Tours - Australia

"outback"

introduction

DURATION : 6 days (5 nights)

DEPARTURE : Adelaide

ARRIVAL : Alice Springs

PERSONS : 16

PRICE : about 750 AUS $

ORGANISATION : "Groovy Grape"

TOUR : "Desert Patrol"

GUIDE : Nigel

day 1:

06:30 you are being picked up at you’re hostel in Adelaide;
To the hamlet "Melrose" which is the oldest town in "Flinders Ranges" NP. It lies at the foot of "Mount Remarkable" and is originally an old mining town. There are two cafés here, a court and a police station;
The "Kanyaka" (Aboriginal site of stone) ruins are all that remains of an old cattle and sheep station dating from 1852. The area had been inhabited by Aboriginals for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived here. The first owner drowned but others took his place and the station would become the largest in the region with about 70 families. Because of its remote location, the families were self-sufficient and the station was virtually self-sufficient. Due to the persistent drought that resulted in countless dead sheep, the residents decided against it.You pass this place by bus;
About 12 km west of the town "Hawker" are the "Yourambulla" caves; original original "Aboriginal" drawings can be seen here;
17:00 arrival in Parachilna and check-in at "Prairie Hotel";
Possibility to swim in small pool;
View sunset, dinner (emu, kangaroo or camel) and view the 3 km long train with 80 wagons.

Name: "Prairie" Hotel

Address: Hawker-Leigh Creek Rd

Phone nr. : 8648 4844

Email: prairie_hotel@bigpond.com.au

Content:

The Prairie Hotel is an oasis of silence and emptiness; it is a traditional building, partly renovated, dating from the time that the train tracks were sacred. It has a variety of different accommodation options; you can camp here but also sleep in a self-sufficient cabin. The hotelrestaurant has speciality dishes such as emu, camel or kangaroo on the menu.

day 2:

Breakfast for the cabins at "Prairie Hotel";
Via "Parachilna" valley to the "Wilpena Pound"; this is the most popular and best known part of "Flinders Ranges" NP. The "Pound" is a natural basin surrounded by high cliffs and rocks. Different species of kangaroos and many birds populate this beautiful area. You can walk here and the steep and steep climb to "Tanderra Saddle" gives you a unique panorama of the park, one of the country's most beautiful views;
Check in at "Rawsnley Park";
After lunch there are several options to do; one is riding in the park.

Name: "Rawnsley Park Sheep Station"

Address: Wilpena Rd

Phone nr. : 8648 0030

Email: info@rawnsleypark.com.au

Content:

Near

the most popular site of the "Flinders Ranges" NP, "Wilpena Pound" lies this old sheep station. Possibilities of accommodation are camping and sleeping in a cabin. You can go horseback riding and make wonderful "forest" walks here. The friendly owners you can ask for anything.

day 3:

You have to go up early this morning (about 05:00); then there is lunch in "Woomera" or "Glendambo"; the first is a former rocket launcher. Core tests were also carried out. Tourists can visit the Woomera Heritage Center with the associated Missile Park. While at the service point in "Glendambo" (a hamlet with two pubs, a motel and a petrol station), you just go from here into the real "Outback" according to some. You will arrive at 16:00 in "Coober Pedy".

In the "Umoana" mine in Cooper Pedy you will, among other things, get a demonstration about winning opal;
Leisure activities in the mining town;
Eat in underground restaurant;
Free evening (you can also visit an underground bar - discotheque).

Coober Pedy:

The hamlet of "Coober Pedy" is known as the opal winning capital of the world. It was here that in 1915 a young boy found the first piece of opal by accident. The name Coober Pedy comes from Kupa Piti, an Aboriginal name, which means "white man in hole". And that is also where most people go; underground. It is very hot in the summer (above 50C) and bitterly cold in the winter. In the village, that’s got about 2500 inhabitants are more than 250.000 (opal) mines. Because of these extreme conditions (in the winter it is dusty and dry) several films have been taped here, such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Pitch Black. The city is located in the Outback, hundreds of kilometers from the nearest settlement and there is an atmosphere of the old "Wild West" including family feats, stories about fortune and disappointment and intrigues. Tourism in the city is largely focused on underground activities. Here you will find churches, hotels and tourists can also take a tour in a mine that is no longer operational. The free "Umoona" Opal mining museum provides information by a guided tour and an introduction film about opal mining and, among other things, what the Aborigines think of all of this.

Name: "Radeka's Downunder" Motel

Address: Oliver St

Phone nr. : 8672 5223

Email: radekadownunder@ozemail.com.au

Content:

Perfectly centrally located, this is the best backpacker hostel in the city of Cooper Pedy if you do not want to camp. There are underground dormitories but also doubles and singles. In addition, the motel has an excellent (underground)

bar-disco, kitchen, restaurant and laundry service.

day 4:

After breakfast we drove through the "Outback" (there is a chance of seeing "Roadtrains" (among others at "Kulgera");
15:00 arrival at "Yulara" (check in "Ayers Rock Resort Camp Ground);
Opportunity to dive into the pool there;
To the "Cultural Center Uluru" (with a number of art and souvenir shops);
A walk to the south side of Uluru where there is a permanent waterhole called "Mutitjulu";
A champagne sunset with a view of "Uluru";
To "Yulara" (hostel) - sit by campfire;
Sleeping in swag (outside under the sun) .

Uluru / Ayers Rock:

Located in the heart of Australia, "Uluru" or "Ayers Rock" is a giant rock formation and THE symbol of the country. The area is also called the "red center" because of the red color of the earth around here. Where (Western) tourists are one of the country's most important attractions, it is an important religious place for the local (original) residents, the "Anangu". It would have been a sea many years ago.

All facets of the rock have a certain meaning and are connected through mythology in the Tjukurpa. Certain cracks in the rock are for the Anangu the remains of a battle between two mythological creatures from the Dreamtime. In this way the rock forms, as it were, are a kind of Bible for the Anangu, who had no writing to write down their mythology. There are several sacred places around the rock that play a special role in male and female rituals. The Tjukurpa is largely secret to the uninitiated. For example, it is forbidden for Anangumans to even look at certain parts of the rock that have to do with women-Tjukurpa and vice versa. In 1985 the Aborigines, instead of the government, became the rightful owners of the rock. Curiously, the Aborigines are not allowed to prohibit tourists from climbing the rock, which luckily happens less and less (both out of respect but also because of the heat).

Uluṟu is located in the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, which has been included in the World Heritage List since 1987.

Name: "Ayers Rock Resort" camping

Address: Yulara Dr

Phone nr. : 8956 2055

Email: campground@ayersrockresort.com.au

Content:

This is the only campground around "Uluru" where you can also sleep in cabins. There is little shade but there are free barbecue spots and a large garden. You can also sleep on the grass with a "swag" (sleeping bag). Other facilities include a swimming pool, laundry and a small kiosk.

day 5:

After breakfast at our camp site there is the opportunity to walk around "Uluru" on your own. At sunrise (as sunset) it appears from different angles as if the color of the rock changed from yellow to dark brown;
We drive by bus about 25 km to "Katja Tjuta" (the "Olga's); Kata Tjuta means “many heads” in the language of the local Anangu Aborigines. It is a formation of about thirty rocks, the highest of which is more than 500 meters high. The color of Kata Tjuta varies under the variable light from red to ocher yellow. According to the Aborigines, a mythological serpent named Wanambi lives in a water hole close to the summit on the highest rock of Kata Tjuta. The hair of the snake suppose to be the dark lines on the east side of the rock. The wind blows that blowes here is through the many holes of the rock suppose to be his breath. If the snake is very angry it swells to a hurricane. There are two available hiking trails of which the "Valley of the Winds" (8 km) is the best known. The local Aborigines prefer not to climb the rocks, but to stay on the paths;
A drive to "Kings Canyon"; the Kings Canyon is part of the "Wattarka" (Kings Valley) national park; it consists of a beautiful deep gorge with rock walls of 300 meters high. In the depth "Kings Creek" (garden of Eden) flows surrounded by palm trees and greenery. Part of the gap is a holy place for the Aborigines. There are several hiking trails through the valley that are not too difficult apart from the heat. On top of the rocks you have a beautiful view of the brook, the deep gorge and the surroundings;
To "Kings Creek" station (eat and sleep in a swag on the campsite).

Name: "Kings Creek Station"

Address: Luritja Rd

Phone nr. : 8956 7474

Email: kingcreek@octa4.net.au

Content:

This still active cattle station which also functions as a camp site is located just outside the national park and has a small shop, swimming pool and possibilities of camping (including a swag).

day 5:

After breakfast there is an opportunity to take a dip in the pool;
To "Alice Springs" (see “Places of Interest”).

Tours - Australia

"outback"

introduction

day 1:

day 2:

day 3:

day 4:

day 5:

day 5:

see also:

LANDEN: