7 Day Alice Springs to Adelaide Outback 4WD Tour

Day 1 (L,D)

You will be collected from your Alice Springs accommodation at 7.30am for your 7 day 4WD Safari to Adelaide.

We travel through the Western MacDonnell Ranges and join the unsealed Mereenie Loop road, which will take us to Kings Canyon. The trip along this road is an adventure in itself and is a lovely drive through some beautiful desert country. Keep your eye out for wildlife too. En-route, we stop at the lookout to Gosse Bluff crater (Tnorala) formed 142.4 million years ago when a huge comet slammed into earth. The crater was originally 20km’s in diameter but due to millions of years of erosion, now only the 5km’s diameter rim is left. 

We arrive at Kings Canyon and take the rim walk. 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 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.

Our accommodation this evening is at Kings Creek Station, which is a working cattle and camel station, owned by the pioneering Conway family.

Dinner tonight is a 2 course stockmans dinner. 

Overnight accommodation- Tented safari cabin with power & shared bathrooms, at Kings Creek Station.

Day 2 (B,L)

After a cooked breakfast, we head south to the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The park is world heritage listed for the importance of it’s natural phenomena and it’s cultural significance.

After lunch we make our way to 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 ! Experience the sheerness of the domes and the vastness of the landscape on the Walpa Gorge walk, which is a rocky track  that follows the natural creek between two of the tallest domes of Kata Tjuta to a viewing platform.

We spend the rest of the afternoon at Uluru, which you can choose to climb or take the base walk around, which includes the Mala Walk and Mutitjulu waterhole, home of a wanampi, an ancestral watersnake.

We finish the day at the sunset viewing area for the world famous Uluru sunset. Enjoy champagne and nibbles as you watch the remarkable changing colours of Uluru as the sun sets over the desert landscape.  Reflections from the rock and clouds in the sky enhance the vivid colours.

Dinner tonight is at your own arrangement and expense and the resort has a variety of dining options.

Overnight accommodation- Standard motel room with en-suite at the Outback Pioneer Hotel

Day 3 (B,L,D)

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.

Back to the hotel for a cooked breakfast and then we make our way to Coober Pedy. 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 check into our accommodation.

Dinner tonight is provided at the hotel.

Day 4 (B,L,D)

There’s some free time this morning for you to have a wander through the town, 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 again and drive along the William Creek Road, past Lake Cadibarrawirracanna (longest placename in Australia, Lake Caddi for short) to William Creek, 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 travel to Halligan Bay at Lake Eyre North for a look at the magnificent lake with it’s incredible colours and patterns. Lake Eyre is Australia’s lowest point, the largest inland lake in Australia and the largest salt lake in the world ! The Lake contains 400 million tonnes of salt and is 15 metres below sea level. Donald Campbell set a land speed world record of 649 kmh in his turbine car "Bluebird" on its dry bed back in 1964.  Dinner tonight will be served in the restaurant.  

Overnight accommodation - William Creek Hotel room with en-suite, middle of nowhere, Outback South Australia

Day 5 (B,L,D)

This morning we have the option of taking a scenic flight over Lake Eyre.

We’ll be travelling on the unsealed Oodnadatta Track today. The track follows the Old Ghan Railway line and the Overland Telegraph.

We’re heading towards Marree and en-route we stop at the natural artesian springs within Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs 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.

After stopping at the Lake Eyre South lookout, we pass the famous dingo fence and then reach 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 travel through the ghost town of Farina, abandoned in the late 1920’s when the towns silver and copper mines closed and onto Leigh Creek lookout. Leigh Creek is home to a massive open cut coal mine and the lookout offers views over the mine.

Our accommodation tonight is at 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).

Dinner tonight will be cooked by your guide.

Day 6 (B,L,D)

We spend today in 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 vibrant colours of the 800 million-year-old quartzite and limestone outcrop that is the Flinders, are truly spectacular.

We travel south to Parachilna, with a population in single digits ! It’s a favourite among film makers thanks to the beautiful landscape. 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.

Next we take the Brachina Gorge Geological Trail, 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. Brachina Gorge is well known for it’s towering rock faces. In the foreground the many sedimentary layers which make up this part of the ranges can be clearly seen. It’s also an important refuge for the rare and endangered Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby.

We travel through the ABC and Heysen Ranges to nearbyBunyeroo Gorge and a stop for photos at Razorback Lookout.

We arrive at Wilpena Pound and take 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.

Our destination today is the Southern Flinders Ranges and to get there we take the Moralana Scenic Drive, which connects the Wilpena and Leigh Creek Roads and is known as one of the best drives through the Flinders Ranges. We’ll see stunning scenery featuring the southern wall of  Wilpena Pound, Black Gap Lookout, red Range, Elder Range and more. Our accommodation tonight is a working sheep and cattle station called Merna Mora, run by the Fels family, who are a good example of an early pioneering family in the region.

Dinner tonight will be cooked by your guide.

Overnight accommodation – Room with en-suite at Merna Mora Station, Flinders Ranges  

Day 7 (B,L)

Departing the Flinders Ranges, 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.

We continue to 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, home to the famous Pichi Richi Railway and many heritage buildings. The Quandong Café is located in the oldest stone building in Quorn, at 130 years old and is home to the famous Quondong Pie.

The last leg of our journey takes us to Port Augusta and from here we continue south to Adelaide. We arrive in Adelaide at approximately 6pm and you will be dropped off at your accommodation.

END ITINERARY

B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner

7 Day Alice Springs to Adelaide Outback 4WD Tour- Tour code SES7ASAD

In 2013, this tour departs Alice Springs on 1 date only subject to availability :

16th November

there are no scheduled dates for 2014

AUD $2725 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE

$3175 PER PERSON, SINGLE ROOM

**solo traveller must have single room**

Maximum 10 passengers  

Price valid until March 31st 2014 

Itinerary is exclusive to Sacred Earth Safaris and is subject to availability, road, weather and cultural conditions.

Please enquire for private charter prices and details.

Inclusions:

• Seat in OKA 4WD vehicle, with professional driver guide & purpose built heavy duty trailer
• Meals, as stated including all lunches, 5 dinners (including 3 restaurant dinners) and 6 breakfasts (including 3 restaurant cooked breakfasts)

• Iced water, fruit and some snacks

• Uluru / Kata Tjuta park entry fee
• Accommodation as listed
• Desert Parks Pass for South Australia

Exclusions:

• Arrival / departure flights to Adelaide
• Travel insurance
• Alcohol
• Pre and post tour accommodation

• Optional activities such as Lake Eyre scenic flight (Please request flight when booking, to avoid disappointment). 1 hour is approx. $260 pp and 2 hours is approx. $420 pp.

This tour is accommodated in motels, Outback Pubs and Station stays