5 Treasures in Mount Remarkable National Park

Home to dra­mat­ic gorges, pic­ture-per­fect ranges and scenic cliff-top views, Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park is breath­tak­ing in every sense of the word.

Mam­bray Creek born and bred Park Oper­a­tions Ranger Rus­sell Mar­tin has lived and breathed this spe­cial place for 12 years. Here are his top tips for visiting.

1. View across the gulf from the Bat­tery Track

For sub­lime views over the Spencer Gulf, head to the Bat­tery Track. You can get there by tak­ing the Hid­den Gorge trail from the Day Vis­i­tor Area at Mam­bray Creek. This is a great spot to sit qui­et­ly and enjoy your lunch or morn­ing cof­fee. You may even be lucky enough to see native wildlife includ­ing wedge-tailed eagles, yel­low-foot­ed rock wal­la­bies and euros.

2. Alli­ga­tor Gorge

Sur­pris­ing­ly, there are no alli­ga­tors in Alli­ga­tor Gorge. Rumour has it that this scenic gorge is named after a local shep­herd named Ally, who lived in the area. You can expect to be sur­round­ed by colour­ful rock for­ma­tions and nar­row­ly-spaced cliffs. If the creek is run­ning, and there’s water in the gorge, it makes this peace­ful place extra special.

3. Hikes

Hid­den Gorge

Acces­si­ble from Mam­bray Creek, this all-day hike will take you between 6 – 8 hours return. A peace­ful and relax­ing walk, it’ll trans­port you to anoth­er world as you mean­der through nar­row gorges, take in mag­nif­i­cent views from the high Bat­tery Ridge and notice the habi­tat includ­ing native pines. Be pre­pared with lots of water and appro­pri­ate footwear as you’ll be walk­ing over uneven sur­faces and will cov­er 18 kilometres.

Dav­eys Gul­ly Hike

If an all-day walk isn’t for you, take this 2.4 kilo­me­tre hike. It’s acces­si­ble from Mam­bray Creek and is an easy gra­di­ent that will take you about one hour return. You’ll get some great views into the Alli­ga­tor Basin and across the Spencer Gulf to Whyal­la. If you need a spot to rest, a new seat has been installed along the way thanks to the Friends of Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park vol­un­teer group.

4. Gray’s Hut

Burnt down in the 1988 fires that tore through the park, this old shepherd’s hut has been rebuilt. It’s sit­u­at­ed in a love­ly spot in the park, acces­si­ble by foot, referred to as the ​‘race­track.’ Rumour has it a local used to train his race hors­es here in secret, away from the eyes of the com­pe­ti­tion. The hut is built on a clear­ing sur­round­ed by big gum trees, which makes this area per­fect for camp­ing. You can even stay in the hut if it’s vacant when you get there.

5. Wildlife

There’s a pletho­ra of wildlife that call Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park home. You can see yel­low-foot­ed rock wal­la­bies bounce, emus stroll, euros (a species of wal­la­roo) hop and lace mon­i­tors scur­ry through the park. Morn­ings and evenings are the best time to spot them – espe­cial­ly in the Mam­bray Creek valley.

Through­out the month of May, Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park is being cel­e­brat­ed as the Park of Month – an ini­tia­tive betweenNature Play SAand DEW.

Get a taste of our Park of the Month by check­ing out the list ofeventsfor May. Cel­e­brate Mother’s Day with Moth­er Nature, try Pilates or a guid­ed walk, or dis­cov­er trea­sure in Alli­ga­tor Gorge. Want more ideas of what to see when you get there? Down­load Nature Play SA’s list of20 things to dis­cov­er.

Don’t for­get to book your camp­siteonlinebefore you go.

If you’re a fan of Mount Remark­able Nation­al Park, send us your pho­tos and tips for vis­it­ing in the com­ments below.

Main image cour­tesy of Jason Tyn­dall, Nature Play SA.