Adelaide & the Flinders Ranges

Day 1 | Monday 15 March
Adelaide – Clare Valley
The Clare Valley has drawn settlers since the 1840s, its rolling landscape dotted with slate cottages, heritage churches and some of the oldest vineyards in Australia. This afternoon, we meet at Adelaide Airport and depart by coach for Bungaree Station – a pastoral property established in 1841, named after the local Aboriginal word for the area and still run by the founding family. Accommodation at Bungaree is in heritage-listed cottages, with private bedrooms and shared bathroom and living facilities within each cottage. On arrival, there is time to explore the heritage complex and take in the quiet of the surroundings. As the evening draws in, we gather again for a welcome dinner at the station. Overnight Clare Valley (D)

Day 2 | Tuesday 16 March
Mintaro
The village of Mintaro, built almost entirely of local slate quarried nearby, survives as one of the most complete heritage townships in the state, its streetscapes little changed in more than a century. Today we set up among its quiet streets, where weathered cottages, early churches, the Magpie and Stump Hotel and the imposing slate-built police station offer a rich variety of architectural subjects. John will demonstrate techniques for capturing the texture of stone and corrugated iron, as well as the shifting patterns of light and shade across the village’s walls, gardens and tree-lined lanes. Non-painters may explore the village at leisure, walking out to nearby Martindale Hall, the Georgian mansion that stood in for the original Picnic at Hanging Rock. In the afternoon we return to Bungaree for time within the station complex itself, its heritage buildings and open paddocks offering fresh subjects as the light lengthens. Those who prefer may follow the walking trails out through the paddocks or settle into the quiet of the station before we gather for dinner together. Overnight Clare Valley (B, D)

Day 3 | Wednesday 17 March
Clare Valley Wines
The Clare Valley’s reputation rests on more than 150 years of winemaking, its cool nights and warm days producing some of the country’s finest Rieslings, drawn from vines first planted by German and English settlers in the 19th century. Following a morning spent painting en plein air in the grounds of Bungaree Station, we travel to Pikes Wines, a respected family-owned winery set among the vineyards of the Polish Hill River district. Here we gather for a long lunch, pairing regional produce with wines from the estate. Late afternoon, we return to Bungaree, where painters may keep working within the station complex while others take to the walking trails and gardens. As evening settles, we reconvene for dinner together at the station. Overnight Clare Valley (B, L, D)

Day 4 | Thursday 18 March
Bungaree – Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges rise from the plains north of the Clare Valley, a chain of weathered peaks and gorges formed over 800 million years and among the oldest landscapes on earth, their folded strata laid down when the region lay beneath an ancient sea. Departing Bungaree today, we travel north through Melrose, the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges, whose broad streets and stone buildings recall its history as an important railway and pastoral centre. We also pause at Hawker for lunch before we continue into the ranges to Rawnsley Park Station – a working sheep station set beneath the dramatic escarpment of the Elder Range and our base for the next four nights. On arrival, there is time to settle in and take in the surroundings before we enjoy dinner on site, set in an authentic Australian Woolshed. Overnight Flinders Ranges (B, L, D)

Day 5 | Friday 19 March
Wilpena Pound
The great natural landmark of the Flinders, Wilpena Pound, is a vast basin ringed by quartzite walls that the Adnyamathanha people know as Ikara, a place central to their creation stories. Today we make an early departure for Wilpena Pound, pausing near Arkaroo Rock to paint the quartzite walls in the cool morning light, with the Elder and Chace Ranges forming a dramatic backdrop. We continue to the Pound entrance for a further session as the sun brings out the colours and contours of the ancient landscape, wrapping up before the midday heat. Afterwards, we retreat to the air-conditioned facilities at Wilpena Pound Resort, with time to explore the nearby homestead ruins before lunch together at the Ikara Bar and Restaurant. In the late afternoon, we return to Rawnsley for a short painting session at one of the station’s lookouts—Rawnsley Bluff or Arkaba Hill—as the softening light transforms the surrounding ranges. Dinner tonight is again at the Woolshed Restaurant. Overnight Flinders Ranges  (B, L, D)

Day 6 | Saturday 20 March
Blinman
Founded during the copper boom of the 1860s, Blinman is South Australia’s highest surveyed town, its red-stone buildings and former mine workings set against the rugged northern Flinders Ranges. Arriving in the cool of the morning, we set up among its heritage streetscapes, where warm local stone, corrugated iron and the surrounding ranges offer a rich variety of subjects. John will select compositions and demonstrate techniques for capturing the town’s distinctive architecture and outback light. Afterwards, we gather for lunch at the historic Blinman Hotel, which has served the town since its earliest years, before returning south to Rawnsley with a brief scenic stop for quick sketches as the afternoon light brings out the colours of the ranges. We arrive back at the station in time for dinner. Overnight Flinders Ranges (B, L, D)

Day 7 | Sunday 21 March
Rawnsley Park Station
After several days exploring the wider Flinders Ranges, today is devoted to Rawnsley Park Station itself. Set beneath the quartzite escarpment of Rawnsley Bluff, the property offers a wealth of subjects close at hand, from homestead buildings and open paddocks to sweeping views across the surrounding ridgelines. This morning, we paint en plein air from selected lookouts as the changing light brings out the ochre, rust and violet hues of the ranges. The middle hours are at your leisure to rest, wander the property, or continue painting at your own pace. As the afternoon cools, we travel by coach across the station for a guided sundowners tour at Pugilist Hill. With canapés served as we take in the view, we watch the ranges shift from gold to deep red in the last light of the day. We then return to Rawnsley for dinner at the Woolshed. Overnight Flinders Ranges (B, D)

Day 8 | Monday 22 March
Flinders Ranges – Adelaide
The Flinders have a way of staying with the painter long after the easel is packed away. Our final full day begins among them as we depart for the long road south to Adelaide. Travelling via Quorn, the country gradually softens, with quartzite peaks giving way to the open pastoral plains of the mid-north and the wheat and grazing land that have sustained the region since the 19th century. We reach Adelaide in the late afternoon and check into the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel, well placed in the heart of a city known for its parklands, food and easy elegance. There is time to rest and freshen up before we gather this evening for a farewell dinner at Fugazzi, a celebrated Italian bar and dining room on Leigh Street, where we raise a glass to the beautiful landscapes encountered and artworks created over the past week. Overnight Adelaide (B, D)

Day 9 | Tuesday 23 March
Depart Adelaide
Our tour concludes after breakfast this morning. (B)