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Day 1 - The Desert Centre,
Ooraminna Homestead, 3 nights
Jan Hayes, your host and owner of Ooraminna, will meet
you at Alice Springs Airport. Spend some time in the small
town of Alice – a legendary outback town – before Jan
takes you to her homestead, an hour’s drive away.
With their station encompassing a half million acres of
cattle country in central Australia, the 6th generation of
the Hayes family live at Ooraminna, amidst the craggy
sandstone outcrops of the MacDonnell ranges. Accommodation
is in ‘cottages’ designed with wooden and corrugated iron
exteriors in Australian outback style. Furnishings are
simple but stylish - wooden floors, 4-poster beds made
from local timber. Each has an en suite bathroom and a
verandah with views of the bush.
The newly built homestead has a re-constructed bar, the
scene for an early evening drink with Bill Hayes after his
day on the station. Join Bill and Jan for dinner in the
homestead and later retire to your cottage beneath stars
that stretch from one horizon to the other. If you are
feeling intrepid, there is no better way to experience the
clarity of the air and the sounds of the Australian bush
then spending the night in a ‘swag’ (traditional bed roll)
under the stars.
Day 2
An early start, if you wish, with the dawn light to check
the boreholes on the property and the cattle in their
paddocks – an Australian paddock is a large entity, far
larger than most farms in Europe. The property is fabulous
for walking, following creek beds, climbing the rocky
outcrops, or exploring by 4-wheel drive.
Day 3
A full day of private touring in the East McDonnell
Ranges, an area of stunning beauty, ancient hills, strange
rock formations, Aboriginal rock paintings, shady gorges
and lush walking trails. Enjoy a picnic lunch next to a
waterhole. Return to the homestead in time for
‘sundowners’ on the verandah and dinner.
Whilst at Ooraminna Jan will co-ordinate your activities
to ensure that you are as active or a lazy as you prefer -
your time is your own. If you do wish to keep busy, the
options are endless! From walking to station activities,
or relaxing on your own verandah with its outback view, or
simply lying back on your “home-grown” four-poster bed!
Day 4 - Departure
Jan will take you to Alice
Springs in time for your ongoing flight.
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