Sharing an expansive 60,000 acres with just 10 guests at a time is a reality found at Arkaba Station – a remote luxury lodge nestled comfortably within the sprawling Flinders Ranges.
With far more activities than there is number of guests, it's here that you can live in authentic Australian luxury with the strikingly-beautiful outback as your playground.
Arkaba Station is equally about conservation as it is your experience, offering an immersive ‘hands-on’ approach to all guests.
With a geological history that’s hundreds of millions of years old and an Aboriginal history that dates back thousands, you can partake in programs like guided walks and safari drives, each led by a team of expert field guides who live and breathe the bush.
Formerly a sheep station and now a private conservancy, Arkaba is an oasis within one of Australia’s oldest landscapes, the Flinders Ranges. Wake to stunning pink sunrises and the cheerful chatter of Galahs, and spend your days exploring the untamed outback’s sandstone bluffs, dry creek beds and river red gum trees. Don’t forget to watch for the Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Euro – this is one of the best places in the country to see them.
In relation to the rest of Australia, Arkaba is a 4.5-hour drive or 1-hour flight from Adelaide or Kangaroo Island, a 4-hour drive from the hills and valleys of the Barossa, a 3-hour drive from the Clare Valley wine region and a little over an hour from the commercial airport in Port Augusta.
Arkaba has just five main guest rooms: four in the 1850s homestead and one in the Coachman’s Cottage. Opening to shaded verandas and individual views of the outback, all rooms have heating and air conditioning, premium mattresses, organic cotton sheets and their own ensuite bathroom. In your spare time, envelop yourself in a good book and leather armchair at the library, cool off with a dip in the pool, or enjoy a chef-prepared meal out on the private veranda.
The décor of the homestead retains a sense of history and place, paired with understated rustic-chic style. Wildlife artist Rosie Woodford-Ganf adds intrigue to each room with bedheads fashioned from recycled fence posts and fleece, curtains tied back by gum nut tassels and lights perched on explorers’ tripod theodolites. Speaking of, each room has been named after early settlers, explorers and property owners, including John McDouall Stuart who was one of the first guests while on his epic first crossing of the continent in the 1850’s.
Homestead
Though each of the four homestead bedrooms are unique in design, all are air conditioned with a mix of king or twin beds with organic cotton sheets and your choice of pillows. Ensuite washrooms with eco-friendly Serendipity toiletries, a shaded veranda with lounge chairs and views of the surrounded ranges are included, while Wi-Fi, phones, televisions and minibars are purposely left out to help you focus on the experience that is Arkaba.
Coachman’s Cottage
Located across the garden from the homestead, the standalone Coachman’s Cottage offers next level privacy. Like the homestead rooms, it purposely does not have Wi-Fi, a phone, television or minibar to help you enjoy the experience.