The national park, which includes the Ediacara Hills and covers 60,617 hectares (149,790 acres), was proclaimed in June 2021, and opened in April 2023.

It is famous for its fossil beds, and of major significance to the bid for UNESCO World Heritage Listing for the Flinders Ranges.

American palaeontologist Mary L. Droser and her family have travelled frequently from their home near Los Angeles to study the fossils on property that was part of Nilpena Station, from around 2001 onwards.

[4] On 28 March 2019, the government purchased 60,000 hectares (150,000 acres) of adjacent land, to enlarge the conservation park by ten times.

[15] Research by Droser and Garcia-Bellido will be included in the dossier that will be submitted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage nomination, which will be voted on in 2026.