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10 Day Outback Tour - Adelaide to Alice Springs

The 10 Day 4WD Outback Tour, tours ayers rock and explores the fascinating outback regions of Southern and Central Australia in a small group of 10 passengers. Accommodation is bush camping in a swag around the campfire at minimal facility campgrounds and bush camps (no facilities). It’s a backpacker tour with plenty of adventure, it will be hot, it will be dusty, it will be unbelievable.

The Tour visits Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas, or Mount Olga) and Watarka (Kings Canyon), Coober Pedy and The Flinders Ranges. As well other less well known destinations including Finke Aboriginal Community, Lake Eyre, Dalhousie Springs, Mt Connor (Atila), Mt Ebenezer, Kings Creek Station, Curtin Springs, and of coarse Lake Cadibarrawirracanna.

National parks visited on this tour include Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, which is a world heritage area, Watarrka National Park, Flinders Ranges National Park, Witjira National Park and Lake Eyre National Park.

Hikes include the Ayers Rock base walk (8km), Valley of the winds walk at Kata Tjuta (6km) and the rim walk at Watarrka (6km), plus a selection of other walks throughout the expedition. There is also time to climb Ayers Rock if you wish.

Aboriginal culture is very strong in Central Australia, the tour visits a number of locations where there are opportunities to meet Aboriginal People and experience this culture, especially at Iga Wartha Aboriginal Community where we spend a night camping. The tour also visits the Cultural centre in Ayers Rock Kata Tjuta National Park. Your guide will also be able to discuss with you the many aspects of this rich and varied culture, and will be able to show you sacred sites and ancient rock art.

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10 Day Outback Tour - Tour Itinerary

Day 1, Set off towards the Flinders Ranges:

Get used to the idea of getting up with the sun as you embark on this epic adventure to the center of Australia. A journey which follows the traditional trade routes of ancient Aboriginal Groups who followed a series of springs through the dry outback South Australian Desert. The Mound Springs were then chosen by the Afghan Camel drivers, then the steam train and then the road which became known as the Oodnadatta Track.

It is this direction you head when leaving Adelaide, North to the center, an early pick up from your hostel or hotel at 7am starts what many have described as the trip of their lifetime. The first stop is the ancient Flinders Ranges, laid down millions of years ago then lifted to form a mountain range.

The Flinders is so old that they contain fossils of some of the earliest life on the planet. It is also a spiritual place for the local Aboriginal People, The Adnyamathanha, who painted unique rock art on the walls at Yourambulla Caves, and who have countless creation stories for the ranges, valleys, hills and creeks.

After a fun 1st day on tour we make our first bush camp in the Southern Flinders Ranges, roll out the swag, crank up the campfire and sit back with a sky full of stars overhead.

• Yourambulla Caves
• Arkaba Homestead
• Moorlana Scenic Drive
• Southern Flinders Ranges
• Warrens Gorge
• Camp: Bush Camp in the Flinders Ranges
• Hiking:Yourambulla Caves, Flinders Ranges, 2km

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Day 2, Flinders Ranges:

Wilpena Pound is recognized as one of the premium destinations in Outback South Australia, a massive natural pound which is covered in ancient Gum Trees, creeks and supporting the endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby.

The best way to fully experience Wilpena Pound is by hiking, and the 2 hour Mt Olsen Bagge trail takes you to the edge of the pound rim, where you have sensational views over not only the pound, but the entire Flinders Ranges landscape.

After a spot of lunch under a shady gum tree at Wilpena, the tour heads north and meanders through the ranges to Bunyeroo Valley and Brachina Gorge, a huge gorge which cuts clean through the back of the ranges, the creek which floes through Brachina is often flowing and it is a spectacular drive as the sheer vertical walls of the Gorge reach skyward from the bumpy track.

From Brachina it is then onto the Iga Warta Aboriginal Community where you spend the afternoon relaxing with the Aboriginal people of this Flinders Ranges settlement. The evening is spent around the campfire learning about the traditional lives of the Adnyamathanha people and their culture.

• Wilpena Pound
• Wilpena Pound Hike
• Bunyeroo Valley
• Brachina Gorge
• Iga Warta Aboriginal Community
• Camp: Bush Camp at Iga Wartha Aboriginal Community
• Hiking:Mt Olsen Bagge, Wilpena Pound, 6km

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Day 3, Oodnadatta Track:

From the relative comfort of rugged Flinders Rangers, with it's cool creeks and shady trees, it is time the venture into the true Outback, we leave the bitumen roads behind and head north onto the famous Ooodnadatta Track.

Oodnadatta it's self is at the far end of the track and we'll have to wait until day 5 until we meet, in the mean time however we are to follow one of the oldest travel routes in the world.

The Oodnadatta Track follows a series of natural springs, which bubble our fresh water into a dry desert landscape, the springs are located in an arc which follows the edge the great artesian basin, a massive underground water aquifer. Aboriginal people who needed to travel, which they did for trade and cultural reasons, naturally followed the springs as they provided a health supply of fresh water. When the European explorers headed inland, they too followed the springs, then when the overland telegraph line went in, you guessed it, follow those springs, then eventually came the railway and finally the track.

Along the way you will not only see the mound springs, but will also see Lake Eyre, Australia's largest salt lake, Coward Springs, where you can swim in it's thermal spring waters, the Dingo Fence, the longest fence in the world, designed to keep the wild dingo population out of southern Australia and thus protecting the sheep industry.

At the end of the day you will arrive at William Creek, a true Outback town consisting of a pub and 3 permanent residents! This pub is a classic and we stop in for a beer before setting up camp on Anna Creek Cattle Station, the largest in the world, that's right, this is 1 single farm that is bigger than Belgium, and probably has a population of around 20 people.

• Oodnadatta Track
• Coply
• Arabunna Aboriginal Centre
• Dingo Fence
• Lake Eyre
• Coward Springs
• William Creek Pub
• Anna Creek Cattle Station
• Camp: Bush Camp on Anna Creek
• Hiking / Walking: 1km

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Day 4, Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy is our destination, after a dusty and bumpy ride through the outback, past a place called Lake Cadibarrawirracanna and desolate clay pans, we arrive at an even dustier town!

Made famous for producing opals, the town is a bizarre place where people live in underground houses and spend their days in home made mines searching for opal.

While in Coober Pedy there is plenty of time to explore, including underground in to learn about mining, there is even an underground church!

After a well eared shower is is time to replenish the supplies and head back into the outback towards Oodnadatta.

On the way to Oodnadatta is one of Australia’s best kept secrets, an area know as the Painted Desert, an insane landscape consisting of tiny colored rocks, it is near here that it's time to set up camp, by now a familiar routine consisting of lighting the campfire, rolling out the swags, preparing another feast over the fire and sitting back and enjoying the outback night sky.

• Coober Pedy
• Go Underground in Coober Pedy
• Painted Desert
• Camp: Bush Camp near the Painted Desert
• Hiking / Walking: 1km

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Day 5, Oodnadatta & Dalhousie Springs

Driving into Oodnadatta in the early morning is a welcome experience, a lovely little town seriously in the middle of nowhere has a healthy population of locals, an old historical railway station and a Pink Road House!

The owners of the Pink Road House hit on the idea many years ago that make your business famous all you have to do is paint it pink, and you know what, it worked! This place is seriously famous and very pink, we stock up on fuel and cold drinks and keep moving north towards the Witjira National Park, home to the Dalhousie Springs, one of the highlight of the tour.

Traveling via Simpson Desert landscapes the road to Dalhousie is both long, dusty and rough (OK that was three things), but when you finally arrive you are greeted with a truly amazing sight, a huge pool of water fringed with trees, which is amazing on it's own out here, but even more amazing is the fact that it's hot! And even more amazing than it being water and hot, is that it is the exact temperature at which the most perfect bath in the world is set, so that means, after sitting in the back of the truck all day, being bounced around so that your bones hurt and your ears a full of dust, you slide your tired body into this giant bath and it is seriously pleasurable!

The perfect place to camp is next to the springs and in between setting up camp, cooking and eating you can imply jump back into the bath that never goes cold

Then when you wake up in the morning, you guessed it, straight back into the bath, it really is a very cool experience and well worth the long dusty drive to get there.

During the summer months Dalhousie Springs are simply disgustingly hot, so they are bypassed for the cooler waters of Eringa

• Pink Road House Oddnadatta
• Simpson Desert
• Eringa Waters
• Dalhousie Springs
• Camp: Bush Camp at Dalhousie Springs or Eringa Waters
• Hiking / Walking: 2km

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Day 6, Finke & Ayers Rock

As we depart Dalhousie Springs it's onto further adventure, and today my friends, after a big day of driving we will see out first sunset over Ayers Rock.

First however we cross the South Australian / Northern Territory border and visit the Apatulla Aboriginal Community located on the Finke river.

The Finke River is estimated to be the oldest river in the world, an astonishing 300 million years old! Geologists say they know this because, way up stream the river cuts clean through the Western Mac Donnell Ranges, and the only way a river can cut clean through a mountain range is if the river was there first, so if you know the age of a mountain range (apparently a relatively easy task!) then you can guess the rivers. For most of those 300 million years it probably flowed pretty well, these days it only flows for the full length on average every 8 years, for most of the time it is a dry, sandy riverbed.

We stock up with water at the Finke township and start heading west for that giant rock, along the way passing by Lamberts Centre, the Geographical center of Australia.

The excitement starts to build as we travel towards the rock and peaks when we see the sunset over what is an awe inspiring place. Sleeping in the Red Sand Dunes in anticipation of tomorrow's activities is sensational.

• Finke
• Lamberts Centre
• Ayers Rock (Uluru)
• Ayers Rock Sunset
• Camp: Bush Camp at Ayers Rock
• Hiking / Walking: 1km

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Day 7, Ayers Rock

Waking up to an Ayers Rock sunrise is a special experience and one you'll remember for a long time.

Making our way towards Ayers Rock our first stop is at the Cultural Centre, an center dedicated to promting the traditional culture of the local Aboriginal people, the Anangu.

Your guide will then take you on a short walk around the base of the rock to a place called Kantju Gorge, where there is a permanent waterhole and shelter from the sun under shady trees, while on this walk you will see Aboriginal Rock Paintings, Sacred Sights and hear cultural stories of the Aboriginal Creation Time.

From Kantju Gorge you can choose to continue walking around the base of Ayers Rock (9km) or if you wish climb to the summit.

• Ayers Rock
• Ayers Rock Base Walk
• Cultural Centre
• Camp: Bush Camp at Ayers Rock
• Hiking:Ayers Rock Base Walk, 9km

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Day 8, Kata Tjuta (Olgas)

Kata Tjuta is a huge rock formation to the west of Ayers Rock, in the past it was known as Mt Olga, or The Olgas. Biger than Ayers Rock and more sacred, Kata Tjuta is a place which many people claim to like better than Ayers Rock. The many rock domes are seperated by deep cool valleys and gorges, amny containing treens and vegitation.

After breakfast and packing up camp, it's off the Kata Tjuta for an 8km hike through the domes of Kata Tjuta and a place called "The Valley of the Winds" where, coincidently, it is often windy, this seems to be due to the relatively cooler temperatures in the deep narrow valley compared to those of the surrounding desert, this creates a "thermal interruption", resulting in, you guessed it, wind! Which in the middle of summer is a welcome relief.

Kata Tjuta actually translates to mean "many heads", the Aboriginal people believe that the domes represent the heads of their most important ancestors an the area is considered more sacred than Uluru.

Geologically the area is wonderfull and your guide will be able to explain how Kata Tjuta and Ayers Rock were formed many millions of years ago.

After visiting this fascinating area it's back to the resort for lunch then off towards Kings Canyon where again a campfire is cranked up as you settle in for a night under the stars in the bush.

• Kata Tjuta
• Valley of the Wind Hike
• Camp: Bush Camp near Kings Canyon
• Hiking:The Valley of the Winds, Kata Tjuta, 8km

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Day 9, Kings Canyon & West Mac Donnell Ranges

Not far from camp is Kings Canyon, another amazing central Australian destination full of surprises.

The best part about Kings Canyon is another 8km walk called "The Rim Walk" as it's name suggests it takes you along the rim of the deep canyon and has some great, and scary, views of the surrounding desert and canyon floor.

In addition to the canyon it's self, there are a number of other jewels including The Garden of Eden, a lush pocked of vegetation with plants dating back to the age of the dinosaurs, it also has a deep, permanent water hole where you can jump in for a swim.

After lunch we head East towards the Western Mac Donnell Ranges. The ranges run in an East West direction for several hundred kilometres, and Alice Springs is located in the ranges about half way along.

We set up camp in the ranges at a suitable remote location and settle in for our last night of the tour.

• Kings Canyon
• Kings Canyon Rim Walk
• West Mac Donnell Ranges
• Gosses Bluff
• Camp: Bush Camp West Mac Donnell Ranges
• Hiking:The Rim Walk, Kings Canyon, 8km

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Day 10, West Mac Donnell Ranges & Alice Springs

The ranges are spectacular and house many gorges which Cut through the ranges creating canyons and gullys, often with permanent water holes complete with sandy beaches, which are perfect for swimming.

The West Macs are the perfect way to finish off the trip, there are any number of short hike we can do, of if it's a stinking hot day then we spend most of it swimming in the various waterholes, Glen Helen Gorge, Ormiston Gorge and Ellery Creek Big Hole all all wonderful swimming spots with deep waterholes, shady trees and sandy beaches.

It's the perfect way to finish off a sensational trip around the outback and you'll arrive back into Alice Springs in the early evening, from where the group normally heads out for a night on the town.

• West Mac Donnell Ranges
• Glen Helen Gorge
• Ormiston Gorge
• Ellery Creek Big Hole
• Hiking:Ormiston Gorge, 3km

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