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Day 1 - Adelaide to
Port Lincoln Gawler Ranges Camp, 2 nights
The early morning flight to Port Lincoln departs Adelaide at 0700 and on
arrival you will be met by Geoff Scholz your guide and host for the next three
days – Geoff has spent his whole life in the area and knows the Ranges better
than anyone, do not expect to see many other people out here.
From Port Lincoln head straight to the Gawler Ranges, one of Australia’s least known wilderness
areas, where you visit the vast clay pans of Lake Gairdner, set amidst the granite domes of the
Gawlers. The ranges are in fact a national park, and Geoff’s eco-friendly camp is the ideal base
from which to explore.
Spend the evening around the camp fire, enjoying an excellent BBQ dinner, and a drop of red wine,
under a canopy of stars that stretch from one horizon to the other, before settling down to sleep
in the comfort of your spacious tent.
Day 2 - Full day to
explore the Gawler Ranges
The Gawler Ranges are home to a profusion of Australian wildlife, in
numbers rarely seen. With gorges, weathered rocky outcrops and seasonal
waterfalls, it is the vistas that make the Gawlers truly spectacular – mile
upon mile of mallee and eucalypt woodland stretch into the distance. It is
an area of unspoiled beauty where rocks with a vivid array of colour stand
out against the pure white of the many salt lakes.
The day is planned to suit guest interests - visit Lake Gairdner with its glistening white salt pan
set in the middle of a red landscape, stop at a natural ochre pit for face painting the Aboriginal
way, take a look at the Gnamma holes, tiny permanent springs that attract wildlife and at volcanic
formations that are 1500 million years old. During the day spot emus, euros and kangaroos as well as t
he 146 species of bird in the area. Late evening is the best time for viewing Wombats.
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Day 3 - The Great
Australian Bight Venus Bay, 1 night
After breakfast, you leave the Gawlers behind and head south to the
coastline of the Great Australian Bight, where the outback plains drop abruptly
into the seas of the Southern Ocean.
This itinerary is based on accommodation in a private beach house in the picturesque seaside town of
Venus Bay. Geoff will of course be your host and co-ordinate all bookings, meals etc. Venus Bay offers
breathtaking views of towering cliffs and booming surf rolling in from the Great Australian Bight.
Dinner will either be a BBQ organized by Geoff or a maybe dinner at the local pub.
Take note of the option to up-grade to Baird Bay’s luxury lodge, just ask us for details.
Day 4 - The Great
Australian Bight
From the landlocked wildlife of the outback, the waters of Baird Bay provide
the marine equivalent of the Gawler Ranges.
Allan Payne is a foremost expert on the Australian Sea Lion, and their guardian at Baird Bay and he
will take you out in his boat, The Investigator, to the island at the entrance to the bay where you
will see many of the 70 strong colony of Sea Lions, for whom the island is home.
In the shallows behind the island, you can then participate in a remarkable wildlife experience –
having donned wetsuits, you spend the morning swimming with the sea lions, whose antics will amuse
and fascinate. The bay is also home to a large number of dolphins that are also happy to share their
home with you, whether it be in the water or watching them surfing the bow wave of
The Investigator.
Geoff will return you to the Port Lincoln Airport for the late afternoon flight to Adelaide.
Options and Upgrades
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