Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Arkaba Homestead
A traditional homestead on a former sheep station in South Australia, Arkaba offers gorgeous heritage accommodation combined with amazing wildlife viewing and hiking in the iconic Australian landscape of the Flinders Ranges. A traditional homestead on a former sheep station in South Australia, Arkaba offers gorgeous heritage accommodation combined with amazing wildlife viewing and hiking in the iconic Australian landscape of the Flinders Ranges.
A traditional homestead on a former sheep station in South Australia, Arkaba offers gorgeous heritage accommodation combined with amazing wildlife viewing and hiking in the iconic Australian landscape of the Flinders Ranges. A traditional homestead on a former sheep station in South Australia, Arkaba offers gorgeous heritage accommodation combined with amazing wildlife viewing and hiking in the iconic Australian landscape of the Flinders Ranges.
Location
Situated on the southern slopes of the astonishing geological formation of the amphitheatre-like Wilpena Pound, Arkaba Homestead is a former outback sheep station in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. The immediate surrounding lands of more than 25,000 hectares are now a private wildlife conservancy where non-native mammals have been removed, and the original Australian wildlife has not only returned but flourishes in abundance.
Accessible by Australian standards, yet undeniably remote, reaching Arkaba involves a one-hour flight from Adelaide. If you prefer the road, the alternative is a leisurely half-day drive passing through the wine region of the Clare Valley.
Accessible by Australian standards, yet undeniably remote, reaching Arkaba involves a one-hour flight from Adelaide. If you prefer the road, the alternative is a leisurely half-day drive passing through the wine region of the Clare Valley.
Accommodation
To stay at the Arkaba Homestead is to step back in time to the days of Australia’s pioneering pastoral heritage, but with a new twist. Back in the 1850s, to sit on the shady verandas would have been accompanied by the sounds, sights and smells of sheep, together with a rapidly spoiling landscape; nowadays gorgeous nature has returned, which means mobs of emus and wallabies, crackles of cockatoos and riots of kookaburras.
There are just five rooms here – four in the main house and the separate Coachman’s Cottage – all of which retain much of their original character while embracing modern comforts. Spacious and elegantly stocked with just the right number of touches such as cowhide rugs, woolsack-wrapped side tables and native animal prints, the rooms come with ensuite bathrooms and airy verandas.
There are just five rooms here – four in the main house and the separate Coachman’s Cottage – all of which retain much of their original character while embracing modern comforts. Spacious and elegantly stocked with just the right number of touches such as cowhide rugs, woolsack-wrapped side tables and native animal prints, the rooms come with ensuite bathrooms and airy verandas.
Around the property, you’ll find a dining room and terrace, a library and lounge with books and magazines aplenty, and an outdoor pool with views over the bush and hills surrounding the Arkaba Creek. With sheep dips as a distant memory, the cool waters here are the ideal spot for an evening cocktail as the sun descends and the squawking galahs fall silent.
Meals are timed around you and your activities, and you’ll enjoy convivial eating around the country-style dining table. Fresh, modern and confident cuisine is what you can expect, with canapés before dinner, and everything is exquisitely paired with the best regional wines. The bar is help-yourself, and the kitchen is open for you to grab snacks, hot drinks and fruit whenever you want. No worries.
Meals are timed around you and your activities, and you’ll enjoy convivial eating around the country-style dining table. Fresh, modern and confident cuisine is what you can expect, with canapés before dinner, and everything is exquisitely paired with the best regional wines. The bar is help-yourself, and the kitchen is open for you to grab snacks, hot drinks and fruit whenever you want. No worries.
Experiences
Arkaba is derived from the name used by the Traditional Owners of this region; it means ‘Land of Abundance’. With profuse wildlife, varied and dramatic landscapes, and ample ways to experience it all, it’s certainly bountiful.
- Make the most of early morning and late afternoon wildlife watching. Four-wheel-drive safaris take you into a landscape populated by emus, three types of kangaroo, the rare yellow-footed rock wallaby, echidnas, and birds galore.
- There are mountain bikes to enjoy and self-guided walks for those who want a bit of independence. Local lookouts provide staggering views, and there are ancient Adnyamathanha (Hill People) rock art sites to find.
- Take a scenic flight to see the full scale and grandeur of the amazing crater-shaped rock formation of the Wilpena Pound. 17 kilometres long and 7 kilometres wide, it’s as spectacular as Uluru.
- Use the homestead as a base for the 40-kilometre overland Arkaba Bushwalk. Two nights camping out with a traditional swag will take you along eucalypt-dotted creek beds into the remote and ancient land that is now the Flinders Range National Park.
- At night, enjoy stargazing talks with your hosts. Out here in the Outback, well beyond light pollution and with the significant incentive of essential navigation, the stars are part of life.
We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Elders past, present and emerging, on whose land Arkaba Homestead stands. In sharing elements of their history, heritage and culture we honour their deep connection to country.
Positive Impact
We prioritise working with properties that address location-specific needs from education to conservation and environmental sustainability. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.We prioritise working with properties that address location-specific needs from education to conservation and environmental sustainability. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.
Conservation & Community
Arkaba employs a dedicated on-site conservation officer who coordinates habitat restoration and monitors energy use and waste management. One current project involves camera surveys to assess the population of the reintroduced Western Quoll.
Environment
Hot water at the property is solar-heated. Rooms are simple and low-energy, with no TVs, minibars or kettles. Bedside decanters are filled with rainwater, and all cleaning materials are eco-certified.
Conservation
The surrounding landscape of Arkaba is a nature conservancy where feral animals such as foxes, rabbits, cats and goats have been eliminated. The impact of sheep farming is being reversed so that endemic wildlife, such as the rare yellow-footed rock wallabies, are thriving.
Why Travel with Journeysmiths
We are a boutique travel specialist. For over 30 years we have been crafting the finest tailor-made holidays to the world’s wild places. Your time is precious and with a world to see, we understand the importance of getting it absolutely right for you every time.We are a boutique travel specialist. For over 30 years we have been crafting the finest tailor-made holidays to the world’s wild places. Your time is precious and with a world to see, we understand the importance of getting it absolutely right for you every time.