Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
Numerous trails, some of them quite steep, make the Flinders Ranges ideal for bushwalking even though the park has few amenities. Water in this region is scarce and should be carried at all times. The best time for walking is during the relatively cool months between April and October. This is also the wettest time of year, so you should be prepared for rain. Wildflowers, including the spectacular Stuart's desert pea, can sometimes be found in early spring when male emus look after clutches of cute striped chicks.
At the center of the park is Wilpena Pound, a craterlike 80-square-km (31-square-mile) natural bowl ringed by hills that curve gently upward, only to fall away from the rims of sheer cliffs. Geologists will tell you that it is in fact a synclinal basin while for the Adnyamathanha traditional owners it was formed by two giant serpents who went to sleep. The only entrance to the Pound is a narrow cleft through which Wilpena Creek sometimes runs. The best way to see it is from above—scenic flights are available at Wilpena Pound Resort (from A$186) and are well worth the splurge.
The park's most spectacular (and strenuous) walking trail leads to the summit of 3,840-foot St. Mary's Peak, the highest point on the Pound's rim and South Australia's second-tallest peak. Visitors are asked not to climb all the way up because of its great spiritual significance to Adnyamathanha traditional owners; fortunately, the views from nearby Tanderra Saddle are just as spectacular, stretching far over the surrounding landscape toward vast glittering salt pans in the distance. Give yourself a full day to get up and back.
