Experience the Flinders Ranges and Outback in South Australia

In the mood for adventure? Then travel to, and experience, the Flinders Ranges and Outback in South Australia. The Flinders Ranges and Outback provide a dramatic departure from the hectic pace of big cities, and are surprisingly accessible. Go driving into the deep Outback and spend time exploring the legendary desert tracks, or take a scenic flight over the Flinders Ranges. There's hiking trails, places to fossick for opal or just hang around in a hotel in the middle of nowhere with a cold glass of Australian beer in your hand. Below are some ideas for your trip.

Lost World: Watch the sky turn a brilliant red as it sets over Wilpena Pound, a lost world located inside a giant stone crater or soar above the saw-toothed ramparts, lush valleys and plunging gorges of Wilpena Pound on an unforgettable scenic flight from one of many Flinders Ranges and Outback centres: from Rawnsley Park and Wilpena Pound Resort to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and Marree. This majestic natural amphitheatre is best captured from above, to fully appreciate its scale and beauty.

Outback Towns: If you’re looking for off the beaten track towns, visit one of the famed outback towns like Oodnadatta and stop for a cold drink at the Pink Roadhouse, which is a mine of information for travelers. The town has a heritage-listed sandstone railway station that has been converted into a museum and provides great tales of yesteryear. 

Another town to visit is Parachilna where you can stay at the Prairie Hotel. Join other guests for a night of gourmet "Flinders feral food" at the famed hotel and stay in superb suites before heading out to explore the wilds of the Northern Flinders. The hotel is a hub for a growing number of international moviemakers drawn to the hauntingly beautiful Outback landscape. Famous visitors include Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel during the filming of 'Holy Smoke'. The pub, first licensed in 1876, is one of few buildings in Parachilna.

Soothing Waters: Soak in the soothing thermal waters of Dalhousie Springs, Australia's largest complex of artesian springs and used for tens of thousands of years by desert Aborigines. Stay overnight before wandering through the Dalhousie ruins and jumping back into the four-wheel-drive to explore the awesome Simpson Desert and its sea of parallel red sand ridges.

Outback Driving: Outback driving along the 517km Birdsville Track is the stuff of legend, it runs from Maree to Birdsville and is one of Australia’s great outback adventures. Aborigines, Afghan camel traders and Europeans lived in relative harmony as the fortunes of the town ebbed and flowed with emerging Outback pastoralism, the Overland Telegraph, the Old Ghan Railway and the cattle industry. Worth a visit is Marree's replica mosque (all that remains of "Ghantown", which was once home to more than 60 cameleers, their families and 1,500 camels) and Museum Park, featuring the old mail truck used by renowned Outback mailman Tom Kruse on his run from Marree to Birdsville. The Maree Hotel is over 100 years old and perfect for a nice cold beer and a chat with the locals.

Drivers should get a Desert Parks Pass to make the most out of the desert discovery. The pass includes a permit, handbook, park maps and wildlife information and it allows 12 months unlimited access to South Australia's 12 million hectares of desert parks.

Four-wheel Driving: Be blown away by some of the most spectacular scenery in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and look out for rare flora and fauna when you join Arkaroola's famed four-wheel-drive, Ridgetop Tour. Then travel the universe on a journey to the stars from one of three astronomical observatories. Observatory tours are offered every cloud-free evening, and that means most nights at Arkaroola, with some of the best viewing conditions in the world. Two of these observatories are equipped with 14 inch computer-controlled telescopes, and the third with Star Chairs bearing powerful astronomical binoculars, Arkaroola's visitors can observe sibling planets,  distant galaxies, globular clusters, emission nebulae and more.

Underground Lifestyle: At Coober Pedy you can noodle for opals and keep what you find, or buy up big at more than 30 gem shops in the world's opal capital. Then discover the landscapes beyond: the ochre hills of the Breakaways, the barren Moon Plains where movies like Mad Max and Val Kilmer’s Red Planet were shot. You can also tag along with the famous Outback Mail Run to Oodnadatta and William Creek, or join the nightly Star Gazing Tour on the Moon Plain. Fun? You can also go underground and check out some of the cafes, hotels, bookstores that have been built underneath.

Flinders Ranges Wines: The Remarkable View Wines is the Flinders Ranges first ever with Mount Remarkable as its backdrop. The vineyard is the only commercial vineyard in the high country of the Southern Flinders Ranges. All wines are hand pruned and grapes for Remarkable View Vines are hand picked and processed at various wineries and winemakers.

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