5 great horseback holidays in Australia

Time to saddle up for your next riding adventure? Here are five of the great horseback experiences around Australia.

1. Horseback Winery Tours, VIC

Length: one day

Vino and ponies; is there a happier match? Based in Red Hill on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Horseback Winery Tour s has been taking travellers to wineries on horseback for 15 years, with plans to open a new five-million-dollar equestrian centre and cellar door.

Weaving through farmland, down picturesque country roads and across rolling hills overlooking the sea, the tours then stop at cellar doors such as Red Hill Estate , Olive Grove and T’Gallant Winemakers . Pick up a bottle (or box), which you collect at the end of your ride. Among the packages is a three- and five-hour option (from $160 and $250 per person, respectively).

2. Snowy River Horseback Adventures, NSW

Length: 2–5 days

The Man from Snowy River meets a touch of luxe with Snowy River Horseback Adventures. Designed for experienced riders, the two-to-five-day treks meander along tracks used by wild brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park, through snowgum forests, along crystal clear streams and up peaks with postcard-perfect valley views.

Horse riding Jindabyne Snowy Mountains — Outdoor more: Horse riding in the Snowy Mountains.

Then after a day of spectacular scenery, retreat to the grand Old Ingebirah Homestead for a hot shower (or spa bath), a sumptuous three-course meal and relax on the verandah or in front of a cosy log fire.

3. Kelly’s Ranch Riding School, NT

Length: 2.5 hours

Run by long-time stockman Jerry Kelly, a traditional owner of the region in Tennant Creek, these tours are a lesson in both horse riding and local bush tucker. From private riding lessons ($50 per adult) to scenic trail rides through the surrounding wilderness ($150 per person), all options cater to various skill levels and ages.

Along the way, Kelly also points out native food sources and tells tales from the ‘good ol’ days’, topped off with a cup of billy tea and a slice of damper cooked on an open fire.

4. Jillaroo training at Home Valley Station, WA

Length: one day

Set alongside the spectacular Cockburn Ranges in WA’s iconic Kimberley region, this once-thriving cattle station now hosts a range of horse riding experiences for guests.

There’s childrens’ pony rides ($15 per child) to guided trail rides along the Pentecost River ($120 per person), but it is the Mini Cattle Muster option (from $290 per person) that’s the most unique. That is, with the help of Home Valley’s resident ringers, guests (regardless of riding ability) can learn how to ride for a real cattle muster in true jillaroo/jackaroo fashion.

5. Uluru Camel Tours, NT

Length: one day

OK, we admit it, this isn’t strictly a horse-riding experience, but it’s still an unforgettable outback experience on a four-legged steed. Set in Australia’s most iconic outback location, with Uluru and Kata Tjuta as memorable backdrops, there’s a number of rides available including Camel Express tours during the day (from $75), as well as sunrise and sunset tours (from $119).

Uluru Camel Tour NT — Camel-back trekking: Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park.

But the ultimate ride is arriving by camel to a Sounds of Silence dinner – a bush-tucker inspired buffet under the stars, enhanced by a traditional dance performance and a talk from the resident ‘star talker’ (from $275). See ayersrockresort.com.au

Did you know?

You can catch a game of ‘horse soccer’ in Queensland’s outback town of Hughenden – about 350 kilometres north of Longreach. It’s one of 20 sporting events at the biennial Great Western Games, held in July 2015. see flinders.qld.gov.au

MORE: Want more adventure ideas?

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .