In the morning I packed up and headed south west to Wilpena Pound. As you approach sealed roads start. Wilpenia is right in the centre of the flinders and sealed roads come all the way up from Adelaide on the coast 430km south. The Pound is the most northern point with access via a sealed road, mainly I judged to bring tourists up to the Pound which is quite an attraction.

The Pound is a natural amphitheatre of mountains in the heart of the Flinders. It was called &lsquo;The Pound&rsquo; by early pioneers as it resembled a stock enclosure, or &lsquo;pound&rsquo; as graziers of the day termed them. Indeed it was actually used as an enclosure to keep stock in &ndash; at one stage 8000 cattle and many more sheep roamed the natural enclosure. Wilpena is an Aboriginal word meaning the place of bent fingers or cupped hands.

Covering an area of 55 sq km, its 11km long by 5km wide and the highest point is St Mary Peak at 1170 metres high. Two creeks flow out of the Pound. One, Wilpenia Creek is used to gain access into the amphitheatre.