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Hawker

Hawker - The Hub of the Flinders Ranges

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Hawker - Centre of supplies

The township has some good facilities for travellers needs. It is the major supply centre in the Northern Flinders Ranges. The heart of the township is the intersection of Wilpena Road and Cradock Road. Here is the Mobil Service Station, the General Store and Jeff Mogan's Gallery with the Wilpena Panorama. This road can be quite busy when lots of travellers with campervans, four wheel drives and buses cruising through the region. Hawker is among other places a perfect base for exploring the Flinders Ranges. It just depends on your preferences. Wilpena is only 56 km away. The turn off to Moralana Scenic Drive is approximately 26 kilometres east of Hawker. Or a round trip including Wilpena Pound, Bunyeroo Valley, Blinman and Parachilna could be a travel option for a day.

Old Ghan Railway Station in Hawker

Have a look into Jeff Morgan’s Gallery. A great feature is the Wilpena Panorama, a 360º painting with the view from St.Mary’s Peak, the highest point in the Flinders Ranges.

The Mobil Service Station is also the Tourist Information. You can do tour and accommodation bookings. The service station is also home to Fred Teague’s Museum and the Seismograph Station. The store has some basic food supply as well as camping gear, souvenirs, tea, coffee, pies and pasties. For your car you get tyres, batteries, parts and accessories.

Your car can be fixed at the Mobil Service Station, at Chris’s Mechanical Service and at the BP Service Station at Elder Terrace.

Things to do

Camels Hump Lookout

Castle Rock Lookout
Community Walking Trail

Fred Teague’s Museum and Seismograph Station (Tourist Information)

Hawker Community Sports Centre (including swimming pool)

Hawker Horse Races (last Saturday in May)

Heritage Walk around the town

Jarvis Hill Lookout

Jeff Morgans Gallery and Wilpena Panorama

Old Ghan Railway Station (now a restaurant and gallery)

Police Hill Lookout

Rent a push bike and cycle a part of the Mawson Trail

Take a scenic flight over the Flinders Ranges or even up to Lake Eyre or Arkaroola

Take a drive to the surrounding attractions like Wilpena Pound, Arkaroo Rock, Willow Waters, Death Rock, Kanyaka Station Ruins, Yourambulla Cave, Arkaba Hills Lookout, Moralana Scenic Drive

Walk on the Heysen Trail (for experienced walkers only!!)

Scenic flights from the local airstrip

Take a scenic flight over the Flinders Ranges. The best view is truly from the air anyway. Bush Pilots Australia have an office at 60 Elder Terrace. They have a variety of flight available ranging from a 10 minutes local flight

to an one day excursion to Wilpena Pound, Leigh Creek open cut mine, Lake Eyre North, William Creek Pub, Painted Hills and Lake Torrens. See the website of Bush Pilots Australia for details.

Hiking on the Heysen Trail

Another famous route close by is the Heysen Trail which is one of the premier walks of Australia. This hiking trail has a length of approximately 1200 kilometres. It runs from Cape Jervis (110 km south of Adelaide) to Parachilna Gorge and is open from April until the end of October.

Accommodation

You find a good variety of accommodation in the township. I can recommend the BIG 4 Caravan Park with nice and tidy facilities. Pam and John Hennessy as well as Heather and Paul are very friendly, helpful and make you feel very welcome. During my stay I saw that John and Paul just installed a flat screen TV under the barbeque area. So here we go - you can watch your footy and cricket while having your tucker. A camp kitchen with oven, stove, microwave, fridge and freezer is

also available. For more information check this website: Hawker Caravan Park. But of course there are more accommodation places in town. You find the Flinders Ranges Caravan Park which is a bit outside of the town centre (opposite the old railway station). John Sitters offers an exclusive 4WD tour to Arkaba Sheep Station. The trip takes you to the awesome Elder Ranges. Find out more on: Flinders Ranges Caravan Park or get rate with Hotel Combined

Hawker Hotel/ Motel
80 Elder Terrace
Info on the web

Outback Capmanton Motel
1 Wilpena Road
Info on the web

Meaney’s Rest
Cradock Road
See Webpage

Rivette’s Cottage
Arkaba Street
Info on the web

Sightseer’s Retreat
68 Elder Terrace
Info on the web

Luxury accommodation at Arkaba Station

There are also some great places to stay on surrounding properties. Arkaba Station offers some unique luxury accommodation. See website or get rate with Hotel Combined.

Flinders Ranges Accommodation Booking Service

For more accommodation in the district visit Flinders Ranges Accommodation Booking Service at www.frabs.com.au or walk into Hawker Motors (Mobil Service Station) at the Cnr. of Wilpena and Cradock Road.

Farmland in the district

ATM / Bank / Post

There is a branch of ANZ Bank on Wilpena Road with an ATM. Another ATM is at the Hawker Hotel / Motel. The Post Office is inside the General Store and agent for the Commonwealth Bank. The Mobil Service Station is agent for Bank SA with an ATM

Public Internet

Internet access is available at the School Library in Arkaba Street, and at the Touriost Information (Mobil Service Station)

Weather

"The Hub of the Flinders Ranges" can be a very hot place in the summer. The best time for a visit is between April and October. See the temperature and rainfall chart below. Temperatures are rounded to the nearest degree.

Climate chart Hawker




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Sightseer's Cafe

Once an important railway town

Hawker was established in 1880 and is part of the Old Ghan Railway line. The Old Ghan operated from Port Augusta via Quorn, Hawker, Beltana, Marree, William Creek, Oodnadatta to Alice Springs. The last Old Ghan came through Hawker in 1956. A new standard gauge line came into operation to meet the needs of heavy freight trains to transport coal from the mine in Leigh Creek. The line was build west of the ranges on a flatter plain bypassing Hawker as well as Quorn further south. Hawker lost its significance as a railway town. There was only some small freight train traffic between Peterborough, Quorn and Hawker. Finally the line was closed in 1970.

But also the Old Ghan line was closed in 1980 in favour of a new track further west. You find the Old Ghan Railway Station just on the northern edge of the town, now home to a restaurant and gallery. Some railway memorabilia is displayed close by.

Water tank - relict of the Old Ghan Railway

Discover the Mawson Trail

Hawker is also a great stopover for cyclist, because the famous Mawson Trail runs right through the town centre. The Mawson Trail is a long distance push bike trail with a length of approximately 900 kilometres. The trail starts in Adelaide and finishes in Blinman in the Flinders Ranges. You can hire a bike from Hawker Bicycle Hire located at Cradock Road. Sharon and Lewy who run the business are keen cyclist and you get first hand advise where to go. They offer mountain bikes, hybrids, tandem bikes, kids bikes and retro cruiser which will be great fun for a ride around the town. Check out this website:
Hawker Bicycle Hire

Mawson Trail

How to get there

By car: The main sealed road from the south runs from Port Augusta via Quorn to Hawker.

By bus: Genesis Tours offers a bus service from the Adelaide Bus Terminal to the Flinders Ranges. The serviced towns up north are: Quorn, Hawker, Parachilna, Leigh Creek, Copley, Iga Warta, Nepabunna and Arkaroola.

Between April and October the bus service runs twice a week, departing in Adelaide on Thursday and Sunday and departing on Friday and Monday from Arkaroola. At other times of the year there might be a weekly service only.

See the website of Genesis for details, or call 08 / 8552 4000

Angorichina Connections operates a bus service through the Flinders Ranges. The route on Thursday runs to Port Augusta. And the return service from Port Augusta on Friday runs to Parachilna. The serviced towns and places are: Port Augusta, Quorn, Hawker, Rawnsley Park, Wilpena, Blinman, Angorichina and Parachilna.

For more details call Angorichina Connections on 08 / 86 42 33 44 or visit the website of the tourist information in Port Augusta.

By bicycle: The Mawson Trail runs right through the town centre. It is a 900 kilometre long distance cycle trail from Adelaide to Blinman. The trail is suitable for sturdy mountain or trekking bikes.

By foot: The Heysen Trail passes the township. The trail is a 1200 kilometre long distance trail from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge. The trail is open from April until October and for experienced hikers only.

See 10-Day Forecast