Port Pirie and the Southern Flinders Ranges: A 5-Day Road Trip

Everyone knows the Flinders Ranges, but there’s a whole other side hiding just south of it. Ancient gorges, working country towns, world-class mountain biking trails and a fascinating coastline, the Southern Flinders Ranges is home to enough to fill a full five days, not just a weekend detour. Ready to see why locals rate this region just as highly as its famous northern neighbour?

Meet the Flinders Ranges’ Underrated Southern Half

The Flinders Ranges get all the glory, Wilpena Pound, the northern outback vastness, the postcard shots everyone’s seen a hundred times before booking a trip. But drop south along the same ancient spine of mountains and you’ll find a completely different experience waiting, one that barely gets a mention in the same breath.

These ranges are old, really old. The rock formations winding through this country date back hundreds of millions of years, shaped long before most of the continent as we know it existed, and the Nukunu and Ngadjuri peoples have called this land home for tens of thousands of years, with their stories and connection to Country still very much alive here today. Where the Northern Flinders feels remote and stark, the Southern Flinders is layered and lived-in: quiet country towns, working farmland, gorges carved into the hills, and a coastline running right along its western edge, something the north can’t offer at all.

A 5-Day Road Trip to the Southern Flinders Ranges

And there’s genuinely enough here to fill five days without repeating a single day. Hike through Alligator Gorge or tackle a stretch of the Heysen Trail, spend a day mountain biking some of the country’s best-rated trails around Melrose, wander through century-old towns with working bakeries and heritage rail museums, or head to the coast at Port Pirie and Port Germein for a completely different kind of view back over the ranges.

Don’t assume you’ll run out of things to do after a weekend, this region rewards the people who actually stay.

Day one: Alligator Gorge & Port Pirie Regional Tourism & Arts Centre

Leaving Port Pirie, the drive up to Alligator Gorge is half the fun, winding past the hills of Mount Remarkable National Park with plenty of spots worth pulling over for a photo. The sea is on your left, the mountains on your right. Dreamy!

Once there, the Gorge Circuit is the walk to do: a manageable 3-kilometre loop through towering quartzite walls, including The Narrows, where the gorge closes in to just a few metres wide. Sturdy shoes are worth packing for this one as you’ll be making your way through rocky terrain. You’ll probably also want to take some photographs here too, as it really is an otherworldly experience.

Back in Port Pirie in the afternoon, round out the day at the Port Pirie Regional Tourism & Arts Centre, home to a regional art gallery, a replica of Shakka the Shark, and even a VR shark cage diving experience if you’re up for it.

Day two: Port Pirie Heritage Walk & Telowie Gorge

Start the next morning close to home with the Port Pirie Heritage Walk; a self-guided route through the city’s old railway station, colonial-era buildings and streetscape murals.

Fun fact: the city is actually named after the ship that carried its first European settlers here in 1845, the John Pirie, and by the early 1900s the town had grown so industrial it was home to a community of over 500 Russian workers, complete with its own Russian-language school and library.

After a morning wandering through the streets and maybe after a coffee, head out to Telowie Gorge Conservation Park, about 45 minutes northeast of town. There is a walk here, the Nukunu Trail, a short and easy 700-metre track that follows the beautiful Telowie Creek into the mouth of the gorge, named for the traditional owners of the Southern Flinders Ranges.

This particular walk isn’t a difficult one. It’s pretty flat, family-friendly, and doesn’t take longer than half an hour, though you can push further into the gorge itself if you want more time among the towering red ochre walls. Keep an eye out for yellow-footed rock-wallabies, native birds, and the wildflowers that line the creek after rain!

Day three: Melrose & Mount Remarkable Summit Trail

Probably the biggest day on your itinerary, day three involves some good exercise.

First, head to Melrose; the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges, officially proclaimed back in 1853. It still has that old-world charm: stone buildings, a couple of classic country pubs, a local brewery and café, all set right at the base of the mountain. Take some time to wander the main street, check out the Melrose Courthouse Heritage Museum, and snap a photo at Cathedral Rock before lacing up your boots.

From here, the Mount Remarkable Summit Trail is the big one, but one hundred percent worth it. It’s a 14-kilometre return hike (allow around 4 to 5 hours), starting right from town and climbing steadily up through changing bushland to the 960-metre summit.

The path is easy to follow but rocky in places, so good shoes are a must for this one. While the summit itself is fairly unremarkable to look at, the views along the way more than make up for it, sweeping out across Melrose, the surrounding farmland, and all the way to Spencer Gulf.

Day four: Laura & Wirrabara Range Conservation Park

On day four, make your way to Laura; a proper stop, not just a pass-through. It’s the birthplace of poet C.J. Dennis (there’s a bronze statue of him in the main street). By the way, Laura is also home to the Golden North Ice Cream factory, so it’s worth grabbing a cone while you wander past the antique shops and old stone buildings. Plus, Little Blessings Brewery, a small craft brewery and distillery producing beers and gins made on site, is right nearby with a regularly changing food truck lineup on weekends.

On the way out of town, you can’t skip Stone Hut Bakery, it’s genuinely iconic in this part of the state, famous for its pies (including a few unusual ones like camel and crocodile) and a sign out front proudly claiming “the best pies in the universe.” There’s also a bird aviary and small petting zoo next door.

From there, head into Wirrabara Range Conservation Park. The Bluff Lookout is the highlight, a short drive through Wirrabara Forest brings you to a lookout platform with sweeping views across the Spencer Gulf toward Whyalla. If you’re up for a longer walk, the Wirrabara Forest Trail winds past the historic 1877 Old Nursery and remnants of the town’s forestry history, a gentle, scenic way to round out the day.

Day five: Quorn & Mount Brown Conservation Park

This is the big one, so an early start is worth it. Quorn is the classic gateway to the Flinders Ranges, a historic railway town with stone buildings dating back to the 1870s and 80s. If you’ve got time before hitting the road, take a ride on the Pichi Richi Railway, a heritage steam and diesel line running through the ranges since 1879, or wander the Quorn Heritage Walk to take in the old hotels and sandstone streetscapes. Grab a quandong pie at the Quandong Café while you’re at it, it’s a local specialty worth trying.

From Quorn, head south on Richman Valley Road to Mount Brown Conservation Park. If you don’t have time for the full 15-kilometre summit circuit, the Waukarie Creek walk is the better option for a big travel day, a shorter out-and-back trail that follows the creek bed through the park, with Waukarie Falls running after rain.

Where to stay in Port Pirie

BreakFree Port Pirie sits on the main road into town from Adelaide, absolutely ideal as a base for your Southern Flinders stay. The property offers a mix of classic motel rooms, spa suites and brand new deluxe villas with king beds, private decks and their own kitchenettes, so there’s something to suit a quick overnight stop or a longer, more comfortable stay.

Guests can unwind by the outdoor pool or grab a meal at the onsite Angus & Co. Bar and Grill, with Solomontown Beach just a 15-minute walk away.

Learn more about BreakFree Port Pirie here.