Testimonials
2011 - 2013

25th November 2013
What a lovely spot to enjoy the Flinders Ranges. The facilities are all one needs when camping and the kitchen was great. Everyone was helpful and Michelle an excellent 4WD driver and Tourist Guide, knowledgeable in geology and botany. Thank you Willow Springs for a restful interesting experience.
Frances and Allan Oakes, Yarragon, Victoria
1st November 2013
Our first stop at a station stay and its been terrific. We thank the Reynolds family for the opportunity to experience staying on their property and we particularly enjoyed our tour to Skull Rock with Michelle, her knowledge about plants, animals and geology was first note.
Rob & Nola, Victoria
26th October 2013
Peaceful surrounds away from the crowd. Great interaction with fellow travellers at the wonderful camp kitchen. Thanks
Lorelle & Bob Bigfield, Queensland
26th October 2013
A great place to stay (despite the wind on the first night). 6 of us to see the grasswrens! Excellent facilities and friendly helpful hosts.
Phil & Carole, Rellingen, New South Wales
24th October 2013
Wonderful showers! Lovely stopover on the journey and a surprise chance meeting with old mates from Yeppoon! Serendipity!! Thank you for the great hospitality and warm regards to 'nearly' Reynolds cousin!!
John & Kath Watkins, Kyogle, New South Wales
15th October 2013
Visit from the Whitfords - Michael & family (Fiona, Rohan, Elliott & Poet!) Great to catch up with Brendan. Michaels sister Sue governessed on the station many years ago and Brendan's mum & Anne Whitford were friends from George St, Norwood days. The family of 7 used to come up in the 70's for holidays with the Reynolds kids and MIcahel has had a great time reminiscing! Thanks very much for having us - Skytrek was a wow.
Michael, Fiona, Rohan, Elliott & Poet Whitford
30th September 2013
Have had a great stay. Enjoyed Skytrek and Skull Rock is very impressive. Camping and the Kitchen were impressive. In all a very understated place. Will return.
Gary & Jo
29th September 2013
Thanks for a great time. Keep up the good work - we'll be back.
Terry & Lorraine Dixon
29th November 2013
We absolutely loved our 3 months here. September to October are the best times to see the flowering weeds and all! Not so great for spotting wedgies but I'm told that that was just 'my unfortunate luck'. Skytrek is lots of fun and even our F250 made it round!! We will miss the friendliness of the Reynolds family but hope to visit again - real soon ..... (Baz will miss your toilets and taps and I'll miss Carmel's scones)
Barry & Sue Wyatt - your grey nomads Sept to Nov 2013
16th September 2013
Thankyou Carmel and Brendan for the opportunity to stay here at your wonderful property. We really feel that we have begun to appreciate the unique environment in which you live and work. Skytrek was 'awesome' and we will continue to speak about it for years to come. The Flinders Ranges and surroundings were even better than expected. Landscapes, animals, birds and people were so different and exciting for us to experience. We will be back.
Pam & Geoff Riddiford, Brisbane, Queensland, and Lynne & Ian Wykes, Melbourne, Victoria
14th September 2013
We really enjoyed our stay here in the Jackaroo Cottage at Willow Springs Station. The highlight for us was the Skytrek 4X4 track in our trusty Toyota Hilux! We are both keen 4WD enthusiasts and found the Skytrek to be a great mix of scenic track through to more challenging, technical climbs. I am 27 weeks pregnant but was still able to safely enjoy the forever changing landscapes of the Skytrek. A huge thank you to the owners at this station, Carmel and Brendan, and their family staff team, for keeping this track and this slice of Australia in such tip-top condition! As Roothy from 'Australian 4WD Action' would say, 'thanks for not locking up Australia!' Thank you for allowing the world to experience the way you live and experience what this beautiful part of Australia has to offer. You have opened your home and hearts to strangers from all over and that is genuinely appreciated. Finally, I am going to find it very hard to say goodbye to your gorgeous kelpie and your breathtaking property! PS: Loved that you were able to provide SO much information on the history of 'Willow Springs!' What an amazing read!
Renee & Trent Barry, Adelaide, South Australia
8th September 2013
Many thanks for providing 'The Homestead' for our 40th Anniversary of our walk across Australia. We spent several nights watching old DVD's and slides. We had a good reunion watching the events of 40 years ago unfold. It was very nice to get back to the Flinders and the Wilpena Pound. Thank you for a very nice stay. It was great catching up after a very long time. Watching the film again and looking at the slides which were hilarious at times. We had many laughs and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Thanks very much for the hospitality. Best of luck for your future at 'Willow Springs'
Bob & Bill Mossel, Sue Thompson, SHarka Dolak, Annabel Doulas-Hill (Operation Desert Walk)
Denise Mossel & Peter Corbally (Hangers-on)
July 2013
It has been a wonderful 2 days - really enjoyed our stay. Amazing country - great scenery. The cottage was everything we needed. Great to see the animals and we took some lovely photos. Thanks
Jeanette and Mike Harris, Blenheim, New Zealand
14th July 2013
Lovely as always at Willow Springs. Great tour guide Michelle and always helpful and friendly Carmel and Brendan. Can't wait to come again.
Nadja & Macca, Sweden and Adelaide, South Australia
July 2013
Well 30th Anniversary and 2nd Marriage, and one more off the 'Bucket List'. What a way to spend both. Have had a wonderful time, so peaceful here, and our touring 'specky'. Found my grandfathers grave at Old Beltana - that was a great find. Loved reading all the history around here. Thank you Carmel and Brendan (Oh and yes Brendan, will give Leon and Wally your message) Hope to be back one day
Joy (Nee Anesbury) & Barry Donitoe
2nd June 2013
There's not much more I can add to what Abs has said, but like the married couple we are NOT we have to write our own messages. Apologies for bringing the British weather with us but you battled through it to give us a shortened tour I will not readily forget! The hospitality of Carmel, Brendan and Michelle has been lovely (especially Michelle, who managed to take my humour all in her stride) We are honoured to have been your first 4WD tour and we will provide a great (and honest...) trip advisor review for you on our return home. I will definitely be back hopefully in the not-too-distant future if you could hold the rain then that would be amazing. All the best.
Jamie (Dr Henry), United Kingdom
2nd June 2013
We are 2 travellers form the UK who love to CAMP. After an arduous journey from Adelaide, we were warmly welcomed by Carmel and Michelle and they invited us onto their first 4WD tour the next day. Despite it being pretty much the rainiest day of the year/century/millennium resulting in the closure of many of the attractions, Michelle still managed to battle the torment of the elements and took us out on an epic adventure through the Flinders. We met most of Blinman, saw some ruins, had a friendly chat with a kangaroo, saw some breathtaking landscapes, learnt about some Aboriginal etchings and of course, who can forget Bruce... Thanks very, hope to visit you again soon.
Abs, United Kingdom
26th May 2013
A great way to experience a taste of pastoral life. Four beautiful days of perfect weather and great surroundings. Delightful outdoor fires, seeing the moon rise every night 'priceless'
Di & Peter, Richard & Marie, Di & Warren and David & Helen, Adelaide, South Australia
3rd May 2013
Our second year here - last year we were in the Shearer's Quarters. Both very nice experiences, and grea tto see a working farm in action - shearing! Nice fires at night. Hope to catch up next year
Trevor for the Glenburn 'crowd'
23rd April 2013
Thanks Carmel - we had a wonderful time sightseeing in the Flinders National Park. The Homestead is great - we had ten people all comfortably accommodated. We will definitely come again!
Paul, Karen, Noah, Julie and Max, Adelaide, South Australia
4th April 2013
Larry said from when he booked that he people seemed really nice & it sounded great & he was right. Proved to be a perfect spot to base ourselves to see Central Flinders. We've had a great stay, seen a lot & learnt the history of the place. Really pleased we did the flight over Wilpena Pound & Skytrek. Shame the boys won the cards.
Sue & Larry Carey, Dubbo and Chris & Wayne Core, Maitland
16th March 2013
Amazing first time in the Flinders Ranges. Wonderful experiences and a great adventure. Also Willow Springs is a lovely place to stay - thank you very much! Very nice to part of it!
Leonie, Germany
10th March 2013
This is our third stay on Willow Springs - this time showing off all its beauty to Swiss and German friends. We were fortunate to have seen at least 50 wedge-tailed eagles, who devoured a kangaroo cull in 3 days - such powerful and majestic birds, seen perched on ridge tops, gliding in the blue skies or at an 'eagle feast' of a recent cull. We also saw several yellow-footed rock wallabies with their marvellous colours and rocking hopping skills. One was spotted in a hollowed trunk of a giant river-gum (by our German friend!) Photos galore! Once again Skytrek was amazing with the new route over amazing tracks with spectacular country. Thank you again Brendan and Carmel for your generous hospitality, and for allowing us to experience again this beautiful place of Australia.
Trudy & David Maiden, Glen Iris, Victoria
17th February 2013
Thanks to Garry's advice we found your wonderful place at Willow Springs. We enjoyed a great time n your very nice area. Congratulations for keeping everything so clean and ready to use. It was a privilege staying here. All the best and take care.
The Scherer Family, Hengsart, Switzerland
14th February 2013
Thanks for the marvellous stay at your camp ground. The kitchen is wonderful and so are the surroundings. Kangaroos in the evening and stars in the night makes it great. Thanks for giving us the reliability.
Christen Hay, Germany
23rd November 2012
A lovely place to rest up, so peaceful with great facilities.
Ken, Adelaide, South Australia
17th November 2012
Thank you for sharing your beautiful property with us, thoroughly enjoying our stay, exactly what we were looking for! Carmel you are very welcoming, easy going and a lovely lady! Thanks for your time and information! Great facilities, awesome campsites and beautiful friendly dogs. It's a privilege to be here. Cheers.
Shari, Pete, Meika, Beau & Sasha (woof woof)
23rd October 2012
So impressed with your immediate friendliness, so willing to help made us very welcome so quickly - well done. Skytrek great, Skull Rock unique, camp kitchen is best we have ever used. So central to all other attractions was a great plus for us. Solar power, water pump, very impressive. Thank you ever so much, come to stay one night, eight nights later have to leave.
Joy & Mike Peach, Victoria
2nd October 2012
Nice place, good showers (haha haven't had one for days) The place is perfect so don't change a thing. This is a beautiful spot and we loved all the kangaroo's & sheep. We have had so much fun in the Flinders we have seen and caught lots and lots of lizards (dragons, monitors, etc). Thank you we all LOVE it here.
Zeven Family, Western Australia
30th September 2012
What a fantastic place. We had everything - hot, cold, calm and windy! The kids loved exploring the property and making damper & Marshmallows. I don't want to share how great Willow Springs is for fear of ruining what it has (but will of course & hope it doesn't). Please keep it small, its perfect! Forever indebted for the tent rescue operation int he wind and 'Blaze' the puppy is excitedly anticipated. Buying the 4x4 soon to return and complete Skytrek (walked to Yakka viewpoint for a taste).
Galettis Family, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
22nd September 2012
Went up to the Skull - what an incredible place! Yesterday we were at Stokes Hill to see the sunset - will have great memories of Australia.
Peter Butler, Kempsey, United Kingdom
20th September 2012
We loved staying here, great, great spot. Would love to come back
Wade & Hee, Golden Beach, Victoria
3rd September 2012
Fantastic facilities. Great Skytrek. Awesome sunset from the top of the hill. Ticks all the boxes!! We will be back someday!! Cheers.
Jen, Jess & Alex, Warragul, Victoria
26th August 2012
Thank you so much for your warm welcoming and care. You all have the most beautiful place, its hard to leave. We will be back in 2015
Ken & Gail Brinkley
24th March 2012
Last day of old Skytrek. Awesome drive and views
Nic, Shell D'Arcy and Jack, Sunbury, Victoria
20th March 2012
What an amazing experience and an amazing breathtaking and beautiful view. A moment and achievement to remember.
Craig, Lewiston, South Australia and Steve, Wallaroo
20th March 2012
Had a lovely stay with my relatives from Latvia - such a contrast for them coming from a relatively flat country. Photographer by trade so lucky to get wonderful wildlife pictures especially all the eagles. We'll be back with the next group of overseas friends and relatives.
Karina and Dick Cuttle, Australia
27th February 2012
Our first 4WD experience - better than we ever could have wished. Amazing views!
Hoogendijk Family, The Netherlands
5th January 2012
Absolutely amazing 360 views. Never seen anything like this. Fabulous!
Cath & Rowan, Bendigo, Victoria
15th December 2012
A big Thank You from the newly married Tiddy family!!! Still only a week into married life but this place rounded off what has been a great start. Will be telling friends about the stay and giving big recommendations. Family from UK got the full experience of Outback Australia. Thanks again.
Seth, Caroline and Tony, Australia
13th December 2012
A special date, a special day, a special track. Australia is an amazing country but Flinders Ranges SA is one of the best places to see
Frank & Simone, The Netherlands
6th October 2011
"Just love it"
Desley Summerland, Brisbane, Queensland
12th October 2011
Enjoyed the great cosy cottage and the serenity. Did lots of walks. Loved it all. Hope to be back.
Rob & Molly Park
12th September 2011
Thanks for a great few days. Loved our fires. We'll be back for our next visit 'home' when possible.
Terry & Glenice, Hallet Cove
8th August 2011
A wonderful place to stay - great country - especially the Skytrek! House comfortable and well equipped. We ate, drank and made merry. Thanks
Searles, Tredwells, Durks and Osbornes - Adelaide and Port Elliott
15th July 2011
Beautiful location! Accommodation was spot on. Pot belly got a big work-out, along with the electric blankets. Love all the scenic drives especially Skytrek. The kids love all the wildlife and Skull Rock. Homestead great for big families.
The Tonkin and Moseby Crew - Pt Lincoln and Ceduna
3rd July 2011
Such a beautiful breath of refreshing air, compared to the big, busy crowded caravan parks you see now. Real nice to stay in a private site. Willow Springs is camping at its best - private, bush, good facilities, getting in touch with family and the Aussie Outback. Thanks for the fantastic location and incredibly friendly staff.
Ellie Barry, Victoria
21st June 2011
Three Sisters Road Trip. We are travelling with our husbands from Melbourne. We usually camp but this trip we have travelled in luxury. Thank You for this spectacular setting.
Anne & Michael, Liz & Pete, Gail & Bob, Australia
18th April 2011
Walking, climbing, driving, eating, drinking, some relaxing in our wonderful country. What more would you ask for? Accommodation was spot on.
The Duffy's - Burra, Kyneton, Sydney
14th April 2011
This place is awesome, absolutely awesome. The camping is cool as, the Skytrek is breathtaking and absolutely amazing. The Skytrek views you just couldn't help saying wow. It was wicked. Thanks.
Reuben (10years) Wandin, Yarra Valley, Victoria
9th April 2011
Thanks a lot for this wonderful bush camping experience. One night is not enough to enjoy all the wonders that your property can offer but we still had an unforgettable moment. Fantastic place.
Badie's Bros, France