Wilpena Pound
One of Australia's Most Famous Landmarks
There's a postcard of Wilpena Pound, a magnificent aerial view of this almost perfectly formed geological bowl, which declares: 'Did you know - An aerial view of Wilpena Pound, the floor of which is 200 metres higher than the surrounding country. The highest point is St Mary's Peak which is 1188 metres above sea level. The pound is 17 km long and 8 km wide and contains 8960 hectares.'
Located 429 km north of Adelaide, Wilpena Pound lies in the heart of the north Flinders Ranges and is a remarkable natural amphitheatre covering nearly 8000 hectares. It is a huge flat plain covered in scrub and trees and totally surrounded by jagged hills which form a rim. From the ground it looks like a rugged low mountain range which can easily be traversed. When you reach the top you look across the plain and can clearly see the hills around the edges. From the air it is a remarkable sight. It is claimed that the word 'wilpena' means 'place of bent fingers'.
Wilpena Pound is basically for bushwalkers. Certainly it is true that the road to the 'pound' traverses some of the most beautiful country in the whole of the Flinders Ranges (this was where Hans Heysen found the inspiration for some of his most famous gum tree paintings) but when the traveller arrives at Wilpena Pound there is nothing to do but walk. That is not a bad thing. But it is the reality of the experience.
The Flinders Ranges, of which Wilpena Pound is the emotional centre, were first sighted by Matthew Flinders in 1802. He lent his name to the low lying range of hills which starts south of Port Augusta and stretches northward for some 500 kilometres.
In 1839 Edward John Eyre traversed the ranges as he travelled north discovering the vast Lake Eyre which lies to the north of the range. By the 1850s, although the land was deemed to be beyond the limits of cultivation, large tracts of the land were being leased. Wilpena Pound was leased in 1851 and, given its natural protection, was first used as a large horse breeding area. The horses were simply led into the 'pound' and left to their own devices.
In 1899 the Hill family who lived at Hawker took out a lease over the whole of the pound. They cleared the land and started wheat farming. If you come across old pieces of farm equipment while walking in the pound it probably is left from these days. By 1904 the Hills were doing sufficiently well from their wheat that they built a small stone house near the entrance to the pound. They lived there until 1914.
A resort was established near the only entrance to Wilpena Pound in 1945. It was administered by the South Australian Tourist Bureau. By 1972 the pound was under the control of the National Parks Commission and it has remained under government control ever since.
In recent times Rawnsley Park Station, which is located to the south of the pound, has established itself as a modestly priced caravan park with good quality apartments (taken from a nearby mining site). It offers a range of activities including scenic flights over the Pound, horse riding and bicycling, as well as interesting and unusual walks to the Pound.
© KP Motel Pty Ltd 2010