Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges National Park

Flinders Ranges is a half day drive from Adelaide creating a very accessible outback journey for visitors to Australia. You’ve got an outback experience on your Australian holiday list, Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges ticks the bucket list for the Australian outback experience. 

• The Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound are part of the Explorers Highway. You do not need a 4×4 vehicle to get to the area. 
• The Flinders Ranges are the oldest, largest mountain range in Australia stretching for over 430 kms.  
• Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheatre and a focus for visitor experiences.

Wilpena Pound Tours & Activities – BOOK NOW, PAY LATER

Always check Flinders Ranges Weather report.

It is hot or hotter in summer. Check out average monthly temperatures before deciding on your travel dates.  Always carry water in the Australian outback. Always have a hat to protect yourself from the glare of the sun. 

The heat could put you off going as it is never really cold. The journey is worth it, even if you are hot, sticky and feeling the sweat running down your back.

Australian Outback Travel Tips

Wilpena Pound, Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park – A Few Facts

• Wilpena Pound is a 17 km by 8 km elliptical crown of jagged, sharply serrated mountains, with a sunken natural amphitheatre in its centre.
• Wilpena Pound covers eight times the area of Uluru, is 300 metres higher and is of immense cultural significance to the traditional Aboriginal landowners.
• Wilpena Pound’s floor is 200 metres higher than the surrounding country. 
• The word ‘wilpena’ means ‘place of bent fingers.’ A pound is an old English word for a livestock enclosure that’s was usually surrounded by stone walls. 
• Nowadays, Wilpena Pound is also known by its Adnyamathanha indigenous name Ikara, meaning ‘meeting place’.

Flowers are petite, spiked and definitely respond to the boom and bust climate cycle. Spring is glorious with native eucalyptus trees in bloom, spinifex grass sharp green and tiny wildflowers carpeting the ochre hills. A boom and bust cycle marked European settlements in the region, many of which disappeared once drought hit or mineral seams were mined out.

Fee information: A Park Pass is required to access the Flinders Ranges National Park and can be purchased at the Wilpena Pound Visitor’s Centre. A Multi Park Pass valid for 12 months is also available. Check Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park, Parks, South Australia for more information.

There are a number of rural settlements such as Hawker Hawker Visitor Information | Find us at Hawker Motors and Blinman (see separate post) which offer accommodation choices.  

Quorn Saving Bank of South Australia, Quorn Savings Bank of SA is quirky and very comfortable however its location could be a deterrent at 130 km from Wilpena Pound or 1 hour 50 minutes drive.

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TOILETS – check locations before embarking on a walk / hike. The visitor centre is the place toilets are located and it is very likely a pit stop will be few and far between.

FOOD & DRINK – the visitor centre could have a cafe, if it’s on the main tourist route otherwise assume there is nowhere to purchase food and water. Pack enough for the day. You need to carry your rubbish out as there are NO RUBBISH BINS in the parks due to animals deciding you’ve provided a snack in a plastic bag.

ROADS & DRIVING – if you want a sunrise or sunset photo watch out for animals who are foraging at their favourite time of the day. The roads could be gravel or even red dirt so care is needed especially if it’s been raining.