Outback Adventure

Trip Type: Guided Holiday
Australia | 15 Days

NZD 9,690.00 /Person

How do you condense South Australia and the Northern Territory into two weeks? With the kind of skill that comes from operating in Australia for mo...

Outback Adventure

How do you condense South Australia and the Northern Territory into two weeks? With the kind of skill that comes from operating in Australia for more than a century. This epic exploration traverses record-breaking canyons and gorges, national parks and World Heritage Sites. It’s nature writ large – small wonder TV and movie directors find inspiration here, as you will, too. And then there are the cities, from flavourful Adelaide and the wine country it covets, to steamy Darwin, where sunsets are as brash as the characters that call it home.

Welcome to Adelaide

At once cultured yet cool, Adelaide attracts foodies, historians, and art aficionados in equal measure. Explore it on a city tour, before meeting a local gourmand at the legendary Central Market, before joining your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner.

Accommodation:

Crowne Plaza Adelaide

Locations Visited:
  • Adelaide

Adelaide - Flinders Ranges

One of Australia’s oldest wine regions, the Clare Valley is all rounded hills, rippling vines and native forest. It’s the postcard-perfect setting for historic Knappstein Enterprise Winery, producing sweet-scented rieslings and mineral-rich reds. Next, enjoy a visit to artist Jeff Morgan’s gallery in Hawker, gateway to the Flinders Ranges. The best is yet to come, as you arrive at Wilpena Pound Resort in the shadows of a staggering natural amphitheatre.

Accommodation:

Wilpena Pound Resort

Locations Visited:
  • Adelaide

Flinders Ranges - Port Augusta

The river red gums that envelop Hills Homestead will leave you lost for words. You get here on a leisurely walk along Wilpena Creek and continue to Wangarra Hill Lookout for views over the pound’s peaks and curves. The drama is echoed as you travel to Pichi Richi Pass and the historic town of Quorn, where with a Local Guide, you'll hear the importance of this town in the ANZAC's Gallipoli Campaign, before easing into Port Augusta.

Accommodation:

Majestic Oasis Apartments

Locations Visited:
  • Flinders Ranges

Port Augusta - Coober Pedy

The main attraction in Woomera is a former rocket-testing site, today stocked with disused rockets and missiles. Speaking of space, you’ll think you’ve landed on the moon as you travel through sun-baked country to Coober Pedy, known as ‘the opal capital of the world’. Things get deep as you travel underground to visit the town’s headscratching subterranean facilities.

Accommodation:

Desert Cave Hotel

Locations Visited:
  • Port Augusta

Coober Pedy - Uluru

Emerge from your cave and cross the border into the Northern Territory. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has World Heritage status for a reason; under the gaze of the world’s mightiest monolith, toast the end of the day with a glass of bubbles and a camera full of sunset photos.

Accommodation:

Desert Gardens

Locations Visited:
  • Coober Pedy

Uluru Sunrise - Kata Tjuta

Pre-dawn wake-up calls are worth it when you get to enjoy a Red Centre sunrise. Marvel at the majesty of Uluru as you circumnavigate its base or join a guided walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole. This landscape takes you back to the beginning of time, a sacred place among the Anangu. More soul-salving landscapes await at Kata Tjuta, cool relief provided as you walk amid its domes to Walpa Gorge.

Accommodation:

Desert Gardens

Locations Visited:
  • Uluru

Uluru - Kings Canyon

Sleep in, or you might choose to rise early for Artist Bruce Munro's Field of Light (own expense) and another special sunrise over Uluru. Next chance to stretch your legs is at Kings Creek Station, the largest exporter of wild camels in Australia. All your senses will be activated at Kings Canyon, 440-million years in the making.

Accommodation:

Kings Canyon Resort

Locations Visited:
  • Uluru

Kings Canyon - Alice Springs

Things are bigger in the NT outback, from the cattle stations to the MacDonnell Ranges, which stretch like a caterpillar toward Alice Springs. Alice Springs makes Australian history for her 1872 Telegraph Station, one of 11 along the Overland Telegraph Line between Adelaide and Darwin.

Accommodation:

Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs

Alice Springs

Aboriginal culture is strong in Alice Springs, as you’ll fast find on a tour of the Alice Springs Desert Park. Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service, its base a museum that goes behind the scenes of the life-saving health services delivered to people in remote realms. One of the benefits of being this far-flung is the lack of light pollution. And at Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre, this equates to epic stargazing. Your Be My Guest BBQ dinner here with the Falzon family is enlightening and uplifting - think stories of self-sufficient living and astronomy.

Accommodation:

Doubletree by Hilton Alice Springs

Locations Visited:
  • Alice Springs

Alice Springs - Tennant Creek

1.3 million square kilometres – that’s the eye-watering distance the School of Air’s lessons are broadcast across daily. If touring during the school term, you may be lucky enough to observe live educational sessions featuring children who otherwise may not have access to public education. Approximately an hour south of Tennant Creek is Karlu Karlu, the Devils Marbles. These boulders have formed over millions of years and continue to crack and change over time.

Accommodation:

Bluestone Motor Inn

Locations Visited:
  • Alice Springs

Tennant Creek - Katherine

Since the 1930s, the Daly Waters Historic Pub has been dishing up schnitzels, barramundi burgers and hearty steaks. The walls are lined with treasures that passers-by leave behind. ‘Land of the Never Never’ awaits at Mataranka. Visit a replica of the Elsey Homestead, used in 1982 Aussie drama We of the Never Never. Or wander palm-lined walkways to take a dip in the region’s thermal springs.

Accommodation:

Contour Hotel Katherine

Locations Visited:
  • Tennant Creek

Katherine - Kakadu

The Jawoyn have called Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge home for millennia. Find out about the ancient story of the cicada, embodying the spiritual connection between the Jawoyn people and their land. Traversing across the land in into Kakadu National Park. The Yellow Water billabong cruise is a mesmerising journey through this ancient landscape, guided by knowledgeable locals

Accommodation:

Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

Locations Visited:
  • Katherine

Kakadu - Darwin

Decisions, decisions: a morning flight over Kakadu (own expense), or a sleep in. We vote for the former before you venture toward Ubirr and its ancient Aboriginal rock art. The night is yours in steamy Darwin, where the characters are as large as the shadows cast at sunset.

Accommodation:

Hilton Garden Inn Darwin

Locations Visited:
  • Kakadu National Park

Darwin Free Time

Today, go your own way. That might mean signing up for optional experiences, like explorations into Litchfield National Park. This pocket of the NT is a staggering union of magnetic termite mounds and waterfalls (swimming is seasonal). Alternatively, head north to the Tiwi Islands, where you take a deep dive into Indigenous history and art with First Nations guides (both own expense). Whichever route you go, we’ll see you at the Farewell Dinner.

Accommodation:

Hilton Garden Inn Darwin

Locations Visited:
  • Darwin

Farewell from Darwin

Time to bid adieu and head home to sort through all those photos. Even better are the memories; two weeks of wild outback adventures.

Locations Visited:
  • Darwin
  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver that are accredited with Uluru and Kakadu National Parks 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks Centrally located premium hotels National Park entrance fees Arrival and Departure Transfers
  • Go off-grid at Earth Sanctuary, where the Falzon family inspire a sustainable lifestyle. Learn how you can, too, over a Be My Guest dinner and stargazing.
  • Put life into perspective glimpsing 40,000-year-old rock art with an Indigenous guide. From Uluru to Kakadu, Songlines are strong.
  • Wilpena Pound Resort is not just a pretty place to stay. When you check in, you’re contributing to the local Adnyamathanha people and regional conservation projects.
  • Coober Pedy is hot in more ways than one. This lunar landscape is as stark as it is staggering – even more incredible are the opals you’ll find when you dig deep.
  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver that are accredited with Uluru and Kakadu National Parks 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park Centrally located premium hotels Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park entrance fees Private Arrival and Departure Transfers
  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver that are accredited with Uluru & Kakadu National Parks National Park Entry Fees Local Specialists (Guides) Centrally located premium hotels Experience the vast Australian outback onboard The Ghan Expedition, a legendary train and unforgettable adventure
  • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat Water bottle Warm layers in cooler months Camera Comfortable walking shoes
  • Flights to and from the start/end of your trip are not included in the trip price. Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 12.30pm into Adelaide AirportDay 15 – flights to depart anytime from Darwin Airport Return airport to hotel transfers are included in the holiday price
  • Flights to and from the start/end of your trip are not included in the trip price. Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 12.30pm into Adelaide AirportDay 19 – flights to depart after 3.00pm from Adelaide Airport The rail portion is operated by Third Party partners at Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions.
  • Kakadu – Nadab Lookout - Medium Level of Fitness RequiredThe climb to the top of Nadab Lookout at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park will not be suitable for all guests. To get to the lookout guests are required to scale up uneven rocky paths and steps to get to the lookout. There is an alternate route on a fairly flat gravel path for those unable climb to the top so they will not miss out on Rock Art. Kings Canyon Rim Walk - High level of fitness requiredThis 6km hike will not be suitable for all guests. The first 30-minute incline is considered “Difficult”. The Travel Director will offer guest an easier alternative along the creek walk for those that are unable.

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Destination Details
Australia | 15 Days
Trip Location
Trip Starts:
Adelaide, Australia
Trip Finishes:
Darwin, Australia
Countries Visited:
Australia

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