Outback accommodation: It’s for everyone

Before you go wandering around the vast expanses of the outback, you’re going to need a few good options on where to rest your weary head. Whether it’s five star comfort, bush camping or completely bizarre, these are a few of AT’s favourites.

Outback Luxury

Longitude 131º

Want a private view of the sun’s daily rituals at Uluru? Watch as it blazes over the rock while you sip your morning tea in bed. Longitude 131º has redefined camping, comprising of 15 tented sanctuaries that sit around 8km from the rock. This is six-star glamping in front of one of the world’s most iconic destinations. www.longitude131.com.au

Platinum on the Ghan

Leave the 4WD at home and glide through the Red Centre on one of Australia’s classic railway journeys, 3000km from Adelaide to Darwin on The Ghan. Celebrating its 80th birthday in 2009, The Ghan now also features an opulent Platinum Class that includes larger cabins, double beds, bigger ensuites and 24hr cabin service. This is a truly regal way to locomote through the outback – transportation and accommodation in one. www.gsr.com.au

Rawnsley Park Station

Overlooking the southern side of Wilpena Pound, Rawnsley Park is the ideal stepping-off point to explore the SA’s glorious Flinders Ranges. The area has become inspirational for poets and artists for its breathtaking landscape, and Rawnsley Park’s operators have made their accommodation eco-friendly, so there’s no need to worry about making too much of an impact. Lodgings include some brand new eco-villas, holiday units, caravan park and some of the best campsites in the Flinders. If you do want to get into the more luxuriant eco-villas, though, it’s best to book early as they sell out quite quickly. www.rawnsleypark.com.au

North Star’s Kimberley Wilderness Cruise

AT’s Ken Duncan rates the Kimberley Wilderness Cruise aboard the True North as perhaps THE premier outback travelling experience within Australia. Big words – but the small-group luxury vessel with the private helicopter, fine dining and elegant quarters certainly tends to back him up. The crew’s motto is pretty much “Do what you want, when you want." Just as long as you pay the $13k ticket price first. www.northstarcruises.com.au

Working stations

Home Valley Station

The newest calf on the block is the re-vamped and re-opened Home Valley Station, neighbour to the high-profile El Questro in the Kimberley. Owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation, Home Valley has an important TAFE academy attached for Indigenous students and trainees, as well as four levels of accommodation ranging from $15 per person to $420 a night, making it eminently accessible for all kinds of outback budgets. The gorgeous calf skin-clad Grass Castles are the luxury option, but even if you’re camping the swag of activities on offer (canoeing, swimming, bird-watching, mustering etc) aren’t out of bounds. www.homevalley.com.au

Wrotham Park Lodge

The famous station 300km west of Cairns only caters for 20 guests at a time in its ten luxury quarters, and comes fully equipped – you’ll even find binoculars on the bedside table, allowing you to enjoy your cliff-hanging view from high above the Mitchell River. If you’re ready for a little mustering on 600,000-odd hectares of land, there’s a great opportunity to do so here – or you can view the action from above in one of the spotter choppers. www.wrothampark.com.au

Turlee Station Stay

On the fringe of eerie Lake Mungo NP and within the World Heritage-Listed Willandra Lakes region, Turlee Station Stay is a classic farmstay run by the extremely hospitable Wakefield family. The working sheep and wheat station is light on for luxury, but makes up for it in wide open spaces and peaceful surrounds – just what you want from an outback experience. You can tag along with the stockmen, shear a sheep or finetune your bow and hunting skills. You can camp, swag it out in the shearing quarters, or hide out in a bush bungalow or a self-contained cottage – all of which are family friendly, pet-friendly and reasonably priced.

Weird and wonderful

Hoover House

It’s a trifecta of uniqueness that includes history, solitude and views. Hoover House takes its name from its first resident, Herbert Hoover, the yet-to-be President of the US. Then a young geologist, Hoover was sent to WA to oversee burgeoning mining operations in 1897 and chose to set up shop in Gwalia, 230km northeast of Kalgoorlie. His opulent house was built to oversee work, and today it sits atop of the precipice of an ever-expanding open cut gold mine. From the lawn chairs, Hoover House has the best possible ringside seats to views not regularly offered at other B&Bs: mine blasting. To top it all off, Gwalia is an abandoned ghost town. Most of the mineworkers live in nearby Leonora, leaving the restored township, museum and surrounding countryside to be explored in peace. www.gwalia.org.au

PJ’s Underground

Think underground accommodation, think, Coober Pedy? Not necessarily. The northern NSW town of White Cliffs, also an opal-mining town, is making a name for itself, and heading the list is PJ’s Underground. On the surface, White Cliffs retains a blend of baking ruggedness. Underneath, it hides dozens of art galleries and mine tours – and after a hard day in the sun, PJ’s is a welcome relief of creature comforts and boutique lodgings. Set in an old mine shaft that was scratched out over the course of a century, PJ’s walls and ceilings display all the bumpiness that a man with a pickaxe can afford it. The constant 22°C shields visitors from blistering days and icy nights, but the best bit, for the insomniacs out there, is the total darkness and complete silence that only cave sleeping can provide. (08) 8091 6626

Ooraminna Homestead

Ooraminna started its tourist life almost by accident, when a visiting film crew built a few cabins for shooting and left them nestled in the hills near Deep Well Station, 30min south of Alice Springs. Ooraminna’s Police Station and Wooden Slab Hut were built of basic stone and timber slats, retaining a rustic feel that’s increasingly lost in the outback. Scattered across the ranges with ample seclusion to enjoy cracking sunrises over the hills, Ooraminna also offers tours of the station at work, bushwalking tracks and bird watching to compliment the quiet. For the more adventurous spirit, AT recommends staying in the Police Station; it sleeps six, with two beds inside an actual cell. www.ooraminnahomestead.com.au

Outback Camping

To get an insiders’ perspective on outback camping, AT asked bush expert Allan Whiting for a few of his favourite remote homes away from home. In 30 years of trekking he’s had a few rough ones, including the infamous Beach Run at Cape York that requires you to race the tides across the ocean floor to reach your campsite (that one’s now banned following several vehicle losses).

Here’s Allan’s advice when it comes to true bush camping: “By ‘bush camp’, I mean an impromptu one, without any facilities, settled on at the end of a driving day. The ideal bush camp has a flat, uncluttered surface, pleasant views, shelter from the wind and is well off the track. For tranquil bush camping it’s hard to go past the Australian deserts – any of them. The time to visit is after the first frosts, when the most of the summer flies have died off. If you must go during fly seasons, use plenty of repellent or a hat net. The desert regions are normally warm during winter days, but frosty at night, so the right gear makes all the difference.

“The two best camp positions in deserts are on claypans and dune tops. Claypans are flat, free of debris and most are solid enough to anchor tent pegs. Even on the relatively busy Simpson Desert’s main east-west tracks there’s great camping to be had on the hundreds of firm claypans. Where the pans are small and separated by grassy patches it’s best to put just one tent on each and have one pan devoted to the evening campfire. On larger claypans there’s ample room for an overnight “tent city".

“On the topic of campfires, we always dig a shallow hole to house the fire and keep it quite small; wood is a precious resource in the desert and needs to be conserved.“Dune-top campsites are ideal on still nights and give you a room with a view. The ideal dune-top camp is away from the track, in a shallow depression on the crest. Getting there can be tricky if the sand is soft and it’s important not to drive over any vegetation en route.

“Desert nights are spectacular whether there’s moonlight or “only" starlight. A desert moonrise is unforgettable: the horizon brightens gradually, then a bright sliver of gold suddenly highlights the dune-top vegetation; a flattened ball of rose-gold lifts out of the blackness and heads skywards, picking out the desert detail as it rises.

“The only downside of a moonlit desert camp is that bright moonlight can make it hard to get to sleep! A moonless night is no disappointment, because the heavens twinkle with millions of stars in a blaze of white light that’s often strong enough to illuminate a campsite. It’s a good idea to take a star chart with you, so you can recline after dinner and check out the different constellations.

“Tucking into your tent or swag on a cold night in a desert campsite is bliss. The silence may be punctuated by the odd scuffle of tiny night foragers, or the distant howl of a dingo as you drift off to sleep under a twinkling canopy. It doesn’t get any better than this."

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 .