Flinders Ranges Along the Heysen Trail

Detailed Itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Tuesday 5 October: Arrive Adelaide

Meet you tour leader in the arrivals hall at Adelaide airport at 3pm and transfer to our accommodation at the historic Mt Lofty House in the Adelaide Hills. After time to settle in to your rooms we reconvene this evening for our welcome dinner in the award-winning Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant. Overnight Mt Lofty (D)

Wednesday 6 October: The Art of Hans Heysen

We travel down from the hills into Adelaide city to the Art Gallery of South Australia and undertake a guided tour focusing on the collection of Hans Heysen’s works housed in the gallery. Born in Hamburg in 1877, Heysen emigrated to Australia with his family in 1883. Attending art school from the age of 14, he sold his first work at 16 and was regularly exhibited in Adelaide, winning the Wynne Prize nine times between 1904 and 1932. Heysen’s deep love of the Adelaide Hills led him to purchase ‘The Cedars’ in Hahndorf where he set up his studio and lived out the rest of his life, making forays into the Flinders Ranges to capture the stunning Outback landscapes of the Australian bush. We make our way to ‘The Cedars’ and take a guided tour of the gallery and its rambling gardens, which served as the family home and studio for his daughter Nora Heysen, also a lauded artist. Overnight Mt Lofty (B)

Thursday 7 October: The Barossa

Departing the Adelaide Hills, we make the short journey north into the Barossa Valley winemaking region and visit Chateau Yaldara, one of Australia’s first boutique wineries founded in 1947 and situated on the banks of the North Para River. We enjoy a relaxed lunch in the restaurant and explore their range of local wines including a tasting of their renowned vintage fortified wine. Following lunch, we head towards the Clare Valley and the heritage town of Mintaro where we take a guided tour of Martindale Hall, a Georgian-style sandstone mansion built in 1879 and featured in the 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock. We continue to our heritage accommodation at Bungaree Station, a working sheep station on 80,000 acres of land. We tour the property’s heritage buildings before enjoying a BBQ dinner with Clare Valley wines. Overnight Bungaree Station (B, L, D)

Friday 8 October: Clare Valley

This morning we take the Riesling Trail, riding bikes approximately 4.5 kilometres along the flat pathway by the old railway line to Sevenhill Cellars, the oldest winery in the Clare Valley. The bus will follow for those not wishing to cycle. Sevenhill was established by Jesuits escaping persecution in Europe in 1851 to produce sacramental wine in their new home, a tradition that continues today. We take a walking tour of the winery’s significant wine and spiritual sites, including the underground cellar, old-vine vineyards, St Ignatius of Loyola Shrine and the crypt and church of St Aloysius. We return to Mintaro for lunch and a walking tour of the old town, and explore some of the locations where Hans Heysen painted in the area. We return to Bungaree for a roast dinner this evening. Overnight Bungaree Station (B, L, D)

Saturday 9 October: To Arkaroola

Departing early for our seven-hour drive today, we witness the landscape change from verdant bushland and vineyards to the rocky outcrops and red soil of the Flinders Ranges. We break our journey to inspect the ruins at Kanyaka Station. Established as a cattle station in 1852, it became one of the largest in the district with 70 families working and living here until massive losses through the effects of drought caused the station to be abandoned, leaving only the stone buildings standing desolate and empty. We stop for lunch at the iconic outback pub, the Parachilna Prairie hotel. We continue to Arkaroola, near the Gammon Ranges National Park, arriving in the early evening and have dinner in the restaurant at the resort. Overnight Arkaroola (B, L, D)

Sunday 10 October: Bararrana Gorge and Waterholes

This morning we depart on a seven kilometre walk to Bararrana Gorge on our first foray into Adnyamathanha Aboriginal lands. Although not too strenuous the terrain is rocky and involves climbing up hills, along dry creek beds and over some large boulders. The walk is quite varied and allows us to discover the geological story of Arkaroola, rewarding us with magnificent views over the gorge and surrounding area. After free time for lunch at the resort we set out in 4WD vehicles to explore the waterholes along the Arkaroola Creek system and seek out native birds and other wildlife including the endangered Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby. Dinner this evening is by the campfire with music provided by the traditional owners. Overnight Arkaroola (B, D)

Monday 11 October: Mawson Walk and Ridgetop Track

Known mainly for his exploration work in Antarctica, Douglas Mawson was a lecturer in minerology and petrology at the University of Adelaide and worked extensively studying the geology around the Flinders Ranges, identifying the first major radioactive ore body in Australia. Our walk this morning follows in the footsteps of Mawson through the Mawson Valley where his geologist student, Reg Spriggs, discovered ancient animal fossils that are over 600 million years old. This afternoon we take the resort’s specially designed open-top 4WD vehicles and navigate the steep slopes and rugged terrain to the Ridgetop Track for a 360-degree panorama over the red granite ranges to Lake Frome and the desert beyond. This evening is at leisure or you may wish to join the resort’s Astronomy Tour. Overnight Arkaroola (B)

Tuesday 12 October: Red Gorge to Wilpena Pound

We depart Arkaroola early this morning for Red Gorge, an area with a spectacular array of rock engravings. On the walk to the art sites – approximately four kilometres each way – we are accompanied by one of the traditional owners who will interpret the rock art and offer insights into the culture and history of the Adnyamathanha people. After an alfresco picnic lunch, we continue to Wilpena Pound and our accommodation for the next three nights. Overnight Wilpena Pound (B, L, D)

Wednesday 13 October: Wilpena Pound

The ancient sedimentary rock that makes up Wilpena Pound forms a natural amphitheatre known to the Adnyamathanha people as Ikara, meaning ‘meeting place’. Today we explore the area around Wilpena Pound with a series of optional walks escorted by the onsite cultural heritage manager who will arrange exclusive access to sites not otherwise accessible to the public. Overnight Wilpena Pound (B, L)

Thursday 14 October: Brachina Gorge

Today we join an Indigenous ranger for a tour into Brachina Gorge passing through 130 million years of history providing insights into past climate and the evolution of early life forms in the region. The gorge is home to many species of birds and reptiles and an important refuge for the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby and was used by the early settlers as a pass for bullock teams transporting their loads across the country. The afternoon is at leisure to relax at the resort or take an optional flight over Wilpena Pound or Lake Eyre. We gather around the camp fire for dinner this evening, our last night in the Outback. Overnight Wilpena Pound (B)

Friday 15 October: To Adelaide

After breakfast this morning we embark on the six-hour drive back to Adelaide. Arriving in the late afternoon we check into our comfortable modern city hotel with time to freshen up before gathering for a farewell dinner in one of the city’s fine restaurants. Overnight Adelaide (B, D)

Saturday 16 October: Depart

The tour concludes after breakfast in the hotel. (B)