Flinders Ranges tour, South Australia
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Aboriginal tours, South Australia |
| departures: | Departures can be arranged at any time throughout the year |
| price: | From AU $1615 (3 days) , based on twin share. Price includes 2 nights deluxe accommodation, meals, entry fees, Camel to Candlelight dinner tour, tours to significant sites and your Aboriginal tour guide. Group size 2 - 8 people |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Flinders Ranges are considered by most visitors to be Australia's best arid mountain range.
The Ranges stretch for over 1,200 kilometres from the edge of St Vincent's Gulf just north of Adelaide, the gracious capital of South Australia, to the horseshoe ring of great salt lakes to the north. The northern extreme of the range was named Mt Hopeless by a frustrated pioneer explorer. Descendants of the traditional Aboriginal Adnyamathanha still live in the Ranges and a few small groups have taken to sharing their knowledge and culture with the growing number of visitors.
Your guide will tell you about the Dreaming songlines of the great ancestor beings such as the giant snake, the Arkaroo that formed many of the features of the land, or explain the many wild food and medicinal plants providing a fascinating insight that places a different perspective on the unique experience that is the Flinders Ranges.
Small towns frozen in time, vast sheep stations, ruins of failed settlements, caves and rock walls filled with the painted and etched art works of the original Aboriginal inhabitants, hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails, untrammelled wilderness, bountiful pockets of wildlife, quartzite ridges and jagged peaks that are now just the eroded stumps of a once mighty range, rivers of rocks and sand subject to flash floods during the summer cloudbursts and deep cool gorges are just some of the varied delights of this range reaching into the classical Outback. Its pre Cambrian origins 750 million years ago make for a fascinating journey through geological time with the Ediacaran fossils recognised as one of the world's oldest marine fauna.
The Ranges stretch for over 1,200 kilometres from the edge of St Vincent's Gulf just north of Adelaide, the gracious capital of South Australia, to the horseshoe ring of great salt lakes to the north. The northern extreme of the range was named Mt Hopeless by a frustrated pioneer explorer. Descendants of the traditional Aboriginal Adnyamathanha still live in the Ranges and a few small groups have taken to sharing their knowledge and culture with the growing number of visitors.
Your guide will tell you about the Dreaming songlines of the great ancestor beings such as the giant snake, the Arkaroo that formed many of the features of the land, or explain the many wild food and medicinal plants providing a fascinating insight that places a different perspective on the unique experience that is the Flinders Ranges.
Small towns frozen in time, vast sheep stations, ruins of failed settlements, caves and rock walls filled with the painted and etched art works of the original Aboriginal inhabitants, hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails, untrammelled wilderness, bountiful pockets of wildlife, quartzite ridges and jagged peaks that are now just the eroded stumps of a once mighty range, rivers of rocks and sand subject to flash floods during the summer cloudbursts and deep cool gorges are just some of the varied delights of this range reaching into the classical Outback. Its pre Cambrian origins 750 million years ago make for a fascinating journey through geological time with the Ediacaran fossils recognised as one of the world's oldest marine fauna.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart Adelaide and travel north to the picturesque Flinders Ranges. Stop at scenic Port Germein for morning tea. Visit Wadlata Outback Centre in Pt. Augusta for hands-on interpretive displays about the history and culture of the Flinders Ranges. Enjoy lunch at the historic town of Quorn in the friendly Austral Hotel. Visit an ancient Aboriginal Cave painting site and hear the local Aboriginal Creation story of this mysterious site. Arrive at Wilpena Pound Resort with free time for a walk, to visit the Information Centre, have a drink at the bar, swim or time permitting, take a 30 minute scenic flight over the ranges (an additional cost of approx. AUD $120 per person - min. 2 people). Dine at the Wilpena Pound restaurant before retiring for the evening. |
| Day 2: | Enjoy a full breakfast at the restaurant. Visit a gorge to see ancient Aboriginal engravings and hear a creation story that explains geographical features in the area. Break for a bush foods morning tea en route. Travel to the famous Prairie Hotel at Parachilna for their famous native bush foods cuisine. Enjoy a gorge tour back through the Ranges to view spectacular landscapes featuring magnificent geological formations. Search for Yellow-footed rock wallabies, kangaroos, emus and other wildlife. Travel to Pichi Richi Camel Farm for a Camel to Candlelight Dinner. Take a camel ride through scenic bushland to a private cottage for a 3 course dinner. Return to Quorn for tonight’s accommodation |
| Day 3: | Enjoy a continental breakfast at The Austral Hotel before travelling to a picturesque gum tree flanked creek bed for morning tea. Lunch is at the Skillogalee Restaurant overlooking a delightful garden and the Skillogalee vines in the beautiful Clare Valley wine region. Time permitting you visit local ruins before departing for Adelaide. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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You will be travelling with a local Indigenous operator: Haydyn, who is an Adnyamathanha man who provides tours to his ancient and spectacular homeland from an Aboriginal perspective. His tours focus on cultural integrity and authenticity. As you commence your travels across Indigenous Australia you are stepping into a diverse cultural experience of more than 40,000 years in the making. You will be enriched by Haydyn’s insights into his culture that reaches back to the Dreamtime.
Haydyn has a commitment to ‘caring for country’ – this is an Aboriginal term which embodies the special connection the Aboriginal people have with the land and water. They have responsibilities to the land to ensure its spiritual, cultural and economic survival. Haydyn’s guests are given an insight into caring for country and are advised on best environmental practices when touring.  Haydyn’s stringent environmental management practices include: Haydyn is in regular contact with the traditional owners of local Aboriginal communities through which he travels. This ensures he promotes and visits sites that have been approved for visitation by Elders and traditional owners. |
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