Australia's WOW factor - Wildlife, Outback, Wine

South Australia is renowned for its prolific native wildlife with Kangaroo Island, Australia’s own Galapagos, the jewel in the crown; it’s easy access to the Australian Outback where the rich red ochre colours of this ancient landscape change by the hour; and last but not least, for its vineyards which produce over 70 per cent of all Australia’s exported wine.

Austravel (austravel.com) can arrange a two-week WOW itinerary to South Australia from £1,379 per person. For price inclusion details see end of release.

Wildlife spotting is varied and prolific and includes koalas, southern right whales, sea lions, dolphins, emus, kangaroos, wallabies, penguins and seals. Widely regarded as Australia’s Galapagos, Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island, is a pristine, natural wilderness and the best place to see an abundance of native wildlife in its natural environment.

For whale watching opportunities, visitors should look no further than the Head of Bight on the Eyre Peninsula, considered to be the best land-based vantage point to view the magnificent southern right whales at play.

The Eyre Peninsula is also home to sea lions and dolphins and from Baird Bay it is possible to swim with these mammals in the wild. ‘Shark diving’ in a protective metal cage is also available at Port Lincoln.

Outback to SA means a vast area of 700,000 square kilometres easily reached in a three to four hour drive north of Adelaide, the gateway of which can be found at the spectacular Flinders Ranges.

Although in part dry and barren, the Outback is also home to remarkable flora and fauna, varied birdlife, nomadic emus, red kangaroos, clear waterholes, thermal springs, sand deserts, magnificent gorges, European history and Aboriginal art & culture. Highlights include:

Wilpena Pound, an 83 square kilometre rock amphitheatre and prehistoric inland sea which can easily be explored on foot, on a scenic flight or by taking a 4WD tour.

Coober Pedy is the world’s opal-mining capital, a frontier town renowned for its underground buildings which include homes, a Serbian Orthodox church and the famed Desert Cave Hotel.

Rawnsley Park Station is a working sheep station set in 3,000 hectares. Accommodation highlights are the property’s new eco-villas made of straw bales and reclaimed timber, whilst activities include bushing walking, scenic flights, Outback 4WD and cycling tours, horse riding and sheep sheering demonstrations.

Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is home to rugged mountain scenery, over 160 varieties of birds attracted to the area’s waterholes and gorges, as well as the largest telescope to be found in the Southern Hemisphere, ideal for memorable star gazing.

The Priaire Hotel is a true Aussie icon and is essentially a quintessential Outback pub with a well deserved reputation both for its innovative five-star feral cuisine and for the hospitality of the locals.

Additional tour options include camel safaris from Picchi Ricchi Camel Farm; a 12-hour ‘Outback Mail Run’ tour to deliver post to remote local areas and the ‘Down ‘N’ Dirty’ tour of a working opal mine.

Wine connoisseurs will not be disappointed visiting the ‘wine capital of Australia’, home to 17 wine regions including the Barossa and Clare Valleys, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills and Coonawara, and over 300 cellar doors including world famous names like Jacob’s Creek, Penfolds, Peter Lehman and Wolf Blass.

To make the most of one’s time, visitors are encouraged to buy a ‘Cellar Door Pass’, available for A$99, which allows cardholders to experience up to six cellar doors from 50 participating wineries, obtain six free bottles of wine with a retail value of A$20 and take part in premium wine tastings and tours.

Numerous group and bespoke wine tours are available, but a high end, small group option includes the ‘Barossa Daimler Tour’ undertaken in a 1962 Majestic Major Daimler with a knowledgeable guide. Guests have the chance to taste 26 premium wines including the 100 year old Para Liqueur Tawny port, renowned as one of the world’s finest dessert wines.

austravel can arrange a two-week WOW itinerary to SA (valid for travel 22 March – 15 June 2008) from £1,379 per person which includes:

• Return international flights from London Heathrow to Adelaide with Singapore Airlines
• 3-day Kangaroo Island Self Drive with ferry transfers
• Boutique B&B accommodation
• 5-day Flinders Ranges self-drive staying at Rawnsley Park Station
• 4-day Barossa & Clare Valley self-drive with accommodation
• 12-days Avis car hire
• 3-nights at the 4* Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide

For further information on South Australia visit Southaustralia.com.