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Angorichina Village - SA
Angorichina Village is situated in Parachilna Gorge in the northern Flinders Ranges, on the road between Blinman and Parachilna. In 1927 Angorichina Village was established as a hostel for returned soldiers suffering from tuberculosis. Many of these men and some women as well found the dry, rarified air of this region was just what the doctor ordered. More recently Angorichina Village has been turned into a wonderful campground and accommodation facility which is an excellent base for exploring some of the most beautiful places in the Flinders Ranges. A winding gravel road through the lower hills from Blinman brings You to Angorichina Village and the beginnings of the Parachilna Gorge. Not far along the road to the west of Angorichina Village is the begining of the Heysen Trail, a 1000km walking trail from the northern Flinders Ranges to Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula. Even just a short walk amongst the majestic Eucalypts and beautiful wildflowers here is worth while. Also near Angorichina Village is the walking track to Blinman Pools.
There are quite a few good bush camping spots along Parachilna Gorge towards Parachilna, These are usually taken up pretty quickly during school Holidays and long weekends but at other times there are always a few spare. Fires are permitted during the cooler months but fireban season is between 1st of November and 15th of April.
Bush camping is allowed in certain parts of Parachilna Gorge near Angorichina Village, but there are several other options in the area including
- Angorichina Village - Camping, Cabins and Caravan Park.
- Blinman - Bed & Breakfast, Hotel, Camping, and Caravan Park.
- Parachilna - Hotel, Camping, and Cabins/ Bunkhouses.
Whatever your style, you'll find a great place to stay near Angorichina Village and Parachilna Gorge.
Flinders Ranges Tourism Operators have a great knowledge of their wonderful locality, So why not experience it with people who know all the best spots.
Whatever your style, you'll find a great Tour to Parachilna Gorge.
There are so many Things To See and Do around Angorichina Village and it is a great place to base Yourself for Your stay.
Start with a visit to a Visitor Centre where they can help you with your holiday plans.
Flinders Ranges & Outback S.A. Tourism
WADLATA OUTBACK CENTRE
41 Flinders Tce,
Port Augusta
South Australia, 5700
Phone - 1800 633 060
Fax (08) 85630616
Email wadlata@portaugusta.sa.gov.au
www.flindersoutback.com
Quorn Visitor Information Centre
3 Seventh Street,
Quorn
South Australia, 5433
Phone (08) 8648 6419
Fax (08) 8648 6419
Email vic@flindersranges.com
www.flindersranges.com/
Hawker Visitor Information Centre
Located in Hawker Motors
Corner Cradock & Wilpena Roads
Hawker
South Australia, 5434
Phone (08) 8648 4022 Freecall:1800 777 880
Fax (08)8648 4283
Email info@hawkermotors.com.au
www.hawkermotors.com.au
Angorichina Village is a great place to relax and unwind in a natural oasis. The area is very scenic with quite a few great places to see within a short distance.
# Visit the historic village of Blinman. Places of interest include:
- The Blinman Mine Walking Trail around the mine on the north end of town.
- Visit the Wild Lime Cafe and Gallery.
- Take a walk around the historic Blinman Cemetery
- Stop for a drink or a meal at the Historic Blinman Hotel opened in 1869
# Visit the historic railway Siding of Parachilna. Places of interest include:
- The Prairie Hotel, with its friendly atmosphere, excellent meals and lovely art.
# Take a drive around Glass Gorge for the beautiful scenery and endless photographic opportunities.
# Take a walk along the northern most section of the Heysen Trail.
# Walk to the beautiful Blinman Pools.
Finding somewhere to Eat out near Angorichina Village is fairly easy, with a few options to try.
- The Prairie Hotel at Parachilna serves lunch and dinner.
- The Blinman Hotel serves lunch and dinner.
- Wild Lime Cafe and Gallery serves light meals, open Tuesday to Sunday - 9.00am to 5.00pm and open every day during School & Public Holidays.
Opening in the Summer months is as required.
- The Blinman General Store also does snacks.
For the Sports person Golf is an option in Blinman if You have Your own Clubs. Believe Us when we say the course is a challenge!
Geologically the Flinders Ranges are part of the Adelaide Geosyncline which stretches from the Sands of central Australia to the southern tip of Fluerieu Peninsula. In fact the Adelaide Geosyncline is found to continue half way across Antarctica. Originally the Geosyncline started as a rift valley that filled with sediments eroded from ancient mountain ranges between 870 million years ago and 500 million years ago, around 500 to 470 million years ago an orogenic or mountain building event caused the uplift of the rift valley creating a Himalayan sized mountain range. What remains now is the eroded stubs of these massive mountains. Parachilna Gorge, as with Brachina Gorge 20km to the south, is a river bed that has cut across the Geosyncline leaving a wonderfully visible cross section of these ancient rocks, with their fossilised ripplemarks, cross bedded layers and fossil evidence of the earths ancient life. The geology of Parachilna Gorge is scenically beautiful as well, matched with the arid land vegetation and grand vistas.
The indigenous population of the Flinders Ranges are the Adnyamathanha people (the hills or rock people). They have lived in the Flinders Ranges for tens of thousands of years, and the ranges are still of immense cultural significance to them, the Adnyamathanha people understand the land through their Yura Muda stories, which endow the physical features of the ranges with spiritual meaning. Although a very arid environment, the Flinders Ranges, was always a place of good living for the Adnyamathanha people, as waterholes seldom dried up completely, and the ranges were gardens of many varieties of bush foods from Native Oranges (Iga) (Capparis mitchellii), Bush Banana (Mayaaka)(Leichhardtia australis), and Quandong (urti)(Santalum acuminatum), and animals including Red Kangaroo (urdlu)(Macropus rufus), Wallaroo (Euro or Yuru)(Macropus robustus), and Emu (warratji)(Dromaius novaehollandiae). Adnyamathanha people traded with other surrounding language groups and lived fairly well in the ranges. With the coming of Europeans in the 1840s their lives changed forever.
For more information about the Adnyamathanha People visit http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115620/adnyhist1.html.
The first known Europeans to visit the Flinders Ranges were Edward John Eyre and his exploring party in 1839-1840. Eyre travelled through the ranges to their northern most limit, he believed that the range was surrounded by a "great horseshoe of lake" that were possibly Sturt's "inland sea". Eyre retreated from the Flinders Ranges and continued to search for a way north further to the west. Settlers and pioneers followed the explorers into the ranges and began establishing sheep and cattle runs, there was a lot of trouble between the aborigines and the early settlers mainly due to the indigenous people believing that all animals were fair game for hunting. As the early stations took over the land the Adnyamathanha people were slowly pushed into smaller areas, forced out of their lands or relegated to missions and harder country. With the early pioneers came many who had prospected for gold on the goldfields of the eastern states, or had gained an interest in the minerals of the land due to the copper booms in the south of South Australia. It was many of these men who opened up the Flinders Ranges as they prospected, many of them were shepherds who whiled away their time by breaking rocks as they watched their mobs graze. It was one such shepherd, Robert 'Pegleg' Blinman, who was working on land owned by Dr Hayward, who found the first copper ore in the Blinman area in December 1859. The story goes that Paul Hayward, Dr Hayward's brother was given some wethers to graze on the land, and he spent his time sitting on a rocky outcrop watching that they didn't stray to far. At this early stage of Flinders Ranges settlement, properties in the area were not fenced and the sheep were prone to depredation by dingoes and aboriginals, so they had to be continuously shepherded. Paul Hayward is a said to have got bored with shepherding and handed the job over to 'Peg Leg' Blinman, who also used the same rock outcrop to watch the sheep. Robert Blinman broke a piece off the outcrop and discovered that the rocks contained copper ore. Blinman decided to take a chance and gambled a few weeks wages on his find. He made a mineral apllication and this was approved on the 9th of February 1860 and surveyed on the 10th of May. Blinman convinced others to invest in his find and when the Mineral lease was granted the names on it were
- Robert Blinman, Alfred Frost, Joe Mole and Henry Alford. The Blinman Mine was to become the most productive and largest mine in the Flinders Ranges. Within months several more prospects were being developed in the area including the Nuccaleena Mine to the north of Parachilna Gorge.
The northern Flinders Ranges soon opened up with stock and mining, and the gorges and creekbed soon became the highways for transporting the Stores and produce in and out of the rugged ranges. Bullock teams and donkey teams carted everything that was required by the inhabitants, and carried away the produce, be it wool, stock or copper ore. By 1881 the Northern Railway, soon to be popularly renamed the Ghan Railway, had reached Beltana and the siding at Parachilna, was a thriving hub with teamsters, Afghan camelleers, miners and drovers all going about the daily chores of moving their loads. By the turn of the century, the copper in the mines was becoming too expensive and difficult to mine and many of the mines had closed down, successive droughts had broken many of the stations and the population began to wane. The gorges of the northern Flinders Ranges, once again became quieter, the locals still prospected and raised their stock, but the heyday of the ranges had passed.
In 1927 Angorichina Village was established as a hostel for returned soldiers suffering from tuberculosis. Many of these men and some women as well found the dry, rarified air of this region was just what the doctor ordered. More recently Angorichina Village has been turned into a wonderful campground and accommodation facility within a short walk of some of the most beautiful places in the ranges.
The Flinders Ranges Play Host to Many Great Events during each Year.
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