Flinders Ranges named as a best destination in international publication ‘Explore Travel’

Explore Travel, which has a monthly reach of up to 4.6 million people through its online and print publications, has named South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, including the new Nilpena Ediacara National Park, as one of the world’s top places to visit.

The region is home to some of the world’s oldest examples of life and has featured in Explore Travel’s list of the world’s best places to visit in 2024, alongside locations in Hawaii, New Zealand, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Nilpena Ediacara is about 500km north of Adelaide and is home to the world’s most comprehensive records of Ediacaran fossils.

The park has gained significant international attention from researchers, palaeontologists, and conservationists, including NASA and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.

It is also an important part of the World Heritage listing bid for the Flinders Ranges.

Ranger-in-Charge of Nilpena Ediacara National Park Kym Geue shared “Nilpena Ediacara National Park being named as one Explore Travel’s best places to visit next year is an honour.

“Witnessing the first signs of life on Earth through the guided tours and the amazing audio-visual experience is something you will never forget.

“Since the park opened in April 2023, the new attraction has proved popular with visitors and we look forward to welcoming more people to this incredible place in 2024.”

Experiences at the national park range from guided fossil exploration tours to an innovative audio-visual experience taking visitors on a journey back in time to the earliest evidence of intelligent life on our planet.

The audio-visual display, created by leading design studio Sandpit, includes photo-realistic 3D animation reconstructs the Ediacaran lifeforms found in the area and was designed with world-renowned palaeontologist Professor Mary Droser.

Located in the refurbished Blacksmith’s Shop, the digitally immersive experience sees animations projected directly onto a 550-million-year-old fossil bed.

For more information visit Nilpena Ediacara National Park

Image top: Nilpena Ediacara National Park Credit: South Australia Parks and Wildlife; Image above:Flinders Ranges World Heritage Bid lead authors