Flinders Ranges
A Red Folded Range Rising Out Of The South Australian Outback, Built Around The Natural Amphitheatre Of Wilpena Pound And Some Of The Oldest Exposed Rock And Fossil Beds On Earth · Wilpena, South Australia
The Flinders Ranges fold up out of South Australia's outback about five hours north of Adelaide, ancient red rock worn into gorges, cliffs and one unmistakable shape: Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheater that looks like a closed ring from the air and is a half-day walk to its rim on foot. St Mary Peak, the highest point, rises beside it and is sacred to the Adnyamathanha, who ask visitors to use the outer rim track rather than cross the summit. Brachina Gorge's roadside trail drives you through roughly a billion years of exposed rock in an afternoon, and the ranges hold some of the world's most significant Ediacaran-era fossils - early evidence of complex life before the Cambrian explosion. Sacred Canyon carries engravings thousands of years old, yellow-footed rock wallabies cling to the cliffs, and the night sky here is among the darkest in South Australia. The Prairie Hotel at Parachilna, serving kangaroo, camel and emu, and the near-ghost copper town of Blinman round out a region built for a multi-day drive.
The folded ranges north of Adelaide in South Australia's outback, centred on the Wilpena Pound amphitheatre, Wilpena, South Australia, Australia
The national park itself has no gate and no opening hours - Wilpena Pound, the gorge roads and the lookouts are reached at any hour, though the sealed roads in give way to gravel that is better driven in daylight. Wilpena Pound Resort's visitor centre, fuel pump and general store keep standard daytime hours and are the last reliable fuel and supplies before the long back-country tracks. The Prairie Hotel at Parachilna and the Blinman mine tour run set daily hours and the mine tour is bookable rather than walk-up only. Gorge roads such as Brachina and Bunyeroo close without warning after heavy rain, when flash flooding makes creek crossings impassable, so check current conditions at the visitor centre before setting out. There is no public transport anywhere in the ranges.