Wilpena Pound Resort now ECO and ROC certified!
Wilpena Pound Resort has just been Advanced Ecotourism and ROC Certified!
Ecotourism Australia is excited to welcome our newest certified operator Wilpena Pound Resort for achieving Advanced Ecotourism and Respecting Our Culture (ROC) certification.
Wilpena Pound Resort is located within the Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia - 430km north of Adelaide. This extraordinary landscape is 800 million years old and has been home to Adnyamathanha people for tens of thousands of years.
Guests can enjoy a haven of outback hospitality with 60 hotel rooms, a picturesque campground, National Park Visitor Information Centre, restaurant, bar/bistro, swimming pool and general store. Plus, the resort offers a range of 4WD tours, guided bush walks and the ‘must do’ scenic flights over Wilpena Pound.
The resort itself blends effortlessly into the natural landscape and provides a comfortable accommodation base from which to explore the Flinders Ranges. All 60 rooms have reverse cycle air-conditioning and ensuite bathrooms.
Wikpena Pound Resort’s Ikara Safari Camp offers visitors the chance to experience ‘glamping’ like never before. All 15 premium Safari Tents are complete with king size beds, en-suite bathrooms, luxury amenities, power and air-conditioning. Set amongst river red gums, native pines and abundant wildlife. Ikara Safari Camp would be the perfect base for any guests looking to explore the surrounding National Park.
The Wilpena Pound Campground hosts 44 powered sites, extensive bush camping areas, campfire pits, barbeques, laundry facilities and a number of shower and toilet block amenities. Covering 50 hectares set amongst river red gums, native pines and abundant wildlife, the campground is just a short walk from the entrance to Wilpena Pound, in the natural bush setting. On a stay here you are sure to encounter kangaroos and emus grazing, while wedge-tail eagles soar overhead.
The resort offers Aboriginal Cultural Tours where guests can join one of their experienced Yura guides for an entertaining and informative stroll from the Visitor Centre to Old Wilpena Station, one of South Australia's oldest and best preserved pastoral settlements. Walk along Wilpena Creek past magnificent stands of river red gums with stunning views of Wilpena Pound in the distance - stepping back 150 years to the early days of pastoral runs.
Guests learn about the landscape and bio-diversity from the local Adnyamathanha perspective.
Wilpena Pound Resort gained their Advanced Ecotourism certification through the implementation of several ecologically innovative practices.
Wilpena Pound Resort is powered by the largest off-grid solar electricity system in Australia. The hybrid power station combines multiple generation sources to produce 40% of the resort’s total annual power!
Wilpena Pound Resort supports the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Climate Change Strategy 2015-2050, towards a low carbon economy.
In addition, all water used at the resort is sourced from a local spring and treated on site, using the most efficient, remotely monitored, water treatment technologies. All grey water produced at the resort is also treated on site, allowing a completely self-sufficient system, which is off the grid.
In addition to Wilpena Pound Resort’s Advanced Ecotourism certification, the resort has also achieved ROC certification through their ongoing support and contribution toward the Traditional Owners of Wilpena Pound (Ikara), the Adnyamathanha people.
Through partnerships with Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association RNTBC (Registered Native Title Body Corporate), Wilpena Pound Resort is invested in making an important contribution towards a sustainable economic future for the Adnyamathanha people.
Ecotourism Australia congratulates Wilpena Pound Resort on achieving certification and encourages you to explore the incredible beauty of one of the earth’s oldest landscapes at Wilpena Pound Resort.
For more information about Wilpena Pound Resort please visit their website or their facebook page.
Images credit: Wilpena Pound Resort website
