8 unique outback getaways to have at least once in Australia

Beyond the red dirt roads and tiny towns, the outback is full of extraordinary beauty, from hot pools to waterfalls and ancient rock formations. Venture out there to see this wondrous place for yourself.

1. Wellness Way, Qld

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

Forget embarking on an outback pub crawl. Instead, enjoy pool-hopping around the outback on the Wellness Way. The new trail connects 24 towns that sit above the Great Artesian Basin across Queensland’s rugged interior. From Mitchell and Cunnamulla to Longreach and Mount Isa, each of the towns is home to pools, springs and bathhouses filled with mineral-rich waters said to contain healing powers that promote skin health, soothe muscles and instil tranquillity.

steam rising from Talaroo Hot Springs — Hot granite rocks naturally heat Talaroo Hot Springs. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Phil Warring)

2. Ikara-Flinders Ranges, SA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

an aerial view of Ikara Flinders Ranges — See Ikara from land and sky. (Image: Getty Images/Zetter)

It’s no wonder Ikara-Flinders Ranges was nominated for a tentative listing as a World Heritage site with UNESCO. The rugged ranges, some 500 kilometres north of Adelaide, were formed more than 600 million years ago and are home to wonders such as the colossal amphitheatre Wilpena Pound. Hike its ancient ridges on the three-day Arkaba Walk, see it from above on a scenic flight from Rawnsley Park Station, or stay at Arkaroola International Dark Sky Sanctuary for a cosmos show like no other. Alternatively, take a seven-day Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges tour with APT, as Australia’s largest salt lake, Kati-Thanda Lake Eyre, experiences a spectacular and rare flooding phenomenon.

emus in Ikara-Flinders Ranges — Emus wander in the grassland of Ikara-Flinders Ranges. (Image: Adam Edwards)

3. Board The Ghan, SA & NT

Travelling with: Imogen Eveson

Every Australian dreams of travelling on The Ghan at least once. This legendary train journey, named for the pioneering cameleers who blazed a path into the Red Centre, captures imaginations as it makes tracks across the country between Adelaide and Darwin. Book a Gold Premium cabin for a 21st-century translation of the train’s original Art Deco stylings and a colour palette drawn from Albert Namatjira’s famous landscapes. Or level up in Platinum. Then sit back and watch the living painting unfold through your window.

the JBRE Accommodation Platinum Service Cabin dining service, The Ghan — An ultra-modern cabin equipped with Platinum dining and lounge. (Image: Heather Dinas Photography)

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4. The Kimberley, WA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

The far reaches of Western Australia could be the country’s most wild. Where the striking red of pindan cliffs meets white sands and turquoise waters. A cradle for ancient rock art, thunderous waterfalls and dramatic gorges. Travelling slowly through the Kimberley is ideal. Consider Intrepid Travel’s Wild Kimberley Overland, which unfolds over 11 days. For those shorter on time, its Broome to the Bungle Bungles tour can have you seeing it all in just five days. You’ll explore the state’s largest cave system, visit old gold rush towns, see Cathedral and Windjana gorges, and the bizarre and beautiful 20-million-year-old forms of the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park.

the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley — Discover the wild wonders of the Kimberley, such as the Dampier Peninsula. (Image: Tourism Australia)

5. Uluṟu, NT

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

Enigmatic Uluṟu changes colours throughout the day, starting at sunrise when the monolith is bathed in a flaming red glow. Take it in on a Sunrise Journey tour, operated by Ayers Rock Resort, when artworks created by three local Anangu women come to life through laser projection and music. Mid-morning, join a free ranger-guided Mala walk around the base of the ochre-hued rock to learn the Ancestral Anangu Mala story. Then watch Uluru blush pink and purple at sunset and dine on bush tucker under the stars as the Field of Light installation begins to twinkle.

the majestic landscape of Uluru — Witness the changing colours of Uluru. (Image: Tourism NT/Kate Flowers)

6. Mungo National Park, NSW

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

The lunar-like landscape of Mungo National Park in outback NSW was formed by ancient dry lake basins and shifting sands. It’s a mind-boggling land rich in Indigenous history and home to the world’s oldest human cremations and megafauna remains, where emus and giant red kangaroos roam. Australian Wildlife Journeys leads a six-day small group tour to Mungo and beyond that gives travellers the chance to appreciate its enormous significance to human history and ecology.

moon rises over Mungo National Park — The moon rising over Mungo National Park. (Image: Destination NSW/Dee Kramer)

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7. Australia by camelback, WA & SA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

Trekking across a vast and empty desert may be unthinkable to some. To others, it’s the ultimate adventure or even a journey of self-discovery. Channel Robyn Davidson, who trekked for 2700 kilometres across WA’s deserts in the 1970s, with a little help from Outback Camel Company, which operates week-long desert treks and expeditions across the Simpson Desert. Alternatively, Camel Treks Australia ventures through the Ikara-Flinders Ranges and deep into the Tirari Desert.

a woman petting a camel, Camel Treks Australia — Camel Treks Australia ventures through the Ikara-Flinders Ranges. (Image: Tourism Australia/South Australia Tourism Commission)

8. Kakadu National Park, NT

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

Sprawling across 20,000 square kilometres, World Heritage-listed Kakadu is a kaleidoscope of savannah woodlands, rugged stone escarpments, tropical waterholes, cascading waterfalls and wetlands that swell in the wet season. It’s a habitat to one-third of the country’s bird species and some 10,000 crocs, with Yellow Water Billabong a haven for wildlife spotting. And its Traditional Owners, the Bininj/Mungguy people, have lived here for 65,000 years, with some 5000 rock art sites – including famous Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) – dotted throughout the national park. To see a place of such staggering biodiversity and history is a must for all Australians.

an aerial view of Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu National Park, NT — See the majestic Jim Jim Falls from above. (Image: Tourism NT/Hello Emily)

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat, now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate, whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor, who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will, who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods. “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield, embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House.

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument, which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds.

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens, hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

8 unique outback getaways to have at least once in Australia

Beyond the red dirt roads and tiny towns, the outback is full of extraordinary beauty, from hot pools to waterfalls and ancient rock formations. Venture out there to see this wondrous place for yourself.

1. Wellness Way, Qld

2. Ikara-Flinders Ranges, SA

3. Board The Ghan, SA & NT

4. The Kimberley, WA

5. Uluṟu, NT

6. Mungo National Park, NSW

7. Australia by camelback, WA & SA

8. Kakadu National Park, NT

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The Macedon Ranges is Victoria’s best-kept food and wine secret

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

Come for the wine, stay for the food