Adnyamathanha people are asking hikers to stay off St Mary Peak in Flinders Ranges
THE Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges are asking bushwalkers not to take the final leg of one of the state’s iconic treks, the hike to the summit of St Mary Peak in Wilpena Pound.
VISITORS are being discouraged from climbing the highest point of the Flinders Ranges, St Mary Peak, by the region’s traditional owners.
As Outback rains bring the Flinders Ranges to life, the indigenous Adnyamathanha people are asking visitors not to tackle the final leg of an iconic Wilpena Pound bushwalk.
St Mary Peak carries deep cultural significance to the traditional landowners in the creation story of how two huge serpents entwined to form the huge natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound.
The Adnyamathanha Traditional Landowners Association now co-manage the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park and have co-managed Wilpena Pound Resort within the park since 2012.
Their request that visitors not climb the peak’s 1171m summit is similar to the Anangu people’s request that visitors to Uluru not climb it.
Association chairman Michael Anderson stressed it was a polite request, not a ban, and hopes visitors learning about indigenous culture will respect the request.
“You get the same great views from neighbouring Wangara Peak or the Saddle in between the peaks,” he said.
“We would hope visitors learn about the story and respect our request that we prefer they did not climb it.”
The Environment Department and Walking SA list the full-day return St Mary Peak climb as one of the region’s great hikes but add the proviso the Adnyamathanha people would prefer visitors did not climb the summit.
“Enjoy the challenging long hike to the highest peak in the Flinders Ranges where you will be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Ranges, salt lakes and surrounding plains,” the Environment Department’s bushwalking guide to the Flinders Ranges advises, before adding the cultural proviso.
The moral decision for bushwalkers comes as the Adnyamathanha urge people to visit the region following widespread rains.
Wilpena Creek is flowing, wildflowers are blooming and emus and kangaroos are grazing within the resort, whose facilities include permanent luxury tents in the Ikara Safari Camp.
Brad Crouch visited courtesy of Wilpena Pound Resort.