[category]
[title]
Five hours behind the wheel, endless straight roads, patchy reception and unexpected outback rain. Many people would consider this a test of patience and grit, but I call it the start of one of the best weekend trips I’ve taken in Australia.
Located a scenic five-hour drive north of Adelaide, the Flinders Ranges earned a coveted spot on Lonely Planet’s hotlist of the 25 best places to travel in 2026. Home to the Adnyamathanha people for tens of thousands of years, it’s a destination steeped in sacred stories and ancient rock art. Add in dramatic red gorges, 550-million-year-old fossils, pristine stargazing and sightings of the rare yellow-footed rock-wallaby, and it’s easy to see why this outback gem is having a serious moment.
They say the journey is part of the destination, and that couldn’t be more true for the drive to the Flinders Ranges. When I visited in spring, the highway was framed by bright golden canola fields and green paddocks full of sheep. I even spotted a wild emu running along the roadside – a telltale sign I was officially entering outback territory.
Five hours behind the wheel might sound like a drag, but there are plenty of cute spots to stop along the way. You can enjoy a wine tasting in the gorgeous Clare Valley, soak up views of Mount Remarkable in Melrose, or grab a legendary quandong pie from the Quandong Café in Quorn.
With only two nights in the Flinders Ranges, I barely scratched the surface of the ancient 430-kilometre mountain range. But staying at Arkaba Homestead – a former 1851 sheep station turned private wildlife reserve – made every second count. On guided 4WD safaris around the 63,000-acre property, I learned about the history of one of the oldest landscapes on Earth, watched the sunset from secret lookouts over 600-million-year-old mountain ridges, and even spotted endangered yellow-footed rock-wallabies.
Due to flooding prior to my visit, most of the walking trails throughout the national park were closed – which gives me plenty of reasons to return. Next time, I want to climb up St Mary Peak for the best views into Ikara-Wilpena Pound – a huge 8,000-hectare natural amphitheatre of mountains that looks like a giant crater from above. I’m also keen to go on a guided tour of the world's richest fossil site at Nilpena Ediacara National Park and camp under pristine night skies at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, one of Australia’s only official International Dark Sky Sanctuaries.