Flinders Ranges named one of the world’s best places to visit

Find out why Explore Trav­el, an out­door lifestyle pub­li­ca­tion with a month­ly reach of 4.6 mil­lion peo­ple, has includ­ed the Flinders Ranges in their list of must-see trav­el destinations. 

Ancient won­ders and inter­na­tion­al appeal 

Locat­ed 500km north of Ade­laide, Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park boasts the world’s rich­est repos­i­to­ry of Edi­acaran fossils. 

These fos­sils have drawn the atten­tion of researchers, pale­on­tol­o­gists, con­ser­va­tion­ists, includ­ing NASA and Sir David Attenborough. 

Notably, this nation­al park plays a piv­otal role in the Flinders Ranges’ World Her­itage list­ing bid.

Immer­sive experiences

The park offers a range of expe­ri­ences, from guid­ed fos­sil explo­ration tours to a ground-break­ing audio-visu­al jour­ney that takes you back in time to the ear­li­er evi­dence of life on our plan­et. This state-of-the-art exhib­it, housed in the refur­bished Blacksmith’s Shop, includes 3D ani­ma­tions depict­ing ancient Edi­acaran life forms pro­ject­ed direct­ly onto a 550-mil­lion-year-old fos­sil bed.

Researcher’s par­adise

Nilpe­na is an active research site and being able to observe and under­stand what is hap­pen­ing is all part of the nation­al park’s new fos­sil experience.

Dur­ing a vis­it to the park, it’s very like­ly that you’ll be wit­ness­ing ground-break­ing research hap­pen­ing. One such project, fund­ed by NASA’s Exo­bi­ol­o­gy Pro­gram, is cur­rent­ly under­way at Nilpe­na and aims to val­i­date com­put­er algo­rithms that exam­ine fos­sil evi­dence and match what has been dis­cov­ered in Nilpena’s ancient seafloor.

Plan­ning your visit

Please note that as this site is of huge inter­na­tion­al sig­nif­i­cance and to ensure that it’s pro­tect­ed, you’ll only be able to vis­it by book­ing a guid­ed tour. Tours run twice a week (Wednes­day and Sat­ur­day) and will allow you to explore the ancient world of the Edi­acaran period. 

There are no overnight facil­i­ties or areas to freely under­take recreation. 

When to visit 

Since its open­ing in ear­ly 2023, Nilpe­na has become a pop­u­lar tourist des­ti­na­tion and we encour­age you to book a tour well in advance. 

Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park is closed from 1 Decem­ber to 15 March each year. 

Start plan­ning your vis­it to Ikara-Flinders Rangers Nation­al Park and Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park.

Keen on camp­ing in the Flinders Ranges? Your guide to camp­ing at the Flinders Rangers Nation­al Parkhas help­ful tips to help you prepare. 

Find out Why vis­it­ing Nilpe­na Edi­acara Nation­al Park should be on your buck­et listand dis­cov­er Nilpe­na: A land of won­ders and con­nec­tion for Tra­di­tion­al Own­ers.

Image cred­it: Sandpit