Wildflowers of Outback South Australia

This morning we explore the private garden of Sophie Thomson, known as Sophie’s Patch. Join Sophie for a guided tour, followed by morning tea. We then take some time to look around the quaint German-influenced village of Hahndorf, its charming main street lined with cellar doors, restaurants and sweet shops. Afterwards, we visit the home and studio of Hans Heysen, where we admire the magnificent gums he was so famous for painting.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Depart Adelaide today for the scenic drive to Moonta, a town of national heritage status. Visit the National Trust Miners Cottage and Garden, which was built around 1870 in a typically Cornish style. Learn about the construction of the building before exploring the garden, which still features some of its original plants. Afterwards, enjoy time to explore the historic mining town and perhaps sample one of Moonta’s famous Cornish pasties, a remnant of the town’s mining past. Continue along the coast to Port Augusta. From aboard our coach, we see a huge solar-powered market garden, which supplies fresh produce to major supermarkets. Tonight we visit the Silo Light Show, a spectacular audio-visual display celebrating the stories of the Flinders Ranges.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Stay: Great Northern Lodge or similar – 2 nights

Today we visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, home to thousands of highly evolved plant species which have adapted to thrive in an environment of extreme temperatures and frequent droughts. Enjoy touring the garden before visiting the Wadlata Outback Centre to see the ‘Tunnel of Time’, an interactive introduction to the Flinders Ranges, from the dinosaur era to today. Enjoy free time this afternoon.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Depart Quorn, travelling on board the Pichi Richi Railway, which was featured on Michael Portillo’s Greatest Railway Journeys program. Travel along the original Ghan route aboard a beautifully restored train. We re-board our coach to travel into the Flinders Ranges and arrive at Wilpena Pound, a large natural amphitheatre created by erosion over millions of years. This evening, witness a dramatic sunset of changing colours over Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges. Marvel over this vast ancient landscape from a nearby lookout, offering astonishing panoramic views, as you enjoy drinks and canapes.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Stay: Wilpena Pound Resort or similar – 3 nights

The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, with towering ancient cliffs and deep craters. Explore Wilpena Pound and the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park by 4WD and see the landscapes which inspired the paintings of Hans Heysen. Explore more than 800 million years of geological history as you follow the ‘Corridor Through Time’ walking trail through Brachina Gorge. Marvel at Brachina’s rugged beauty, as well as that of nearby Bunyeroo Gorge. Search for common fringe lily, fringe myrtle, guinea flower, lavender grevillea, mintbush and nodding chocolate lily. Stop to take in sweeping views of Bunyeroo Valley and the eastern wall of Wilpena Pound. Visit Old Wilpena Station to see the ‘Living with Land’ interpretive trail and view the large public artwork ‘Ikara’, an Aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting place’.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Set out for another day in search of the unique wildflowers of the region. Return to spectacular Brachina Gorge, before continuing on to Blinman to view the ruins of a mine set against a backdrop of hilly countryside. At an altitude of 615 metres, the town is the highest in South Australia. Continue onto Parachilna Gorge with its stands of river red gums, spectacular rock formations and old railway station. Learn about the Ediacaran fossil site, dating back some 600 million years, before enjoying lunch at the renowned Prairie Hotel, which proudly displays many works by Aboriginal artists. Continue back to our hotel via the Moralana Scenic Drive, passing between the outer wall of Wilpena Pound and the colourful bluffs of the Elder Range, with thickets of native cypress pine.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart Wilpena Pound today for the Clare Valley, travelling through the delightful outback towns of Hawker, Orroroo and Jamestown. Arrive in the Clare Valley and visit Bungaree Station, a part of South Australia’s rich pastoral heritage which ran 100,000 sheep in its heyday. The station once resembled a small village, having its own church, store, blacksmith shop and even a district council chambers. Today we explore the beautiful sandstone homestead and the historic station complex.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Stay: Clare Country Club or similar – 2 nights

This morning, visit Martindale Hall, one of South Australia’s best-known homesteads. Each room within this Georgian-style house is a living museum, which allows you to see how the wealthy lived in the late 1800s. Enjoy lunch before visiting a local winery then continue on to a beautiful private garden and meet the owners.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel back to Adelaide today via scenic grape-growing country. You will be dropped off at the airport at around midday.

Meals Included: Breakfast