Ikara-Flinders Ranges
About the Flinders Ranges
The Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is situated approximately 400 km north of Adelaide in the northern central part of South Australia‘s largest mountain range, the Flinders Ranges. The park covers an area of 912 km, northeast of the small town of Hawker. The Heysen Trail and Mawson Trails pass through the park.
History and Heritage
The first humans to inhabit the Flinders Ranges were the Adnyamathanha people (meaning “hill people” or “rock people”) whose descendants still reside in the area, and the Ngadjuri people, who were dispersed by European settlement after colonisation. Cave paintings, rock engravings and other cultural artefacts indicate that the Adnyamathanha and Ndajurri lived in the Flinders Ranges for tens of thousands of years. Occupation of the Warratyi rock shelter dates back approximately 49,000 years.
Places to stay
Flinders Ranges accommodation options include hotels, motels, air bnb’s, providing plenty of comfortable places to stay.
Things to do
Driving through the Flinders Ranges, you’ll find dusty red roads bordered by towering ancient cliffs and deep craters. Take a tour with an Aboriginal guide or drive yourself along the Aboriginal Dreaming Trail. Pick up a map and guide at the Wilpena Pound Visitor Information Centre and, armed and ready, travel through mountain ranges, visit Aboriginal rock art sites and weave your way through settlers’ ruins. In Wilpena pound you can bushwalk, or climb St Mary Peak (Ngarri Mudlanha) for a spectacular view.