Takes you places!

ORATUNGA CREEK AND MT. ELKINGTON

Activity Inventory Entry

Overview
F0022
Flinders Ranges and Far North
Multi-day Walk
3 - 7 days
M M M Q
This walk can be done as a 3 day (ie Long Week End) activity or extended over a longer period in this general area. As outlined here it has been done as an option for the ABW annual bus trip to the Flinders Ranges. It is a mostly moderate grade suitable for new or less experienced members.
July 6, 2018, by John Callinan
Google Map
Details
The area is on the pastoral lease of Alpana and Oratunga Stations with the latter being part of the Fargher's of Angorichina Station holdings. It has not been ABW practice to seek permission to walk in this area. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't. Also contacting the station operators can be a rich source of information.
Blinman 1:50000
ABW Club bus. This walk has been conducted as part of the annual ABW Flinders bus trip. In this case the bus is 'based' in Parachilna Gorge at the head of the Heysen Trail. However this or similar walks in the same area could be done otherwise and with private transport.
Water is very dependent on the season. June 17 to June 18 was very dry and I could not plan on finding ground water. We ferried water from a bus drop on Parachilna road and carried it 3km up the Oratunga Ck to a base camp. When we reached the site of our camp, a spring, which I was not expecting to contain water, was flowing. The spring is at GR651542.
Sat morning we took the bus with an additional 10litres of water and were dropped off  west of the base camp, where Oratunga Ck joins the Gorge road. We carried the additional water in shopping bags away from the road, left it and walked with our packs about 3km up Oratunga Ck to a campsite. We  set up camp and then returned with our empty packs to collect the water.
After lunch at camp we walked to the creek junction at GR655544 and followed the spur south and climbed to point 511. From that point it is possible to visit Mt Mary etc.
On Sunday we followed Oratunga Ck upstream to GR668554 then followed the tributary creek east. We climbed out of the creek and climbed to the saddle. . Depending on the speed of the group it would be possible to continue east along the ridge to Mt Elkington.  I made the decision that we did not have time to follow the ridge east to Mt Elkington.  We followed the ridge east to point 726 which interestingly is two metres higher than Mt Elkington. From .726 we followed the ridge south west to GR666558 and ascended down into the tributary and back to camp.
   
On Monday we walked out down Oratunga Ck to Parachilna Ck and followed it east to the base camp/bus. 

We used the good campsite at the spring. But it is worth noting that campers need to climb 10m out of the creek to access a suitable toilet dig.

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Activity Inventory

These activity outlines have been compiled from information provided by ABW members.

Their accuracy is subject to variations in individual members’ observations, climate and weather conditions, land and ownership, accessibility, national park rules and permits.

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