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14 Day Darwin to Adelaide 4WD Tour
You will be collected from your Darwin accommodation at 7.30am for your 14 day 4WD Safari to Adelaide.
We head south along the Stuart highway and into Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve. These wetlands have international significance because of their beauty and natural ecosystems. A great variety of fauna can be found here throughout the year as well as a large variety of birdlife. Then we make o Once within the park, our first stop are the beautiful Mamukala Wetlands. We can view the birdlife from the observation platform, where the mural depicts the seasonal changes throughout the year. After lunch, we then travel to the very north of the park to Ubirr, where we walk through galleries of ancient aboriginal rock art, which your guide will interpret. Also learn about bushtuckers and bush medicines before reaching the top of the plateau, where you can relax and enjoy the spectacular view over the floodplains and the Arnhemland escarpment. Overnight Kakadu accommodation - Lakeview Park, Bush Bungalows (2 night stay) Day 2 (B,L,D) After breakfast we make our way to Nourlangie Rock, an ancient Aboriginal shelter, where we will explore the area and the rock art. Your guide will lead you on an interpretive walk around the site, followed by Nawalandja lookout. The short hike to the lookout is rewarded by a magnificent view over the Arnhemland escarpment. Then we drive to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge and falls). Termite mounds are abundant along the dirt road that takes us to the car park and from there, we take a walk through a paperbark forest to reach the gorge. Once we reach the gorge and waterfall, we can have a refreshing swim in the plungepool. If there’s time, we’ll have a look around the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre for an insight into the cultural h Finally, late this afternoon, board the sunset Yellow Waters wetlands cruise. Yellow Waters billabong is located at the end of Jim Jim Creek, a tributary of the South Alligator River. This is the largest river system in Kakadu and contains extensive wetlands, including river channels, floodplains and backwater swamps. About one third of Australia's bird species are represented in Kakadu National Park, with at least 60 species found in these wetlands. There are also plenty of crocodiles in their natural habitat, and buffalo on the floodplains. Overnight Kakadu accommodation - Lakeview Park, Bush Bungalows Day 3 (B,L,D) We spend this morning enjoying Gunlom (waterfall Creek), where we have a swim in the large plungepool at the base of the falls, followed by a hot lunch. There is an optional hike to the top of Gunlom, where pristine rockpools and a fantastic view await you. This afternoon, we head south to Katherine, calling in to Leilyn (Edith Falls), en-route. Leilyn is part of Nitmiluk National Park and is well known for it’s picturesque waterfalls and pools, particularly the large pool at the base of the escarpment which is great for a swim. We have a swim here with the option of taking the Leliyn Trail - a walk that takes us across the top of the waterfall, where we can have a swim in the upper rockpools and will get views of the waterfalls and Edith River from a couple of lookouts. Once we reach Katherine Township, we make our way to our accommodation Overnight cabin accommodation in Katherine Day 4 (B,L,D) We start today with a 2 hour cruise through Nitmiluk Gorge, home to 13 spectacular After the cruise, we take a hands on cultural experience at the Katherine Art Gallery. Activities on offer include sitting down with resident artist, Manuel who will tell you tales of tribal life, language, the hunting and gathering techniques, ceremony, weapons used and aboriginal contemporary life. Experience your own Rarrk painting with Manuel or Dot painting with Adrianna from the desert community of Yuendumu. You will also have an opportunity to participate in one of the traditional hunting activities (firelighting, spear throwing etc.). We have lunch and then leave Katherine to head south to Mataranka. We finish our day at the Bitter Springs thermal pools, part of Elsey National Park and Mataranka's newest thermal pool (it’s not as crowded as the Mataranka Thermal Pools). Numerous subterranean springs around Mataranka pour more than 30 million litres of warm water into the Roper River each day. This outpouring from the aquifer starts around Bitter Springs and flows into the Little Roper River which links a series of thermal pools. We make our way to our motel accommodation and dinner this evening will be in the hotel restaurant. Overnight Mataranka accommodation – Territory Manor, motel room Day 5 (B,L,D) After a restaurant breakfast, we watch the Barramundi Fish Feeding Show at the Territory Manor Billabong. Then we continue south towards Tennant Creek, calling in, en-route, to the iconic Daly Tennant Creek is the hub of the sprawling Barkley Tablelands, an area of open grassplains and home to some of the worlds largest cattle stations, which runs east from Tennant Creek to the Queensland border and west into the Tanami Desert. Tennant Creek was also the site of Australia’s last gold rush during the 1930s and at that time was the third-largest gold producer in Australia. Upon arrival in Tennant Creek, we make our way out to and drive out to Kellys Ranch where we have a special experience lined up for you ! Kellys Ranch is owned by Jerry Kelly, an Indigenous Australian and a Traditional Owner of the Region who takes pleasure and pride in providing his visitors with an experience and understanding of his traditional culture, the stockman’s life and life in the bush. You will spend the next 2.5 hours on a supervised trail ride through the Australian Outback, where you will see some spectacular scenery and learn about Bush Tuckers and medicines. Upon return to the station, billy- tea and damper cooked on an open fire, will be waiting for you. **note- although the trail rides are suitable for beginners and are conducted at a gentle pace, if you would prefer not to take the trail ride, you can relax at the station and enjoy billy-tea and damper. Take $140pp off the quoted tour price. We make our way to our motel accommodation and a buffet dinner will be in the hotel restaurant. Overnight Tennant Creek accommodation – Eldorado Motor Inn, motel room Day 6 (B,L) After a restaurant breakfast, we drive out to the Bill Allen Lookout, for panoramic views of Tennant Creek before continuing to the Battery Hill Mining Centre. The centre offers an insight into therugged lifestyle of those early miners who mined the precious minerals of the region, with few comforts & facilities. We don hard hats to join an Underground Mine Tour which exhibits working machinery & explains how the miners extracted gold from the incredibly hard rock. Departing Tennant Creek, we continue south and our destination today is Alice Springs. Just an hour south of Tennant Creek is the Devil’s Marbles Conservation Reserve (Karlu Karlu), for some great photo opportunities. The Devils Marbles are approx After lunch and a look around, we continue to Barrow Creek, for our afternoon tea stop. A beautifully restored Barrow Creek Telegraph Station is located in Barrow Creek, set against the backdrop of the picturesque Forster ranges. This historical reserve is one of 15 telegraph stations that formed the network from Port Augusta to Port Darwin and has considerable historical value. The stone buildings were originally constructed in 1872. We can have a look around the buildings and inside the telegraph station on request (we have to get the key from the pub). We arrive in Alice Springs at approximately 6pm and we’ll make our way to our accommodation. Dinner tonight is at your own arrangement and expense and there are a variety of restaurants in Alice Springs to choose from. Overnight Alice Springs accommodation –Desert Palms Motel Day 7 (L,D)
Breakfast this morning is at your own arrangement and expense. We depart Alice Springs at 10am this morning to spend the day in the Western MacDonnell Ranges, exploring the rugged gorges, gaps and chasms. Our first stop for the day is Simpsons Gap where we walk to the permanent pool and possibly catch sight of the rock wallabies that live in the gap's rocky ridges. We’ll then make our way to Standley Chasm at midday, when the chasm lights up in fiery oranges reflected by the overhead sun. We have lunch and a swim at Ellery Creek Big Hole, a spectacular waterhole fed by the mighty Ellery Creek. This dependable tributary of the Finke River cuts through a gorge in the MacDonnell Ranges. Over the millennia, massive floods have carved out this beautiful waterhole and unlocked some amazing geology. This spectacular location has been the inspiration for many artists. Our final stop today is the Mt Sonder Lookout and then we finish the day at Glen Helen Wilderness Resort which was originally a cattle property. There is a permanent waterhole at Glen Helen Gorge, which is home to many species of animals, including a variety of water birds and fish and it’s great for a swim ! Overnight accommodation- Glen Helen Resort, motel room Day 8 (B,L,D) We depart Glen Helen and join the unsealedMereenie Loop road to Kings Canyon. The trip along this road is an adventure in itself and is a lovely drive through some beautiful desert country. En-route, we stop at the We reach Kings Canyon Resort, check in and then we have some free time before we depart for Kings Canyon itself mid-afternoon. The sheer red rock face of Kings Canyon soars over 100 metres above dense forests of palms, ferns and cycads; sheltering them from the surrounding desert conditions. The Kings Canyon rim walk takes in magnificent views of the Canyon rim, the weathered, buttressed domes of ‘The Lost City’ and the ‘Garden of Eden’ - a sheltered valley with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation. An alternative option is the shorter and easier Kings Creek Walk leads into the centre of the Canyon. Dinner tonight will be served in the restaurant Overnight accommodation- Kings Canyon ResortDay 9 (B,L,D) After a restaurant breakfast, we travel south towards the Uluru Kata Tju We check into our hotel, have lunch and then spend this afternoon at Kata Tjuta meaning “many heads”. The enormous domes, 36 in total, rise out of the sand and weathered over millions of years they are now rounded peaks. The tallest, Mt Olga, is higher than Uluru ! There are a couple of different walks we can take here- the Walpa Gorge walk or the Valley of the Winds (or part thereof). We finish today with sunset over the awe-inspiring Uluru (Ayers Rock), the worlds most famous monolith. Watching the colour of Uluru and Kata Tjuta change is truly spectacular. Overnight accommodation- Cabin at Yulara campground, with shared bathroom (upgrades to rooms with bathrooms may be available- please ask for details). Day 10 (B,L) We have an early start (but it’s well worth it !) today for sunrise at Uluru. The giant monolith emerges from the inky landscape, changing from purple through to rusty browns and red in the golden sunlight. We then have the choice of climbing Uluru or taking the base walk around, which includes Our destination today is the opal mining town of Coober Pedy, as famous for it’s underground homes as it is it’s opals ! Coober Pedy is the opal capital of the world and after the first opal was found in 1913, miners from all over the world have come to the town to find their fortune. 50% of the population live underground (in homes called “dugouts”), as well as using underground shops and churches. We arrive late afternoon and the rest of the evening is at your own arrangement and expense. You may like to have a wander through the town and meals are available at our hotel as well as a variety of other restaurants including Italian and Greek. Overnight accommodation- underground motel room, Coober Pedy
Day 11 (B,L,D) There is some free time to look around Coober Pedy this morning- perhaps visit the Old Timers Mine and Museum, The Umoona opal mine and museum (also home to the “Footsteps in time” fossil display) or visit one of the underground churches in the town. Then we hit the dirt and drive along the William Creek Road, past Lake Cadibarrawirracanna (longest placename in Australia, Lake Caddi for short) to join the famous Oodnadatta Track. William Creek is the smallest settlement in South Australia with a population of 3 humans and a dog. It’s located 165km’s from the nearest town and sits in the largest cattle station in Australia (Anna Creek). This afternoon, we have the option of taking a scenic flight over Lake Eyre, which is Australia’s lowest point, the largest inland lake in Australia and the largest salt lake in the world ! The Lake, which is 15 metres below sea level, last filled to capacity in 1974. 2011 was the unprecidented 3rd year in a row where this rare event occured and drew incredible amounts of birds and wildlife, briefly restoring life to this ancient land. Overnight accommodation- William Creek Hotel, middle of nowhere, Outback South Australia Day 12 (B,L,D) We continue south along the unsealed Oodnadatta Track, which follows the Old Ghan Railway line and the Overland Telegraph. Our first stop today is to explore the natural artesian springs within Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Leaving the springs, we stop at the Lake Eyre South lookout and then travel past the famous dingo fence to the town of Marree, which is situated at the crossroads of the Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks. The town also has a rich Aboriginal, Afghan and European heritage and the Afghan cameleers, with their long strings of camels, were the supply link to the inland settlements in the Outback for over 50 years. We continue south through the ghost town of Farina, abandoned in the late 1920’s when the towns silver and copper mines closed. Then onto Leigh Creek, home to a massive open cut coal mine and we drive out to the lookout for views over the mine. Our destination this afternoon is Beltana Station,a working sheep and cattle station. The station was the starting point for expeditions including one made famous by Ernest Giles in 1875 to Western Australia. Station owner Thomas Elder imported some of the first camels to South Australia and Beltana Station became one of the most successful breeding studs and largest depot for camels in Australia. Camels were the mainstay for transport to remote areas, with expeditions and also building the overland telegraph line in the 1860s. Today Beltana Station is 1876 sq km in area (460,000 acres). Overnight accommodation- 1860’s Shearer’s Quarters (which have been renovated) at Beltana Station. Day 13 (B,L,D) After breakfast we depart Beltana for Flinders Ranges National Park.The road from Beltana to Parachilna runs beside the old railway line, with many remnants of old railway stations, bridges across creeks and straight stretches where the railway used to run. Parachilna itself can count it’s population in single digits but it is a favourite among film makers thanks to the beautiful landscape. We drive to the old copper mining town of Blinman through Parachilna Gorge, where the creek has cut its way deep into the mountains. Then we head into the heart of the Flinders Ranges, known for it’s unique beauty, indigenous history, ancient geological formations, rich colours and textures and abundant wildlife. The Flinders Ranges are home to a huge array of plant species, birds, reptiles and mammals and the vibran Our first stop within the park is Brachina Gorge, an important refuge for the rare and endangered Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby. The Brachina Gorge Geological Trail is a 20km trail that passes through 130 million years of earth history, including meteorite debris, stromatolites and fossilized plant and animal life. It offers an insight into past climates, the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early forms of life. We continue through the ABC and Heyson ranges to Bunyeroo Gorge and stop for photos at Razorback Lookout. We finish today with a walk along the beautiful Wilpena Creek, framed by huge river red gums, into Wilpena Pound. We walk on to the Old Hills Homestead where you can learn about the hardships the Hills family had to face at the turn of the century and you have the option of walking up to the Wangara lookout where we can see the mystical heart of the Flinders Ranges with stunning views over Wilpena Pound. There is a shuttle available to shorten the walk. Dinner tonight will be 3 courses, served in the restaurant. Overnight accommodation- Wilpena Pound Resort
Day 14 (B,L) We depart Wilpena Pound and make our way to Arkaroo Rock, where an optional easy walk will take us to rock paintings featuring ochre and charcoal images that tell the creation story of Wilpena Pound. We also get views over the Chace Range. Leaving the park, we head south towards Hawker, the hub of the Flinders Ranges and a thriving railway town until the line was relocated west in 1956. At Jarvis Hill Lookout, we take in the panoramic views of the Hawker area, including the Worumba Hills to the east, Wilpena Pound, Elder Range and Wonoka Hill to the north and Yourambulla Range to the south. Continuing to Quorn, we visit Kanyaka Ruins. The ruined farmhouse is all that remains of a farmers dream to provide for his family is this unforgiving landscape. It’s a harsh reminder of the hardships the first European settlers endured. Our lunch stop is in Quorn at the Quandong Café, located in the oldest stone building in Quorn, at 130 years old. The café is also home to the famous Quondong Pie. Quorn is also home to many other heritage buildings and the famous Pichi Richi Railway. From here, we continue to Port Augusta, where we join the main road to Adelaide. We arrive into Adelaide at approximately 6pm and you will be dropped off at your accommodation in the city or Glenelg. END ITINERARY B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner Itinerary is exclusive to Sacred Earth Safaris and is subject to availability, road, weather and cultural conditions.
14 Day Darwin to Adelaide Tour- 1 departure per year only 2012 departure on 21st October AUD $5995 PP ADULT TWIN SHARE, $995 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT Maximum 12 Passengers Direct bookings only (no agents) and no discounts available. Subject to availability, including GST and valid until 30/11/2012 Inclusions: • Seat in luxury 4WD, with professional driver guide & purpose built heavy duty trailer • Uluru/ Kata Tjuta entry fees • Flinders Ranges parks pass • Mereenie Loop Pass • Standley Chasm entry fee • Underground mine tour at Tennant Creek • 2.5 hour horse trail ride (with cultural content such as bush tuckers) in Tennant Creek • Sunset Yellow Waters Cruise • Kakadu National Park Entry fee Exclusions: • Arrival/departure flights • Optional activities such as Lake Eyre helicopter flight
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gorges, carved out of the rock by torrential summer rains, over millions of years. Here, we cruise for 2 hours viewing the beautiful scenery and discovering the customs of the traditional owners, the Jawoyn people.
Waters pub, the NT’s oldest. 
the Mala Walk and Mutitjulu waterhole, home of a wanampi, an ancestral watersnake.
Conservation Park. The Blanche Cup and The Bubbler mound springs are created from water deep within the Great Artesian Basin which filters to the surface forming mounds and bubbling ponds. The wetlands created by the spring's overflow provide habitat to a variety of waterbirds.
