Outback Contrasts: A Journey to the Centre

This afternoon you’ll meet your Journey Director who will share their take on what life is like in such an isolated Australian town like Alice Springs. We’ll visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service to see how this facility provides medical assistance to those living in outback Australia. Then a visit to the School of the Air, a crucial service providing education to children living in remote Australian communities. Tonight, you will enjoy a Local Dining Experience with your hosts at an open-air barbecue dinner with campfires as the Milky Way lights up the wide Australian sky.

This morning you will visit the historic Overland Telegraph Station and learn about the overland telegraph line and why Alice Springs is in this location. Then you will drive to Simpsons Gap and Angkerle (Standley Chasm), which was created over millions of years, the deep red sandstone formation contrasts with the lush green ferns and gum trees on the valley floor. This afternoon you have some free time to relax by the pool or choose to explore more of Alice Springs on your own.

Today we drive further through the West MacDonnell Ranges to Kings Canyon. Along the way there’ll be time to see the cool waters at Ellery Creek Big Hole. Travelling offroad along the 4WD-only Mereenie Loop Road we will travel past Tylers Lookout and Gosses Bluff. This evening you’re treated to the unique Local Dining Experience, Under a Desert Moon, set in the wilderness under a canopy of the Southern Night sky (weather permitting). The only light comes from the moon and the flickering glow of the fire and the only sound is soft music intertwined with the whispering of the breeze through the Desert Oak trees and the crackling flames. Enjoy sparkling wine and canapés followed by a fourcourse dinner, prepared from fresh produce and ingredients unique to the Australian Outback.

This morning, you’re off on a six-kilometre Rim Walk exploration of the spectacular Kings Canyon. As you venture around the rim, highlights include the domed ‘Lost City’, and the luscious ‘Garden of Eden’. Now you will journey to Uluru. Your first stop is Curtin Springs which has been home to the Severin family since 1956 when Peter Severin arrived with his young wife Dawn, their toddler son Ashley and 1,500 head of cattle. Sit down to a barbecue lunch and meet one of the locals as you hear about the Severin family and the logistics of running a million acre cattle property. This afternoon we enter Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and make our way to the domes of Kata Tjuta. Here you’ll join your Journey Director for a guided walk through Walpa Gorge. The large, steep domelike formations of Kata Tjuta are amazing to walk through and have great cultural significance for the Anangu people. As the sun sets, you’ll see spectacular changing colours over Uluru from the prime sunset viewing area. This evening share a few laughs with your fellow travellers over a delicious meal at Ilkari Restaurant.

You’ll start the day with an impressive sunrise over Kata Tjuta and Uluru from the sunrise viewing area. From here it’s off to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre for an insight into the history of the local Anangu People. Having lived in and looked after the Uluru and Kata Tjuta region for tens of thousands of years, the Anangu – the areas Traditional Owners – have a strong connection with this land. At the base of Uluru hear timeless stories, view spectacular rock art, and visit the culturally-significant Mutitjulu Waterhole. In the late morning, when your Inspiring Journey comes to an end, you’ll be transferred to Ayers Rock Airport for your onward flight.