So what are Australia’s best activities?  A simple state by state word association test will more than likely give you results like these:

Northern Territory = Uluru.

Queensland = Barrier Reef.

New South Wales = Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Tasmania = Cradle Mountain.

Victoria = The Great Ocean Road.

Western Australia = Wildflowers.

Australian Capital Territory = Parliament House! And all those wonderful politicians …

But South Australia = ? Well … WHAT??

OK, so you think South Australia doesn’t have a main attraction?  Well, I say who needs just one, when South Australia is chock-a-block with things to do! Whether you’re looking for a fun family holiday, a swag of adventure activities, some cool country towns to visit, fabulous natural attractions, or just a romantic weekend away South Australia is the place to be!

So just check out this list of the best activities to do in South Australia you can choose from with confidence because they’re hand-picked by a local – me – and they’re some of my faves!

You’re welcome!

1 Ridge Top Tour, Arkaroola

Getting to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, Australia’s premier eco-tourism destination, by car is half the fun – and a tour of some of the most spectacular South Australian Outback scenery to boot. The Sanctuary Village is set amidst a stunning landscape of fantastic rock formations, low ranges, multi-coloured minerals and a massive sky. So how do you top that? Take the Sanctuary’s signature Ridge-top Tour – a rugged 4 hour return 4WD adventure through the (almost) trackless wilderness to Sillers Lookout.

I’m calling it the best lookout AND one of the best adventures in OZ!  But don’t take my word for it – here’s where you’ll find even MORE About Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary!!

2 Lions at Naracoorte Caves

It’s just as well that Thylacoleo carnifex is extinct. It’s scary enough seeing a ghostly skeleton silhouette deep underground in the Naracoorte Cave system when you know it’s long dead. But imagine meeting a real live one face to face above the ground? These days, the scariest wildlife (not counting snakes) above the ground along the Limestone coast are the bats – and the wombats!

The Naracoorte Caves complex (South Australia’s only World Heritage listed site) is an awesome blend of fascinating Pleistocene megafauna fossils, stunning limestone formations and intriguing pre-history.  And the Bat Cave.  Don’t forget the Bat Cave!

MORE About Naracoorte Caves National Park

3 Whale Watching at Head of Bight

I’m not sure if the LOOOOONG drive across the Nullarbor Plain just above the LOOOOONG curve of the Great Australian Bight stretching for thousands of kilometres along the southern coastline and the LOOOOONGest unbroken line of sea cliffs in the world means the Head of Bight whale-watching experience qualifies as EXTREME whale-watching!

In season, from May to October, Head of Bight becomes a whale nursery with 40 or more whales and calves cavorting below the cliffs.

But you won’t come across it by chance – it’s over 800 km west of Adelaide so it’s best experienced as part of a Nullarbor crossing en route to Perth (or Adelaide if you’re heading east).

And that’s a pretty cool road-trip adventure in itself!

MORE About Whale Watching at Head of Bight

4 Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges

Unless you’re planning a lengthy stay in the magnificent Flinders Ranges, it’s way too big to see it all in just one visit. So get started by exploring its iconic centrepiece, the spectacular Wilpena Pound, a massive 8 x 17 km natural rock amphitheatre once used by early pastoralists as a grazing ground!

If Wangara Lookout near the old Homestead doesn’t give good enough view; or a sighting from atop St Mary’s Peak is too challenging; or a flight over the Pound too expensive, take the up close and personal (and fewer people) option and walk across it! The Bridle Gap trail (also part of the Heysen trail – see below) crosses Wilpena Pound and climbs its southwestern edge for spectacular views back across the Pound and out across the layers of ranges beyond.

Once you’ve seen the Pound for yourself, why not stay a while longer and check out Sacred Canyon, Mt Ohlssen Bagge, St Mary’s Peak, the Cazneaux Tree and lots of other hot spots.

Not sure where to start?  There’s a LOT more in my beginners guide to exploring the Flinders Ranges HERE!

5 Troubridge Island

Troubridge Island is about 2000 km too far south to make it into the tropics. But if you were washed ashore on a fine day, you’d think you really WERE on a deserted tropical island. Luckily, a Troubridge Island escape means you can stay on this tiny island, deserted but for the Little Penguins and Cormorants for whom this is a breeding ground AND whoever else you brought with you to share the solitude!! But snorkelling the clear waters surrounding the island, hauling in a fish or two for the BBQ, wandering the beaches and staying in a renovated lighthouse-keeper’s cottage about 6 km offshore from Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula is a mighty fine deserted-tropical-island substitute.

MORE About Troubridge Island

6 Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island

The odd-shaped wind and sand-blasted granite Rocks aren’t the only remarkable thing about the third largest of Australia’s 8222 islands! Vivonne Bay regularly makes the lists of the top 10 eco-friendly beaches in Australia, if not the world. Because of its relative isolation it’s got the purest strain of Ligurian bees in the world – just one of the reasons that foodies flock here. And if you like the smell of fish, get up close to the permanent seal colony! BUT … head back to Flinders Chase National Park to see why these rocks ROCK!

MORE About Kangaroo Island

7 Going Underground at Coober Pedy

Just between us, you don’t actually have to go underground to find your very own piece of Australia’s national gem, the Opal! I found a piece in Coober Pedy’s main street without too much effort at all – although it WAS in a shop attached to a rather attractive ring with a price tag of just $600

Mostly underground, tiny outback opal mining town Coober Pedy is classic South Australian Outback with a harsh climate, distinctive mining town moonscape, the only underground campground in the world, the BIG Winch and just up the road, the longest man-made structure on earth – the Dog Fence!

It’s not short of natural attractions either, with the stunning natural landscape of the Breakaways a few kilometres down the road.

MORE About Coober Pedy and Opal Mining

8 The Cockle Train

It’s not just South Australia’s first railway line AND first public line laid with iron rails in Australia; this coastal railway line running from Goolwa to Victor Harbor is also unbelievably scenic.

Break your journey and explore the stunning coastline at Middleton and Port Elliot; then take a stopover in Victor Harbor and take the horse-drawn carriage to Granite Island.

Back in Goolwa, there’s the Murray Mouth and Coorong – end of Australia’s longest river system (see top photo), and the chance to explore the wonderful coastline visible from the train.

MORE about Goolwa and the Cockle Train

9 Farina Bakery

7 hours north of Adelaide, the driest part of the driest state of the driest continent on earth isn’t the most logical place to set up a town to service a fledgling wheat-growing industry. Maybe that’s why Farina is now a ghost town – except for a few weeks in May, June and July when the Farina Restoration Group move on-site. But historic site restoration isn’t the only attraction on offer at Farina – one of the first buildings to be restored was the smokin’ HOT Farina Bakery! All the better for being so unexpected, the Bakery’s volunteer bakers turn out an extraordinary amount of perfectly baked goods in the middle of the Outback!

In 2020, the Farina Bakery is open from 23rd May to 19th July!  Don’t miss it!!

MORE about Farina Bakery

10 The Heysen Trail

One of Australia’s Great Walks, the 1200 km Heysen Trail is a great way to see the best of South Australia. And if you haven’t got a spare 60 days to do the whole walk, then use the route map as a guide, choose a few sections in areas like the Barossa Valley, Mount Lofty Ranges, the Mid North and Flinders Ranges and see the highlights on foot. There’s something for everyone on this trek!  Starting in Parachilna Gorge and ending at Fleurieu Peninsula coastal town Jervis Bay, the walk is named for legendary artist Sir Hans Heysen, whose works showcase the beauty and diversity of South Australia.

MORE about the Heysen Trail

Of course there are plenty more RED HOT South Australian experiences to be had, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?  And if you’re ready for a South Australian adventure, take a look at the best flights and get started!

Have YOU been to South Australia? Do share YOUR favourite things to do in South Australia in the comments below!!

PSSST!  MORE South Australia Photos on Flickr!

The post Red’s BEST Activities in South Australia! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

If you’ve ever decided against touring the Aussie Outback because you don’t have a 4WD, today is your lucky day.

You CAN visit the Australian Outback in a standard, non-4WD car! Just follow these simple rules:

• Choose destinations that don’t require an especially equipped vehicle – there are more than you think!
• Know your vehicle’s limitations – consider fuel economy, range, clearance, tyres, weight rating, space – in relation to where you want to go.
• Outsource the driving (eg take a tour, hitch a ride) when conditions don’t suit.
• Check all road, weather and travelling conditions in advance – rain, road works, flooding etc can all cause road closures.
• Take the advice you receive – be prepared to change your plans if conditions are not suitable for your vehicle.  Having a Plan B always helps!
• Get road assistance (eg NRMA, RAA, RACQ etc), but be aware of any exclusions – sometimes road assistance to remote areas isn’t available.

Pilchard and I have travelled to all the RedzAustralia TOP 10 Accessible Outback HOT Spots below in either a Subaru** Touring Wagon, a Subaru Forester or a Subaru Outback. Sometimes we’ve even had a NON-off-road camper trailer in tow. We’re not foolhardy risk-takers – we just follow those rules.

But if we can have these 10 Accessible Outback Experiences without extreme 4 wheel driving, then so can you!

1 Whale Watching

Head of Bight, South Australia

Stand atop the Bunda Cliffs – longest unbroken line of sea cliffs in the world – and watch the whales cavorting below! Yes, you’re in the Outback – and this section of the all-bitumen Eyre Highway separating Ceduna from Norseman, ~1200 km west, is Outback all the way.

Crossing the Nullarbor Plain en route from Sydney and Perth, around ~ 4000 km, is one of Australia’s great road trips. Full of life changing experiences – think driving Australia’s longest straight stretch of road; golfing on the world’s longest golf course; and unravelling the mystery of the Nullarbor Nymph (take links below for details) – it’s a TOP Outback experience in itself, even without the whales.

Where: Head of Bight Whale Watching centre is just off the Eyre Highway, ~220 km east of Eucla on the WA/SA border

When: Whale season is from June to October

Stay: Nullarbor Roadhouse, 26 km from Head of Bight Whale Watching area

MORE about Head of Bight and the Nullarbor Plain

2 Opal Fossicking

White Cliffs, New South Wales

The tiny opal mining town of White Cliffs is the only place in the world where unusual pineapple opals occur naturally. Despite spending a couple of afternoons on the mullock heaps, the only ‘colour’ (opal-speak for actual opal) we found was pretty, but worthless. Maybe you’ll have better luck? We certainly did when we gave the diggings away and ‘found’ some opal in the White Cliffs township, along with the world’s only above-ground mineshaft tour, a self-guided historic walk and unusual architecture shaped by harsh weather conditions and limited building materials.

If you’re car’s up to it, take the rugged, unsealed Wanaaring road for 33 km to the Paroo-Darling National Park and Peery Lake, at over 30 km long the largest overflow lake along the river.

Where: White Cliffs is 96 km north-west of Wilcannia, which is 195 km east of Broken Hill on fully sealed roads

MORE about White Cliffs

3 Mail Run

Quilpie, Queensland

It’d be difficult to drive yourself north over ~400 km of mostly dirt station tracks through magnificent outback scenery – it passes through 10 pastoral properties. But hitch a ride with the local postie to deliver the mail, catch up with some of the locals and see what’s outside the Quilpie city limits!

When you’re done with the Mail Run, climb nearby Baldy Top lookout (top photo) for a great view over this remote Boulder Opal mining town on the edge of nowhere. Explore west by driving 100 km to Eromanga, reportedly the furthest town from the ocean in Australia; fossick for opal at the caravan park’s ‘Deuces Wild’ lease; or drive 75 km south to Toompine for an Outback Pub experience.

Where: Quilpie is 211 km west of Charleville on the Cooper Developmental Road; and ~950 km west of Brisbane on the Warrego Highway, all sealed

MORE about Quilpie and Eromanga

4 The Gibb River Road

via Derby, Kimberley, Western Australia

There’s NO WAY that driving the 660 km of rugged, stony, tyre-shredding Gibb River Road (also known as the ‘Boys Own Adventure’ route) from Kununurra to Derby qualifies as an ‘Accessible Outback’ experience.

But the ‘Gibb River Road LITE’ version does!

Outsource the driving and hit the notorious road on a 4WD bus (it’s a school bus in its spare time) from North-west Kimberley town Derby for a 360 km round trip on the Gibb River Road to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, then back again.

So sit back, enjoy morning tea and lunch en route to the main attractions, and save your car and/or rig for the bitumen.

Where: Windjana Gorge/Tunnel Creek Day Tour leaves from Derby, 220 km north-east of Broome, Western Australia

Road Conditions: Appalling! That’s why you’re letting someone else do the driving, remember??!!

MORE about the Gibb River Road and the Kimberley

5 Hiking

Ormiston Gorge, Northern Territory

The amazingly varied and superb Outback scenery makes the 7 km Ormiston Gorge and Pound walk one of the best short-ish hikes in Australia (IMHO). But it helps that it’s superbly placed amidst the ancient rocky landscape of the West MacDonnell Ranges, traversed by the Finke River, oldest waterway in the world.

Ormiston Gorge is the smart alternative if you want to dodge the crowds at Uluru AND experience Outback magic with classic scenery, wildlife and a variety of walks. It’s SO good, a two-night stay turned into six nights!

Where: Ormiston Gorge is in the West MacDonnell Ranges, 128 km west of Alice Springs on a fully sealed road.

MORE about Ormiston Gorge

6 Camel Races

Bedourie, Queensland

Don’t expect to see horses at the Bedourie races – it’s camels all the way in the lead up to nearby Boulia’s camel race weekend. Join Bedourie locals for a TOP day out with racing, wood-chopping, good Aussie tucker, entertainment and an evening dance – to be held in 2016 on 9 July.

Home of the iconic Bedourie Oven, the town sits almost half-way between two other Western Queensland racing icons – Boulia, and the centre of Australia’s racing universe – Birdsville, with it’s world famous race meet held in September. Once the races are over, explore the area or just relax in the town’s Hot Artesian Pools!

Or stick around for the Boulia Camel Races – longest track in Australia; then move on to Winton for more races the following weekend.

Where: Bedourie is a 216 km drive – mostly sealed with about 14 km of dirt – south of Boulia; or 164 km north of Birdsville – mostly dirt.

When: Bedourie Camel Races 2018 Dates TBA, but usually the weekend before the Boulia Camel Races; Boulia Camel Race Weekend on Friday 20^th – Sunday 22^nd July 2017 AND Winton Camel Races Dates TBA, but usually the weekend after the Boulia Camel Races.

MORE about Bedourie Camel Races

7 Unnatural Attractions

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Standing on the edge of a massive man-made crater stretching for nearly 4 km and waiting for a blast that’ll knock the sides out even further is like nothing else you’ll see in the Outback. A bold scheme (somewhat like its founder Alan Bond) the Super Pit combines leases and resources to more efficiently mine the Golden Mile – one of the richest seams of gold in the world.

A town able to survive because of an ambitious engineering feat piping water from the outskirts of Perth, nearly 600 km to the west, Kalgoorlie is a gold-mining town 24-7.

There’s nothing quite like the Outback’s natural attractions – but there’s something strangely compelling about this very unnatural one!

Where: 600 km east of Perth

MORE about Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the Super Pit

8 RED!

Windorah, Queensland

A number of localities vie for the honour of being the REDdest place in Australia. But for the reddest accessible outback HOT spot, there’s no contest.

Even with my old FILM camera, the red sand dunes west of Queensland Outback town Windorah are so startlingly vivid they almost hurt the eyes. Windorah has the added inducement of being closest town to Australian icon Cooper’s Creek – only place in the world where two rivers meet to form a creek. Then a little further west there’s the weirdly signposted ‘Point of Interest’, and a little further beyond that, The Little Loo at the end of the Universe – my most popular Scenic Public Toilet ever!

That’s all very nice. But it’s those RED sand dunes that get me every time!

Where: Windorah is 239 km north-west of Quilpie (see #3 above), along the Diamantina Developmental Road

MORE about Windorah and Cooper’s Creek

9 Wildlife Watching

Marlgu Billabong, Kimberley, Western Australia

As the crocodiles zig-zagged through the otherwise tranquil waters of Marlgu Billabong, centrepiece of the Parry Lagoons Nature reserve, the 65 species of birds we saw over two visits seemed unperturbed. Maybe the crocs were after bigger prey? That’s why we stayed firmly behind the barriers of the viewing platform over this magnificent inland billabong and breeding ground that attracts thousands of birds.

And bird-watchers!!

Only a few kilometres from East Kimberley Town Wyndham, the lagoon is a dramatically beautiful dry-season oasis against the stark colours and boab-tree-studded landscape that surrounds it.

Where: Marlgu Billabong is ~15 km on a dirt road from Wyndham.  Wyndham is ~100 km north-west of Kununurra on a fully sealed road.

MORE about Marlgu Billabong

10 Ridge Top Tour

Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, South Australia

Experience extreme Outback Adventure on a bone-shaking 4 hour return trip through the (almost) trackless adventureland of Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary to Sillers Lookout. Even though you won’t be driving yourself on this tour, it’s full of heart-stopping action on steep tracks with vertigo-inducing drop-offs and staggering scenery from several vantage points that show off northern South Australia to supreme advantage.

Australia’s premier eco-tourism destination (IMHO), Arkaroola is set amidst a fantastic landscape with an extraordinary array of rocks and minerals, superb natural attractions, amazing self-drive exploratory tours (mostly 4WD only), rugged hikes and an observatory for star-gazing.

The Ridge-top tour is conducted by Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and for my money, it’s the ultimate Aussie Outback experience of all time. And I’m happy for any other tour operators to prove me wrong!

Where: Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is 125 km north-east from Copley on an all-weather dirt road. Copley is ~600 km north of Adelaide on a fully sealed road – and if the weather prevents you from getting out to Arkaroola, Copley makes a fine alternative destination

MORE about Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and Copley

WARNING:

This post is an introduction to guide you to some of the more accessible Outback Experiences.

ANY trip to the Outback, no matter how easy it appears, MUST be carefully planned.  Please visit websites like Travel Outback Australia, Outback Australia Travel Guide or Outback Travel Australia for advice and to ensure you are well-prepared, and carry extra water and supplies at all times.

Why?  Because you’ll be faced with:

• Long distances
• Extreme temperatures
• Minimal facilities
• Limited services, including mobile phone access
• Harsh conditions

* IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

** Please note: These models of Subaru generally have slightly higher clearance than a standard car, and can be switched to 4WD mode if required.

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The post Red’s TOP 10 Accessible Outback Experiences appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

For a place explored, surveyed and ravaged by pastoralism, mining and smelting; overrun by sheep, camels, donkeys, rabbits and dingoes; and more recently under threat from an avaricious government looking to sell off uranium mining rights, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is looking mighty fine!

That’s due to the extraordinary Sprigg family* – visionaries, eco-tourism pioneers and explorers – who bought this once run down sheepstation in the 1960’s, rehabilitated it and turned it into Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and tourist resort.

Everyone who visits this unique and amazing place in the remote Flinders Ranges of South Australia owes the Spriggs a BIG thank-you. Visiting Arkaroola is a wilderness experience like no other – the adventures came thick and fast on our 2013 3 day-4 night visit. Even without doing all the tours, 4WD tracks and scenic flights!

But even without those inducements, I’d return to Arkaroola in a heartbeat. Here’s just SIX of the many reasons why!

1. The Drive In (and OUT!)

Just getting to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is an adventure. We took the easy way. 600 km (and around 6 hours) north of Adelaide to Leigh Creek and Copley, where we left our camper trailer languishing in the Copley Caravan Park (with it’s own Bakery – YESSSSSS!). From Copley, it’s a mere 130 kilometres (and a 1½ -2 hour drive) west to Arkaroola on an all-weather gravel road.

The hard way? A 300 km dirt track north-west from Yunta, itself considered a remote staging post en route from Adelaide to Broken Hill. Or alternatively, 180 km of dirt south-west of the Strzelecki track, itself a remote and primitive track through the otherwise virtually trackless reaches of South Australia’s north. You get the picture.

Our chosen route wound through pastoral properties, the Nepabunna Aboriginal Land and Indigenous communities.  Next were the magnificent ranges and gorges of the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park, well worth a visit in its own right. Maybe after we’ve upgraded our car!

The final 30 km scenic stretch from the National Park’s edge, through the Muntalinna Valley and into the sanctuary and Arkaroola Village is a foretaste of the geological fantasy that awaits.

2. The Tracks

It’s amazing how far we got with just a Subaru Outback AWD and a bit of clearance. Not that new adventures were ever far away. With Arkaroola’s amazing array of mountain ranges, rocky landforms, springs, creeks, historic sites and hiking trails, a short drive in any direction brings new vistas and terrain to explore.

BUT … some visitors to the sanctuary disregard the impressive scenery and unusual geological formations because driving the Four Wheel Drive tracks takes ALL their concentration! When collecting the key to the locked gate at the start of one drive, the friendly staff will tell you that if you get through the gate and think ‘oh s**t’, just bring the key back for a refund!

For those of us less accustomed to experimental driving, just being a passenger is scary enough.  Especially on the most extreme track of all – the Ridge-top Tour (see below)! Unless you’re lucky enough to have Doug Sprigg as your guide and driver! Before setting up the sanctuary back in the 60’s, the Sprigg family* achieved the first Simpson desert crossing by car – so a few (make that a LOT of) stretches of rugged ‘road’ are just another day at the office.

But for those of us with a more sedate background? What the heck! You see more when you’re on the walking tracks anyway!

3. Barraranna Gorge

Perhaps one day in the distant future, Pilchard and I will accept our self-identified ‘World’s Slowest Hiker’ status. When we do, we’ll know to double – or even triple – estimated hiking times by factoring in a LOT extra for resting admiring the scenery, bird watching and taking photos.

If we’d accepted our fate the day we hiked the 6.8 km Barraranna Gorge trail, we’d have taken our lunch.  When we set out on what was estimated to be a 3.5 hour hike, we conveniently ignored the historical evidence that should have warned us it’d take a LOT longer! For us, anyway!

One of the best short (ish!) walks in Australia – yes, that’s MY assessment – the trail passes through an astonishingly varied landscape. Interpretive signs explain the geological features of interest. But signs pointing out the scenic features of interest weren’t required, so several hundred photographs (at rough estimate) later, we reached the gorge’s stunning rock formations, and the dramatic rocky walls surrounding Bararanna Waterhole.

Lunchtime!

At least it WOULD have been if we’d trusted our ability to turn even the shortest of hikes into a marathon …

Exploring this amazing gorge took even longer. But finally, starving, we completed the hike and returned to the car in double quick time – by our standards! Although that probably means ‘normal’ time for everyone else!!

When we do the walk again – and that’s SO going to happen – we’ll carry our lunch, start a lot earlier and take a REALLY long time!

4. The Springs

As a counterpoint to the relentlessly dramatic rocks, strong colours and striking shapes of Arkaroola, its springs are serene, restful and shady. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own wild and rugged beauty.

They’re surprisingly plentiful for such an arid area.

North-west, near the old Copper Smelter established in 1870, Bollabollana Spring is a glorious tumble of rocks and water. Despite the dead emu in one of its pools, it kept us rock-hopping, photographing and (live) bird watching for hours.

The Indigenous rock art at Stubbs Waterhole just off the road en route to the Echo Camp Backtrack makes this an intriguing rest (and photography!) stop on the Barraranna Gorge Walk. Yes, it’d have been a great lunch spot too!

To the north-east, Barraranna Waterhole’s rippling rock is a dead giveaway to its sea-bed origins. The sheer cliffs and walls surrounding the extensive rockhole make it one of Arkaroola’s most scenic spots.

But the best spring is the one that got away …

Radon bubbling through hot water makes Paralana Hot Springs HOT in more ways than one! The world’s only naturally radioactive spring is a 30+ km drive from the village, and although the extra clearance our Subaru AWD has would have made the 4WD track accessible to us, our time ran out. SO … my chance for a world exclusive will have to wait until next time!

5. Sillers Lookout & Ridge-top Tour

The sun blazed out of a sky so fiercely blue it blunted the rocky edges of the astounding rock formations, rugged mountains and sheer drop offs.

And that was just the road.

An extreme 4WD driving adventure through remote wilderness to the extensive panorama from Sillers Lookout over the Freeling Heights, and across the plain to Lake Frome, it’s no wonder Arkaroola’s world famous Ridge-Top tour to Sillers Lookout has so many takers. I hadn’t counted on the opportunity to get THIS close to total strangers, or having an extreme 1½ hour workout without actually moving from my seat!

And then there was the return journey …

With scenery so staggeringly and gob-smackingly spectacular, I hardly noticed the absence of what would surely have beeen Australia’s – if not the world’s – most scenic public toilet when we reached Sillers Lookout at afternoon tea time. Go easy on the drinks, girls – it’s a LONG way back to Arkaroola village!

The Ridge-top Tour is an adventure so awesome it deserves its own post! Luckily, I prepared one earlier … read all about my adventures on this extraordinary tour in Ride the Ragged Ranges!

When I get back to Arkaroola, you’ll be reading about it again.

I’m sure once isn’t enough to appreciate this rollercoaster of rough road, RED rocks and rugged ranges!

6. The ROCKS!

Speaking of rocks …

If you don’t know your schist from your sandstone, your granite from your gneiss or your copper from your calcite, that makes you a lot like me. But don’t let that stop you being dazzled by the colours, dramatic rocky outcrops and – even to my untrained eye – the incredible variety of mineral matter.

From the many-layered Griselda Hill behind Arkaroola Village, to the colours of the Ochre Wall.  The craggy Pinnacles and tortured rocks of Barraranna Gorge. The awesome Freeling Heights and the Jasper Twins straddling the road. Arkaroola’s rocks ROCK!

The creek bed where I crept away to answer natures call on the way back from the Ridge-top Tour wasn’t an official public amenities site.  However, it formed the coolest convenience site EVER with an array of crystals that quite distracted me from my purpose! If I’d been 5 10 20 30 years younger I’d have become a geologist on the spot.

As it is, I’ve become a Aussie advocate travel blogger and chronicler of dynamic dunnies instead.  Naturally, this qualifies me to approach the subject of Aussie travel with an open mouth. And the marvels of Arkaroola are enough to keep your mouth wide open.  Australia doesn’t get much more amazing, awesome and adventuresome than Arkaroola!

Want MORE?

• *Read about the Sprigg family and Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in ‘Dune is a Four Letter Word’ by Griselda Sprigg

• Ride the Ragged Ranges – Red Nomad OZ on Arkaroola’s Ridge-top Tour

• Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, South Australia

• MORE Arkaroola Photos on Flickr HERE!

The post Arkaroola Wilderness Adventureland! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

‘Now we’ll see some REAL scenery!’ Doug announced, herding us away from the spectacular outlook from Coulthard’s Lookout towards our convoy of two vehicles.  The Arkaroola Ridgetop tour was well underway.

But I was sceptical.

The ragged mountain ranges (yes, I’m channelling Aussie poet Dorothea Mackellar*) glistened and glowed in a glorious 360° panorama in the perfection of a clear Outback day.

Could it really get any better? I thought Doug was joking.

He wasn’t.

Our guide, commentator and driver was Arkaroola’s most wanted man.  That’s if the caption under the photo of his younger self in the dining room spoke the truth, anyway. Doug was rocking the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour – the Wilderness Sanctuary’s ultimate 4WD adventure, and elevated it from excellent to extraordinary.

Building the Road

Luckily, mining company Exoil followed up on the wartime uranium exploration in this area, and ‘developed’ this ‘road’ in the late 1960s.  Otherwise, it’s unlikely we’d have been jolting our way deep into the otherwise trackless wilderness through this more remote, wild and sensationally beautiful South Australian landscape.

Carving this rugged road from the edge of civilisation into the ragged mountain range wilderness was logical to further investigate the uranium mining option.

Luckily for us, once the uranium exploration was done it was logical to someone else to turn this rugged road into a tourist drive!  Despite the $AUD40,000 it costs to restore the track after each of the 1-5 washouts it gets each year.

The Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour

$AUD120 gets you a berth on the purpose-built 4WD bus.

Yes, tourists actually pay for the privilege of 4 hours of jolting in an open tray-top.  The track has near-vertical climbs and plunges across sheer rock seams interspersed with creek beds full of boulders.  It’s got wheel ruts the size of irrigation drains and ridge-tops so exposed the strong gusts of wind could suck the unwary into oblivion.

That means the tour isn’t necessarily the best choice for acrophobics, back-seat drivers or vertigo-sufferers!  And if wide-open spaces give you the heebie-jeebies?  Maybe you’re better off on an air-conditioned bus …

Tour? Or Gym??

As our vehicle shuddered over a particularly large rock, the seatbelt round my waist was the only thing preventing an ungraceful slide into the tailgate – or beyond.  My experimental photography technique – developed especially for this tour – was working surprisingly well, all things considered.

But I wouldn’t have taken a several-kilometre morning walk if I’d known just sitting in the back of the truck would give me a full body workout!

As an added bonus, we were the odd ones out in our two-vehicle convoy.  A 10-camper group made up the rest of the tour.  They must have vowed never to be separated by more than 100 metres at any given time, which made each stop an fascinating anthropological experiment.

I didn’t need the childish thrill I got from wandering into random strangers’ group photos.  But I took it anyway!

Travelling through the stunning scenery, varied land forms, unusual rock formations and unique vegetation in these wild mountains provides enough thrills for a lifetime. But following the track past the imposing Mt Painter, and Mt Gee – composed of quartz crystals – was gasp-inducing on several levels. These aren’t even particularly high mountains, even by Australian standards.

The road-builders clearly couldn’t be bothered building a road in lazy curves when perpendicular obviously got them there faster.

Sillers Lookout

After an ascent so steep I was starting to think we couldn’t possibly return this way without dropping off the face of the earth, we reached the final climb to the ultimate pinnacle of the tour – Sillers Lookout. Named, as I should have guessed, for then-chairman of Exoil.

Luckily, Doug could turn the vehicle on a dime because the ‘space’ on top of the lookout left no margin for error. High atop a rocky knoll, we overlooked the rugged grandeur of the Freeling Heights.  They drop suddenly and completely away to a “vision splendid of sunlit plains extended” (AB Paterson said it first and best**) WAY out across Yudnamutana Gorge to the vast salty expanse of Lake Frome. I leaned against the (thank god someone built one) fence feeling a little weak at the knees. Strangely not from the hair-raising ride, but from the vista of such awesome and utter FAAAAABULOUSNESS.  I was struck by the uncharacteristic feeling of being lost for words.

Superlatives, anyway.

‘Does the drive ever make you nervous?’ I inanely asked the driver of the 2^nd vehicle as we enjoyed an Aussie lamington for afternoon tea.  He’d had 20 years experience of regularly making this drive twice a day.

He looked at me with a strange mixture of confusion and pity that clearly indicated nervousness wasn’t part of his psyche.

‘Sometimes it’s difficult when it’s wet,’ he conceded.

Wet? People drove on this road when it was WET?

Insane.

But, after establishing there was no alternative route back, I realised being scared witless was pointless.

Blasé was WAY better.

Heading back

After a while, negotiating steep slopes, deep ruts, sheer rock surfaces and a road surface so uneven it seemed more like a paddock just became commonplace. Ho hum, another minute, another sheer wash-away. Or descent down a rock wall. Or major wheel-wrenching boulder pile …

So, the Arkaroola Ridgetop tour return trip became uneventful, unless you count the strong gust of wind that lifted Pilchard’s hat giving us both a nasty Green Island flashback. Oops, it was happening again. But this time, the chin strap caught and held. Now all he had to worry about was whether saving the hat was worth being garrotted by the strap …

After calling in at Mt Gee to view a selection of minerals and an unscheduled stop to admire Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, we arrived back at Arkaroola Village exhausted AND exhilarated by our extreme 4WD adventure.

South Australia is often overlooked as an Aussie tourist destination in favour of better known natural attractions like … well, YOU know.

But for the ultimate, jaw-dropping, unforgettable, super-sublime Aussie adventure? Trust me – and take the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour***!

* Dorothea Mackellar’s great Aussie love-poem My Country

** Andrew ‘Banjo’ Paterson’s classic Aussie lament Clancy of the Overflow

*** Yes, I’m still struggling with appropriate superlatives. No, they’re not paying me. More’s the pity. But if they did, I’d trade it in for another go at the tour. Yes, it really IS that good!

Read AND See MORE:

• See it LIVE on YouTube —> Final ascent to Sillers Lookout
• Arkaroola Ridge-top Tour
• More about Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
• Arkaroola Dreaming – my Flickr photographic fantasy

The post Ride the Arkaroola Ridgetop Tour! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Downunder, a sign pointing to a LOOKOUT isn’t a warning to LOOK OUT! – it’s a vantage or viewing point from which to better admire the surrounding landscape.  Like this completely gratuitous one above – serving no other purpose in this post but to attract your attention!

It worked, didn’t it?!

In this relatively flat land, where the highest mountain is a mere 2228 metres high, finding a suitable spot from which to survey the scenery often doesn’t require too much elevation, with many lookouts accessible by vehicle or a short walking track.

And what you see when you get there is often so extensively, ecstatically panoramic that taking a tour – virtual or otherwise – of these 14 lookouts in strategic locations around the country will show you a LOT of Australia!

Finding these AWESOME landscapes is half the fun – or at least it is with TravelSIM! Let them help you take the guesswork out of getting there so you’ve got that much more time to enjoy the scenery!

Meanwhile, enjoy the virtual tour!

1  NEW Lookout, via Boroka Lookout, Grampians, Victoria:

On many visits to Victoria’s magnificent Grampians region, we thought we’d ‘done’ all the lookouts. But in October 2012, we found a new one! SO new, I can’t find its name anywhere – and tragically can’t recall the name we saw on the sign!

On the back road between Lake Wartook and Boroka Lookout – in itself a magnificent spot – this is the only lookout from which both Lake Wartook (at right) and Lake Bellfield above Grampians Town Halls Gap can be seen – along with the great stretch of wildnerness separating them.

Read more: The Grampians

2  Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham, Western Australia:

Visitors to Wyndham start to ascend the Bastion range escarpment well before dusk to get the best vantage point from the Five Rivers lookout platform as the sun sets over the – yes, you guessed right – Five rivers that flow into impressive Cambridge Gulf.

But the view is just as impressive by day – bear in mind this photo shows only about half of it – with the saltworks below, tidal salt plains in the middle distance and the Cockburn range in the background.

Here, you’ll find the answer to that most pressing of questions: Does the picnic ground have Australia’s most Scenic Public Toilet?

Read more: Five Rivers Lookout

3 Inspiration Point, via Point Pass, South Australia:

Between Point Pass and Robertstown in South Australia’s mid-north, an unsealed road that leads high above the surrounding plain to Inspiration Point, where the colour of the landscape depends on the season! Look back, if you dare, from the lookout to the rocky retaining wall holding the road in place. South Australia’s mid north has a fascinating heritage that’s worth exploring, and Inspiration Point makes a fine starting point.

Read more: Point Pass

4 Transit Hill Lookout, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales:

Transit Hill isn’t the highest lookout on Lord Howe Island nor the one with the most extensive view. But in the late afternoon sun, the outlook over the distinctive – and impressive – twin peaks of Mounts Gower and Lidgbird forms a Bali-Hai-esque backdrop to the rest of this little gem 600 km off the New South Wales coast.

Read more: Lord Howe Island

5 Jarnem Lookout, Keep River National Park, Northern Territory:

The spectacular scenery of Keep River National Park, only a few kilometres from the Northern Territory/Western Australian border is best appreciated on the 7 km Jarnem Loop trail. Ascending to the lookout at the highest point above the surrounding plains is the best way to experience the vast magnificence of the 360° panorama, with only rock stacks and a distant mountain range for company!

But if you’re a bird watcher, a sighting of uncommon White-quilled Rock Pigeon beats the view from any lookout!!

Read more: Keep River National Park

6 Flagstaff Hill, Port Douglas, Far North Queensland:

Make sure your car is up for the vertiginous drive from sea level to ex-fishing-village-now-tourist-town Port Douglas’ best vantage point – through billions of dollars worth of prime coastal real estate. If you like the view over Four Mile Beach, there’s a block of land for sale just below the lookout platform.

Imagine waking up to that view, while directly behind your new home, throngs of tourists scale the heights to admire the sights by day and night!  Anyone who gets to this idyllic spot should thank the local council who, despite pressure from the locals (yes, the ones who live in those $multi-million properties) to close the public access road to the summit, kept it open!

Read more: Port Douglas

7 Mt Wellington, via Hobart, Tasmania:

Tragically my only visit to the Apple Isle, as Tasmania is affectionately known to the rest of Australia, was for a conference.  That meant I didn’t get to see anything except the inside of the conference venue. Until the last day when in the hiatus between conference end and flight departure I booked a tour to the top of Mt Wellington, 1270 m above Hobart and the Derwent river below.

This glimpse of the vast and untouched natural wilderness – for which every Australian should say ‘thank you, Bob Brown’ – has been a six year teaser for touring this often forgotten corner of Australia. BUT … at least this gets Tassie on the board for my blog!

Read more: Mt Wellington,Tasmania

8 Mt Warning, via Murwillumbah, Northern New South Wales:

The steep ascent to the Mt Warning (also known as Wollumbin) summit, first place the sun’s rays reach on the Australian mainland, will reward the lucky climber with a panoramic 360° view. I’ve made the 9km return hike three times – but never in the pre-dawn darkness to reach the top by sunrise!

In the Wollumbin World Heritage area, the view FROM Mt Warning’s summit lookout is one of New South Wales’ finest – but the best view OF Mt Warning is in Springbrook National Park just across the border in Queensland at the aptly named ‘Best of All’ Lookout!

Read more: Wollumbin National Park; and the Best of All Lookout

9 The Horn, Mt Buffalo, via Bright, Victoria:

It’s not all red rocks, dirt and sand from Australia’s lookouts – the Victorian Alpine region’s layer upon layer of mountainous wilderness can easily be viewed from several vantage points. The Alpine National Park crosses state boundaries with Mt Kosciuszko, at 2228 metres Australia’s highest, on the other side of the state border in New South Wales.

But the 1723 metre summit of the Horn atop Mt Buffalo – my personal favourite – is on the Victorian side of the border. Who knew you could have adventures in the cold like this?!

Read more: Mt Buffalo

10 Natures Window, Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia:

Take a break from the hordes of tourists queueing for a photo shoot at well known tourist hotspot Natures Window and admire the unframed view – to which a panorama shot does not do justice. Known for its wildflowers, the park is also a bonanza of natural attractions with deep gorges, stunning rivers and red RED rock!

To the left of the photo, a walking track leads along the ridge, then drops below into the gorge for what must be one of the most scenic walks in Australia. Ask me what it’s like next visit – because I wont let it pass me by again!

Read more: Western Australian Wildflowers; Kalbarri National Park

11 Tylers Pass Lookout, Central Australia:

At the very Western Edge of the West MacDonnell National Park, Tylers Pass marks the descent from the range into the plain below, its endlessness broken only by the massive bulk of Gosse Bluff.

An unexpected end to a day exploring the ‘West Macs’ as the park is less formally known, the road continues into what for us is absolute virgin territory. And an absolute must for next time!

Read more: Central Australia

12 Cawnpore Lookout, via Winton, Outback Queensland

It’d be difficult to accidentally find yourself in remote Outback Queensland’s Lilleyvale Hills between Winton and Boulia, but this stunning lookout with a stupendous view over spectacular rock formations only found in one other place in the world is more than enough reason to visit.

While the lookout isn’t really that far above the plains the 360° view is a great place to experience the emptiness of the Outback with a falling down fence – and highway – the only signs of civilisation. Besides, it’s great fun watching other travellers trying to drive the steep, rocky road to the top!

Read more: Cawnpore Lookout

13 Sillers Lookout, via Arkaroola, South Australia:

I’m jealous as hell. This is the only one of these awesome lookouts I HAVEN’T visited – but as (arguably) South Australia’s finest view, I couldn’t leave it out. Luckily, Wayne’s photo showing the stupendous view over the Northern Flinders ranges whilst on the world famous 4WD ‘Ridgetop Tour’ will have to do before I get there myself. Really soon!!

STOP PRESS!  I HAVE been there – read about it HERE!

Read more: Arkaroola Resort, the Ridgetop Tour & Sillers Lookout

14 Point Lookout, New England Ranges, New South Wales:

But there are no guarantees of a view from some lookouts – as we found at Point Lookout in the New England National Park. Only a few metres from the summit, 1500 metres above sea level, after a long and winding ascent through bright sunlight, the mist and fog blew in. Our rush for the lookout viewing platform too late for anything but a thick, soft whiteness, the otherworldly semi-darkness closed in around us and we were left with the haunting cry of the forest raven …

One day we’ll see what the view’s REALLY like!

Read More: Point Lookout

Sharing that killer view to EVERYONE when you get there is the other half of the fun – get the latest technology from TravelSIM so you can IMMEDIATELY make your mates jealous as hell!  Go on … you KNOW you want to!!

The post Aussie ABC – L is for Lookout! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.