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Experience

Although colonised by Europeans in the 1850s, Arkaba has a rich Aboriginal culture of the Adnyamathanha people going back thousands of years and a geological history that dates back hundreds of millions of years.  Arkaba lies between the Chase and Elder Ranges bordering the geological amphitheatre of Ikara - Wilpena Pound in outback South Australia. Travellers wanting to escape stress and urban confines are headed in the right direction. Your devices won't beep out here and Wild Bush Luxury want to keep it that way. Here 60,000 acres of private wilderness are devoted to just ten guests and five rooms in the rustically chic Arkaba Homestead. 

You'll find craggy sandstone bluffs and dry creek beds studded with huge River Red Gums and safari drives reveal the beauty of prehistoric mountain ranges with Aboriginal  creation stories going back time immemorial and a geological history that dates some hundreds of millions of years. It was in the Flinders that the very first soft bodied multi-celled organisms (the Ediacaran fauna) were first discovered. Today a walk on Arkaba is a walk through Australia’s geological history, with the exposed rock strata revealing Australia’s journey through time.

Arkaba’s wildlife is prolific – with Australia’s three largest macropods (Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Common Wallaroo) all regular sightings. The country’s most endangered macropod, the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, and the western quoll have both returned to Arkaba’s range since the introduction of active conservation programs. You’ll be amazed at how a half day bush walk with a field guide and without the weight of the phone in your pocket can leave you as relaxed a hot stone massage from a traditional resort spa.

Let the morning sound of galahs from the Arkaba Creek transport you even further away from your regular city soundscape. And at night a fire pit in the corner of the garden provides the perfect setting watch the stars appear over this ancient landscape. With no telephones, televisions, minibars or the typical features of a hotel room to distract, the focus is on engaging the senses in one of the most beautiful properties in Australia. For the more active, Arkaba offers some of the best bushwalking in the country; for the soft adventurers, an open top safari drive reveals the vistas and secrets of the property in a different way, usually capped off with a sundowner drink on top of the ranges with the scale and grandeur of outback Australia laid out for miles around.

There’s also the Arkaba walking safari with camping in signature swags under the stars for those looking to leave the luxuries of the 150 year old homestead behind for an incredible four-day wild bush adventure in the outback.

For those keen to learn more of the challenges Australia faces in saving its diversity of wildlife, join one of Arkaba’s field guides one evening to track a radio collared feral cat or set up the trip cameras that monitor key sites across the property. The tourism dollars that are spent at Arkaba go straight back into wildlife conservation on the property and an ever improving wilderness experience.

It's not only landscape rehabilitation, biodiversity conservation and thriving wilderness at Arkaba. So much self-preservation, restoration and renewal happens when we tune into nature and deepen the connection with the land, with ourselves and the person by our side. There's something about being in true wilderness that has a way of getting into your heart. The word Arkaba means hidden water or land of abundance due to the numerous springs here. This is a pristine outback adventure delivered in a style more akin to more akin to staying with friends in the country than a typical luxury hotel.

Website: www.arkabaconservancy.com