Wilpena Pound
Sacred Canyon Rock Engravings

The Flinders Ranges is an area rich in history. White settlers first made their way here back in the 1850's with a grazier named William Price establishing Wilpena Homestead. And inside the Pound, the remains of the old Hill Family Cottage, they had some initial success in growing wheat this far north. But out in the ridges and gullies, there is plenty of evidence of a much older occupation of this land. The ancient river redgums which line this creek, give us some indication of just how long flood waters have swept through this valley just sixteen kilometres east of Wilpena Pound.

"This is where the engravings are!"
"And again, there would have been a Spring here?"
"Yes, there's permanent water."

Local guide Sharpy Coulthard takes tours through these rugged gorges to a place called Sacred Canyon. With its natural spring, it proved the ideal place for men to gather, swap stories and leave their mark. The aboriginal people of the Flinders Ranges are called the Adnyamathnha or Hills People, and in these hills are engravings dating back thousands of years.

"My people believe they were done by the spiritual people. There were people here a long, long time ago."
"So your people don't believe they were done by the likes of you and me?"
"No, they were done by the spiritual people and passed on."
"As part of the Dreaming?"
"Yes"

The Flinders Ranges were once part of a major trade route, and these were chiseled in the stone using a piece of granite, probably traded by people from as far afield as Cape York.

"And that's why this has lasted so long?"
"Yes"
"Does anyone know how long this has been here?"
"Not to date, but at a rough guess, about thirty to forty thousand years."

According to Sharpy, these stories highlight the basics of life.

"Now the circles - they represent water holes, and up the top there, you can see the arrows, that's the emu and then over this side you get the kangaroo"
"And you also get that - like a horseshoe"
"That's the camping area."
"It's a campfire, and a group of people."
"Yes, a camping area."

For Sharpy, it's a sacred place where the campfires would have burned long into the night.

Sacred Canyon is a short fifteen-minute drive from Wilpena Pound Resort. Just follow the creekbed from the Sacred Canyon car park. You can also book for a guided tour at the Wilpena Pound Information Centre.

For more information phone 08 8648 0048 or you can email: info@postcards.sa.com.au