SOUTH AUSTRALIA65tailor-made travelAll our travel arrangements are on a private,individual basis to offer you complete freedom ofchoice. The itineraries and accommodation optionsthroughout the brochure are designed to give you aflavour of what is possible and can be tailor-made tosuit your preferences. Prices vary according toselected accommodation and season. Please callour Australia specialists on 01869 276 345 todiscuss your individual requirements.GAWLER RANGES SAFARISLacking sealed roads - or even marked trails -the wisest (indeed only) way to access this areais by guided 4WD tour, and the best operator isGawler Ranges Safaris. This small and locally-owned company has been running tours forgroups of two to six visitors for nearly twodecades. Hard to beat for their enthusiasm andknowledge, they offer three and four-dayitineraries, longer tours on request, and willtailor an itinerary to your specific interests if youwish. Accommodation is in comfortable walk-insafari tents set on raised decks and you arecertain to see plenty of kangaroo, emu andwombat. Many tours culminate in a visit to therugged seaside village of Baird Bay for thewonderful opportunity to swim with playfulAustralian sealions. Kangaluna Camp, Gawler RangesThe permanent camp of Kangaluna has beencreated in stark contrast to its surroundings.Spacious safari tents each contain two beautifulbeds crafted from local woods and you have yourown private shower and toilet. Each tent has beenthoughtfully positioned in a pretty bush setting, agood distance apart, but for even more privacy youcan opt for a 'Wild Camp' experience, where youare set up with a comfy bushman swag in the bush,star-lit all night long. Following dinner you either canput your feet up or strike out into the surroundingbush for a nocturnal wildlife walk.Outback & SeaLionEncounterThis tour of South Australia's arid heartlandexperiences rural hospitality on a working sheepstation, discovers charismatic Outback towns, andexplores the deep red sands, crisp white salt lakes,mountain ranges and striking rock formations.Day 1:Depart Adelaide bound for Olympic Damwhere your friendly hosts will take you toWirraminna Outback station. Day 2:Explore Roxby Downs and Woomerrawhere you can join a mining tour andlearn about the chequered past andpresent of these townships. Day 3:Depart Wirraminna bound forAndamooka opal town where you willjoin your Gawler Ranges 4WD safari andhead to your Outback tentedaccommodation.Day 4:Venture off-road into the Gawler Rangesand up to Lake Gardiner salt lake to seethe flora and fauna of the south.Day 5:Head towards Baird Bay for a wildlifecruise to see dolphins and the sealioncolony. A delightful coastal drive southwill take you to Port Lincoln for yourflight back to Adelaide.EXTENSIONSLinger longer in the wonderful beach-house at BairdBay and savour the natural environment or contrastyour Outback experience with a few extra nights inAdelaide, a sophisticated city but with all thefriendly hospitality of a small town.Lake GardinerGuide in the Gawler RangesKangaluna CampSWIMMINGWITH SEALIONS Sitting in the middle of a channel and guardingthe approaches to Baird Bay, Jones Island hosts acolony of Australian sealions. Take to theshallow waters and you will soon be joined by ahandful of these wondrous creatures, whichswim up close and make elegant tumble turns,stare inquisitively into your mask and tickle youwith their whiskers. This amazing encounter ispossible for those staying at Baird Bay Lodge, oras part of a Gawler Ranges Safari.THE GAWLER RANGESNATIONAL PARK Crowning the Eyre Peninsula the Gawler Rangesrear up from the wheat and barley-fields aroundWudinna, changing from level countryside intoancient eroded hills, dramatic rocky outcropsand volcanic rock formations. Fringing theregion are immense areas of savannah which formuch of the year are covered in deep red soiland spinifex grass, but are transformed eachspring as a blanket of wildflowers sets the areaablaze with colour. The dazzling Lake Gardiner,a glistening salt pan amid the surrounding redsoil, resembles a piece of Antarctica whilst theimmense 'Organ Pipes' amphitheatre makes anatural stage for the local wildlife. The park ishome to some of Australia's oldest landscapes,whose colourful and unusual rock formationshave been baffling geologists for years.

MELBOURNEPriding itself on being a great city it is hardlysurprising, with such a spectacular combinationof old and new architecture. Here lavish parks,elegant streetscapes showcasing Georgianmasterpieces disappear into buzzing lanewaysand tucked away arcades. Add Australia's besteating, an excellent if quirky tram system and apacked events calendar and you have one ofAustralia's most enlightened cities. Lively bantersurrounds Victoria's climate, yet locals embracethe outdoor lifestyle and the city possesses acharm that quietly bewitches many. Though it isobvious Melbourne was planned, with a tidy,balanced grid of neatly angled streets, beneaththis sense of 'everything in its place' restraint acreative energy pushes back at the city'sapparent conservatism. The city centre is madeup of precincts, each with their own flavour andcharacter: some are just a lane or two, whileothers cover the banks of the Yarra River, a newDocklands area or an entire street. Distinct innersuburbs extend around Port Phillip Bay: St Kildawith its diverse café and music scene, Asian-influenced Richmond and Lygon Street with itspizza, gelato and Italian style. Each area, in itsway, showcases yet another side of Australia. THE EVENTSAND CULTURE STATEVictoria's calendar bursts with some ofAustralia's biggest and innovative culturalfestivals and world-class sporting events, fromGrand Slam tennis to celebrations of food andwine. The quintessentially Australian pastimes ofsurfing and Aussie Rules Football reach theirdramatic climax here, but you can also spendyour time listening to jazz, roaming world-classarts festivals or chuckling at the comedy festival.Whatever your interests just ask one of ourspecialists when best to visit: Victoria's eventsare sure to enhance your stay no end.Victoria66A vibrant capital city, historic towns,dramatic coastlines pounded by barrel-sized ocean waves, lofty mountains andiconic national parks - despite beingpocket-sized, Victoria certainly packs apowerful punch. Within half an hour ofits capital, Melbourne, you could betaking in mist-laden mountain rangesand ferny gullies, in an hour lying in asheltered bay or surfing the SouthernOcean off a rugged coast. To the westof Melbourne, a cool temperaterainforest unravels its way along theGreat Ocean Road, on the east the landfalls away into a series of peninsulasand islands, tea-coloured rivers andbeaches strewn with rusty boulders. Onthe city's doorstep is the amber-huedYarra Valley with its famous cool-climate wines. Climb into the HighCountry to winter snowfields or acarpet of spring wildflowers whilst thetreasured Grampians are a living galleryof flora, fauna and Aboriginal rock art,latticed by excellent bushwalking trails.In a country where distances are oftenhuge, Victoria's highlights are compactand accessible.Luna Park, St Kilda