Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
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Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park South Australia |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
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 Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
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| Nearest town or city | Hawker |
| Coordinates | 31°25′20″S 138°42′18″E / 31.42222°S 138.70500°ECoordinates: 31°25′20″S 138°42′18″E / 31.42222°S 138.70500°E |
| Established | 1 January 1945 |
| Area | 933.97 km2 (360.6 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources |
| Website | Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
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 km², northeast of the small town of Hawker. The Heysen Trail and Mawson Trails pass through the park.
The park's most characteristic landmark is Wilpena Pound, a large, sickle-shaped, natural amphitheatre covering nearly 80 km², containing the range's highest peak, St Mary Peak (1,170 metres). On 12 February 2016 the park was renamed to include the Adnyamathanha word, Ikara, "meeting place", referring to the traditional name for Wilpena Pound.
The park centre at Wilpena Pound is accessible by sealed road from Hawker. Other areas in the park can be reached by un-sealed roads, which are mostly accessible by two-wheel drive vehicles except in bad weather or after heavy rain. There are many lookouts, scenic vistas, small canyons and unusual rock formations located in the park. These include Wilpena Pound, Wilkawillina Gorge, Hucks Lookout, Brachina Gorge, Bunyeroo Gorge and Arkaroo Rock. The park has some stone ruins from early European settlement and Aboriginal rock art sites. A rock formation called the Great Wall of China is located just outside the park. Camping is permitted at many locations in the park.
The Flinders Ranges are largely composed of folded and faulted sediments of the Adelaide Geosyncline. This very thick sequence of sediments were deposited in a large basin during the Neoproterozoic on the passive margin of the ancient continent of Rodinia. During the Cambrian, approximately 540 million years ago, the area underwent the Delamerian orogeny where the geosynclinal sequence was folded and faulted into a large mountain range. Since this time the area has undergone erosion resulting in the relatively low ranges today.
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Wikipedia