Wilpena Pound Resort sits in South Australia’s rugged Ikara-Flinders Ranges, offering luxury accommodation and a cultural experience to around 30-thousand tourists, every year.
The extraordinary Adnyamathanha country landscape, estimated to be 800 million years old, draws visitors from all corners of the globe.
This resort is leading the way with an increasingly popular visitor experience, introducing local and international guests to the wonders of Indigenous history and art.
Local guide Mick McKenzie says Adnyamathanya’s made up of two indigenous words: Adnya, meaning rock, and mathanya, meaning people.
“So we’re the rock people,” Mick says pointing to rock carvings high up on a cliff face.
“Look at these engravings here; they go right up to the top. How did they do that?”
The rocks themselves provide clues to the history of the Adnyamathanha people, a continuous culture stretching back tens of thousands of years.
Wilpena Pound Resort is staffed by 70 percent Adnyamathanha people. Source: Supplied
The rock engravings were once important signals to those passing through; they told travelers important information like where to find water.
Wilpena Pound itself is an immense horseshoe-shaped feature known locally as Ikara. It was once used by pastoralists as a natural stock pen. Today, it’s the jewel in the crown of this rugged landscape.
Six years ago, the traditional owners of this land acquired Wilpena Pound Resort.
It allows locals, who’re fiercely proud of their heritage, to share their knowledge of culture and country directly with tourists.
This means a lot to people like Vince Coulthard, CEO of the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association, who grew up on a mission at a time government policy strongly discouraged the sharing of Indigenous culture.
Vince Coulthard, CEO of the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association, hopes Wilpena Pound Resort will boost local employment for Indigenous youth. Source: Supplied
“When I was growing up we had no rights, before the 1967 referendum,” he explains.
“Aboriginal people had no rights; we were classed as flora and fauna.”
These days, Wilpena Pound is run as a joint venture between Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association (ATLA).
Vince says, “We negotiated compensation royalties from a mining company, and that allowed us to reach out to Indigenous Business Australia and ask them to join, in acquiring this resort in a partnership arrangement”.
“What we’re hoping to do is revitalise our cultural connection to this land and share that information with our guests so they can have an enjoyable time here”.
Vince’s other goal is to boost local training and employment opportunities for Indigenous youth.
The resort is staffed by 70 percent Adnyamathanha people, up from less than one percent six years ago.
And, while visitor numbers are climbing steadily, profit is only part of the purpose here.
“There aren’t many places in Australia where you can get information first hand, cultural information, from First Nations People,” says Vince.
And that’s central to a broader plan to preserve this site, and its heritage, for future generations to enjoy.
