Flinders Ranges
When South Australians think of the Outback, they often think of the Flinders Ranges. They're one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth and typify the peaceful open spaces that are here waiting to be explored.
It's here that you'll find awesome Wilpena Pound. Soar above its ramparts, valleys and plunging gorges on a scenic flight from one of many Flinders Ranges and Outback centres - from Rawnsley Park and Wilpena Pound Resort to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and Marree. This majestic natural amphitheatre is best captured from above, to fully appreciate its scale and beauty.
Go to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary for spectacular scenery and rare flora and fauna. You can take one of Arkaroola's famed four-wheel-drive Ridgetop Tour - the views from Sillers Lookout offering a fitting finale to the journey. Then travel the universe on a journey to the stars from one of three astronomical observatories.
The famous Parachilna's Prairie Hotel is in the Flinders Ranges. Join the groups that throng here for gourmet "Flinders feral food". You can stay in suites before heading out to explore the wilds of the Northern Flinders, from Lake Torrens to Parachilna Gorge and Blinman.
There are also Aboriginal artworks to be seen here, from the Yourambulla Caves near Hawker, to Arkaroo Rock and Sacred Canyon near Wilpena Pound. Beside the stunning Cullyamurra Waterhole, way up north near Innamincka, you'll also find Aboriginal rock carvings.
Coober Pedy is known as the Opal Capital of the World. See its beautiful underground church. Play golf on a course without grass. Noodle for opals and keep what you find, or buy up big at more than 30 gem shops in Coober Pedy. Then discover the landscapes beyond - the ochre hills of the Breakaways, the barren Moon Plains and the 5300 kilometre Dog Fence, the longest fence in the world. Stay overnight in an underground hotel.
Be a postie for the day on the Outback Mail Run from Coober Pedy, travelling more than 600 kilometres to the legendary Outback towns of Oodnadatta and William Creek. En route you'll deliver the post to remote cattle stations and pass historic ruins, monuments and the Overland Telegraph line.
With a population in the teens, William Creek has a local store and campground, a pub and a pub carpark that used to double as an airstrip. In 2000 the local airline Wrightsair was flying out every 10 minutes when nearby Lake Eyre was in flood for only the third time in 100 years. The timber and iron pub is like a giant visitor's book. Over the years it's been wallpapered with business cards, hand-written notes, bras, jocks and just about anything else not nailed down.
And soak in the soothing thermal waters of Dalhousie Springs, Australia's largest complex of artesian springs and used for tens of thousands of years by desert Aborigines. Camp overnight before wandering through the Dalhousie ruins and jumping back into the four-wheel-drive to explore the awesome Simpson Desert and its sea of parallel red sand ridges.
