Flinders Ranges World Heritage Nomination

Have your say on the future of the Flinders Ranges - Adnyamathanha Common Law Holders are invited to vote on the World Heritage nomination at a community meeting on 14 June 2025.

Over 600 million years old, the Flinders Ranges is one of Australia’s magnificent landscapes. The Adnyamathanha People are the traditional custodians of this diverse landscape, which is world-renowned for its wealth of natural, cultural significance, historic and scenic values.

The Flinders Ranges is being considered for World Heritage nomination for its incredible fossils and geology. It is the only place on Earth where we can observe the continuous formation of animal life between 672 and 510 million years ago through three geological periods: the Cryogenian, the Ediacaran and the Cambrian periods.

How does the nomination process work?

The Flinders Ranges was placed on Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2021, which is a list of places it wants to nominate for the World Heritage in the future. The Department for Environment and Water is preparing the nomination. It is intended to be submitted by the Australian Government in January 2026. If successful, the Flinders Ranges could be officially listed in mid-2027.

What is the Adnyamathanha community’s role?

The World Heritage nomination is on the traditional lands of the Adnyamathanha People. This means that the nomination can only be submitted to UNESCO if the Adnyamathanha People provide their free, prior and informed consent.

Representatives from National Parks Co-Management Boards and the ATLA Culture Heritage and Native Title Committee (CHANT), as well as members of the wider community have been meeting regularly since the end of 2023 to discuss the project.

Adnyamathanha community vote – 14 June 2025

Adnyamathanha Common Law Holders will be asked to provide their consent to the Flinders Ranges being assessed for World Heritage at a community vote on 14 June 2025.

If community members provide consent, documentation will be forwarded to the Australian Government for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Once assessed, the Adnyamathanha community will be asked to provide their final consent on World Heritage.

View the fact sheet to find out more.

Watch a short video of Uncle Charlie Jackson discussing the World Heritage Bid