Stunning Station Stay

NESTLED AGAINST THE WESTERN FLANK OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S WILPENA POUND, EDEOWIE STATION IS A GREAT BASE FROM WHICH TO EXPLORE THE SPECTACULAR FLINDERS RANGES

- ROBERT NORMAN

EDEOWIE STATION is a 69,000ha working sheep and cattle station which, like many grazing properties, has supplemented its income by providing a range of accommodation options to the 750,000 tourists who pass through South Australia's spectacular Flinders Ranges every year.

There are several choices for those who want to spend a night or more at Edeowie Station, including bush camping, shearers' quarters and a guest house. The guest house sleeps up to six people and offers all the comforts of home - including a telly, dishwasher, air-conditioning and laundry - so all you need bring with you is food and perhaps a bottle or two of whatever tickles your fancy. In addition, the station's nine-bedroom shearers' quarters will sleep up to 18 guests, making it ideally suited to bushwalking and four-wheel driving groups wishing to explore the property and other nearby attractions.

Those seeking a somewhat unique and remote bush experience should check out the property's Brachina Hut. Little has changed from when it was constructed in the 1800s, and this rustic hut sleeps up to eight people. There is no power or lighting, but a wood stove and separate shower room supplied by a hot water 'donkey' provide a reasonable degree of comfort.

Brachina Hut is, unsurprisingly, located near the Brachina Gorge access to the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park. Sitting on the banks of the (usually) dry Brachina Creek, the hut wouldn't look out of place in a Spaghetti Western.

The nearby gravel road running through Brachina Gorge is named the Geological Way, which takes its name from the 130 million years of rock strata exposed by the gorge where it cuts through the Heysen Range. The tectonic uplift that created the Flinders Ranges blocked the western flow of rainfall, creating a large body of water on the eastern side of the range. The body of water eventually broke through the range, carving out Brachina Gorge in the process.