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A South Australian trip of a lifetime

24 Feb 2021

Discover South Australia on a trip of a lifetime and explore its rugged but magnificent outback, sail its historical Murray River, and get up close to its amazing wildlife on these new Murray Princess nine and 12-day combo packages including Kangaroo Island and the Flinders Ranges.

Nine-day Flinders Ranges and Murray River Cruise

We arrive for our first of two nights’ accommodation at the award-winning 4.5-star Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide before our South Australian adventure truly begins.

Just a two-minute walk from the bars, restaurants and shopping of Rundle Street, the hotel also boasts access to (as the name suggests) a rooftop garden with panoramic views of the Adelaide Hills and East End.

The next morning our small, intimate group of eight hops into a luxury air-conditioned Mercedes Benz along with our personal local tour guide to begin the first portion of our tour, the three-day Flinders Ranges Outback Tour. Accommodation is at the award-winning Rawnsley Park Station.

A few of the incredible highlights of this tour include: 

  • Visiting the old copper mining town of Burra and Kanyaka Station Homestead Ruins
  • Indulging in a signature Antipasto Platter at Australia’s #1 Outback Hotel, the Prairie Hotel
  • Enjoying the phenomenal views at Mt Remarkable
  • Journeying through the picturesque Clare Valley for wine tastings and a three-course lunch.

However, arguably the main event is the opportunity to explore the 540-million-year-old Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound. On the Sunset on the Chase tour, we experience the beauty of these natural wonders at sunset while enjoying a glass of sparkling wine and gourmet canapes.

We also choose to join the optional (but unmissable!) morning scenic flight with Chinta Air, which allows us to gain a true appreciation of the scale and grandeur of Wilpena Pound. (However, do note that additional charges apply for this option.)

All meals are inclusive, with unforgettable dinners including a mouth-watering three-course Lamb Tasting food experience served with matching Clare Valley wines and a delicious two-course modern Australian meal in Rawnsley Park Station’s Woolshed Restaurant – an authentic Australian converted woolshed.

Then it’s back to Adelaide for our second night at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel before embarking on the four-night Outback Heritage Cruise aboard the PS Murray Princess, the largest paddle-wheeler in the Southern Hemisphere.

There’s no better way to enjoy the encapsulating beauty of the mighty Murray River and discover its history on exciting cultural day trips.

Some of the incredible highlights of the cruise include:

  • Taking a walking tour of the Swan Reach township along with a visit the Swan Reach Museum (gold coin donation at entry)
  • Learning about Aboriginal history dating back tens of thousands of years at the fascinating Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve
  • Seeing the towering sandstone cliffs at Big Bend
  • Experiencing an Australian Woolshed Show and visiting the native wildlife shelter at Sunnydale.

We also follow the food and wine trail for wine tastings at Burke Salter Boutique Winery, get up close to the river and its 20-million-year-old cliffs and plant and birdlife on the ‘Dragon-Fly’ Flat Bottomed Boat vessel, and feel the patriotism at an Aussie-style campfire barbecue dinner and bush dance on the riverbank. 

Optional tours include spotting kangaroos, wombats, foxes, bats and owls on the Nocturnal Tour, and a Bush Tucker Breakfast on the shores of the Murray River at Big Bend. 

Perhaps some of our best memories are made aboard the Murray Princess vessel itself. We enjoy a range of hearty three-course meals, join the Captain for a general inspection of the wheelhouse, participate in a lively quiz, play some bocce on the riverbank, and relax with some fishing off the ship.

However, when it’s all said and done, there’s nothing better than simply sitting back and admiring the towering limestone cliffs and ever-changing river scenery from the cosy Paddlewheel Lounge or open top sun deck as we cruise down the river.

Following the cruise, a complimentary coach transfer is on hand to take our group back to either Adelaide or Adelaide Airport.

12-day Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island and Murray River Cruise

If you have a bit of extra time, stay an extra three days in South Australia and experience all of the above as well as Kangaroo Island with the 12-day Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island and Murray River Cruise package.

This amazing tour features all the 9-day Flinders Ranges and Murray River Cruise package inclusions plus a Kangaroo Island Odysseys 2-day / 1-night Highlights of Kangaroo Island tour and 5 nights’ accommodation at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide. SeaLink coach and ferry transfers to Kangaroo Island are also included. 

Fall in love with Kangaroo Island’s wildlife and landscapes on the 2 Day Highlights of Kangaroo Island Tour including delicious gourmet style picnic lunches with South Australian wines, all coach and ferry transfers, a choice of standard and superior accommodation with breakfast and Bed & Breakfast accommodation including dinner, bed and breakfast.

Experience Kangaroo Island in small groups of up to eight people on a personalised 4WD tour with expert commentary from the driver/guide.

Some of the highlights of Kangaroo Island include:

  • Get up close and personal with kangaroos, koalas and other nocturnal wildlife at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park
  • See sea lions in their natural environment on a guided beach walk at Seal Bay Conservation Park
  • Enjoy guided bush walks and beach strolls all while spotting the island’s beautiful wildlife in its natural habitat
  • Watch kangaroos and other native animals graze at Kelly Hill Conservation Park.

Of course, no trip to Kangaroo Island is complete without visiting Flinders Chase National Park. Here discover the picturesque Admirals Arch and its colony of Long-nosed Fur Seals; visit one of South Australia’s first Lighthouses at Cape du Couedic; and see nature’s breathtaking Remarkable Rocks, the large granite boulders that balance dramatically on a cliff edge plunging 75 metres into the Southern Ocean.

Then head back to the township of Penneshaw for the return ferry to the mainland and coach transfer to Adelaide.

 

Want to book your own South Australian adventure?

The 9-day Flinders Ranges and Murray River Cruise package starts from $3,773 per person twin share and includes two-nights’ accommodation at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide, the three-day Flinders Ranges Outback Tour, the four-night Outback Heritage Cruise on the PS Murray Princess and all SeaLink coach transfers.

The 12-day Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island and Murray River Cruise package starts from $5,403.50 per person twin share and includes the nine-day Flinders Ranges and Murray River Cruise package inclusions plus Kangaroo Island Odysseys two-day Highlights of Kangaroo Island tour, five-nights’ accommodation at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide and all SeaLink coach and ferry transfers.

Tours depart Adelaide on selected Sundays from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2022.

For further information visit www.murrayprincess.com.au/probians or phone 1300 729 938.