Eternal optimist and dad Quentin Long takes on the ultimate parenting challenge: a holiday his teenagers might like, at South Australia’s newest wildlife experience.
Teenagers. I can’t wait to take them on a holiday. Said no one ever. Caught between the twin evils of missing out on hanging with their mates and enduring the embarrassment of their parents, a holiday with the family for a teenager is tantamount to an act of torture.
And, for parents, forcing a teenager away from their dens and enduring the sullen moping that can escalate to outright verbal attacks is a battle for which most of us don’t have the strength. But it is the sense of responsibility to create moments of connection that keeps us signing up for more. It really is the hope that kills us.
And with that sense of hope, I rope the kids and wife into a trip to the recently opened Monarto Safari Resort. Located next to Monarto Safari Park, an hour’s drive from Adelaide, this new accommodation is set within the Wild Africa precinct, a 550-hectare conservation area that replicates the wild African savannah.
Arriving at Australia’s only safari resort
“Zebras!" the youngest exclaims after he barges through the doors of our interconnecting rooms, clattering bags against his brother and the skirting board to ensure he is first through. After all, every moment is a potential competition to be won.
“I think they are giraffes," the eldest states as he stands on our balcony and points to a far stand of trees. I squint into the distance and murmur that my 50-plus-year-old eyesight seems to agree. “Look, an ostrich," my wife says. “And an emu."
The intertwining of Australian and African fauna in the wide, open spaces of the Wild Africa precinct is surprisingly not jarring. Rather, the cognitive dissonance of kangaroos and emus strolling past zebras and giraffes adds to the enjoyment.
Experiencing Africa in South Australia
Winding through the expansive open fields (they are enclosures of enormous proportions), the line between South Australian wheatfield and African savannah is easily blurred.
In the morning, we watch the steamy breath of hippos plume above the water. In the evening, they waddle from the dam to more comfortable sleeping quarters. Their enormous rhythmically swinging buttocks suggest that life doesn’t get much better for a hippo. We spy barbary sheep and their ostentatious beards. Three black rhinos feeding in the golden sunset. And two blackbucks relentlessly charging and clashing horns, trying to best each other. It mirrors what happens at home.
I had never seen a cheetah do anything other than meander, but here we watch two break effortlessly and silently from a slow walk into a canter, displaying their terrifyingly lethal hunting ability.
Pleasingly – relieving, to be honest – the boys are enthralled with all the wildlife. They share turns capturing the animals, in surroundings as close to natural as possible, on my old DSLR camera. Reviewing their great and not-so-great photos creates a conversation and moments of connection that any parent of teenagers craves. Perhaps even better, the drives give them an opportunity to be wowed by nature again. They take on some of the commentary from the remarkably well-qualified guides.
Parents are treated as well as teens
You can only push teenagers so far before you need to let them return to their natural slovenly state. After the morning drive and an enormous breakfast, we literally leave them to their own devices and head for some parental pampering at the Marula Day Spa. An hour-long massage is not enough, but we steal some extra time in the recovery room, sipping the aromatic and soothing Serengé-T, a bespoke combination of vanilla, licorice, lavender and lemongrass. From here, we watch the zebras buck and bite each other, secretly hoping our kids are not doing the same.
Turns out, the boys did not hate the experience or me for putting them through it. In fact, they enjoyed, maybe even loved, the majority of our two-night getaway. We got a safari experience without having to take out our passports or a second mortgage. It gave some respite to my wife, connected us with the kids and expanded their horizons. That is no mean feat. But I won’t break my arm patting myself on the back; the kids will bring me back down to Earth.
A traveller’s checklist
Getting there
Monarto Safari Resort is an hour’s drive south-east of Adelaide/Tarntanya.
Staying there
Monarto Safari Resort accommodation includes twin, king and interconnecting rooms to one- and two-bedroom suites sleeping up to four guests. Waterhole rooms and suites have views of the waterhole, Wild Africa precinct and animals, whereas Savannah rooms and suites face the front of the hotel and surrounding plains.
Breakfast can be included in your booking and is served at Kutjera Restaurant & Bar, which is also open for lunch and dinner. Rates start at $285 per night for a Savannah Twin Room.
Playing there
The dawn and dusk game drives are inclusive and exclusive to Monarto Safari Resort guests and the only way to access the Wild Africa precinct. Guests receive exclusive discounts for park entry to Monarto Safari Park, the largest safari experience outside of Africa. The park is home to more than 50 species of exotic and native animals. A portion of every booking at the resort is donated to the Zoos SA Conservation Fund.
