IKARA-FLINDERS RANGES NATIONAL PARK

Ikara - Flinders Ranges National Park is home to Wilpena Pound, a huge natural pond that is one of South Australia's most famous landmarks. The park is also home to the highest peak in the Flinders Ranges, Sainte Mary Peak (1,171 m). A few kilometers south of Wilpena Pound, Old Wilpena Station is a former pioneer farm built in 1851. It was occupied for 135 years before being abandoned. A fee is charged for a visit.

Walks and hikes

The Wilpena Visitor Centre is the starting point for several hiking trails of varying difficulty and duration. The Heysen Trail, for the most experienced walkers, crosses the park from north to south and reaches Cape Jervis, near Kangaroo Island, via a 1,200 km route. Popular day hikes include:

Hill Homestead Walk: easy, 2 hours and 6.6 km return. Takes you to a homestead built in 1888.

Boom and Bust Loop (also known as the Drought Buster Hike), moderate difficulty, 1.5 hours, 2 km round trip. Discover the flora and fauna of the national park, with numerous information panels along the way.

Wangara Lookout Hike (extension of Hill Homestead Walk): moderate difficulty, 3 hours, 7.8 km return. 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 shared route. Ask at the Visitor Centre for departure times, with the option of being picked up 2 hours after drop-off. There is a charge for this service.

Hiking by vehicle

There are several trails around the park that are best accessed with a 4x4 or similar vehicle.

Those north of Wilpena Pound are Bunyeroo Gorge and Brachina Gorge. If you take them one after the other, you'll have a 50 km cross-country run. Bunyeroo Gorge, with its steep gradients, offers breathtaking high-level panoramas, while Brachina Gorge (Barchina Gorge Geological Trail) is very rocky. Both require great care, particularly in view of the risk of punctures and possible accidents with animals: kangaroos and emus are indeed numerous.

To the south of the park, Moralana Scenic Drive, a third dirt road, is very rolling and fairly flat, offering 28 km of beautiful scenery.