“Australia’s Big Outdoor Museum – The Magnificent Flinders Ranges”
The Flinders Ranges, which is a National Landscape and is now being pursued for World Heritage, comprises a number of serial sites within a topographically and environmentally varied geographic region of South Australia containing outstanding scenic, environmental, cultural, historical and, above all, scientific values.
The Flinders Ranges have been described as ‘one great big outdoor museum’ by Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, one of Australia’s most distinguished geologists.
As an exemplar of geodiversity in the Earth’s geological record, the Ediacaran fossil assemblage of the Flinders Ranges also celebrates the very birth of the Earth’s biodiversity.
As one of Australia’s most significant National Landscapes, the Flinders Ranges has the making of being also declared as another UNESCO World Heritage Site – a truly iconic geotourism destination!
The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW) with the Flinders Ranges Ediacara Foundation and the SA Government aims to create a new national park as a key core component of this vision. In June 2022, Leisure Solutions® planned to lead a special five day tour to the Flinders Ranges to celebrate this project, but now cancelled because of the continuing impact of the COVID pandemic. For the record, refer to the brochure from the proposed Flinders-Ranges-50th-Anniversary-Tour-June 2022
The National Landscapes Programme was originally developed by the Australian Government in collaboration with state and territory national parks agencies, state and regional tourism organisations, local government and industry to highlight a collection of iconic places with great cultural, natural heritage and spiritual significance, many of which already embrace UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The Programme aimed to promote the conservation of Australia’s natural assets while raising awareness and visitation to Australia’s premier culture and nature-based destinations that deliver memorable holiday experiences to the international ‘Experience Seeker’ target market.
The Programme embraced 16 National Landscapes, including Australia’s Red Centre, the Kimberleys , Flinders Ranges , The Great South West Edge , and the Island of Tasmania National Landscapes, all featured in issues of GEOExPro.
Recently Australia’s peak tourism industry association (Tourism and Transport Forum) in the June 2017 report, Unlocking Our Great Outdoors has recommended support for further development of these prime natural destinations.
In recent years, Leisure Solutions® has taken an active role in developing geotours in the iconic national landscapes of Australia’s Green Cauldron (pictured above), Australia’s Red Centre and the Greater Blue Mountains.
Leisure Solutions® has also undertaken familiarisation tours in other iconic national landscapes i.e. the Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Tasmania’s Island Heritage and in September 2018, led a Melbourne University geology alumni tour to the Flinders Ranges including the Arkaroola area.
