Get ready for South Australia’s new luxe safari resort experience

Dreaming of an African safari holiday? This new resort might just offer the next best thing.

Adventure and luxury meet in the heart of South Australia, as Journey Beyond announces the addition of Monarto Safari Report to their portfolio of high-end accommodations and lodges in Australia. The site is receiving a $60 million investment, including a Monarto Safari Resort which is set to become a standout destination for nature enthusiasts.

Unwind at Monarto Safari Resort's Marula Spa, where luxury treatments meet the sounds of the savannah.

Chris Tallent, Journey Beyond CEO, is excited by the opportunity for Journey Beyond to manage and operate the new resort. “With years of expertise in managing unique tourism operations in remote destinations across Australia, Journey Beyond is exceptionally well-placed to manage this cutting-edge new build…"

Monarto Safari Resort swimming pool — The accommodation will feature two swimming pools.

Spanning 1550 hectares, Monarto Safari Park is one of the largest open-range zoos in the world, with a strong focus on wildlife conservation and education. Located within an hour’s drive of Adelaide, it allows visitors to immerse themselves in the wonders of the African savanna, all without leaving Australia.

The luxury accommodation is slated to open in May and will feature 78 rooms, a 20-tent luxury safari lodge (coming in 2026), and unique wildlife encounters. In staying here, guests will have the unique opportunity to participate in exclusive sunrise and sunset African-style safari tours, providing an immersive wildlife experience across 550 hectares of wide-open plains, amongst free-roaming herds of African animals including rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and hippos.

Monarto Safari Resort foyer — The interiors are inspired by the rugged beauty of the African savanna, with earthy tones and natural materials like wood and stone.

Zoos South Australia Chief Executive Elaine Bensted says, “We’re really looking forward to this partnership and working with Journey Beyond. Their extensive knowledge of regional tourism, coupled with a strong focus on sustainability and conservation, will ensure that the resort will become a premier destination for nature enthusiasts."

The accommodation’s interiors are inspired by the rugged beauty of the African savannah, with earthy tones and natural materials like wood and stone. The elevated guest rooms and suites will overlook the expansive plains of the new Wild Africa precinct of Monarto Safari. Facilities include two swimming pools, a world-class spa, wedding facilities and top-tier dining facilities.

Monarto Safari Resort — The building’s exterior showcases modern architecture with sleek lines.

A portion of the room rate for every booking will be donated to Monarto Safari Park’s conservation programs. Gerry Ryan OAM, owner of the luxury resort, says, “Our mission has always been to offer guests an unparalleled experience that connects them with the natural beauty and conservation efforts of the area, and I am excited to see how Journey Beyond will bring this vision to life."

The resort will open on 28 May, with bookings available from 3 February.

Monarto Safari Park giraffes — Graceful giraffes roaming the sprawling plains of Monarto Safari Resort

A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination.

There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.

old gold bank Victoria — Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time.

It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.

Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital

Creswick bike trail — This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria.

I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers.

I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.

The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife.

Eating there

Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand . The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857.

Playing there

Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.

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