The Australian outback is often depicted as a harsh and arid
Mad Max-style wasteland. However, while our own desert does throw up the odd challenge for an unwary traveller, it also offers a wealth of rewards for the bold.
The outback may offer plenty of red dirt and big rocks, but it would be erroneous not to mention the biggest and most famous rock of them all: Uluru, aka Ayers Rock. Within the Ayers Rock Resort there are five hotels and a camping ground, so guests can live it up in the sinfully luxurious Sails in the Desert hotel, or pitch a tent and get close to nature under the desert oaks. Guests can explore the land by helicopter, camel or even from the back of a Harley, or quietly soak up the grandeur and mystique of Uluru over a sunset feast, lit by flickering candles and the blaze of the sunset.
Website:
www.ayersrockresort.com.au
This casual motel resort, surrounded by the harsh majesty of the MacDonnell Ranges, offers a family-friendly holiday experience in the middle of the outback. Guests can investigate the surrounding area by walking the bush tracks, four-wheel driving through the many gorges or even taking a helicopter tour.
Website:
www.glenhelen.com.au
In this craggy corner of the outback, the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary offers a unique bush view. The rocky, sunset-toned terrain is present and correct, but the emphasis here is on the tenacity of flora and fauna amid these seemingly barren rocks. Guests are kept busy with an extensive selection of tours (many of which boast advanced ecotourism accreditation), from self-guided bushwalks and guided wildlife-spotting tours (look out for the rare yellow-footed rock wallaby), to a toe-curling, heart-stopping 4WD trip along the precarious peaks.
Website:
www.arkaroola.com.au
The historic Prairie Hotel is the highlight of the tiny town of Parachilna and is an ideal base for day-tripping around the desert. However, the hotel is also a destination in itself for enthusiastic foodies. It specialises in 'Flinders feral food' — otherwise known as native Australian cuisine.
Website:
www.prairiehotel.com.au
PJs Underground is a five-room oasis set in the middle of the barren opal fields. Hewn out of the rock of Turleys Hill, this unusual B&B is evocative of the ancient subterranean residences of Tunisia, albeit with the distinctly Aussie addition of kangaroos and emus roaming outside. The main attraction for tourists here is opal. Guests can wander around the old mining field in the hope of finding their own bit of precious stone, or else browse the local opal showrooms for a pristine polished piece.
Phone: (08) 8091 6626
Set in Broken Hill and conveniently located in the heart of the New South Wales outback, the Royal Exchange's boutique art deco setting provides a stylish base camp for desert adventures. The hotel can help organise tours of the local sights, from bushwalks through the many national parks to mine tours. After a day's journeying through the arid plains, a fortifying bevvie in the sumptuous hotel bar is a blissful reward.
Website:
www.royalexchangehotel.com
The eastern Kimberley region juxtaposes the stereotypical raw outback terrain with lush rainforest oases. Emma Gorge Resort is designed to blend into the landscape, with tented cabins offering the most desirable aspects of camping (getting close to nature and all that) with the blessed additions of a decent bed and a bathroom. Guests can spend their days wandering the wilderness trails, taking boat cruises through gorges punctuated by waterfalls, or relaxing at the Zebedee thermal springs.
Website:
www.elquestro.com.au
This vast station is crowded with outback flora and fauna, making it a fascinating retreat for wildlife watchers. For those not content to merely sit back and listen to the birds, this outback region bordering the coast also offers ample entertainment for fishing enthusiasts. There is plenty of cheap and cheery accommodation as well as room for keen campers to pitch a tent.
Website:
www.giralia.net.au
The historic Tyrconnell mine has been painstakingly preserved and forms the central focus of this outback getaway, with tours of the mine offered. Guests can stay in the old mine manager's cottage or in one of the new cottages, which have been faithfully built in the same heritage style.
Website:
www.tyrconnell.com.au
Related video: Inside Voyages Sails in the Desert Hotel, at Ayers Rock Resort
