SA Outback & Coober Pedy- 11 Days
Air, Coach, Air
Monday 10 August 2020 – Thursday 20 August 2020
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What's Included...
Return airfares from Brisbane to Adelaide Accommodation Coach Travel Meals as advised on itinerary Entry to attractions advertised on itinerary |
Embark on an unforgettable expedition to discover the raw beauty of vast stretches and empty spaces. Discover the colorful communities who call this place home and delight in the wonders of the outback’s starry night sky
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To book or place an inquiry, simply contact us via email or contact us on (07)3200-1628
DAY 1: Monday 10 August 2020
BRISBANE – ADELAIDE – PORT AUGUSTA
Welcome to our 11-day tour to discover the South Australian Outback! A journey where every day is unique and offers a special insight to a different way of life. Arriving into Adelaide we are met on arrival and begin or coach journey. Leaving Adelaide we make our way across the top of Yorke Peninsula to Port Augusta, located at the top of the Spencer Gulf. Major transcontinental rail services pass through Port Augusta as do the major east/west and north/south highways. The town was once an important base for arid land explorations to the north and later a busy shipping port. We arrive Port Augusta late afternoon.
Virgin Australia flight VA1390 Brisbane to Adelaide Non Stop 0950/1210
Standpipe Golf Motor Inn (subject to availability)
(Dinner in the hotel)
DAY 2: Tuesday 11 August 2020
PORT AUGUSTA
This morning we embark on an historical train journey aboard the Pichi Richi Rail. This section of rail line is the original Port Augusta to Alice Springs line which travels through the famous Pichi Richi Pass to the historic township of Quorn. The railway heritage is reflected in the names of some of the old hotels - The Grand Junction and the Trans Continental. After lunch we return to Port Augusta and visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens for a guided tour. The Gardens were opened in 1996, and provide a national focus for arid-zone ecosystem conservation and promoting its economic importance for Australia. It also aims to increase both popular and scientific understanding of the arid-zone environment as most Australians live in densely populated coastal regions and few are familiar with the unique plant and animal life which flourishes in arid Australia.
Standpipe Golf Motor Inn (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and Dinner in the hotel, lunch in Quorn)
DAY 3: Wednesday 12 August 2020
PORT AUGUSTA TO GLENDAMBO
There is a wonderful outback interpretative centre in Port Augusta called the Wadlata Outback Centre which provides a great introduction to visitors to the remote north and north west of South Australia. We’ll pop in for a visit before continuing on to Woomera which was once a closed defence town, now open to the public. The nearby Woomera Rocket Range carried out 3,000 missile and rocket launches during its 30 years of operation. We visit and lunch at the Heritage Centre before continuing our journey to Glendambo for our overnight stay. Accommodation here is basic, clean and comfortable.
Glendambo Hotel Motel (Subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch at the Heritage Centre)
DAY 4: Thursday 13 August 2020
GLENDAMBO TO COOBER PEDY
Leaving Glendambo, we continue north where our next destination is the fascinating opal mining town of Coober Pedy. First time visitors, in particular, will be fascinated by this town. Due to extreme temperatures in the summer approximately 80 per cent of the population lives underground to capitalise on natural cool temperature deep within the earth. There is now plenty of time to relax and settle into our next two night’s accommodation.
Mud Hut Motel, Coober Pedy (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, Lunch at John’s Pizza Bar and Restaurant, Coober Pedy)
DAY 5: Friday 14 August 2020
EXPLORING COOBER PEDY
Our day starts with a visit to the Umoona Opal Mine. Our guide will introduce to the Mine and the fascinating history of the opal industry in Coober Pedy, revealing not only the hard-physical grind and the occasional bonanza, but also an intriguing mystery at the heart of the Mine. From here we continue our sightseeing which includes the Big Winch Lookout, an underground church, the Coober Pedy Golf Course (the only one in the world with reciprocal rights to Saint Andrews in Scotland!). After an eye-opening morning we take a moment to have lunch before heading to The Breakaways, a reserve 32kms north of Coober Pedy in the afternoon. This reserve consists of colourful low hills which have broken away from the Stuart Range.
Mud Hut Motel, Coober Pedy (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, lunch own expense)
DAY 6: Saturday 15 August 2020
COOBER PEDY TO WILLIAM CREEK
A slightly earlier start today as we take the opportunity to visit South Australia's reputed smallest settlement, William Creek with a population of six and a dog. This special little town was first settled in 1887 as a support station for camel drivers building the Overland Telegraph. Situated in the centre of Australia's largest cattle station, Anna Creek Station, it became a hotel in 1943 and is the closest town to Lake Eyre North and the gateway to the Simpson Desert.
During our stay here we have the opportunity (own expense) to witness the splendour of Lake Eyre with Wrights Air scenic flights. This amazing Basin covers almost one-sixth of Australia and is one of the world's largest internally draining river systems. Our plane then turns to the Painted Hills, an area swathed in a variety of earthy outback colours and are only accessible and visible by air. The flight will be conducted at a height low enough to experience the intricate details of the beautifully eroded shelf that once belonged to the great inland sea.
William Creek Hotel (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, picnic lunch supplied)
DAY 7: Sunday 16 August 2020
WILLIAM CREEK TO MARREE
For those taking the option of the scenic flight, now’s the chance to go up, up and away! For those not participating enjoy some free time for a relax or a sleep in. When ready we enjoy lunch at the pub before we’re on our way again – to Marree, where we settle in to our accommodation at the Marree Hotel.
Marree Hotel Motel (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, lunch William Creek Hotel)
DAY 8: Monday 17 August 2020
MARREE TO RAWNSLEY PARK
Say goodbye to Marree as we continue our outback adventure. We stop at Farina, once a thriving town that served a huge area, with mail runs reaching as far away as Innamincka and Cordillo Downs. We’ll enjoy our morning tea surrounded by the ruins and bushland with time to take a wander around the old town, walk through old rooms and read the informative storyboards. Many of the sites are now named and there is an information shelter with old images. We continue to Leigh Creek for lunch. Leigh Creek is a modern company town on the edge of the desert built to house the workers and their families who provide the labour force for the huge Leigh Creek open cut coal mine which exists 22km north of the town. Continuing south our next two night’s accommodation is in the Flinders Ranges at Rawnsley Park Station set below the magnificent Rawnsley Bluff. Dinner tonight will be in the Woolshed Restaurant, where the ever-changing menu makes the best of local produce, including Rawnsley’s own lamb.
Rawnsley Park Station (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch in Leigh Creek)
DAY 9: Tuesday 18 August 2020
THE FLINDERS RANGES
This morning a local expert joins us for an insider’s tour of this stunning National Park. The Flinders Ranges are well known for their wild flowers but it’s the dramatic gorges and spectacular peaks that are the real highlights. We enjoy a packed lunch along the way then return to Rawnsley mid-afternoon. Wrap up warmly as late afternoon we’ll drive to Pugilist Lookout for Sundowners – nibbles and drinks as we watch the sun set.
Rawnsley Park Station (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel / packed lunch supplied)
DAY 10: Wednesday 19 August 2020
RAWNSLEY PARK TO CLARE
Today we drive back to Hawker where we have time to visit Jeff Morgans Gallery where we not only see but experience the “Wilpena Panorama”. This is a 360° view as seen from St Mary’s Peak, highest point of Wilpena Pound. This “endless” painting will have us mesmerised. From Hawker, we drive south through the small towns of Cradock, Omoroo and Jamestown to Bungaree. Here, at Bungaree Station, we enjoy a late lunch before our tour. Established in 1841, it became the headquarters of an extensive sheep station with 100,000 merino sheep by the 1880s. Today, some 140 years later, it is an efficient mixed farm run by the descendants of the original founder, G.C. Hawker. Consequently Bungaree Station is not a museum, but rather a living record of rural Australia since 1841. Our tour will be conducted with a member of the family giving us a wonderful insight to 19th century station life. The Clare Valley is just a few clicks south of Bungaree. The Clare Country Club is a great place as it’s a boutique resort style accommodation in the heart of “the Valley”. It’s a 4 star resort with an outdoor swimming pool and spa, gymnasium, sauna, billiards table, picturesque resort grounds, tennis court and licensed restaurant & bar. (Breakfast & dinner in motel/ lunch at Bungaree)
Clare Country Club (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel / lunch in Peterborough
DAY 11: Thursday 20 August 2020
CLARE TO ADELAIDE - HOME
The South Australian Outback is truly a most enchanting place, with breathtaking scenery, intriguing history and wonderfully warm welcomes. Know that you will be returning home with everlasting memories, new friends and a true understanding what makes the South Australian outback such a remarkable place. We make our way back to Adelaide and the airport to join our mid-afternoon flight to Brisbane
Virgin Australia flight VA140 Adelaide to Brisbane 1610/1905 non stop
(Breakfast in the Hotel/ Lunch own arrangements and cost)
All itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times/days of some attractions, e.g. churches, wineries etc. We cannot be held responsible for any changes due to closures, inclement weather etc.
BRISBANE – ADELAIDE – PORT AUGUSTA
Welcome to our 11-day tour to discover the South Australian Outback! A journey where every day is unique and offers a special insight to a different way of life. Arriving into Adelaide we are met on arrival and begin or coach journey. Leaving Adelaide we make our way across the top of Yorke Peninsula to Port Augusta, located at the top of the Spencer Gulf. Major transcontinental rail services pass through Port Augusta as do the major east/west and north/south highways. The town was once an important base for arid land explorations to the north and later a busy shipping port. We arrive Port Augusta late afternoon.
Virgin Australia flight VA1390 Brisbane to Adelaide Non Stop 0950/1210
Standpipe Golf Motor Inn (subject to availability)
(Dinner in the hotel)
DAY 2: Tuesday 11 August 2020
PORT AUGUSTA
This morning we embark on an historical train journey aboard the Pichi Richi Rail. This section of rail line is the original Port Augusta to Alice Springs line which travels through the famous Pichi Richi Pass to the historic township of Quorn. The railway heritage is reflected in the names of some of the old hotels - The Grand Junction and the Trans Continental. After lunch we return to Port Augusta and visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens for a guided tour. The Gardens were opened in 1996, and provide a national focus for arid-zone ecosystem conservation and promoting its economic importance for Australia. It also aims to increase both popular and scientific understanding of the arid-zone environment as most Australians live in densely populated coastal regions and few are familiar with the unique plant and animal life which flourishes in arid Australia.
Standpipe Golf Motor Inn (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and Dinner in the hotel, lunch in Quorn)
DAY 3: Wednesday 12 August 2020
PORT AUGUSTA TO GLENDAMBO
There is a wonderful outback interpretative centre in Port Augusta called the Wadlata Outback Centre which provides a great introduction to visitors to the remote north and north west of South Australia. We’ll pop in for a visit before continuing on to Woomera which was once a closed defence town, now open to the public. The nearby Woomera Rocket Range carried out 3,000 missile and rocket launches during its 30 years of operation. We visit and lunch at the Heritage Centre before continuing our journey to Glendambo for our overnight stay. Accommodation here is basic, clean and comfortable.
Glendambo Hotel Motel (Subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch at the Heritage Centre)
DAY 4: Thursday 13 August 2020
GLENDAMBO TO COOBER PEDY
Leaving Glendambo, we continue north where our next destination is the fascinating opal mining town of Coober Pedy. First time visitors, in particular, will be fascinated by this town. Due to extreme temperatures in the summer approximately 80 per cent of the population lives underground to capitalise on natural cool temperature deep within the earth. There is now plenty of time to relax and settle into our next two night’s accommodation.
Mud Hut Motel, Coober Pedy (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, Lunch at John’s Pizza Bar and Restaurant, Coober Pedy)
DAY 5: Friday 14 August 2020
EXPLORING COOBER PEDY
Our day starts with a visit to the Umoona Opal Mine. Our guide will introduce to the Mine and the fascinating history of the opal industry in Coober Pedy, revealing not only the hard-physical grind and the occasional bonanza, but also an intriguing mystery at the heart of the Mine. From here we continue our sightseeing which includes the Big Winch Lookout, an underground church, the Coober Pedy Golf Course (the only one in the world with reciprocal rights to Saint Andrews in Scotland!). After an eye-opening morning we take a moment to have lunch before heading to The Breakaways, a reserve 32kms north of Coober Pedy in the afternoon. This reserve consists of colourful low hills which have broken away from the Stuart Range.
Mud Hut Motel, Coober Pedy (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, lunch own expense)
DAY 6: Saturday 15 August 2020
COOBER PEDY TO WILLIAM CREEK
A slightly earlier start today as we take the opportunity to visit South Australia's reputed smallest settlement, William Creek with a population of six and a dog. This special little town was first settled in 1887 as a support station for camel drivers building the Overland Telegraph. Situated in the centre of Australia's largest cattle station, Anna Creek Station, it became a hotel in 1943 and is the closest town to Lake Eyre North and the gateway to the Simpson Desert.
During our stay here we have the opportunity (own expense) to witness the splendour of Lake Eyre with Wrights Air scenic flights. This amazing Basin covers almost one-sixth of Australia and is one of the world's largest internally draining river systems. Our plane then turns to the Painted Hills, an area swathed in a variety of earthy outback colours and are only accessible and visible by air. The flight will be conducted at a height low enough to experience the intricate details of the beautifully eroded shelf that once belonged to the great inland sea.
William Creek Hotel (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, picnic lunch supplied)
DAY 7: Sunday 16 August 2020
WILLIAM CREEK TO MARREE
For those taking the option of the scenic flight, now’s the chance to go up, up and away! For those not participating enjoy some free time for a relax or a sleep in. When ready we enjoy lunch at the pub before we’re on our way again – to Marree, where we settle in to our accommodation at the Marree Hotel.
Marree Hotel Motel (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, lunch William Creek Hotel)
DAY 8: Monday 17 August 2020
MARREE TO RAWNSLEY PARK
Say goodbye to Marree as we continue our outback adventure. We stop at Farina, once a thriving town that served a huge area, with mail runs reaching as far away as Innamincka and Cordillo Downs. We’ll enjoy our morning tea surrounded by the ruins and bushland with time to take a wander around the old town, walk through old rooms and read the informative storyboards. Many of the sites are now named and there is an information shelter with old images. We continue to Leigh Creek for lunch. Leigh Creek is a modern company town on the edge of the desert built to house the workers and their families who provide the labour force for the huge Leigh Creek open cut coal mine which exists 22km north of the town. Continuing south our next two night’s accommodation is in the Flinders Ranges at Rawnsley Park Station set below the magnificent Rawnsley Bluff. Dinner tonight will be in the Woolshed Restaurant, where the ever-changing menu makes the best of local produce, including Rawnsley’s own lamb.
Rawnsley Park Station (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch in Leigh Creek)
DAY 9: Tuesday 18 August 2020
THE FLINDERS RANGES
This morning a local expert joins us for an insider’s tour of this stunning National Park. The Flinders Ranges are well known for their wild flowers but it’s the dramatic gorges and spectacular peaks that are the real highlights. We enjoy a packed lunch along the way then return to Rawnsley mid-afternoon. Wrap up warmly as late afternoon we’ll drive to Pugilist Lookout for Sundowners – nibbles and drinks as we watch the sun set.
Rawnsley Park Station (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel / packed lunch supplied)
DAY 10: Wednesday 19 August 2020
RAWNSLEY PARK TO CLARE
Today we drive back to Hawker where we have time to visit Jeff Morgans Gallery where we not only see but experience the “Wilpena Panorama”. This is a 360° view as seen from St Mary’s Peak, highest point of Wilpena Pound. This “endless” painting will have us mesmerised. From Hawker, we drive south through the small towns of Cradock, Omoroo and Jamestown to Bungaree. Here, at Bungaree Station, we enjoy a late lunch before our tour. Established in 1841, it became the headquarters of an extensive sheep station with 100,000 merino sheep by the 1880s. Today, some 140 years later, it is an efficient mixed farm run by the descendants of the original founder, G.C. Hawker. Consequently Bungaree Station is not a museum, but rather a living record of rural Australia since 1841. Our tour will be conducted with a member of the family giving us a wonderful insight to 19th century station life. The Clare Valley is just a few clicks south of Bungaree. The Clare Country Club is a great place as it’s a boutique resort style accommodation in the heart of “the Valley”. It’s a 4 star resort with an outdoor swimming pool and spa, gymnasium, sauna, billiards table, picturesque resort grounds, tennis court and licensed restaurant & bar. (Breakfast & dinner in motel/ lunch at Bungaree)
Clare Country Club (subject to availability)
(Breakfast and dinner at the motel / lunch in Peterborough
DAY 11: Thursday 20 August 2020
CLARE TO ADELAIDE - HOME
The South Australian Outback is truly a most enchanting place, with breathtaking scenery, intriguing history and wonderfully warm welcomes. Know that you will be returning home with everlasting memories, new friends and a true understanding what makes the South Australian outback such a remarkable place. We make our way back to Adelaide and the airport to join our mid-afternoon flight to Brisbane
Virgin Australia flight VA140 Adelaide to Brisbane 1610/1905 non stop
(Breakfast in the Hotel/ Lunch own arrangements and cost)
All itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times/days of some attractions, e.g. churches, wineries etc. We cannot be held responsible for any changes due to closures, inclement weather etc.