South Australian Outback Adventure (8 Days)

The South Australian capital often flies under the radar – locals like it that way, happy to keep their buzzing dining precincts, glorious gardens and on-your-doorstep wineries to themselves. But the secret is well and truly out, and over the course of the afternoon you’ll discover just how diverse Adelaide really is. Touring the city you’ll cover every interest base: sports (Adelaide Oval), horticulture (the Botanic Garden), culture (the Art Gallery of South Australia) and food (Adelaide Central Market). Make a note to book a table at the Meat & Wine Co tonight – a premium steak restaurant with a unique Afro-centric twist. The city offers plenty of other eateries in which to while away your evening.

You don’t have to travel far from Adelaide to be surrounded by vines. In fact, just 1.5 hours north lies the Clare Valley, and therein one of Australia’s most awarded wineries. Knappstein Enterprise Winery’s roots reach back to 1878, which yields extremely tasty drops, as you’ll discover at the cellar door before lunch in the Clare Valley’s atmospheric central town. It’s the best way to ease into the wide-open, otherworldly spaces of the Flinders Ranges – your commute is a short journey by coach, but it transports you to seemingly Martian landscapes, some 800 million years in the making and home to the Adnyamathanha people for tens of thousands of years. The Indigenous community owns and manages your base for the night, Wilpena Pound Resort, and they’ll welcome you to Country with spirit and soul.

The cliffs and craters and ravishing red rocks of the Flinders Ranges shine brightly in the morning sun, your outlook particularly pretty from Wangara Lookout. From this vantage, you’ll enjoy expansive views over the natural amphitheatre that is Wilpena Pound. It’s an awe-inspiring way to start the day, before your journey carves north through dramatic Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges. Keep your eyes peeled for endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies – only 2,250 remain in Australia, and most call this part of the country home. You’ll begin to understand why they favour the South Australian outback when you arrive in Arkaroola, characterised by ancient granite mountains and golden spinifex covered hillsides and providing a vantage over Lake Frome and the desert beyond. But the real stars here are those overhead, as you’ll discover on an astronomy tour that brings the dazzling night sky into full focus. Prepare to be humbled – in the best possible way.