MILPENA POUND Milpena Pound is a must visit for our travelers. Go and visit, and a flight will probably deliver the best appreciation of the iconic Flinders Ranges. The name for the Pound, Wilpena, is reported to be Aboriginal, meaning "place of bent fingers"; this might either be a reference to the mountains resembling the shape of a gently cupped hand, or the freezing cold of the ranges in winter. The traditional owners, the Adnyamathanah, however, have no such word in their language. The Pound also represents a captured space that could empound. Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheatre of mountains located 429 in the heart of the Flinders Ranges National Park. The Pound is the most northern point with access via a sealed road in this part of the Flinders Ranges. The closest town to the north is Blinman and to the south, Hawker. The first European to see the mountains of the Pound was almost certainly Edward Eyre from the western plains on his first 1839 expedition to the vicinity of Lake Torrens; although Robert Brown climbed one of the highest peaks of the southern Flinders in March 1802, Wilpena would have been just over the horizon. Wilpena Pound is one of the most popular sites in the Flinders Ranges for international tourists to visit the outback because of the large development that has occurred at the Wilpena Pound Resort on the eastern side of Wilpena Pound. Flora and fauna abound. The Wilpena Resort is modern and has all essentials at hand, but there is no TV or phone access. Being a National Park includes a modest cost, and a long walk and cup of coffee will be welcome before heading back to a town.