On the sandstone walls of Sacred Canyon in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park are ancient Aboriginal rock engravings, or petroglyphs. The age of the engravings is not known: the Adnyamathanha people believe that the engravings were not made by people, but were created for them by ancestral beings during the “Dreaming”.
Sacred Canyon is an area of great cultural significance to the Adnyamathanha people and is part of our national heritage, containing some of the oldest rock engravings in the world.
Many of the patroglyphs are circles and lines, which represent camp sites, springs and water holes. Among these motifs, images of animal tracks and human-like figures can also be found.
Getting to Sacred Canyon
The gorge is in the south-eastern part of the park, about 19km from the Wilpena Pound Resort at the end of Sacred Canyon Road. A rough track runs from the main road to the carpark at the gully’s entrance, and a short 800m walk along a dry creek bed lined with river red gums leads to the canyon.
More information on Sacred Canyon
Visitor access to Sacred Canyon is only allowed through approved commercial tour operators who provide Adnyamathanha guided tours. Tours can be booked through Wilpena Pound Resort online or by calling 1800 805 802.
- University of SA – On the Record – Yura Mulka: a sacred canyon and the world’s oldest menu
- Walking SA – Sacred Canyon Walk
- Wilpena Pound Resort – Cultural Tours
- Wadna – Sacred Canyon Tour
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