IKARA-FLINDERS RANGES NATIONAL PARK

Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is home to Wilpena Pound, a vast natural amphitheatre 17 km long and 8 km wide, with St Mary's Peak (Ngarri Mudlanha in the Aboriginal language) rising to 1,189 metres. This peak, sacred to the Adnyamathanha people, can be reached by a round-trip hike of around 21.5 km, or a 6-9 hour walk. To the south of Wilpena Pound lies the former Old Wilpena Station farm, established in 1851 and operated for 135 years before being abandoned.

The Wilpena Visitor Centre is the starting point for several hiking trails of varying length and difficulty. The Heysen Trail, for experienced hikers, crosses the park from north to south, and continues to Cape Jervis, offering spectacular scenery. popular day hikes include:

Hill Homestead Walk: easy, about 2 hours for 6.6 km round trip. This trail leads to a pioneer house built in 1888, bearing witness to the life of the region's first ranchers.

Boom and Bust Loop (also sometimes referred to as the Drought Buster Hike): moderate, approx. 1.5 hours for 2 km. This trail offers an introduction to the flora and fauna of the region, with information panels along the way. You'll see century-old eucalyptus trees and rare yellow-footed wallabies.

Wangara Lookout Hike (extension of Hill Homestead Walk): moderate, approx. 3 hours for 7.8 km round trip. At the end, two viewpoints (Lower Lookout Wangara Hill and Wangara Hill Lookout) with superb panoramic views of the surrounding area and higher ground.

A shuttle bus is available for the first two kilometers of the walk. Ask at the Visitor Centre for departure times, with the possibility of being picked up 2 hours after drop-off.

Vehicle tours

On the outskirts of the park, several trails are accessible, preferably by 4X4 vehicle

Those north of Wilpena Pound are Bunyeroo Gorge and Brachina Gorge. If you take them one after the other, you'll be able to complete a 50 km cross-country route. Bunyeroo Gorge, with its steep gradients, offers breathtaking high-level panoramas, while Brachina Gorge (Barchina Gorge Geological Trail) is very stony.

To the south of the park, Moralana Scenic Drive, a third 28 km dirt road, winds between impressive rock formations and plains where emus and wallabies are a common sight.