An ancient landscape moulded by millions of years of geological activity, the Flinders Ranges offers some of the most spectacular outback scenery, enveloped in Aboriginal history going back thousands of years.

Arkaba's 60,000 acre private conservancy is home to a wondrous variety of bird and wildlife and a remarkable conservation story. Guests enjoy the five bedroom 1850's homestead and expert guiding while a few of our renowned Wild Bush Luxury touches ensure comfort, style and a truly memorable outback experience.

Stretching north from Port Augusta into the sun-seared wilderness of South Australia's deserts, the Flinders Ranges is one of Australia's most impressive outback locations. Here, surrounded by the arid wasteland of the great salt lakes, an ancient seabed has been sculpted by millions of years of rain and sun into a fractured, furrowed landscape of deep valleys covered with casuarinas and cypress pines which fall into creek beds lined with red river gums.

For wildlife watching, bush-walking, photography or just soaking up the sights and sounds of outback Australia, the Flinders is in a class of its own.

The Flinders Ranges offer one of the most accessible outback destinations in Australia. Arkaba is situated on the southern edge of Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges National Park.

Access

5 hours’ drive from central Adelaide

65 minute flight by private charter aircraft from Adelaide or Kangaroo Island

1 ¼ hours’ drive from Port Augusta

Private guided road transfer hosted by a local guide passing through the Clare Valley and can include wine tastings and lunch.

Private air and road transfers are available on request.

Accommodation

With just five rooms the homestead is an oasis of comfort and style amidst a harsh and rugged landscape, where guests enjoy a taste of classic Australian country hospitality. Each bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom and opens out onto a shaded verandah with individual views of the surrounding ranges. With decor by wildlife artist, Rosie Woodford-Ganf - think bedheads fashioned from recycled fence posts and fleeces, curtains tied back by gumnut tassles, lights perched on explorers' tripod theodolites - the guestrooms retain a sense of history and place.

As the layout of the original homestead has been retained, each room has a character of its own and has been named after early settlers, explorers or property owners. Four bedrooms are located in the homestead, while the Coachman's Cottage in the corner of the garden provides a fifth guestroom. The rooms are air conditioned and have been designed with the homestead's heritage in mind, a mix of king and twin beds have premium mattresses, organic cotton sheets and a choice of pillows to ensure a great night's sleep. With no telephones, televisions, minibars or the typical features of a hotel room to distract, the focus is on the experience and one of the most beautiful properties in Australia.

Guided Experiences

Originally settled by Europeans in the 1850s, Arkaba has an Aboriginal history going back thousands of years and a geological history that dates back hundreds of millions of years. It was in the Flinders that the very first soft bodied multi-celled organisms (the Ediacaran fauna) were first discovered. Today a walk on Arkaba is a walk through Australia's geological history, with the exposed rock strata revealing Australia's journey through time from an ancient seabed to mighty mountain range.

Arkaba's wildlife is prolific - with Australia's three largest macropods (Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Common Wallaroo) all regular sightings. The near threatened Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby has also returned to Arkaba's range since the introduction of active conservation programs.

For those keen to learn more of the challenges Australia faces in saving its diversity of wildlife, join one of Arkaba's field guides one evening to track a radio collared feral cat or set up the trip cameras that monitor key sites across the property. Wildlife conservation on the property is an ever changing and ever improving endeavour which has immensely enhanced the wilderness experience.

For the more active, Arkaba offers some of the best bushwalking in the country; for the soft adventurers, an open top safari drive reveals the vistas and secrets of the property in a different way, usually capped off with a sundowner drink on top of the ranges with the scale and grandeur of outback Australia laid out for miles around.

Scenic Flights (additional cost)

A scenic flight provides an all encompassing view of the topology of the ranges, particularly Wilpena Pound, and is an easy way to experience the massive salt pans of Lake Torrens to the west of the ranges. Lake Eyre is a full day’s expedition from Arkaba.