The unsung Australian destination that deserves to be in paintings

When artist Hans Heysen first visited the Flinders Ranges in 1926, he declared that the rugged landscape of folded hills, red gums and ethereal light was “crying out to be painted”. It’s also crying out to be explored, an enigmatic yet unsung destination shaped by more than half a billion years of geological drama.

Protruding from the surrounding plains like a giant spaceship, this 83-square-kilometre, 800 million-year-old amphitheatre is a place of deep cultural significance to the Adnyamathanha people, who call it Ikara (meaning “meeting place”). Discovery Resorts – Wilpena Pound – the only accommodation within the Ikara/Flinders Ranges National Park – provides a great base, with access to hiking trails, cultural tours and scenic flights that showcase the landmark from its most dramatic vantage point.

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Based in the “made for big screen” town of Quorn in the southern Flinders Ranges, Pichi Richi Railway takes passengers through an ancient landscape of rocky outcrops, bluebush plains and red hills, following the original Ghan route between Port Augusta and Quorn. Volunteer-run since 1973, this is South Australia’s oldest operating heritage railway, with each full or half-day trip telling the story of pioneering resilience.

When fourth-generation farmers Ross and Jane Fargher bought their “local” in 1991, they transformed the former railway siding at Parachilna into an oasis, offering luxury accommodation and a quirky menu that caught the attention of city-dwelling foodies and curious tourists. The menu utilises what’s hunted or foraged in their own backyard. The signature feral antipasto plate includes camel mettwurst, emu pate, kangaroo pastrami, saltbush dukkah and bush tomato chilli jam. Meanwhile, son Lachy has created South Australia’s most remote brewery, completing the “eat and drink local” ethos with beers brewed adjacent to the hotel’s front bar.

A four-wheel-drive adventure along the 20-kilometre Brachina Gorge Geological Trail in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is a journey through 130 million years of history. Ancient rocks, fossilised animal remains and debris from a large meteorite are all exposed en route. The gorge is also an important refuge for the exquisite yellow-footed rock wallaby, with sharp eyes spotting the vulnerable, stripy-tailed critters bounding across rocks and scree on one stretch of the road.

On the northern boundary of the Flinders Ranges in the Lake Eyre Basin, Farina is one of several ghost towns in the region that illustrates misguided colonial attempts to tame the desert. Established in 1878 during an uncharacteristic wet season, the town was finally abandoned in 1967, its shops and homes crumbling into the red dirt.