Flinders Ranges & Kangaroo Island

Bunyeroo & Brachina Gorges, Prairie Hotel (B/L/D)

Early morning offers the option of a 30-minute scenic flight with Chinta Air over Wilpena Pound and the Heysen Range (additional cost). From the air, the scale of Wilpena Pound becomes clear – a vast natural amphitheatre ringed by ancient ridgelines. It’s hard to grasp from ground level.

The rest of the day is spent touring the southern Flinders Ranges. Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges are the highlights – picturesque, geologically significant, and quiet. Guided walks through the creek beds give guests time to absorb the landscape at a slower pace.

Lunch is at the Prairie Hotel, widely recognised as an unmissable outback experience. Shared antipasto grazing boards and native-inspired desserts. Then the Moralana Scenic drive back to Rawnsley Park.

The evening is special. A tour of the old woolshed leads into a 3-course Lamb Tasting dinner – local lamb from the property prepared three different ways, matched with Clare Valley wines. Finishes with South Australian port and local cheeses. Vegetarians are catered for.

Trade tip: The lamb tasting dinner is one of those genuinely memorable food experiences that clients bring up months later. The Prairie Hotel lunch is excellent too. This day packs in a lot without feeling rushed – the gorges, the food, the wine, and the landscape all build on each other.

Mount Remarkable, Clare Valley Wine Region (B/L)

Farewell Rawnsley Park Station this morning and head south towards Mount Remarkable for morning tea. The drive through the ranges is a gentle comedown from the outback intensity of the previous two days.

The Clare Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine-growing regions. Rolling countryside, old stone cellar doors, and a microclimate that produces exceptional Riesling and Shiraz. Lunch is at Paulett Wines and Bush DeVine Cafe – a glass of wine included. Wine tasting is available for those who want it.

The tour returns to Adelaide by approximately 5.30pm. For clients on the 3-day itinerary, this is where the tour concludes. For those continuing to Kangaroo Island on the 5-day option, the overnight is at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide.

Trade tip: The Clare Valley stop makes a clean transition from outback to wine country. For agents building longer South Australian itineraries, we can arrange additional Clare Valley or Barossa Valley touring before or after this programme. The 3-day tour works brilliantly as a standalone add-on to Adelaide-based itineraries.

Cape Jervis Ferry, Seal Bay & Wildlife Touring (L)

An early morning collection from the hotel, then a scenic coach drive through the Fleurieu Peninsula to Cape Jervis. The 45-minute SeaLink ferry crossing to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island is straightforward and pleasant.

On arrival, the Kangaroo Island wildlife experience begins. The island is a remarkable natural refuge – its isolation from the mainland has kept populations of native species healthy and relatively undisturbed. The touring moves through several island habitats, with the guide pointing out echidnas, wallabies, reptiles, and wildflowers along the way.

Seal Bay Conservation Park is the centrepiece of the day. A guided walk along the beach among a healthy Australian sea lion colony. These are endangered animals, and being able to stand at a safe distance while they bask, sigh, and play with their pups is genuinely moving. A gourmet picnic lunch with Kangaroo Island wine follows at an exclusive Heritage-listed bush property.

The afternoon takes in the spectacular north coast beaches and bushwalking. Listen for the Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo – one of Australia’s rarest. As the day fades, kangaroos emerge from the bush to graze on open pastures. Overnight on Kangaroo Island with a choice of superior or standard accommodation.

Trade tip: Seal Bay is the selling point here. Walking among wild sea lions on a beach is an experience most international travellers have never had, and it tends to be the image they share first when they get home. The island’s isolation also means guests feel properly away from it all – no crowds, no rush.

Flinders Chase National Park, Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch (B/L)

After breakfast, head to the western end of the island and Flinders Chase National Park – one of South Australia’s oldest and most important national parks, incorporating almost 20 per cent of Kangaroo Island. Much of it is designated Wilderness Protection Area, home to fauna and flora found nowhere else.

Admirals Arch is where the ocean has carved through the headland to create a dramatic natural formation. Below, some of the 10,000 long-nosed fur seals in the Cape du Couedic colony lounge on the rocks and play in the swell. The historic Cape du Couedic Lighthouse and Weir’s Cove are worth a stroll.

Then Remarkable Rocks. Large granite boulders balanced on the cliff edge, 75 metres above the Southern Ocean. Wind and weather have sculpted them into shapes that look almost intentional. They photograph brilliantly.

A gourmet picnic lunch with Kangaroo Island wine at a secluded scenic location. Opportunities to spot kangaroos, wallabies, birdlife, and koalas in their treetop habitat. The afternoon explores more of the island’s coastline before the return ferry from Penneshaw to the mainland, and coach transfer back to Adelaide.

Trade tip: Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch are two of South Australia’s most iconic images, and seeing them in person doesn’t disappoint. The 5-day itinerary gives clients a genuine understanding of what makes South Australia distinct – outback geology, wildlife, wine, and food all in one programme. It pairs well with Adelaide city time, Barossa Valley touring, or onward travel to Melbourne or the Red Centre.