Heysen Trail Section 58: Wilpena to Bunyeroo

This is Section 58 of the Heysen Trail, a 19.24 km (11.96 mi) point-to-point crossing of Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park. It runs one way from Wilpena to Bunyeroo and takes about 5 to 5.5 hours of walking. Plan for transport as well as walking: this route does not return to Wilpena. You move from the open edge of Wilpena Pound through the Wilcolo Valley, climb over the ABC Range and descend to Bunyeroo. The appeal is the shift from grassy foothills and creek corridor to a high ridge with broad views across the ranges. The nearby 9.2 km Bunyeroo and Wilcolo Creeks circuit is a separate, shorter hike.

From the Wilpena start, the track crosses open grassland before threading cypress-pine woodland. Gaps in the trees show the steep walls of Wilpena Pound and, at times, St Mary's Peak to the west. The route initially bends around Wilpena Creek; a walker reported taking the wrong bank at the start before correcting to the trail markers. Check for the Heysen markers as you leave the resort area rather than following the creek at random. This first stretch is a broad walk through low scrub, with a more open feel than the later ridge.

For roughly 10 km, the section follows a wide dirt vehicle track down Wilcolo Valley between the rocky Heysen Range and the lower, rounded ABC Range. Red gums, cypress-pine and side creeks break up the long track, but this is still the least varied walking underfoot; lower down, the surface becomes drier and flintier. If you want narrow single track for the whole hike, this broad middle is the tradeoff.

At the northern end of the valley, the route turns east onto marked footpath, passes through a short quartzite-walled gorge and begins a steady climb across the ABC Range. Views of the Heysen peaks widen as you climb. Bunyeroo Viewpoint is a rounded dome on the ridge with a reported 360-degree panorama across the ranges. The ridge can feel windy and exposed; from the viewpoint, frame the dome edge with the layered Heysen and ABC Ranges beyond. The descent on the eastern side leads into Bunyeroo Valley, where the lower ground offers a more sheltered place to pause.

This is a one-way route, so arrange the return from Bunyeroo before setting out. The published Bunyeroo waypoint is about 500 m from the mapped trail's handoff to the next Heysen section; treat it as a location to confirm, not as a verified car park. Parking, a shuttle, water and toilets along this exact section were not established, so do not plan around an assumed resupply. Dogs are not allowed in the national park; assistance dogs are admitted under park rules.