10 outback getaways offering comfort and style
Not so long ago, comfort and style weren't synonymous with an outback destination or experience. Fortunately for those who like their creature comforts and have a sense of adventure, there is an increasing number of destinations off the beaten track that provide everything the most discerning traveller expects.
To be sure, the accommodation isn't always five stars but the astonishing locations and hospitality are ample compensation.
Here are 10 of the best destinations in Australia that handle remoteness in style.
1. Angorichina Station – Flinders Ranges, SA
Australia has few family-operated farm-stay properties that successfully blend comfort, history, scenery, style, activities and interaction with the owners in a memorable package. Ian and Di Fargher achieve this brilliantly on their 64,000-hectare sheep station in the Flinders Ranges. Angorichina is situated superbly in a stunning landscape, 10 minutes' drive from the village of Blinman, 500 kilometres north of Adelaide and within easy access of Wilpena Pound. The Farghers treat every guest with genuine warmth and invite them to witness everyday station activities as well as learn about indigenous links with the land from an Aboriginal guide. There are two guest rooms: one in the 1860s homestead, the other in a separate cottage.
2. Bamurru Plains – Top End, NT
A 20-minute flight east of Darwin on the Mary River floodplain, this working buffalo property ripples with wildlife and offers guests abundant creature comforts. Voted best leisure property in Australasia-South Pacific by readers of Britain's Conde Nast Traveller magazine last year, Bamurru is modelled on Africa's best safari camps. Its nine safari suites are surrounded by the sights and sounds of the bush, especially tens of thousands of magpie geese, after which the camp is named. There are safari activities, including river cruises, meals are included and Kakadu is close by. There are no phones or television, so be prepared to leave the outside world behind.
3. Birdsville Hotel – Birdsville, Qld
You don't come to the outback's quintessential pub just for the accommodation. This 1884 National Trust-listed stone pub has a quirky and always entertaining front bar and enough all-round appeal to make it a great experience. There are plenty of sights in and around Birdsville, too, including the Big Red sandhill that provides symbolic access to the Simpson Desert, a fascinating museum, the easily traversed (but not in the wet) 517-kilometre Birdsville Track to Marree, South Australia, and plenty of ancient and early European history. The place is swamped during the Birdsville Races on the first weekend of September.
4. Bullo River Station – Top End, NT
One of author Sara Henderson's daughters, Marlee, and her husband, Franz Ranacher, have turned 200,000-hectare Bullo River Station - the focal point of several of Henderson's best-selling books - into a wonderful, in-the-wild tourism experience. The accommodation in guest quarters close to the homestead is comfortable without being five star but the experience, near the mouth of the Victoria River, is: crocodile spotting, barramundi fishing, rock art viewing, exploring, helicopter trips to remote gorges and more. Bullo is about a two-hour flight south-west of Darwin near the Western Australia border, or can be reached from the Victoria Highway (80 kilometres on a dirt road, 4WD dry season only), and is 200 kilometres from Kununurra.
5. Bush Camp at Faraway Bay – East Kimberley, WA
Few remote wilderness experiences match Bruce and Robyn Ellison's bush camp, on the rugged tip of Western Australia. Fly-in, fly-out (April to November) over King George Falls to a spectacular Timor Sea cliff-top setting. Excellent food and absolute relaxation around a rustic central lodge with swimming pool are the order of the day. Accommodation in private cabins is comfortable rather than luxurious but the total experience and friendly hosts are what make this destination so special.
6. Cradle Mountain Lodge – Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair NP, Tas
This is a spectacular tract of wilderness, barely two hours' drive from Launceston. The lodge, in the national park, adds a touch of style to a world-class experience, especially when the weather turns sour - as it often does - at an altitude of more than 1500 metres. A three-hour walk to spectacular and much-photographed Dove Lake, 950 metres above sea level, is a must. There are four standards of private cabin accommodation, topped by luxurious spa suites. Meals are prepared in the rustic central lodge before and after you've ventured out walking, canoeing, fishing, biking or wildlife viewing.
7. Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris – Mount Borradaile, NT
Former buffalo hunter Max Davidson stumbled across the Mount Borradaile site in the 1980s and, with the co-operation of its traditional owners, he has a wildlife and indigenous tourism experience like no other, basic accommodation and facilities notwithstanding. The wildlife, birdlife, rock art galleries, bush tucker walks, Aboriginal culture and the astonishing Arnhem Land landscape draw travellers back on repeat visits.
8. El Questro Wilderness Retreat – East Kimberley, WA
With the orange-coloured Cockburn Ranges as a backdrop and just an hour's drive west of Kununurra, El Questro has a range of accommodation: the simple luxury of the homestead, perched high above Chamberlain Gorge; comfortable tented cabins in Emma Gorge with their own restaurant; and bungalows or camping by the Pentecost River. In keeping with the price tag, homestead guests usually fly in, take helicopter tours and live it up. More budget-conscious travellers drive from Kununurra and explore independently, on and off the station.
9. Freycinet Lodge – Freycinet NP, Tasmania
Midway on Tasmania's east coast, Freycinet Peninsula is home to the perfectly formed Wineglass Bay and a rugged, beautiful coastline. The eponymous lodge inside Freycinet National Park has a pristine, idyllic bayside waterfront location, four types of comfortable private cabins, a better-than-average restaurant plus bistro, as well as abundant wildlife, walks and water activities. Spring to autumn is the best time to visit.
10. Grand Hotel – Mildura, Victoria
This historic hotel began as a coffee house during prohibition in the 1890s. It is now a magnet for food and wine lovers drawn to the enterprises of Mr Mildura - cook and A Gondola On The Murray host Stefano di Pieri. Stefano's restaurant, a cafe bakery with food store and Mildura brewery pub are part of the hotel. Accommodation ranges from average to a palatial presidential suite with marble bathroom. But it's Stefano's degustation menu and great bluestone cellar atmosphere that, rightfully, draw the crowds.
Written by Paul Meyers. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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