460km (285 miles) N of Adelaide
The dramatic craggy peaks and ridges that make up the Flinders Ranges rise out of the South Australian desert. The colors of the rock vary from deep red to orange, with sedimentary lines visible as they run down the sides of cliffs. Much of the greenery around here is stunted arid-land vegetation. Growing shoots and saplings, which for decades were nibbled away before they grew up, have started to turn what was once bare land back into bush. This is the result of a devastating rabbit virus introduced in 1996, and the continued culling of hundreds of thousands of wild goats. The most remarkable attraction is Wilpena Pound, a natural circle of cliff faces that form a gigantic depression on top of a mountainous ledge. The wind whipping over the cliff edges can produce exhilarating white-knuckle turbulence if you fly over it in a light aircraft. Kangaroos and emus can sometimes be seen wandering around the park, but outside the park, kangaroos are heavily culled.
