About Rawnsley Park Station

• Located 430-kilometres north of Adelaide (approximately five hours drive), Rawnsley Park Station is a multi-award winning property that adjoins the Flinders Ranges National Park and overlooks the southern side of Wilpena Pound. The Flinders Ranges is one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations characterised by rugged mountain ranges, spectacular gorges, sheltered creeks lined with River Red Gums and abundant wildlife. This area is world-renowned for its geological history, Aboriginal rock art sites and impressive fossil remains.

• Rawnsley Park Station has been owned by the Smith family since 1953. The Station is now owned and operated by Tony & Julieanne Smith. Tony is a fourth generation resident of the Flinders Ranges, the Smith family first farmed the Hawker district in 1884. Julieanne was born in Australia of German/Austrian parents, grew up in Adelaide and has lived in the Flinders Ranges with Tony since 1979. They have three boys who are currently studying at school/university in Adelaide.

• There are seven marked walking trails ranging from half an hour to five hours return (Rawnsley Bluff) wind through the station. Other activities include Scenic Flights over Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges Discovery Tours (4WD), Cycle Trails and Sheep Shearing Demonstrations.

• Enjoy fine food and wine with genuine outback hospitality in the licensed Woolshed Restaurant. Local cuisine includes quality meats, kangaroo fillets and Quandong(wild peach) dessert. Ron and Jan Heinrich operate the restaurant independently and have developed a strong reputation in the local region

• A working sheep station, and tourism facility since 1968, the station abounds in native wildlife, birdlife and flora, and is a popular destination with holiday-makers from around Australia and overseas.

About the eco-villas

• Construction on the eco-villas started in July 2005 and the first four villsa were completed by April 2006. Another four villas are planned for compleetion in March 2009

• The villas were designed by Paul Downton, principal of Adelaide-based Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd. The builders were HJ Fels of Hawker. The majority of tradespeople that worked on the development were from the Flinders Ranges area.

• Set on a secluded, elevated site, the villas offer uninterrupted views of Wilpena Pound and the surrounding ranges.

• There are four, one and two bedroom fully self-contained villas. All feature:
o A retractable ceiling in the bedroom offering night-sky viewing;
o Fully equipped gourmet kitchen;
o Wide verandah with outdoor setting and BBQs;
o Floating timber floors;
o Luxurious bathrooms with guest bath-robes and organic toiletries by South Australian company, Out of Eden;
o TV and DVD players;
o Original artworks by local artists;
o In-room dining by prior arrangement.

• Constructed from rendered straw bales, the villas feature the latest environmental design techniques, including:

o Passive heating and cooling – the villas have been designed to take advantage of the large diurnal temperature range that is experienced in the Flinders Ranges. Research carried out by Trinity College students found that the insulation of the 470mm straw bales will provide vastly superior insulation to traditional building methods. Other features include over-hanging eaves and verandahs to shade walls, raked ceilings with a closable vent at the apex to provide whole-of-room ventilation and a concrete slab floor to provide thermal mass.

o Recycled Timber – recycled Oregon has been used for window frames and doors.

o Water use – the water at Rawnsley Park is obtained from a bore that draws water from the groundwater aquifer. This sandstone aquifer is replenished by water from a dam constructed on the property in 1992. Rawnsley Park Station has been able to improve the quality of the ground water from 900 parts per million (ppm) dissolved salts in 1998 to 500ppm in 2004.

o Water waste treatment – the Biolytix system uses a polythene tank that has alternate layers of peat soil and polythene tubes that create an environment where bacteria can naturally treat organic matter – in much the same way that a rainforest floor operates. The aerated surface of the holding tank becomes a breeding ground for earthworms that provide the first stage of organic breakdown. We have chosen this system because it requires minimal power to operate while delivering highly treated water suitable for subsurface irrigation.

Rawnsley Park Station is a small family owned business operating a sustainable toursm facility in South Australia. Tony Smith is fourth generation in the Hawker district and second generation on Rawnsley Park Station, and so it was important that the design of the eco-villas reflected the character of the Flinders Ranges region. The eco-villas represent the old homestead designs of the early settlers in the 1800’s and 1900’s, with high ceilings, apex shape roof and verandahs. The fabric ceiling is inspired by traditional settler houses in which a hessian or calico fabric was often used. The overall look of thick walls and ‘old’ timber provides the villas with a sense of connection with the stone walled houses built by early settlers.

The Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges consider Wilpena Pound very important in their dreaming. We have displayed local aboriginal artworks by acclaimed artist Lavene Ngatokorua throughout the eco-villas. We also promote local indigenous tour operator Iga Warta to our customers via brochures and recommendations. We are working with Bookabee Tours on developing tours ex-Adelaide to the region.

The Rawnsley Park Station eco-villas are part of the integrated tourism services offered on the Station. Rawnsley Park Station currently is an accredited tourism business with the National Tourism Accreditation Program. The eco-villa have achieved ‘Ecotourism’ accreditation with Eco-tourism Australia. Each villa has been awarded an energy efficient housing rating, which encompasses a spectrum beyond minimum compliance to greenhouse neutral and beyond, to carbon credit standard. Each villa received a different rating, all within the “Good passive energy efficiency” range: Villa 1 – rating 3; Villa 2 – rating 9; Villa 3 – rating 7; and Villa 4 – rating 5.

Environmental Design Features

• Straw bale construction – straw bales were selected for their thermal insulation properties. In addition to the insulation properties of the straw itself, the bales are rendered on both sides, which also helps to keep temperature change to a minimum.

• Recycled Timber – recycled Oregon has been used for window frames and doors.

• Passive heating and cooling – the villas have been designed to take advantage of the large diurnal temperature range that is experienced in the Flinders Ranges. Research carried out by Trinity College students found that the insulation of the 470mm straw bales will provide vastly superior insulation to traditional building methods. Other features include over-hanging eaves and verandahs to shade walls, raked ceilings with a closable vent at the apex to provide whole-of-room ventilation and a concrete slab floor to provide thermal mass.

• Retractable fabric ceiling in bedrooms – described by an Italian travel agent as “the most luxurious swag in Australia”, the fabric ceiling is inspired by traditional settler houses in which a Hessian or calico fabric ceiling was often used. Combined with a covered skylight, this will provide a night viewing panel from the bedroom.

• Water use – the water at Rawnsley Park is obtained from a bore that draws water from the groundwater aquifer. This sandstone aquifer is replenished by water from a dam constructed on the property in 1992. Rawnsley Park Station has been able to improve the quality of the ground water from 900 parts per million (ppm) dissolved salts in 1998 to 500ppm in 2004.

• Water waste treatment – the Biolytix system uses a polythene tank that has alternate layers of peat soil and polythene tubes that create an environment where bacteria can naturally treat organic matter – in much the same way that a rainforest floor operates. The aerated surface of the holding tank becomes a breeding ground for earthworms that provide the first stage of organic breakdown. We have chosen this system because it requires minimal power to operate while delivering highly treated water suitable for subsurface irrigation. The biolytix units at Rawnsley Park Station will be the first of their type in SA.

Bookings must be confirmed in writing with 14 days
Payment of a deposit equal to the first night tariff is required to confirm the booking
All cancellations outside 14 days prior to arrival will incur a $40 administration fee. The balance of the deposit will be refunded.
If cancelled within 2 - 14 days of arrival, one night's tariff will be charged.
If cancelled less than 48 hours before arrival the total amount will be charged. No refund applies if you leave earlier than the departure date.
Departure by 10.00am Arrival: After 2.00pm