We had already stood on Razorback Lookout in the heat of the day on our gorge drive, and it was good. Then we camped at Acraman, set the alarm for the dark and drove back up for sunrise, and it became the best thing we’ve done in Australia so far.
What we like
- Best sunrise we’ve seen in Australia
- The road snaking into the gorge
- Two lookouts minutes apart
- Board names every ridge and layer
- Nobody else there at dawn
- Free with the park pass
What we don’t
- Gravel drive in the dark
- No toilets at either lookout
About Razorback and Bunyeroo Valley LookoutsAbout
Both lookouts are on the Bunyeroo Gorge Scenic Drive, the gravel road that leaves the Flinders Ranges Way north of Wilpena Pound and drops through Bunyeroo Gorge to the Brachina road. Bunyeroo Valley Lookout comes first, a pull-off under the pines with picnic tables and a view across the valley to the Heysen Range. A couple of minutes further the road tops the Razorback, and Razorback Lookout is right there on the ridge, with the road snaking down below you into the gorge.
The board at the Razorback explains what you’re looking at: the folded layers of the Bunyeroo Valley were laid down on the floor of an ancient ocean between 650 and 550 million years ago, and the board names each one across the view, from the Trezona and Elatina formations to the Bonney sandstone and Rawnsley quartzite that make up Wilpena Pound, with St Mary Peak on the skyline. It also tells the Adnyamathanha side: Ikara, Wilpena Pound, is linked to Yura Muda stories like Yurlu’s Journey, and the park is co-managed with the Adnyamathanha people.
Quick facts
- AddressRazorback Lookout, Bunyeroo Gorge Scenic Drive, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, SA, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- Phone receptionNo reception
- FacilitiesParkingLookoutsInterpretive SignsPicnic TablesNo ToiletsNo Drinking WaterNo Shade
- Good to knowSunrise is the time to goCamp at Acraman, 10 min awayGravel road, 2WD in the dry
- FeesFree with the $14.40 park entry
- 9.1/10Overall rated
Getting There Before DawnGetting there
From Acraman it’s about ten minutes: back out to the Bunyeroo road and up the hill, past Bunyeroo Valley Lookout, to the top of the Razorback. We drove it in the dark with the headlights on the gravel and kangaroos at the edge of the beam, so take it slowly. From Wilpena Pound it’s half an hour of gravel from the Flinders Ranges Way turn-off, which is doable, but it means leaving camp well before first light.
The road is fine for a high-clearance 2WD in the dry. Check the forecast the night before: you want a clear eastern sky, and a few clouds for the colour.
Sunrise on the Razorback
We parked on the ridge with the sky still grey and watched it turn. First the horizon went orange behind the ranges, then pink streaks spread across the clouds, and the road below us came out of the dark, winding down the spine of the ridge into Bunyeroo Gorge with the Heysen Range stacked up blue behind it. It was completely silent, there was nobody else there, and we stayed until the colour had gone out of the sky.
Bunyeroo Valley Lookout as the Sun Comes UpBunyeroo Valley Lookout as…
Then we drove the couple of minutes back down to Bunyeroo Valley Lookout for the sun itself. It comes over the hill behind the lookout, and the moment it does, the Heysen Range across the valley lights up orange, ridge by ridge, while the valley floor stays in shadow. There are picnic tables under the pines here, so this is the place for the thermos and breakfast once the show is over.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Carry on down the Razorback and you’re on the Bunyeroo and Brachina gorge drive, which is how we spent the day before. Acraman Campground is the camp that makes the sunrise easy, and Wilpena Pound with its showers and store is half an hour south. The rest of the park is in our Flinders Ranges National Park guide.
Summary
Camp at Acraman, set the alarm, drive ten minutes of gravel in the dark and stand on the Razorback while the sky goes orange over the road into the gorge, then catch the sun on the Heysen Range from Bunyeroo Valley Lookout. Free, quiet and the best thing we’ve done in Australia so far.
The best thing we’ve done in Australia so far.
Leave Acraman in the dark, stand on the Razorback as the sky goes orange over the road snaking into Bunyeroo Gorge, then drive two minutes to Bunyeroo Valley Lookout and watch the sun come over the hill onto the Heysen Range. Free, quiet, unforgettable.
- Campers
- 4WD tourers
- Couples
Yes, more than anything else in the Flinders. It costs you an early alarm and ten minutes of gravel from Acraman, and the park pass you already have.
Recommended Gear for a Razorback Sunrise
A head torch gets you packed up and out of camp in the dark, and the Hema Flinders Ranges Atlas & Guide names the ranges you’re watching light up. Keep a power bank in the car so the phone has charge for the photos, and a camping fridge means breakfast at the picnic tables once the sun is up.
