Lake Eyre, Coober Pedy and Flinders Ranges
8 days / 9 nights
Day 1 Adelaide Flights arrive in Adelaide where we board the coach and make our way to the Mount Lofty Ranges for spectacular views of the city from Mount Lofty Summit. Re-boarding we make our way into the CBD. 1 Night Stay: Stamford Plaza Hotel, Adelaide (D)
Day 2 Port Augusta Our adventure today begins by heading north passing through the Virginia market garden area and Point Wakefield to break for lunch in Port Broughton. We continue north through Port Pirie, located on the Spencer Gulf, to arrive in the industrial town of Port Augusta. Here we visit the Wadlata Outback Centre’s ‘Tunnel of Time’ to learn about the origins of the outback; hear Aboriginal stories, tales of pioneer explorers and settlers. We then take time to visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, established in 1993 to research, conserve and promote Australia’s arid zone flora. The arid lands are home to thousands of highly evolved plant communities that are specially adapted to thrive in an environment where temperatures are extreme and drought can last for decades. The garden showcases a diverse collection of arid zone habitats in a picturesque setting of more than 250 hectares. 1 Night Stay: Standpipe Golf Motor Inn, Port Augusta (B, L, D)
Day 3 Coober Pedy Departing Port Augusta, we continue on to the Australian Defence Force town of Woomera. We break here to visit the Woomera Heritage Museum before our afternoon takes us north to Coober Pedy via Glendambo. 1 Night Stay: Desert Cave Hotel, Coober Pedy (B, L, D) **Please note: Limited underground rooms are available, please confirm at time of booking. Above ground rooms are available for those who do not wish to stay underground.
Day 4 William Creek This morning we embark on a tour of this quirky underground town with a local guide. We visit the Serbian Orthodox Church and Umoona Opal Mine & Museum, hear ‘The Story of Opal’ and discover the unique underground lifestyle of Coober Pedy’s residents. Departing Coober Pedy, we take to the skies with our scenic flight tracking southeast over some of South Australia’s largest copper and gold mines, Cairn Hill and Peculiar Knob, before turning over the famous Dingo Barrier Fence. We then head through the Anna Creek Painted Hills swathed in a variety of earthy outback colours. The flight will be conducted at a height low enough to experience the intricate details of the beautifully eroded
1 Meals: B – Breakfast, MT – Morning Tea, L – Lunch, D - Dinner shelf that once belonged to the great inland sea. We then make our first descent; with exclusive permission to land in an area usually only accessible by air, you’ll be offered a chance very few people before have had, to admire the spectacular Painted Hills from ground level where you can truly appreciate their majesty. We then take off again and pass over Anna Creek Station, the largest cattle station in the world, before landing at William Creek. 1 Night Stay: Pelican Cabins at William Creek Hotel (B, L, D) **Please note: Rooms are basic but are en-suited and have reverse cycle air conditioning.
Day 5 Parachilna Today brings an experience like no other as we take to the skies to witness the majesty of Lake Eyre. Departing from William Creek our 1-hour flight takes us over vast country to the gibber shelf on the western shoreline of Belt Bay, the lowest point in Australia, Silcrete Island and some of the eroded peninsulas that jut out into the salt bed. We then take in Jackboot Bay and the southern end of the Warburton Groove before flying over Halligan Bay and returning to William Creek. Back on solid ground we depart William Creek for the legendary Oodnadatta Track, passing through Coward Springs and then skirting Lake Eyre South to stop at Marree. We continue on via Lyndhurst and Leigh Creek before arriving at Parachilna, stopping here overnight. Our hotel is situated on an oasis on the cusp of the rugged Flinders Ranges. Enjoy pre-dinner sundowners and watch a beautiful outback sunset from the veranda of the hotel. 1 Night Stay: Prairie Hotel, Parachilna (B, L, D)
Day 6 Wilpena Pound Today takes us into the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park to Wilpena Pound Resort where we arrive in time for lunch before enjoying an unforgettable 30-minute scenic flight around this spectacular ancient geological formation. This flight completes a circuit of Wilpena Pound where the pilot will point out the Elder Range, Edeowie Gorge, Heysen Range, Lake Torrens, Bunyeroo Gorge, Brachina Gorge, St Mary Peak and the Pound Gap. Later you may like to take a self-guided walk along Wilpena Creek into Hills Homestead and up to Wangara Lookout. The walk takes you past magnificent stands of river red gums with stunning views of the Pound wall in the distance. 1 Night Stay: Wilpena Pound Resort (B, L, D)
Day 7 Glenelg Taking to the road we break in Hawker at the internationally acclaimed gallery of local artist Jeff Morgan. His ‘Wilpena Panorama’, a mammoth ‘endless painting’ can be viewed from the ground floor or from an upper landing. Depicting a 360-degree view from the highest point of Wilpena Pound, Jeff has captured the beauty of the Flinders Ranges superbly. Then we continue on through Jamestown and Clare to return to Adelaide and make our way to Glenelg. Take some time this afternoon to stroll on the Glenelg Jetty and discover this popular beachside suburb. 1 Night Stay: Stamford Grand Adelaide Hotel, Glenelg (B, MT, L, D)
Day 8 Adelaide This morning we enjoy sightseeing in the City of Churches. We discover the cultural boulevard of North Terrace including the University, Library, Art Galley & Museum and St Peter’s Cathedral. We are then transferred to Adelaide Airport for our respective flights home. (B)
2 Meals: B – Breakfast, MT – Morning Tea, L – Lunch, D - Dinner