©Copyright 2014 Peter MacDonald Photography. All right reserved.

Posts over the last few weeks have reflected summer conditions and in recent times there has already been very hot days in the low 40s C.

Despite the heat, surprisingly there’s some places in the Flinders Ranges where water is still flowing steadily in the creeks.

How long the water will last will depend on summer rains, but at the moment they’re picturesque spots and happy havens for thirsty wildlife.

I am still surprised at how long creeks are flowing in the Flinders Ranges.

It’s been a while since a decent rain, yet they still flow.

Having been used to dry creek beds for so long during the drought years, it is still a real treat to hear the sound of water bubbling over rocks.

Taken in Mt. Chambers Gorge situated in the Wearing Hills, about an hours drive north-east of Blinman in the central Flinders, the creek flows towards Lake Frome further to the east.

The photo was taken with a Canon 50 mm L series prime lens on a Canon 5D Mk 11 at 125th sec, f16 ISO 200, hand held.

A fantastic lens for clarity if a bit limiting for landscapes.

Reflections in one of the many creeks around the Flinders Ranges that have been flowing for months now.

Lately the crystal clear water is icy. Yet sunny skies promote algae growth and insect life.

Having battled to get the spectacular Stubbs waterhole into perspective in the previous photograph, it is now easier to concentrate on the actually water hole without the massive rock face it sits beneath.

Nevertheless the other surrounding cliffs provide a wonderful setting for this waterhole.

Over the recent drought years this was a mostly dry and austere landscape. It’s amazing what good rains will do. The rocks seem redder, the trees and other vegetation very lush and green.

This is still the Arkaroola Creek at Stubbs, where it flows around to the right in the first picture.

With sand dunes and salt and tiny little towns the focus of my attention this past week, it was a bit of an effort to come back to these photographs but easier that starting on the process of dealing with over 1500 new photos.

Lately I’ve been shooting in country with a lot of creek beds and gum trees. Despite that, the pictures I have been posting lately seem to be working on a different theme……rock faces and waterholes.

Travellers around Australia might have seen this scene in a number of places spread across Western Australia or the Northern Territory.

Add the northern Flinders Ranges to the list.

Yet another non-permanent waterhole where the stages of a decreasing water level can be seen in the wet mud of the foreground.

When the water is gone and the summer temperatures soar, these rock faces radiate enormous heat….quite breath-taking and I’m not talking about their natural beauty either.

Another perspective of this well-known Flinders Ranges landmark.

Hardly permanent but about as fresh you can get.

A waterhole in the Wirreanda Creek, south of Hawker in the Flinders Ranges after recent rains.

Echo Camp Waterhole….one of the many spectacular or tranquil permanent waterholes along the Arkaroola Creek, northern Flinders Ranges.

For the next five posts a feature on the beautiful waterholes of the Flinders Ranges.

There’s plenty more than five but I’ll stick to just a few.

Yudnamutana Waterhole, western side of the northern Flinders, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary.

Everywhere you look at the moment there is water. In the creeks, the clay pans, along the roads. The desert has been truly transformed.

Warreners Creek Oodnadatta Track.

Another look at this beautiful waterhole on the Arkaroola Creek in the northern Flinders ranges.

A peaceful yet almost cathedral like place at any time of the day.

Because the sun has to get above high hills to the east, there seems to be only a short window for taking good images. That’s about an hour after dawn.

Once the sun gets too high it washes out the colours of the rocks and in the afternoon it’s in deep shadow.

I thought the photograph above captured the essence of the place best.

However here’s a jump to an earlier post of Water on the Rocks and another couple of efforts can be seen at WaterHole Study

You might have a different opinion.

Nooldoonooldoona Waterhole, Arkaroola is one of the most beautiful waterholes in the northern Flinders Ranges.

Yet it’s not easy to portray its full beauty in one photograph, mainly because a ninety degree turn in the creek is involved.

It’s easily accessible and I have visited it many times. Two pictures posted earlier click here show it from a couple of different angles.

The junction of the Arkaroola and Wild Dog Creeks is only a few metres from the waterhole, so in flood the amount of water flowing here is massive and can be up to 10 or 12 metres high.

So much water can pass through this ravine that the two boulders in this photograph, which weigh many tonnes have been moved some distance by the force.

What’s really remarkable though is how the trees survive all this turmoil.

It doesn’t take more than a few drops of rain to work some magic in desert country.

Recent good rains have made it worthwhile for people to visit this part of the world in the months to come.

Here an instant waterhole transforms a once parched landscape into a place of beauty.

Canon 5D, Lens Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM 24 mm f/22 1/50 sec ISO 100

There’s been a bit of scattered rain around lately that has brought mixed fortunes over a lot of South Australia’s Outback.

Some were good falls – other places almost missed out.

There are some areas that are still isolated with many outback dirt roads and tracks closed.

This section of the Arkaroola Creek down from Barrarina Gorge is accessible by foot but like many other places, vehicle access is not an option.

Still, all the waterholes of the creek are full once again – well worth visiting in the coming months.

The Arkaroola Creek is one of the main waterways of the northern Flinders Ranges.

The creek, and the beautiful waterholes along its path are said to have been created by Akurra, the giant serpent.

The traditional stories of the Adnyamathanha people say Akurra drank nearby Lake Frome dry and still lives in the mountains to this day.

When taking this photograph I was intent on getting as much of the length of Arkaroola Waterhole as possible.

Maybe it was just the heat and the flies, or just spending too much time out here alone but it seems, in this photo, the giant head of Akurra is drinking from the water.

This waterhole speaks for itself – ‘beautiful’, “peaceful”, “idyllic’. All of those things – but how about “Enchanted” too.

When I find something as beautiful as this to photograph I don’t rush things.

It’s on the Worumba sheep station about 25 kilometres east of the town of Hawker in the Flinders Ranges.

I can vouch for the Shearers Quarters which are a great place to stay.

A visitor from Liverpool in Britain was looking though my work to print and take home with her and she selected this photo.

When I picked up the large A1 size print for delivery , the printer, David Hobbs who does all my work, asked me who the person was in the photograph. I had no idea what he was talking about as I’d been at the waterhole all afternoon and had seen nobody.

“Come and have a look at this”, he said.

You can’t see it in the photograph at this size, but when printed large there appears to be a man standing in the picture wearing a blue hooded robe and carrying a long stick.

A trick of the afternoon light I would say.

But when I questioned the owners of Worumba, they had no hesitation in suggesting it was Old George, a station manager who worked there years ago and stayed in touch until he died.

Apparently Old George is seen around the station from time to time.

It’s hard to believe this is the same waterhole as yesterday’s posting . Arkaroola Springs taken the next morning.

Even though I had what I thought was a pretty good image of the Springs, it’s been my experience to look at all the angles before packing it in.

You’ve got to remember too that there hasn’t been more than a spit of rain around here since last December so the opportunity to photograph these beautiful places with water is getting rare.

Another 4 am start and a 90 minute drive paid off though.

Completely different light, that magical grade of colours from the sky down the range into the background and the rock face on the right made it all worthwhile.

Absolutely peaceful and just perfect.

With water in all the waterholes along the Arkaroola Creek this year there’s been plenty of locations to work with. Even though they’re all beautiful places, sometimes it takes quite a few days to get the right conditions that do them justice.

Arkaroola Springs was no exception.

I had in mind that the best angle was looking to the east as the sun came up and finally here’s the result. (Google Maps – Arkaroola Village SA)