Black Range Trek outline (fire-season restricted)

Timeline

1. Weeks before

   Season, camps, shuffle

   Confirm fire-danger dates on CFS. If sites are closed, stop — walk a day hike from one node instead. Phone (08) 8841 3400 for walk-in sites (not the online camping grid). Arrange a car shuffle between Mambray Creek and Melrose. Pay vehicle entry. Camping fees are a second transaction. Download topo + park PDFs to Avenza.

2. Night before Day 1

   Water, PLB, reverse plan

   Self-sufficient water and food. Test the PLB/messenger. Screenshot alerts on town Wi-Fi. Agree a bail-out: reverse to Mambray if the first day is too slow — you are not required to finish at Melrose.

3. Day 1 morning–afternoon

   Mambray toward the range

   Start from Mambray Creek with a booked bush camp only. Steep country. Patchy coverage in valleys. Stay on the signed trek. Do not add Hidden Gorge kilometres “because you are already here.” Arrive at the booked site with daylight to set camp, treat water and eat — not a night stumble.

4. Day 1 evening

   Camp discipline

   No freelance site. Food sealed. Fires only if allowed in pits and not on a ban — own milled wood, no collection. PLB accessible, not buried in the pack. Agree Day 2 reverse: if the group is slow, return to Mambray rather than force Melrose.

5. Day 2

   Over the mountain to Melrose

   Summit country then descent to Melrose services. Do not add extra gorge loops or an Epic Trail victory lap. Eat and water in town. Collect the shuffle car.

6. If fire ratings or closures hit

   Abort to a day hike

   Catastrophic or Extreme can close the park. Fire-danger season closes backpack sites. Walk Wirra Water, The Narrows or the summit loop from one gate instead. Do not camp off-site.

Extra tips

Related trail guides

Open the walk how-to for grades, honesty filters and official track context — then return to this timeline for the day shape.

• Black Range TrekDemanding trek from Mambray Creek to Melrose through the Black Range and over Mount Remarkable. Steep terrain, views of the Mambray catchment, Alligator Gorge basin and Black Range. Carry a topographic map. Bush camps must be booked; hike-in sites close in fire-danger season (usually 1 Nov–30 Apr) and cannot be booked online.
• Mount Remarkable Summit HikeLoop from the War Memorial Monument trailhead above Melrose to the 960 m summit. Expansive views over Willochra Plain, Horseshoe Range, Black Range and (clear days) Spencer Gulf. Rocky, steep and exposed — not a short lookout walk.

Other plans on this site

If this shape is too long or too short, switch plans rather than stacking two timelines into one day.

• Full day on the ground (4–5+ hrs walking + town buffer)Summit dayBest for: Fit walkers overnighting in Melrose or arriving very earlyOne hard walk: Mount Remarkable Summit Hike from the War Memorial Monument trailhead. Start in the cool, carry enough water, and leave time for the drive — not Hidden Gorge as well.Open plan →
• Half to full day at the west-side hubMambray familyBest for: Families, first visit, picnic + short loopsHighway 1 to Mambray Creek: Wirra Water Loop, optional Daveys Gully, picnic/BBQ, campground look-see if you booked. No gorge road, no summit.Open plan →
• Half day to 4 hours at the northern nodeThe NarrowsBest for: Walkers who want the quartzite slot without a 7-hour loopWilmington approach, no vans on the steep gorge road, The Narrows as the primary walk, optional extend to the 8.5 km Alligator Gorge hike if open and you started early.Open plan →
• 2 days (drive Friday/Sunday)Adelaide weekendBest for: Adelaide visitors who will overnight onceNight in Melrose or Mambray Creek. Day 1: one main walk (summit or Narrows). Day 2: the other entrance or a short Mambray loop — not both hard walks.Open plan →

← All itineraries

Official links to verify

• www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/mount-remarkable-national-park
• www.parks.sa.gov.au/know-before-you-go/closures-and-alerts
• www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/bans_and_ratings.jsp
• www.parks.sa.gov.au/booking