Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary South Australia Australia

Located in the heart of the more rugged and spectacular Northern Flinders Ranges, the 61,000 hectare, privately owned Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary offers guests a unique outback experience. Our Advanced Ecotourism accredited Ridgetop, Waterholes and Astronomy tours, plus our many bushwalks, scenic flights and other guided and non-guided tours, offer an experience not easily forgotten.

Touring Options

Lake Frome 40 Minute Scenic Flight – AWS04

To experience Arkaroola from the ground is amazing but to see it from the air is a whole new experience. Fly out to the east across the flood plains of Lake Frome in Arkaroola’s own six passenger, high-wing Cessna 207 with pilot Dooug Sprigg, who has over 30 year’s experience flying Arkaroola’s skies.

The 40 minute flight takes you to the whitest salt lake in Australia. Shade your eyes from the flat crystalline expanse of kilometers of salt glinting in the sun, flanked by 20,000 year old sand dunes trapped forever in the lake’s crusty grasp; a relic of the time when central Australia was an inland sea.

. Operates:
. Daily from Arkaroola Wildnerness Sanctuary on application.

Written in the Rocks Four Hour Tour – AWS16

Why use your vehicle? Come with us on a four hour guided drive/walk out to the magnificent Bararranna Gorge on the Paralana Hot Springs Road. Stop at the Ochre Wall, Lively’s Gold Find, the Welcome Mine and the Jasper Twins, as we explore the complex geology of Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. Wander over glacial rocks at Stubbs Waterhole and ponder the vastness of geological time in Bararranna Gorge where ancient seabed now forms spectacular near vertical cliffs. You may also be rewarded with sightings of Yellow Footed Rock wallabies and Peregrine falcons, both of which are threatened species in Australia.

. Operates:
. Daily from outside Reception area, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary at 0800 and 1300.

Arkaroola, Lake Frome 90 Minute Flight – AWS05

Combining the Arkaroola 35 minute scenic flight and the Lake Frome 40 minute flight, fly above an Australian landscape filled with contrasts and diversity – please refer to those tours for more information.

. Operates:
. Daily from Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary on application.

The Village Walk 60 to 90 Minute Tour – AWS17

Get the most out of your stay at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary by taking a Village Walk soon after you arrive. Spend a leisurely hour with a guide and learn why the sanctuary was created. Your guide will introduce you to the cultural and natural history of the northern Flinders Ranges, and wet your appetite for much more.

. Operates:
. Daily on demand.

Arkaroola 35 Minute Scenic Flight – AWS03

To experience Arkaroola from the ground is amazing but to see it from the air is a whole new experience. Soar above famous Mount Painter country in Arkaroola’s own six passenger, high-wing Cessna 207 with pilot Doug Sprigg, who has over 30 year’s experience flying Arkaroola’s skies.

This 35 minute flight will take you from the ancient sedimentary seabed layers of southern Arkaroola to the unruly granite and quartzite outcrops of Mount Gee, the Mawson Plateau and the Freeling Heights. While taking in the spectacular vistas, listen to Doug’s commentary on your personal headphones and learn about Arkaroola’s geology, landscapes and mining history.

. Operates:
. Daily from Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary on application.

Waterhole Three – Half Day Tour – AWS13

For the more active, this three hour guided four wheel drive vehicle, Advanced Ecotourism Accredited tour, takes you out to the waterholes to the east of Arkaroola Village. Take in Stubbs Waterhole with its weathered rock face composed of boulders and ground up rock flour, known as Tillite, dropped from icebergs during the Sturtian Ice Age, 740 million years ago. Travel on to the spectacular Bararranna Gorge where your guide will take you on a walk back in time along Arkaroola Creek where you can see excellent examples of ripple rock, the near vertical remains of an ancient seabed that once covered this part of the country. You will also see the Ochre Wall, the Jasper Twins, native fruit trees and the old gold and copper mines of the 1800s.

. Operates:
. Daily from outside Reception area, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary at 0800 and 1300.

Weetbix and Wallabies Two Hour Tour – AWS14

Join us on an early morning breakfast tour out to the tranquil Arkaroola Waterhole, prime habitat of the beautiful Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. Our guides will teach you how to correctly identify rock wallabies and other kangaroos. Learn why the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby is a threatened species and what conservation measures are in place to ensure its survival. A light continental breakfast at Arkaroola Waterhole is included.

. Operates:
. Early morning, by arrangement. Departure times are seasonally variable – depending on time of dawn.

Arkaroola Ridgetop Half Day Tour – AWS01

Arkaroola’s signature four wheel drive tour, and one that has Advanced Ecotourism accreditation, it is an unforgettable encounter with the timeless terrain and unique natural beauty of the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. Travelling in a specially constructed open-top four wheel drive vehicle, Ridgetop passengers are taken on a guided tour of some of the most spectacularly rugged country on earth. Trained tour guides share their knowledge of Arkaroola’s 1,600 million year geological history as they navigate the steep slopes and hair raising ascents of the famous Ridgetop Track. Inspiring images of red granite mountains and golden, Spinifex covered hillsides give way to a breathtaking view across the Freeling Heights, Lake Frome and the desert beyond. Take in this 360 degree panorama as you enjoy morning or afternoon tea at Sillers Lookout – a lofty pinnacle at the end of the Track. The four hour Ridgetop Tour showcases the magic and beauty of the Northern Flinders Ranges and is the ‘must see’ experience at Arkaroola. Tours run twice daily and are weather dependant.

. Operates:
. Daily from outside Reception area, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary at 0800 and 1300.

Bats and Boobooks Three Hour Tour – AWS15

Join us on an early evening drive/walk along Arkaroola Creek at Bolla Bollana Springs and enter another world. Watch as Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies and Euros come to drink at the springs at last light. Discover what your ears cannot normally hear, as your guide tracks ultrasonic sound signatures made by bats using special ‘Bat Boxes’. Learn why being ‘creatures of the night’ is an effective survival strategy in arid Australia.

. Operates:
. Early evening, by arrangement. Departure times are seasonally variable – depending on time of last light.

Star Chairs Astronomical Observatory Tour – AWS10

Tour the Universe with a session in Arkaroola’s Advanced Ecotourism Accredited and one of a kind Star Chairs. Take a step back from your close encounter at one of our astronomical domes to see the big picture of the Southern Hemisphere’s deep space wonders. Lean back in our comfortable, supportive chairs and admire the universe through a pair of powerful 20 by 80 astro-binoculars. A joystick control means that you are in charge of your own Star Chair experience, while a knowledgeable guide at your side will help you identify objects in our brilliant night skies. During full or partial moon phases, the Star Chairs are also ideal for spectacular lunar views. Our night skies are free of atmospheric and light pollution and our astronomical seeing conditions are among the best in Australia.

. Operates:
. Nightly, on any cloud free night from the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, July to October at 2000, November to March at 2030.

Banquet In The Bush Evening Tour – AWS09

Experience the grandeur of the great outdoors in style. The Banquet in the Bush is a grand celebration of the great outdoors and all that the Australian outback has to offer. Enjoy a sumptuous five-course meal, including beer and wines, in an open air dining area on the banks of Wywhyana Creek. Linger over dinner while taking in the sights and sounds of the bush and admiring majestic Griselda Hill, gently illuminated for the occasion.

. Operates:
. From Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary on application.

Arkaroola Astronomical Observatory Tour – AWS02

Enjoy a truly intergalactic experience that is not normally available to anyone but astronomers and scientists. Arkaroola not only has one of Australia’s largest privately owned Astronomical Observatories but also enjoys some of the best astronomical ‘seeing conditions’ in the Southern Hemisphere; our night skies are free of atmospheric and light pollution, offering guests a rare chance to ‘tour the universe’ under the best of conditions. Visitors young and old alike will be enthralled as they see the heavens light up with the energy of worlds that are light-years away. Our Observatory tours have the coveted Advanced Ecotourism accreditation

Our three professionally equipped observatories include:

Two full sized astronomical domes in different locations at Arkaroola, each of which can accommodate up to 10 people at a time, are fitted with professional astronomical telescopes and offer computer control or manual operation.

A large roll-off-roof observatory that accommodates up to 10 people, contains three star chairs, three spare piers and mounts for bring your own equipment.

Our telescopes include two 360 millimetre (14 inch) f-11 Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain computer aided telescopes, three 125 millimetre (five inch) Meade Maksutov-Cassegrain computer controlled telescopes, three star chairs, each fitted with powerful 20 by 80 astro-binoculars. We also have a wide range of astrophotography equipment, including digital imaging, camera T-adaptors, filters and software and more.

. Operates:
. Nightly, on any cloud free night from the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary Resort at 2000 and 2100.

Waterhole Two – Half Day Tour – AWS12

Visit the tranquil and mysterious waterholes of Nooldoonooldoona and Bolla Bollana, home to over 160 species of birds and the shy and endangered yellow footed Rock Wallaby. The Waterhole Two tour follows a track out towards the western side of the 61,000 hectare Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary where you will see the remains of ancient volcanoes and the ruins of the Bolla Bollana Copper Smelter, a reminder of the rich mineral deposits mined early last century.

. Operates:
. Daily from outside Reception area, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary at 0800 and 1300.

Lake Eyre 3 Hour Scenic Flight – AWS06

This three hour scenic flight takes you over the normally dry Lake Eyre and the Simpson Desert, two of the most arid and inhospitable environments on earth, before landing at the William Creek Hotel on the western side of the lake for lunch. Enjoy a beer in one of the most remote hotels in Australia before flying back to Arkaroola. This flight also includes part of the 35 minute Arkaroola scenic flight and has full commentary by your highly experienced pilot, Doug Sprigg.

. Operates:
. Daily from Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary on application.

Echo Camp Backtrack Self Drive Four Hour Tour – AWS18

Experience the adventure of driving your own four wheel drive vehicle in extreme four wheel drive conditions along Arkaroola’s Echo Camp Back Track. For a minimal cost of only AUD30.00 per vehicle (plus refundable AUD50.00 deposit) this self drive tour includes a small, informative handbook, allowing drivers and passengers to identify various geographical and geological features along the way. Visit the tranquil Echo Camp Waterhole, Bararranna Gorge and Waterhole, Stubbs Waterhole and the old gold and copper mines of the late 1800s. Four wheel drive vehicles fitted with low-ratio gearing are required for all vehicles using this track. A ‘search-and-rescue-watch’ is maintained on all vehicles, adding to your safety and enjoyment of this magical area.

. Operates:
. Daily by arrangement. Departures are at own discretion during daylight hours, but at a time to ensure return before last light.

Echo Camp Backtrack Half Day Tour – AWS08

The perfect contrast to the Ridgetop Tour and another of Arkaroola’s Advanced Ecotourism Accredited tours, is the Echo Camp Backtrack tour. Travel along the undulating track, which passes by the tranquil Echo Camp and Bararranna Waterholes and follow the winding gorge carved by the Arkaroola Creek. After leaving Bararranna, the tour meanders out onto the Lake Frome flood plains, the home of the Red Kangaroo, before twisting its way back into the eastern slopes of the northern Flinders Ranges, passing Stubbs Waterhole, Welcome Pound, Lively’s Gold Find (an abandoned mine from last century), the Jasper Twins and the Ochre Wall, before returning to Arkaroola Village. Enjoy a relaxed four hour guided tour in one of Arkaroola’s open top four wheel drive tour vehicles, or drive it yourself with your own four wheel drive, using our handy track notes booklet. Tag-along tours, where you drive your own four wheel drive vehicle, and follow one of our vehicles whilst listening in to a radio-delivered commentary, are also available.

. Operates:
. Daily from outside Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary Reception area at 0800 and 1300.

Website: www.arkaroola.com.au