South Australia (Flinders Ranges)
Melrose
Melrose is the oldest town in the finders Ranges and has been used as a movie set on several occasions. The discovery of copper gave birth to it while today it services a large and prosperous grain growing industry. It is also one of the most beautiful towns of the Flinders Ranges, nestled at the foot of Mount Remarkable and next to the Mount Remarkable National Park. Climb to the War Memorial for a panoramic view over the Willochra Plain, or to Lookout Hill near the water tanks. 
Melrose is a quiet former copper-mining town with two hotels, a pleasant creekside caravan park and a few cottage industries. B&B is available at Bluey Blundstone’s Blacksmith Shop, recently restored to its original 1865 condition. When the proprietor isn’t producing decorative wrought-ironwork he serves cakes in a coffee shop at the back of the forge. 

The van park hands out walking maps for historic buildings, old mines and ascents to Cathedral Rock in the national park. Cathedral Rock is a spectacular formation along the edge of Mount Remarkable Creek west of the town. 

The unremarkable summit of Mount Remarkable can be reached in three hours via the Heysen Trail, starting a couple of kilometres north of town from the showground. Day trips in and around the area lead to some of many scenic areas of the Flinders Ranges via the National Park and gorges.

Mount Remarkable National Park
This park in the southern Flinders Ranges lies between the shores of Spencer Gulf and the mountainous regions surrounding Wilmington to the north and Melrose to the south. It incorporates a variety of topography, from the temperate lowlands along the gulf through the higher wheat country inland to the ranges themselves. A wide range of animals, birds and plants provides a good contrast, especially when coupled with the park's marvellous scenery.

One of the features is Mount Remarkable, named by explorer Edward John Eyre for its sheer precipitous drop. The small town of Melrose sits under its protective wing. There are some excellent walking trails, some suited to fit bushwalkers, others to more sedate walkers wishing to explore the park.

The Flinders run low in their southern extremes, more heavily timbered than the desert ranges but otherwise similar in formation. Mount Remarkable National Park lies in two sections, encircled by a ring road that starts 45km southeast of Port Augusta and runs via Wilmington, Melrose and Port Germein. 

The larger western slice contains Mambray Creek and Mount Cavern, and connecting tracks from them to Alligator Gorge; Mount Remarkable and sections of the Heysen Trail rise to the east behind Melrose. If time is short, Alligator Gorge is easy going, while the Mount Cavern circuit is considerably harder – but both make good day-trips from Port Augusta. 

Mount Remarkable has three main points of access - the him-off to Mambray Creek, forty five kilometres north of Port Pirie on Highway One; Alligator Gorge can be reached with a pretty drive commencing one kilometre south of Wilmington; and the Mount Remarkable section, directly behind Melrose, twenty four kilometres south of Wilmington.

The only campsite with facilities is at Mambray Creek but bush camping is allowed elsewhere with permission from the NPWS (tel 08/8634 7068); you should also consult them in hot weather, as the park may be completely closed if there is a high risk of fire. Stateliner buses go daily to Mambray Creek, three times weekly to Wilmington and Melrose; Port Augusta Backpackers organize one- to six-day hikes with all fees, maps and transport included.

Alligator Gorge
The eleven-kilometre dirt road from Wilmington to Alligator Gorge ($3 visitor’s permit available on entry) ends at a picnic area perched on a spur above two campsites at Teal and Eaglehawk dams. Stairs descend the gorge wall, with several walking options once you reach the floor: a three-hour circuit north to the ranger’s office past the rippled Terraces – remains of a fossilized lake shore; or south along the creek for an hour through a tight red canyon alive with frog calls, moss gardens and echoes. These narrows are sometimes flooded, though usually there are enough stepping stones to avoid wet feet. Longer hikes down to Mambray Creek need maps and approval from the NPWS.

Mambray Creek and Mount Cavern
The access track to Mambray Creek is east off the highway, halfway between Port Germein and the Wilmington road. There’s a campsite (water, toilets) and national park headquarters. Mambray Creek is the start of some serious walks, either into the north part of the park along the Battery Track and Alligator Creek, or on the tough but shorter Mount Cavern circuit. Follow the path anticlockwise along the Black Range to Mount Cavern, which has spectacular views and occasionally attracts wedge-tailed eagles. The descent is down a loose stone slope held together by grasstrees, then entering cool woodland at Mambray Creek Gorge, where you might be able to get close to large groups of emus.

Telowie Conservation Park
The small and appealing Telowie Conservation Park lies to the south off the Port Germein–Murray Town road. A very short path leads between the gorge walls, but, unless you’re properly equipped for a long hike over to Wirrabara Forest and the Heysen Trail, you’ll get more of a flavour of the area by camping along the creek and looking for rare wallabies at dawn and dusk.