman Gorge, permission to walk and directions can be obtained from the owner. Mount Arden has extensive 360 degree views free of obstructions as there are no trees in this part of the Ranges. You will be able to see Quorn., Port Augusta power station, Lake Torrens, Mount Remarkable, Horseshoe Range and  north to Wilpena Pound. On this trail you should see many of the Euros (an animal similar to a kangaroo. It has coarse dark grey hair, muscled strong legs and short thick arms.) which roam this range country.

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