Ultimate Outback Roadtrip
Road trip across the incredible Australian outback with your new Wild Women best friends! We will cross the red sand dunes of Uluru, the underground town of Coober Pedy, the desert of Lake Eyre, and the beautiful Flinders Ranges!
Trip Highlights:
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Experience Uluru in all its glory, stroll around the base walk and have a guided walk from a local Anangu woman.
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Hike the famous Kings Canyon Rim walk and sit by the waterhole in the "Garden of Eden".
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Stay in an underground motel at Coober Pedy and learn about opals on a mine tour.
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Road trip across the mighty Oodnadatta track, learning about the history of the Outback and visit the giant (Salt) Lake Eyre.
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Bush walk through the beautiful Flinders Ranges
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Taste the wine of the Clare Valley region.
Trip info:
Date: TBD
Duration: 9 days
Start: Alice Springs
Finish: Adelaide
Group size: max 17
Cost: $1600
Information
Included:
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Camping gear (swag, sleeping bag, tent)
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Camp site and national park fees
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Transport in 4x4 vehicle
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3 meals a day plus snacks
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Field of Lights entry pass at Uluru
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Underground tour in Coober Pedy
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Indigenous tour at Kings Canyon
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Wine Tasting in Clare Valley
What to Bring:
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Day clothes (shorts and shirts will be fine in the desert.. but in the Flinders you'll need warm clothes!)
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Warm jacket and warm pants – night time temperatures can drop to 0°. I would suggest a padded winter jacket, a long sleeve shirt, track pants and warm leggings.
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Swimmers- if you would like to swim in the water holes.
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Hiking shoes- sneakers are okay, but there will be some rough terrain, so make sure they are sturdy.
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Sandals/thongs
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Hat
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Toiletries (don’t forget chapstick and moisturiser – its dry here!)
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Wetwipes
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Sunscreen
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Camera/gopro
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Chargers
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Battery pack
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Head torch
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Fly net
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Small backpack for day acivities and hikes
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Water bottle (2L recommended) - water will be accessible everywhere
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Travel pillow
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Towel
Meeting Point:
This adventure begins in Alice Springs at 7am on the 11th of May. You should book your flights into Alice Springs the day before or earlier and book accomodation in town. I would recommend the Alice Lodge Backpackers for a cheap option or the Aurora for a nicer motel. We will pick you up from your accomodation between 7 - 7:20am. Once you have booked your accomodation please email wildwomenjourneys@gmail.com with your pickup location.
Finish Point:
We will arrive in Adelaide at 4pm on the 19th of May and will drop you off at any accomodation of your choice.
Itinerary:
Day 1:
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Depart from Alice Springs at 7am and drive towards the West Macdonnell Ranges. This beautiful National Park is known for its stunning waterholes and impresive hikes.
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We will visit Ellery Creek waterhole, Ormiston gorge waterhole, and go for a short hike.
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Tonight we will be camping at the secluded Finke River campsite. This is our only night in a full bush campsite - no toilets, and no showers! But there is a clean spring fed waterhole here you can freshen up at.
Day 2:
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Today we will head around the dirt road towards Kings Canyon. It is a 3 hour drive through stunning outback mountains, we commonly spot wild horses and camels along this drive.
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Along this drive we will stop at a remote Indigenous community and have a local tour to learn about bush tucker, traditional medicines, and culture in this area.
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We will arrive to our campsite at Kings Creek Station in the afternoon, and can enjoy a beverage at their well known outback pub whilst we watch sunset.
Day 3:
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This morning will be an early rise to go and hike the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. This is 6km loop hike which ventures through the most incredible red rock domes and cliffs, you are sure to be left in awe!
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After our hike we will return to camp to pack up our swags, have lunch, and continue our road trip to the most iconic stop of our trip - ULURU!
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We will arrive just in time to have a short walk around the base of Uluru and watch the colours change as the sun sets.
Day 4:
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This morning we will rise early to catch the famous Uluru sunrise, and walk the base. You have the option to walk half (5km) or the full circuit (10km). We will visit the Cultural Center to learn more about the Anangu people who are the traditional owners of this land.
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After lunch we will head over to Uluru's lesser known big brother, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Here we will go on a short walk through the massive conglomerate domes and learn about this unique geology.
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Tonight we will visit the light art exhibition "Field of Lights".
Day 5:
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Theres no tip toeing around this one.. today is a looong drive. 7.5 hours to be exact. We will depart Uluru around 7am and arrive to Coober Pedy in the mid afternoon. There are lots of stops to break up this drive at quirky outback roadhouses.
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Tonight we will be staying in possibly the most unusual guesthouse youve ever stayed at.. an underground cave! Yep, the walls are rock, and there's an airvent up to the ground above. Its weird, but wonderful!
Day 6:
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This morning we will explore the famous opal mining town of Coober Pedy, visiting some of its unusual underground building such as the local church, and we will go on a tour of an opal mine. You might even be able to find your own opal by sieving through the sand around town!
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Around midday we will say goodbye to Coober Pedy and head on the most remote road of our trip.. the Oodnadatta! This old train road was one of the early pioneers paths into the outback, and goes through the most barren desolate parts of the outback. Along this route we will see abandonded train stations, old cars and stock yards.
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In the middle of this desolate desert is one surviving building, William Creek Station. It is an essential service station on this remote road, being the only fuel provider for hundreds of kilometers. Here we will roll out our swags for the night and enjoy a beer (or 10) at the pub in the middle of nowhere.
Day 7:
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Our adventure continues along the Oodnadatta road, with our first stop being a ground spring oasis, and then Lake Eyre, the largest salt lake in Australia which you can walk out on.
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The scenery will slowly change as we reach the end of the Oodnadatta road and the Flinders Ranges come into view.
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Tonight we will camp at the northern end of the Flinders Ranges National Park amongst the Eucalyptus forest.
Day 8:
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There is nothing quite like waking up to the sun rays on your face and the birds chirping in the Flinders Ranges! We will have a slow morning, relighting the camp fire and cooking up breaky.
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Today we will explore some of the bush walking trails nearby, depending on how active we are feeling there are hikes from 2km long to 17km!
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We wont drive far today, but will camp in the southern end of the national park.
Day 9:
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The last stop of our adventure will be the Clare Valley, a vineyard region famous for its red's. We will visit a few cellar doors as a final celebration of our trip, before arriving to Adelaide around 4pm.
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You will be dropped off at any accomodation of your choice. Tonight we can organise a final farewell dinner at a restaurant in the city.
Camping:
We will sleep in outback swags, which have a foam mattress, waterproof canvas covering, and a sleeping bag inside. At this time of the year the evening temperature is perfect for sleeping outside under the stars! We will also have tents just in case of rain, but hopefully we wont have to use them! I will provide all swags and bedding (excluding pillows, please bring your own pillow if you want one). On this trip we will always be sleeping at semi-organised camp grounds which have toilets and showers.
Reception/Wifi:
Reception will be very patchy throughout our whole trip, Optus will have receiption on nights 1-6, Telstra will have receiption nights 3-8, and vodaphone... you might as well leave your phone at home. There wont be any wifi at any locations we visit.
Food/dietary requirements:
We will provide 3 meals a day plus lots of yummy snacks. The food will be healthy, and we will always have a few different options for meals. As examples we may have muesli/cereal/yoghurt/toast for breakfast and the occasional hot breakfast; sandwiches/wraps/salads for lunches; and stir fry/pasta/curries/bbq’s for dinners. Please let us know on the booking form if you have any dietary requirements and we will gladly cater for you.