Touring Bendleby Station's challenging 4x4 tracks

Bendleby Station is a 15,000ha property adjacent to South Australia’s magnificent Flinders Ranges, about 50km north of Orroroo, and it has been owned by the Luckcraft family for more than 50 years.

In that time they have turned what was originally a sheep-grazing operation into a mecca for 4x4 enthusiasts.

After taking over the running of the business five years ago, fourth-generation owners of the station, husband and wife team Charlie and Kylie, have expanded and enhanced this award-winning destination. The main attraction of Bendleby Station is the challenge and satisfaction of driving the property’s some 200km of tracks, most of which can be enjoyed by novice 4x4 drivers through to those with plenty of experience.

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As well as the tracks themselves, there are breathtaking panoramic views from the top of the ranges.

When you arrive at Bendleby, you will be welcomed by Charlie or Kylie and provided with maps of the tracks, a brief description of the drives and, importantly, a difficulty rating for each. Your vehicle will also be given a once-over and depending on your 4X4 experience, they will advise what tracks you can tackle as well as those you should probably give a miss.

Don’t think the difficulty ratings are understated; if a track has a difficulty rating of 10 out of 10 expect it to be exactly that, and with a number of the drives being one-way only, once committed there’s no going back.

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According to Charlie, not many visitors have mechanical issues on the tracks, but for those who do the station provides an emergency service via UHF.

Problems that do arise are usually due to improperly maintained vehicles… and perhaps confidence exceeding ability when driving in what is very unforgiving terrain. Call out and recovery services come at a cost – $600 for a half day with a minimum of $300 – so a full mechanical check beforehand is a good idea.

While the campsites have easy access, four-wheel drive is mandatory if you want to explore Bendleby. Possibly the most attractive camps are clustered around Hidden Valley in the north of the property. Set along the course of a dry creekbed flanked by ancient red gums, it is an idyllic location.

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Over eons, water has carved this passage through the range leaving high ridges with ochre coloured rock outcrops fringing the valley.

Ringneck parrots display flashes of iridescent blues and greens as they swoop and dive amongst the stately old gums that bear the scars of centuries of flash flooding. Set well apart from each other the campsites offer a good level of seclusion and come with complimentary firewood.

After a long and dusty drive, Bendleby is a fantastic place to just sit down with a drink or two and soak up the beauty and serenity around you. With its rolling foothills and steeper main range punctuated with stands of native cypress pine, the northern section of Bendleby is perhaps best described as being much like the area around Wilpena… but without all the tourists.

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On our visit here, camper-trailers appeared to be the weapon of choice for most station guests, but there were a few caravans too.

We requested a remote site, which came with a few minor access-related issues for our van, but there are plenty of easy to access sites that can cater for any model of van or motorhome. Armed with the comforting words of “we’ve had a couple of vans in there previously, so you should be okay”, we towed our 19-foot van into Hidden Valley.

The track showed evidence of water damage in places with ruts and potholes which we needed to ease the van through. Once in the valley, we needed to monitor clearance from trees, but we ultimately reached our destination intact and the attractive campsite made the effort worthwhile.

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In fact, the only real issue we had was positioning our van in the relatively small campsite clearing, bearing in mind that we would need to turn it around for departure.

For those with four-legged friends, Bendleby allows dogs on leads and caters for the non four-wheel drive activities such as mountain biking, bushwalking and horse riding. In a younger life I spent many enjoyable weeks riding and camping out in the nearby Flinders Ranges and I’d recommend Bendleby as a first-class destination for anyone into trail riding.

For the bushwalkers, there are several walking trails scattered over the property, with walking guides available from reception. A couple of the walks at the northern end of the Hidden Valley follow a narrow gorge beneath a leafy canopy created by the red gums lining a dry creek bed.

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Once away from the valley floor I suspect some of the walks could be more challenging as they climb into the surrounding hills.

Near the station’s general campground are some old ruins of the original Gumdale Homestead. Dating from the 1800s the ruins give an inkling into the long and varied history the property has seen over the years. When you look at the dry rocky hills and dusty plains today, it is hard to believe this country was originally used for cereal growing and dairy cattle.

Early settlers were lulled into a false sense of what the land could sustain by a long string of unusually good years. Ultimately, weather patterns returned to normal and with this area 50km outside of Goyder’s Line (a line above which agriculture is now deemed unsustainable) regular drought and hardship became the norm.

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Many properties were abandoned and amalgamated into larger holdings as cropping gave way to grazing.

On the road from Orroroo, just prior to the station turnoff, is Johnberg, another victim of unreliable rainfall. This small cluster of several deserted buildings features a sign declaring the ‘town’ to have a population of just two. While some of the remaining buildings are in disrepair, it is worth pulling over to see a couple of examples of original dwellings that look well maintained.

Like the drive into Hidden Valley most of Bendleby’s tracks showed minor damage from recent heavy rainfall making them a little rougher in places than they might normally be. This was late-Autumn and while there was a hint of green in places, later in the year would be the ideal time to visit.

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After good winter and early spring rains this country comes alive with wildflowers and fresh growth. However, if planning a visit, keep an eye on the forecast as many of the station’s tracks are closed after even modest rain.

Our initial exploratory drive was the medium-rated Gum Creek Drive. With some steep climbs and descents, a large part of this loop follows a creek bed punctuated with a few gnarly rocky bits to keep you focused. With ruts and washaways aplenty, it is relatively slow going, but the scenery makes up for it. From the gum-lined creek in the floor of a narrow valley you eventually tackle a steep climb to a lookout with 360-degree views that seem to go on forever.

At the end of Gum Creek Drive we picked up North South Ridge Track, which starts with an extensive low-range climb up to the station’s Sunset Lookout with its interesting circular stone sculpture, and more stunning views no matter what direction you look.

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At the northern end of the ridge a one-way track down the steep Kokoda Trail takes you back to the entrance to Hidden Valley.

Gum Gorge Road is another leisurely wander that largely follows the bed of a wide gum-lined creek starting to the west of the property’s reception, and meandering north before heading up into the range to the east. Along the way into the hills, you pass Dinnertime Springs, a small natural spring and semi-permanent water source named by 19th century shepherds. This medium-rated track joins Monument Loop which features a number of steep climbs and descents.

The track had just been graded when we visited, which made it an easy task in low range, and it provides some of the best views on the station. Beware of the steep crests on this track as the direction the road takes will be hidden by your bonnet; on a couple of occasions, a bend needed to be negotiated immediately over the rise.

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Monument Loop ultimately meets up with the previously mentioned Kokoda Trail that runs back down to Hidden Valley.

The drier and more rugged Hungry Ranges to the south of the property are where you’ll find Bendleby’s more challenging tracks. We drove south to Lantern Gate and then east to follow Back Track through low rocky foothills with patches of low mallee-like gums. The track had some rough and rocky sections while offering expansive views back towards the homestead.

The northern end of Back Track meets North Fence Track which takes its name from a remnant of the station’s original dog proof fence. This track is quite rocky in places but passes through some great country with more stunning views as it climbs to the top of the range.

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Rated as requiring a high level of off-road driving skill, a few large rocks along the way challenged our clearance, as evidenced by a now slightly modified sidestep.

We suffered a ‘pilot error’ at the top of the range (probably due to the adrenalin rush) and went past the intersection with Quartz Gorge, which had been our intended return. Not realising our mistake we ended up at East Fence Track on the edge of the plains below by way of a very steep descent with a loose rocky surface. Even if the track hadn’t been one way only, I think the climb back up the track would have been beyond my pay grade.

The only other way back from East Fence appeared to be the 10 out of 10 difficulty rated Billy Goat Ridge. Having seen what the station’s lesser rated hard tracks entailed, and driving a stock standard BT-50, it wasn’t something that appealed.

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Anyone thinking of visiting Bendleby and tackling the more challenging tracks needs to have a capable vehicle with upgraded suspension and the driving skills to negotiate tricky situations.

We stopped at Aeroplane Gorge to give Bendleby a call on the two-way to confirm that we could follow the East Fence Track out to the south and loop back around the ranges to Bendleby via Johnberg. Aeroplane Gorge is named for a Flying Doctor De Havilland that made a forced landing there in 1927. The pilot and passenger walked out and (this being a time when planes were made of wood and canvas) the aircraft was ultimately patched up on site and flown out.

Even if you’re an occasional four-wheel driver, don’t think Bendleby is too challenging for you. Many of the vehicles we saw on the tracks were newish 4x4s with middle-aged pilots quietly enjoying the scenery and the satisfaction of dusting off their driving skills.

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That said, Bendleby has a reputation as a pre-eminent 4x4 destination, and offers an appealing challenge to younger hairy-chested drivers with tarted-up older vehicles they consider indestructible.

We stopped briefly on one rough and stony track to let a heavily modified V8 Patrol pass; seemingly oblivious of the hiding their suspension was getting, there was barely a lift of the right foot for one of the numerous rocky washaways as it bounced and rumbled into the distance heading for Billy Goat Ridge.

Bendleby is a long drive from the eastern states but with its range of amazing and secluded campsites in attractive bush locations, and its fabulous 4x4 tracks, it is certainly worth the effort.

Charlie and Kylie aim to provide their guests with a memorable and enjoyable visit, and with a range of state and national tourism awards including being inducted into the South Australian Tourism Hall of Fame, they have clearly found a winning formula.

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