Prairie Hotel & Thorn Park Country House
5 days / 4 nights
Begins / Ends Adelaide

• Stay at the legendary Prairie Hotel – a true outback icon with a hint of city comforts

• Experience Feral Cuisine, a culinary treat offered at Prairie Hotel

• Drive through the Flinders Ranges – some of the most ancient and fascinating rock formations on earth

• Experience the hospitality, fine food and wine at Thorn Park, an exclusive country house in the Clare valley

Day 1 - Flinders Ranges The Prairie Hotel, 2 nights

Collect your hire car today and drive north (470km) to the Flinders Ranges and outback Australia. The drive takes you through the beautiful and gentle Clare Valley to the town of Melrose, nestling at the foot of Mount Remarkable National Park and on to Hawker, a great little outback town with numerous heritage buildings dating back to the 1880’s. Slowly the plains open around you to give a sense of the space and emptiness of outback Australia.

Your hosts for the evening, Jane & Ross Fargher and their families have lived in the outback for generations. You will be staying with them at their hotel on the western edge of the Flinders ranges. Literally “in the middle of nowhere” the Prairie is a true outback hotel. Enjoy a drink in the evening, and share stories with the locals and passers by, who appear seemingly from nowhere. And the food … well, we will leave you to decide how safe or how adventurous you will be with their unique Australian cuisine.

Day 2 - Explore the Flinders Ranges

Your options today include safaris into the desert to ride quad bikes down the sand dunes; visit Brachina Gorge for a picnic by a secluded waterhole; a bush walk to discover ancient fossils or rock art or join a guided 4WD tour to explore some of the more rugged terrain. The Prairie can pack a picnic lunch for you. Return to the Prairie in time to have a sundowner drink with a few of the locals at the bar before tucking into some the unique cuisine offered up here.

Day 3 - Clare Valley Thorn Park, 2 nights

Armed with a picnic lunch, explore the Flinders Ranges National Park en route to the Clare Valley. (Most roads are easily accessible by 2WD cars. Despite the extreme aridity, the Flinders Ranges National Park harbours an immense variety of wildlife within its gorges. You can expect to see red and grey kangaroos, emus and perhaps a dingo. Enjoy lunch in the shade of river red gums beside a dry creek bed, with the screech of cockatoos and galahs just the noisier end of the hugely diverse bird life that inhabits this area.

Arrive at Thorn Park in the late afternoon – one of the Valley’s older homesteads Thorn Park is set in 60 acres of beautiful gardens and rural country.

After settling in, join other guests and your hosts, David Hay and Michael Speers for a drink in the library or lounge before dinner. David Hay’s gourmet style has earned him numerous accolades from both national and international food and travel writers. His skill in the kitchen and Michael’s charm as chief raconteur ensure a most memorable evening.

Day 4 - Explore the Clare Valley

The Clare Valley is one of Australia’s longest settled regions; its rustic and charming towns bear witness to their first British settlers. Its vineyards remain small, privately owned and with an air of seclusion that the larger commercial wine areas no longer have. Your hosts can make suggestions for your local touring today and can recommend several restaurants for lunch and dinner.

Day 5 - Adelaide

A leisurely drive back to Adelaide with perhaps visits to more wineries en route. You may care to pass through the Barossa Valley - although just 20 kms wide and 30kms long the area has a rich European culture with German and English-style villages, churches and chateau as well as more than 50 wineries.

With a unique wine and food culture the local restaurants and cafes specialise in serving regional foods, and butchers and bakers offer traditional wursts, breads and cakes.

In Adelaide you may return your car, or retain it for further use, just ask our team to co-ordinate your personal requirements.
 

Options and Upgrades

• Scenic flight over Wilpena Pound

• Up-grade to a 4WD / Range Rover

• Expert guides of the Clare Valley can be arranged for private touring