Flinders Range accommodation in South Australia
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are committed to practicing and promoting environmental sustainability and social and cultural responsibility. We believe that human caused greenhouse gas emissions are adding to global warming and their reduction will reduce the speed and degree of global warming.
Whatever the ultimate truth of the causes of global warming we embrace greenhouse gas reduction as a means of focusing attention on protecting the global environment and the intelligent and sustainable use of the Earth’s finite resources. The eco-villas use the latest sustainable design techniques including overhanging eaves and verandahs, recycled timber, passive heating and cooling, and double-glazed windows. The external walls are constructed from rendered straw bales, the straw providing excellent insulation properties and the render providing good thermal mass to reduce the large diurnal temperature fluctuations of an arid environment.
As part of the second stage development in 2009 we have also installed a nine-kilowatt solar power array, which has resulted in the energy usage of the eco-villa development being close to neutral. We are very aware of the fragile nature of the native vegetation on the eco-villa site and have constructed the properties on a suspended slab that allows for minimal site clearance. This has allowed the native vegetation to be retained around the private deck of each villa.
Each villa is carefully sited to blend with the existing development. Maintaining the stunning views and sense of space that are a feature of the villas is a top priority. The eco-villas also feature retractable fabric ceilings and roof skylights, which enable guests to watch the stunning night-time stars from their bed at the push of a button. All properties feature gourmet kitchens, wide verandahs with outdoor settings and BBQs, luxurious bathrooms, TV and DVD players and original artworks.
The Station also manages the Bluff Heritage Area (RBHA), a project to protect the native plants and animals in a 1000ha exclusion zone on our site. We work with Operation Bounceback to manage the impact of feral animals (rabbits, foxes, goats) in the RBHA.
The RBHA is a 1000ha area of land that includes the Bluff escarpment. This area is directly adjoining the Flinders Ranges National Park at the southern rim of Wilpena Pound. The location provides a largely intact habitat for plant and animal species that are threatened by overgrazing. Sheep have been excluded from the area and control of feral animals is now being carried out with the assistance of Rangers from the National Parks Service. When the feral animal numbers are considered to be at a sufficiently low level we would like to re-introduce Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies. The area is currently accessible by a walking trail to Bluff and the Highlife Guided Walking Tour. This public access provides an excellent opportunity to educate the public on the work being carried out.
Community
The Station is a 12,000ha property in the Australian Outback. The northern boundary of the property joins Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges National Park. Tony Smith is a 4th generation local of the Flinders Ranges, his Grandparents moving to Prelinna Station in 1923 and his parents here in 1957. Tony and Julianne Smith have owned and operated the park since 1984. They have overseen the transition of the station from a small family business into a successful multi-award winning tourism enterprise that provides employment for 20 people. The flow-on economic benefits to the local community have been through direct employment and service provision from local businesses.
Local craft/ souvenir outlets (Jeff Morgan Gallery, Hawker General Store, Wadlata Outback Centre) benefit from visitors to the Station. The local communities at Wilpena and Hawker benefit from increased visitor numbers (Service Stations, Grocery Stores, Tradesmen and other Service providers). Local specialist tour providers (Derek’s 4WD Tours Australia, Iga Warta Cultural Tours) get business from the International Visitors in particular that stay here.
Landscape
At Rawnsley Park Station we provide a suite of day tours and guided walks that reveal the story of the Flinders Ranges. The Flinders Ranges are a series of ancient sedimentary deposits that have been folded and uplifted to create a truly diverse landscape. Fossil imprints of he first multicelled life on earch were discovered here in the Ediacaran Range in the 1950s. The ediacaran period is now recognised as a separate geological period dating 540-630 years b.p. A day tour to Flinders Ranges National Park is a must for anyone wishing to understand the landscape and the significance of the Ediacaran period.
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