wilpena pound

Well worth the trip amazing scenary the native pines and rocky out crops were a highlight for me. A abundance of wildlife, birds, lizards, echidna and the odd emu, made for a memorable experience. The road from port agusta to the pound, was more scenic than I was expecting, worth making the effort to stop at lookout points.

I was there just after a rain, first in several years. The streams were gorgeous and a once in a lifetime experience. It is a wonderful place for walks and hiking. The wildlife in plentiful. The aboriginal heritage is very interesting.

My husband and I have just retired and decided to do something on our first weekend in our new life to celebrate. I got to choose and decided on the Southern Flinders ranges foe some what I had been told is amazing scenery, and believe me it is. I decided to book us into the Wilpena Pound resort. On enquiring about accommodation choices at the resort I heard about their new safari tents. I decided this would be something different and booked a night. What a wonderful experience. The safari tent set in beautiful bushland with nature all around including wildlife. The tent has an ensuite, air conditioning, bar fridge and king size bed. We sat out on the porch enjoying the sights and sounds of the bush. It was great. We slept so soundly and with the flaps open at the side the breeze floated over our bed and I. The morning as the sun rose the beautiful gums appeared in our view. To cap it off the chef and waiter opened up a larger tent nearby and cooked a full breakfast for us. The only down side of the night was the restaurant was not open at the resort and we had to content ourselves with burger and chips from the cafe for tea. Tasted fine but not our prefered food style. We left the resort the next day refreshed and had a fabulous day driving around the ranges. Just a note you need a car with good round clearance to do this.

We visited and hiked up St Mary's Peak to catch the sunrise. Not for the faint-hearted, but oh so well worth it! It took a few hours, and we were well and truly knackered (well, me more so than my teen daughter!) by the time we reached the summit. An experience we will never forget. Make sure you're prepared with plenty of food, water and hiking essentials (also be sure to let someone know what you are doing). We were glad to have done it in the cool part of the day (night!), as we could see the heat was making it harder for the people ascending as we were going down in the morning. There are plenty of other walks to do also - we will need to come back to do some more! Highly recommend.

There are about a dozen wellmarked walks of different lenght. Staying three full days would give you the possibility to enjoy most of them.

Camped here and enjoyed the hiking a lot. Showers were fine but a few things are missing: no tables at sites but yet they have tables and benches at parking lot - weird; BBQ area is dismal; pool is nicely kept but there must be a bees nest nearby because it's swarming! Don't count on wifi working either but heck you're in the most beautiful mountains!

beautiful but instructions do not spell out clearly that the 4 hr return involves climbing and hiking experience is required

The easy walk to the lookout was not as easy as stated. My daughter who has mobility issues could not make the last 20m as the path became to rocky and uneven. She was able to get above the canopy so did get a glimpse of the extent of the Pound. Overall it was a good day and a pleasant walk, with lots of wildlife and interesting Bushland.

We took the walk up to the Hills Homestead and then on to Wangara Lookout. The story of the Hill family was fascinating and is an example of the early pioneering spirit. The view from the lookout was breathtaking and we spotted two eagles circling overhead. Also spotted lots of kangaroos and wallabies along the way and were stopped in our tracks by an Emu and family which we waited to pass by. The walk took about three hours overall which included time to stop, rest and enjoy the views.

This is my 4th and has been the greenness ever vs dry red dusty unseal roads! We decided to take on St Mary Peak this time since we have longer daylight (Spring) than winter. We started 7.30am to take advantage of the cold morning. By the time we reached the "saddle" (or the shadow the peak 1hr from the peak) it was getting hot! We took the shorter trail (outside) and hindsight, we should have returned via the inner trail (1hr extra). Bring plenty of water and snacks. Get well rested at the "saddle" before attempting the summit. The distance may appear short, but the terrain is very hard and challenging! My 8yo boy and I took the summit and left the other at the "saddle". Because we were so exhausted on the return trip, the terrain was a lot more challenging than our initial outbound trip! Again the summit is awesome!

Wilpena Pound is an absolute MUST SEE in the Flinders Ranges. Incredible views, an interesting indigenous dreamtime story, excellent hikes and scenic flights that should not be missed.

We've just returned from a wonderful 4 day stay at Wilpena Pound National Park. We staid in the camping ground in one of the permanent tent. The tent was clean, with two sets of bunk beds - one with a double bed at the bottom - so it could easily sleep 5 people. The tent also had plenty of power points to recharge batteries/phone, a fridge, kettle, one small round table and 4 chairs that you could take on the outdoor terrace. At the front of the tent there is a small BBQ area which we could not use during our stay due to full fire ban and so no open flame BBQ allowed. Our tent was very private. The campground offers a visitor center with a cafe and a small grocery store - which is very handy. The staff are super friendly and very knoweledgeable on the walks and the areas in general. You need to sign in the book behind the visitor center prior to starting any walk longer than 4 hours and sign off once you return. The visitor center is the start of many of the walks/hikes available - so no need to drive to the start of the walk however there is a free shuttle bus should you wish to be taken to the beginning of the some of the walks which are located further afield in the park - it is walkable however a bus can take you to and from the beginning /end of walk back to the campground - less than 1 km walk. We managed two walks - the first one to Mount Ohlssen Bagge is a pleasant hike above boulders at times but with great views at the top. Our second walk was to St. Mary Peak which we highly recommend for its tracks but also the 360d view at the top. We had a clear day so it was magnificent. St. Mary peak is the highest peak in Wilpena Pounds and from the top you can see the wonderful Flinders Ranges for miles. We took the long way home - on a hot day with 4L of water each we still came short - so do carry water with you on a hot day as some of the path is very exposed. We saw lot of lezards, geckos, emus, roos, mountains goats and amazing birds on our way down. We came across the Heysen Trail and Hills family Homestay station - or what is left of it. The tracks are very well signposted at all times, clean and very pleasant.

Worth the hike as you see emu, goats, lizards and many birds. A bit of a climb at the end but go for it!!

A great natural wonder awaits those who make the 3.5 km track up to the lookout on the ridge of Wilpena Pound. The scenery is great but it might be too hot in Summer. Wear a hat and bring water. Otherwise the hike only requires moderate fitness. Sorry to say that on your return there is only "servo" quality junk food at the shop in Wilpena for your lunch. C'mon SA lift your game. People can't eat scenery and architecture.

try the light plane fly over. local walks, wildlife are magic. a guided tour through the ranges was worthwhile