Moralana Scenic Drive

Moralana Scenic Drive

The turnoff for Moralana Scenic Drive is approximately 23 km North of Hawker on Wilpena Road. The Moralana Scenic Drive takes you through Arkaba Station and Merna Mora Station country and is between the Elder Range and Wilpena Pound.

This drive is always pleasant to the eye and mind and is usually at its best late winter into spring when the area has received good rains. It is advisable, however not to be negotiated in wet weather. Signs sets out certain conditions that you are asked to adhere to as you are on private property.

About 15km. along the drive look for a signpost to Black Gap Lookout. A short drive 2 km. will take you to this lookout with views of Wilpena’s rugged rim to the north and the Red and Elder Ranges to the south. A picturesque little gorge lies below the lookout and is a wonderful place for a picnic lunch. You may also see steel posts or star dropper markers here which mark part of the Heysen Trail, Hawker to Wilpena.

If you have two or three hours to spare, and are fairly fit, you could enjoy an exhilarating walk up to the rim of Wilpena Pound, Bridle Gap and the breathtaking views of the southern Flinders. This walk has some steep sections and good footwear is advised.If you start from Hawker before 10 a.m. you should still have time to complete the round trip through the rest of Moralana Drive to the Leigh Creek Road and South to Hawker, a round trip of approximately 95 km.

On the way back you will see the other side of the Elder Range with the tallest peak being Mt. Aleck, 1128 metres. An ideal sunset lookout is located on the Western side of the Hawker to Leigh Creek road just South of the Moralana Creek. At this lookout is a memorial to the South Australian Surveyor William Greig Evans who surveyed the hundred of Moralana in 1895. Merna Mora self drive track pass through Moralana Scenic Drive.