Day 1 (2027 itinerary)
ARRIVE ADELAIDE
Make your way to Adelaide and check-in this afternoon to your accommodation, home for the next two nights.
OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Pullman Adelaide or similiar
Day 2
BAROSSA VALLEY
Today, delight your senses with boutique wine and food touring to the historic Barossa Valley, with its 80 cellar doors. You’ll even visit one of the oldest vineyards in the world, where Shiraz vines were planted in 1843. Enjoy running commentary from your driver as you make your way towards the world-renowned wine region and be guided through some of the best wines South Australia has to offer. Tours are small groups up to 8 people only to ensure a relaxed and unhurried day. Whether you prefer red or white, there will be something to tantalise and delight with tastings at three wineries throughout the day, and a delicious lunch with an accompanying glass of wine included in your tour. (B,L)
Day 3
ADELAIDE TO KANGAROO ISLAND
Depart from Adelaide Airport for your flight to magical Kangaroo Island, where you will be met by your guide and begin your ‘Island Life’ tour. Island Life provides a taste of the way of life in this bucolic spot, where things take time, drivers wave as they go by, and passers-by stop for a chat. Have a cuppa with some home-made treats before taking a walk down a country track through towering Eucalyptus trees, where koalas snooze overhead or chew languidly on leaves. Listen for the sounds of the bush – brightly coloured honeyeaters and brilliant parrots, cicadas or perhaps just the sound of silence. You’ll travel through the island’s most productive countryside to the north coast and walk through the bush with your guide, learning what makes that noise and whose tracks those are. Watch for small wallabies, a kangaroo found only on Kangaroo Island, and a variety of other birds, plants and animals.Lunch is at a private bush camp, where you’ll enjoy adelicious meal featuring King George whiting – a local sea fish, fresh salads and fine South Australian wines. At Seal Bay Conservation Park, take a private tour with your guide among Australian sea lions on a beautiful sandy beach. Watch pups nursing or playing in the surf and old bulls bearing the scars of territorial disputes and learn about their unique breeding biology. After a day of touring, you will return to your accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel. (B,L,D)
OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge
DAY 4
KANGAROO ISLAND
Begin the day travelling through some of the regenerating landscapes of Kangaroo Island. Learn about fire ecology and how nature deals with this natural hazard. Some of the native flora species only flower following fire. Travel into Flinders Chase National Park and explore the massive shapes of Remarkable Rocks, a natural sculpture perched impossibly on top a granite dome plunging into the ocean. Then you’ll break for an elegant picnic lunch in t he bush, or if weather permits, on a spectacular clifftop. Evidence of the power of the Southern Ocean swell continues at Admirals Arch – a coastal grotto that provides a haul out for a large colony of Long-nosed Fur Seals, which swim effortlessly through the crashing waves. After your last day of touring, you will return to your accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel. (B,L,D)
DAY 5
KANGAROO ISLAND TO ADELAIDE
This morning, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your return flight to Adelaide. Arriving in Adelaide, you will be transferred to your city accommodation to leave your bags and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. The evening is free to explore some of Adelaide’s many dining and entertainment precincts. (B)
OVERNIGHT: 2 nights Pullman Adelaide or similiar
DAY 6
PENFOLDS MAGILL ESTATE
As far as gourmet experiences go, today you are about to indulge in one of Australia’s best. The legendary Penfolds Magill Estate, where some of the world’s great wines are produced, is your venue for an epicurean adventure you’ll never forget. Make your way from the hotel to Penfolds Magill Estate by your own arrangements, ready to enjoy tastings, including Grange, in the Estate’s private rooms, before heading to the Magill Estate Cellar Door for a sumptuous lunch. (B,L)
Day 7
BOARD THE GHAN IN ADELAIDE, CLARE VALLEY
Your journey on The Ghan begins in Adelaide this afternoon, as you step aboard and settle into the rhythm of life on the rails. Watch the countryside roll past your window as the train makes its way north, a hint of the adventure to come. By early evening, the train arrives at Long Plains, where you step off and transfer into the rolling vineyards of the ClareValley – one of South Australia's most celebrated wine regions. At Penobscot Farm, a signature dinner awaits in the reimagined Woolshed, curated exclusively for guests of The Ghan. Every dish is drawn from the farm's own biodynamic produce, paired with Clare Valley's celebrated Rieslings and reds under the guidance of Executive Chef Nicola Palmer. As the sun sets over the vines, raise a glass to the days of discovery ahead. After dinner, return to the train and retire for the night as The Ghan continues its journey north. (D)
OVERNIGHT: 3 nights The Ghan
Day 8
THE GHAN, FLINDERS RANGES
Wake to the changing countryside as The Ghan arrives into Port Augusta, South Australia's gateway to the outback. After breakfast, step off the train and prepare for a full day discovering one of the nation’s most remarkable regions: the Flinders Ranges. Your Off Train Experience takes you deep into one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth, where 600 million years of geological history has folded the land into dramatic gorges and red rock outcrops. Stand amid ancient rock formations and take in a landscape millions of years in the making. From here, head to the historic town of Quorn, once a vital crossroads on the Trans-Australian Railway and now home to the heritage Pichi Richi line. Settle in for lunch paired with the botanicals of Flinders Gin, distilled from the landscape around you. Visit the ruins of Kanyaka Station and hear stories of the ruined dreams of colonial farmers in this harsh and unrelenting landscape — a striking introduction to the outback. After a day of exploration, rejoin the train for a relaxed evening on board recalling the day’s adventures. (B,L,D)
Day 9
THE GHAN, ALICE SPRINGS
After a night of fine dining and relaxed comfort aboard The Ghan, wake to a spectacular outback sunrise at Marla, a remote outpost 160 kilometres from the Northern Territory border and gateway to the legendary Oodnadatta Track. With red dirt beneath your feet and a bonfire casting warmth into the cool morning air, pause to take in the stillness of this extraordinary place. Back on board, enjoy a leisurely brunch as the desert landscape unfolds on the journey north to Alice Springs. Here, a variety of Off Train Experiences awaits. Choose an off-road e-bike adventure across ochre-coloured earth, explore the town’s key landmarks on the A Town Called Alice tour, or embrace a cultural experience at Standley Chasm. Nature lovers can meet the wildlife at the Desert Park or marvel at the striking beauty of Simpsons Gap. For a bird’s-eye view, upgrade to a scenic helicopter flight and witness the sheer scale of this remarkable region. Return to the train in the late afternoon, with time to refresh before dinner is served and another unforgettable evening begins. (B, L, D)
Day 10
THE GHAN, KATHERINE AND DARWIN
Your final day begins in the tropical north, where the landscape gives way to rocky escarpments and fast-flowing canyon streams. Here, you’ll experience one of the Top End’s greatest natural wonders on a cruise through the majestic Nitmiluk Gorge. As you glide along the water, your guide will share the cultural significance of this place to the Jawoyn people, weaving in stories that highlight their deep spiritual connection to the land. Alternatively, step into the lives of those who call the outback home at the Katherine Outback Experience, or venture underground to explore the limestone chambers of the Cutta Cutta Caves, rich in native wildlife, Indigenous culture and European history. For a different perspective, upgrade to a helicopter flight and witness the scale and grandeur of Nitmiluk from above. After your day’s adventures, return to the train and journey onwards to Darwin, where you’ll disembark The Ghan and your holiday package concludes.
