A Visit to the Southern Flinders Ranges

One of the Parks 2025 projects announced by the Government is the intention to establish a new adventure based tourism destination for South Australia in the Southern Flinders Ranges.

The Southern Flinders Ranges are within easy reach of Adelaide and feature ranges, peaks, gorges and forests, including high-quality native vegetation and reservoirs, which stretch from Beetaloo to Wilmington. There are some incredible views throughout the Southern Flinders Ranges, including the 960m high Mount Remarkable which presides over the Willochra Plain. Views from the Southern Range look out over the Spencer Gulf and also take in the agricultural landscapes to the east. 

Creating the park and all of its visitor experiences is a partnership with the State Government and community organisations, including the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife, Northern Areas Council, District Council of Mount Remarkable, Port Pirie Regional Council and Regional Development Australia Yorke and Mid North and traditional owners the Nukunu.

As part of the Remarkable Southern Flinders project, Regional Development Australia Yorke and Mid North (RDAYMN) welcomed the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW), on a recent tour of the Southern Flinders Ranges.

FNPW President, Patrick Medley, CEO, Ian Darbyshire and Project Committee Chair, David Pumphrey were greeted in Port Pirie by John Pirie Secondary School First Nations students for a tour of their bush tucker garden ‘Urumbula’.

The tour saw the students inform the group of different plants that have cultural significance to many First Nations people across the country, including Eremophila Longifolia which plays an important part in the local Nukunu culture.

Over two days, the group was joined by District Ranger, Danny Doyle and RDAYMN’s Alan Zubrinich who guided the group through the stunning Southern Flinders Ranges visiting the iconic Alligator Gorge in Mount Remarkable National Park and spotting 12 Yellow-Footed Rock Wallabies in Telowie Gorge Conservation Park, which is their most southern colony.

The tour allowed for members to immerse themselves in the Southern Flinders Ranges and initiated further collaboration and discussion on next steps for this conservation and tourism project, including its key projects of

• developing an international mountain bike destination at Mt Remarkable
• upgrading trails for hiking and cycling, including a new iconic trail, featuring multi-day hikes
• upgrading and expanding campgrounds to provide camping for a wider variety of vehicles and camping experiences
• upgrading visitor facilities

Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting project for South Australia.