Australian Art & Outback Landscapes of the Flinders Ranges

Enjoy an immersion into the quintessential outback landscapes of South Australia. Experience firsthand the panoramas that inspired Australian artist, Hans Heysen. Visit Heysen’s home and studio and see his works at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Explore the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden and spend three nights before the colossal natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound. Throughout our journey, we absorb the contrast of desert scenery and lush gardens.

Itinerary

Day 1: Adelaide and Art Gallery of South Australia

Arrive into Adelaide airport this morning, where you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon we explore the Art Gallery of South Australia, with its fine collection of works by Australian and overseas artists. Enjoy a guided tour, where you’ll hear about the works of Hans and Nora Heysen. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening. 

Day 2: Adelaide Hills, Hahndorf and The Cedars

This morning we visit Beerenberg Farm in the Adelaide Hills, after which there will be time to look around the quaint German-influenced village of Hahndorf. Delight in its charming main street, lined with cellar doors, restaurants and sweet shops. Afterwards, we explore the home and studio of Hans Heysen and enjoy lunch here at The Cedars. Here we admire the magnificent gums Heysen was so famous for painting.

Day 3: Moonta Miners Cottage and Quorn

Depart Adelaide today for the scenic drive to Moonta, a town of national heritage status. Visit the National Trust Miners Cottage and Garden, which was built around 1870 in a typically Cornish style. Learn about the construction of the building before exploring the garden, which still features some of its original plants. Afterwards, enjoy time to explore the historic mining town and perhaps sample one of Moonta’s famous Cornish pasties, a remnant of the town’s mining past. Continue on to Quorn later today.

Day 4: Port Augusta, Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, Wadlata Outback Centre and Quorn Silo Light Show

Today we visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, home to thousands of highly evolved plant species which have adapted to thrive in an environment of extreme temperatures and frequent droughts. Enjoy touring the garden before visiting the Wadlata Outback Centre to see the ‘Tunnel of Time’, an interactive introduction to the Flinders Ranges, from the dinosaur era to today. Tonight we visit the Silo Light Show in Quorn, a spectacular audio-visual display celebrating the stories of the Flinders Ranges.

Day 5: Pichi Richi Railway and Wilpena Pound Sunset Drinks

Depart Quorn, travelling on board the Pichi Richi Railway, which was featured on Michael Portillo’s Greatest Railway Journeys program. Travel along the original Ghan route aboard a beautifully restored train. We re-board our coach to travel into the Flinders Ranges and arrive at Wilpena Pound, a large natural amphitheatre created by erosion over millions of years. This evening, witness a dramatic sunset of changing colours over Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges. Marvel over this vast ancient landscape from a nearby lookout, offering astonishing panoramic views, as you enjoy drinks and canapes.

Day 6: Flinders Ranges Landscapes – Brachnia Gorge, Bunyero Valley and Old Wilpena Station

The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, with towering ancient cliffs and deep craters. Explore Wilpena Pound and the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park by 4WD and see the landscapes which inspired the paintings of Hans Heysen. Explore more than 800 million years of geological history as you follow the ‘Corridor Through Time’ walking trail through Brachina Gorge. Marvel at Brachina’s rugged beauty, as well as that of nearby Bunyeroo Gorge. Search for common fringe lily, fringe myrtle, guinea flower, lavender grevillea, mintbush and nodding chocolate lily. Stop to take in sweeping views of Bunyeroo Valley and the eastern wall of Wilpena Pound. Visit Old Wilpena Station to see the ‘Living with Land’ interpretive trail and view the large public artwork ‘Ikara’, an Aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting place’. Alternatively, you may like to take one of the active hikes Wilpena Pound has to offer.

Day 7: Parachilna Gorge, Prairie Hotel Lunch and Moralana Scenic Drive

Set out for another day in search of the unique wildflowers of the region. Return to spectacular Brachina Gorge, before continuing on to Blinman to view the ruins of a mine set against a backdrop of hilly countryside. At an altitude of 615 metres, the town is the highest in South Australia. Continue onto Parachilna Gorge with its stands of river red gums, spectacular rock formations and old railway station. Learn about the Ediacaran fossil site, dating back some 600 million years, before enjoying lunch at the renowned Prairie Hotel, which proudly displays many works by Aboriginal artists. Continue back to our hotel via the Moralana Scenic Drive, passing between the outer wall of Wilpena Pound and the colourful bluffs of the Elder Range, with thickets of native cypress pine.

Day 8: Bungaree Station and Clare Valley

Depart Wilpena Pound today for the Clare Valley, travelling through the delightful outback towns of Hawker, Orroroo and Jamestown. Arrive in the Clare Valley and visit Bungaree Station, a part of South Australia’s rich pastoral heritage which ran 100,000 sheep in its heyday. The station once resembled a small village, having its own church, store, blacksmith shop and even a district council chambers. Today we explore the beautiful sandstone homestead and the historic station complex.

Day 9: Martindale Hall and Heritage Garden

This morning, visit Martindale Hall, one of South Australia’s best-known homesteads. Each room within this Georgian-style house is a living museum, which allows you to see how the wealthy lived in the late 1800s. Enjoy lunch before visiting a local winery then continue on to a beautiful private garden and meet the owners.

Day 10: Private Garden and Adelaide

Visit a private garden before travelling back to Adelaide today via scenic grape-growing country. You will be dropped off at the post-tour hotel at around midday.