Outback Explorer

Welcome to Adelaide! Begin your 10-day Australia tour in this city famous for its festivals, sporting events, colonial churches and architecture, amazing food, and as the gateway to renowned wine regions the Barossa and McLaren Vale (flights to arrive prior to 12.30pm). Kick off to a tasty start with a guided tour of Adelaide Central Market with a Local Specialist. Get the insider’s perspective stopping at your guide’s favourite stalls in this fresh produce market of more than 80 traders. You’ll shop as the locals do trying artisan cheeses, quirky Australian native foods, and fresh fruits and nuts with a focus on what’s in season. Then get to know your Travel Director and fellow travellers at a Welcome Reception at your hotel’s Luna10 Bar over a local wine or brew as you bask in stunning views from the city's tallest building. Your first big night continues with a celebratory dinner at the Japanese-inspired Koomo Restaurant and Bar toasting to the beginning of your journey into the Outback.

Begin today’s adventures soaking up the local art, culture, and wine. Your first destination is Knappstein Enterprise Winery in the Clare Valley, one of Australia’s oldest and undiscovered wine regions. Sip on the award-winning wines, like the area’s celebrated Rieslings and world-class reds as you tour the Heritage listed property with a Local Specialist. From one beautiful landscape to the next, your next stop is the Jeff Morgan Gallery for an exclusive look at Jeff’s world-renowned panoramic landscapes. Jeff will show you his 30-metre panoramic paintings of the Flinders Ranges that perfectly capture the dramatic scenery of the rugged Australian Outback. Then experience the landscapes for yourself on your stay at Wilpena Pound Resort in heart of the Flinders Ranges. This retreat is nestled in South Australia’s largest mountain range and owned by the Aboriginal Adnyamathanha people who have lived here for thousands of years. After being welcomed by an Aboriginal Elder or member of the local community, you'll better understand the area and know that this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience is contributing towards the future of the Aboriginal people.

History buffs will love today’s “time travels!” Begin at Wangara Lookout for views of Wilpena Pound and a short walk along a creek through bush and pines to Hills Homestead. Learn about the original settlers of this cottage who struggled to survive in this harsh environment. Wind through Pichi Richi Pass, part of the first stage of the Great Northern Railway in 1879 linking Port Augusta and Darwin, to the town of Quorn. Hear how Quorn was an important railway junction during World War II before making your way to Spencer Gulf’s Port Augusta. In Port Augusta’s Outback Centre, walk through their "Tunnel of Time" to the time of the dinosaurs and up to the present learning how the Flinders Ranges and Outback evolved, the people who once inhabited this place, and those who live there now. After a big day of exploring, trade highlights of the day over a three-course dinner at a local Aussie pub with the group.

Today you’re headed out of Port Augusta to the land of opals. Your first stop en route is the Woomera Heritage Centre and Missile Park in Woomera, a fascinating former rocket-testing site of the 1960s. Then continue your journey through history travelling through salt-lake country to Coober Pedy, founded in 1920 and still the “opal capital of the world.” On a tour with a Local Specialist, learn about the different types of opals and their quality as you navigate a labyrinth of old mine shafts, a church, and a private residence - showcasing the different types of early and modern dugout homes. You’ll be amazed to learn that even now over half the population of this town live underground in opal mining caves to escape the heat. Find the perfect souvenir from your visit to their shop before making your way to your unforgettable Stays with Stories overnight in the Desert Cave Hotel. You’ll experience true ‘dugout’ living visiting their underground shopping arcade, underground bar, and historic display on mining, opals.

Travel north today for a bucket list day in World Heritage listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, proudly a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Here in the heart of the Red Centre, with its vibrant blue skies and desert landscapes, you’ll make your first of many visits to the iconic Uluru over the next two days. Experience its rusty red, 348 metres high majesty over a classic sundowner of appetizers and sparkling wine. You’ll be mesmerised and enchanted by 'The Rock’s’ beauty as the surrounding grasses blow and the sky lights up in red and orange. This first sunset encounter with Uluru is the perfect introduction the land - and there’s more to come. Tonight’s Stays with Stories experience at the indigenous owned Desert Gardens Hotel surrounded by the red dirt and desert trees will give you an even deeper appreciation for the surrounding nature. Take it all in on your own or join an Optional Experience Uluru Barbecue Dinner and stargazing tour of the spectacular Southern sky.

From sunset to sunrise, Dive Into Culture and enjoy another view as you greet the dawn in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Watch the sun illuminate Uluru and its surroundings cosied up with a cup of cocoa. Your exploration of the park continues with a scenic drive with your Travel Director before exploring on a guided walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole at the base of Uluru. Learn all about the ancient rock art that has been preserved for hundreds of years, telling stories of the people who called this land home. After a morning in the sun, you have some time to relax at the hotel pool or visit the shops and galleries in town before another fascinating walk and spectacular sunset. At Kata Tjuta’s thirty-six domes of red-hued sedimentary rock, you’ll follow a trail through Walpa (meaning “wind”) Gorge to a lookout. Snap a few photos to remember your last night in the park. Tonight’s grand finale is a secluded sunset paired with canapes and sparkling wine - a beautiful way to conclude your day in this beautiful place.

Get an early start and take advantage of one last Uluru sunrise with a private Optional Experience at the Field of Light. Artist Bruce Munro’s light installation displays 50,000 frosted glass spheres lighting up an Uluru backdrop in shades of violet, blue, and white against its dramatic desert backdrop. With this colourful start to the day, it’s sure to be one of grand adventure. Next up is an epic drive through wide open desert lands from Uluru to Watarrka National Park (named for an Indigenous word meaning “umbrella bush”). Here you’ll admire the ancient walls of Kings Canyon rising 100 metres above Kings Creek. A guided walk along the sandy creek bed immerses you in its striped cliff walls of golden yellow, orange, and red. Wind down your day at Kings Canyon Resort for sundowners and a sunset dinner highlighting desert-scapes and Carmichael Crag.

Why not treat yourself to another memorable desert sunrise, this morning in Kings Canyon? Join your Travel Director for a trek to top of the canyon and a walk around its semi-circular edge lined with sandstone formations. Then drop into the canyon to the Garden of Eden’s shaded, lush oasis of greenery. After an active morning there’s time to relax and refresh before driving through the Outback to central Australia’s Alice Springs. Go right to the source at the circa 1871 Telegraph Station. The true origins of Alice Springs, the station’s start at sending messages between Darwin and Adelaide with a single wire not only connected Australia’s north and south but was also the first communication link between Australia and England. Now that you’ve learned a bit about the town, get a better view of ‘The Alice’ from Anzac Hill. Visit the hilltop Anzac Memorial and soak in the views of the Western and Eastern MacDonnell ranges makes for the perfect end to another incredible day in the Outback.

It’s your last day in Tasmania and there’s still plenty to see. You’ll begin with a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience exploring the natural beauty of Launceston's Cataract Gorge with insights from an Elder and Aboriginal Local Specialist.Experience this river gorge through their eyes as you learn about the flora and fauna and the significance the gorge played in their history. Then it's time for a scenic and yummy stop at Josef Chromy Wines. We can't think of a better way to end your time in Tassie than raising a glass or two sampling the specialties of the region including Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Once you’ve been treated to a few pours, sit down to a meat and cheese platter and your main course paired with Pepik Pinot Noir and views of the winery’s English gardens, picturesque lake and vineyards. Feeling full and happy, all good things must come to an end. After experiencing so many beautiful places together, bid your travel companions a warm farewell before your transfer to Launceston Airport (flights to depart after 5pm).

After ten days of Outback adventures, it’s time to say a fond farewell to your travel mates. Say farewell over breakfast before your transfer to the Alice Springs Airport for your onward flight (flights anytime).