Over the year 2012 I will be regularly updating this site so the public is informed of what they will see during their visit to this beautiful part of South Australia known as the
"Flinders Ranges" and "Lake Eyre Basin".

My small tour company is based at Quorn in the Central Flinders Ranges and I am out on tour most days of the week which allows me to photograph plants as they begin to flower. I offer a variety of tours which have a focus on Flora during the mid winter and spring months.

Below are 3 x Lake Eyre Tours departing Adelaide I have on offer for 2012.

Please visit our DEPARTURE dates web page to join a tour that has seats available or email us with your preferred departure date.

Lake Eyre Floodwater Speciall : $3,045.00per person incl. 5hr flight Lake Eyre, Cooper Creek & lunch at Innamincka Pub, fly over the Strzelecki Desert enroute to Arkaroola.

Flinders Ranges & Lake Eyre Experience : $2,850.00 per person incl. 2hr flight Lake Eyre & Cooper Creek

Coober Pedy, Lake Eyre & Arkaroola Tour : $2,600.00 per person incl. 1 hr flight Lake Eyre, Ridgetop tour Arkaroola, 1/2 hr flight over Wilpena Pound

Lake Eyre Tour enquiries email Paul Keen today...

The tours are suitable for ALL AGES and FITNESS LEVELS so don't be afraid to make an enquiry.
They are priced with a comfortable base accommodation, upgrades are available on request.

- recent guest comments -

So what is happening at the moment ???

** NEW UPDATE: 16/12/2011** SEASON GREETINGS

Team Wallaby Tracks would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our wonderful past and future guests a very safe and merry Christmas.....

22/10/2011 LAST FEW TOURS FOR 2011

As Flinders Ranges and Outback tourism is slowing for 2011 I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who used the services of Wallaby Tracks and Aussie Heritage Tours. This has been our busiest season on record. A special thank you goes to my very efficient "tour co-ordinator" Graeme for all his effort to take bookings and book accommodation whilst living a caravanners lifestyle. Thanks MATE! Paul...

18/09/2011 4 MONTHS ON AFTER LAKE EYRE'S PEAK...

The water level of Lake Eyre North has started to recede slowly. Over the last 4 weeks of regular visits to the waters edge, it is slowly making its way further from the shoreline at a rate of approx. 20m per week. The days are becoming warmer, now in the mid 20's to low 30's. The Flinders Ranges have recently delighted guests with sightings of Red Capped Robins, Red Backed Kingfishers, Purple backed Wrens and Orange Chats just to name a few.

22/08/2011 SPRING IS IN THE AIR

We are now experiencing warmer days in the mid 20's. Perfect for an outback tour. As you can see by the date of my last update I have been spending a lot of time on the road with my wonderful guests. The wild flowers in the Flinders Ranges are putting on a wonderful display. Below are a few recent pics taken with my new Nikon camera which has an amazing 36X zoom which is equal to an 800mm SLR lense.

20/06/2011 1st PUBLIC TO USE COOPER CREEK PUNT FOR 2011

Perfect timing at the Cooper Creek punt..... It was officially recomissioned at 3.30pm Wednesday 22nd June, we arrived at 4.00pm to be the first members of the public to use the facility for 2011...

Next we joined Peter Ware for an amazing sunset cruise on the Cooper Creek. We saw at least 30 species of water bird during our 1.5 hour water cruise. We finished with sunset nibbles on the banks of the Cooper.....

Below are some pics to share the experience....

20/06/2011 COOPER FLOOD WATER LEVEL @ PUNT......

Last weeks tour group had pristine conditions for their Flood Water Special scenic charter flight from William Creek over Lake Eyre and along the Warburton and Cooper Creek enroute to Innamincka for lunch finally arriving at Arkaroola Sanctuary. They could see the change of colour of the Cooper Creek as the fresh moving waters mix with what had become still. This week I will be taking the tour by road to the Cooper and be having a journey by boat with Cooper Creek legend Peter Ware. I'll have my camera and hope to capture some wonderful images.
P.S. I don't have too many tour vacancies available, so don't miss out and book early......

Hi Graeme; (Paul's secretary)

We returned home from our tour last Saturday, having enjoyed it immensely.
The other people on the trip were quite compatible and the drivers (Paul & Nick) very competent, attentive and informative.

We were particularly pleased to be able to do an excursion out to Lake Eyre North at Hallagen Bay on Monday.

The flights over the lake, and over the surrounding country and rivers were excellent, and to see the Warburton entering Lake Eyre , and Cooper Creek pushing toward the lake was great. It was also great to be able to do a walk down to the Cooper at Innamincka.

Arkaroola and the Ridgetop tour was also excellent.

Thanks again for your help and please enjoy my dingo photograph.
Kind Regards, Brian & Elizabeth Wood - May 8th 2011Flood Water Special tour

12/06/2011 WATER LEVEL STABLE

Last week I had a woderful group of 6 from 3 different states of Australia and my 2 nd guide JAZ.
They were very pleased to see the agile yellow footed rock wallaby at play within the Flinders Ranges National Park and a special sighting of 3 Brolgas near the Muloorina Waterhole.
Most took off their shoes at Halligan Bay to actually walk in the salty water of Lake Eyre North and took many photos of the birdlife making Halligan Bay their home.
The group opted for the 3 hour flight from Marree to the mouth of the "Warburton" to witness a birds eye view of the birdlife. No-one was dissapointed. I'm busy catching up with emails and performing vehicle safety checks in readiness for next weeks Flood Water Special tour.

04/06/2011 PAUL'S DAY OFF......

From time to time I do have a few days off to recharge and driving my Model A Ford gives me great pleasure.....

22/05/2011 HIGHEST WATER LEVEL IN 3 YEARS AND RISING......

Last week the group were taking photos from the furtherest edge of what now is an island.

Birds undisturbed by their human visitors

Juvenile Emus taking a mud bath, Flinders Ranges National Park

15/05/2011 MORE BIRDS AT HALIGAN BAY, LAKE EYRE NORTH LAND ACCESS POINT.....AND LAKE WATER LEVEL RISING.....

With our Lake Eyre Tours in full operation now I am happy to report that on my last land visit to Halligan Bay the water level had risen approximately 6 inches from my previous visit and there were an estimated 500 banded stilts, 20 pelicans and numerous seagulls. Surprisingly there was very little tourist traffic on the road. I will be back out at Lake Eyre again this week on tour. Regards Paul Keen

14/04/2011 Pelicans at Halligan Bay, Lake Eyre North

I'm currently on tour (AHT08ME) and updating from Arkaroola Sanctuary whilst my guests are enjoying their spectacular Ridge Top tour.

On Tuesday my guests had perfect conditions for their 1 hour Lake Eyre scenic flight followed by a land visit by 4WD to Halligan Bay. This was highlighted by the sighting of a flock of Pelicans appearing as a black spot far on the horizon to fly directly to where we were standing on the waters edge only 50 metres from the shore. We counted approx. 50 Pelicans. The base of Lake Eyre North was firm to enable us to remove our shoes and actually walk in the water where there was abundant life of very small fish, making a perfect food source for the birds. This tour has also been special as we have sighted a total of 3 Dingoes in very healthy condition.

"High Tide " (12/04/2011)

Colourful "Breakaways", Coober Pedy (11/04/2011)

26/03/2011 Lake Eyre South FULL

After A VERY busy start to the new season and two visits to Lake Eyre I have to say the whole of Outback South Australia and Flinders Ranges has never look so good.
I have stopped at some known locations for Sturt Desert Pea to find new plants looking very healthy meaning there will be more carpeting of red again this year.
May is very busy for tour bookings and June is filling steadily.
Due to poor lighting (cloud cover) I was not happy with any recent photos to post on this page.

22/02/2011 Lake Eyre - 3rd year in a row

I am still pinching myself that nature has had 2 attempts to fill Lake Eyre, will 2011 come through with the goods???

My first Lake Eyre tour for 2011 is departing Adelaide on March 7th. I can't wait, as my last tour to the lake finished on Christmas Eve 2010 and it seems like ages since I was taking guests on my favourite outback roads.
I will have my camera at the ready and give a full report upon my return. Since the ABC's Lake Eyre program went to air on Sunday 20th Feb. I have been busy with tour enquiries and bookings. I look forward to answering your enquiries, regards Paul Keen

Lake Eyre National Park - current status 2011
As of 23 February 2011

The area to the north, west and south of Lake Eyre received considerable amounts of rain on the weekend of 5th and 6th of February as a result of Cyclone Yasi. The Neales River and smaller local creeks to the west are increasing the surface coverage in Lake Eyre North. The coverage is just over 60%, with the majority being on the western side of the lake with depth of water increasing in Belt and Jackboot Bays. The Macumba River still has not reached the lake but will soon. Madigan Gulf has some water in it from run-off from the Clayton and Frome Rivers.

Lake Eyre South is virtually full due to local run-off, mainly from the Margaret River and Stuart Creek.

The Cooper Creek has not reached the lake.
This catchment has a minor flood which is still passing through Innamincka but has moved downstream. Although not as significant as last years Cooper Creek flood, this should make Lake Eyre as most of the Cooper Creek east of the Birdsville Track still retains a lot of water. The Cooper Creek section closer to the lake is a series of disjointed waterholes. It is unknown when the Cooper Creek floodwaters will arrive at Lake Eyre. As a whole, the Diamantina/Georgina catchment has not recorded major rainfalls like previous years, but there is a minor flood also coming down through this catchment.
The floodwaters that devastated south east Queensland earlier this year will not impact Lake Eyre as this water will head to the Queensland coast.

There is still possibly two months of potential monsoon activity in northern Australia and there are still predictions for more rain. If large amounts of rain fall in the Lake Eyre catchment, water will come down the catchment and enter the lake quickly as most tributaries are already full or hold some water. This may result in a greater surface coverage of Lake Eyre in 2011 than in 2010, but no one can accurately predict what may happen, and rainfall across the catchment will continue to be monitored.