If you're in the mood for adventure and excitement, then venture into the Opal Outback.

It's a dramatic departure from the pace of the 'big smoke' of Adelaide, but it's surprisingly accessible. And once you're there, you'll experience things you'll never forget.

See the majestic natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound, a lost world located inside a giant crater. Explore the deep Outback on one of the legendary desert tracks. Or take a scenic flight over the Flinders Ranges. There are hiking trails, places to fossick for opals, and even a desert golf course with no grass.

Go hiking through the region's national parks, and see the gorges that are millions of years old. Take a scenic flight over Wilpena Pound and the mountain ranges. Or watch the landscapes sweep past the traditional way, with a trip on the desert railway.

WILDLIFE

The Flinders Ranges and Outback is home to  timid and fascinating animals like the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby, Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo, Lake Eyre Dragon, Wedge-Tailed Eagle, Barking Owls and more. Nocturnal mammals such as the native rodents, dunnarts and planigales are active during the night.

Some of the many birds that can be seen in include brilliantly coloured Australian Ringneck Parrots, Pink and Grey galahs, Rainbow Bee-eater, Elegant Parrots and Red-capped Robin.

In Lake Eyre National Park, one interesting life form is the Lake Eyre Dragon, a lizard that lives on the margins of salt lakes. The explosion of birdlife which follows the flooding of Lake Eyre fills the air with the sound and a great range of visiting waterbirds, including Pelicans, Black Cormorants, Silver Gulls, Avocets, Banded Stilts, Whiskered Terns and Gull-billed Terns.

Innamincka Regional Reserve and Coongie Lakes's watercourses and springs provide homes for skinks, geckoes, legless lizards and frogs, including the Streambank Froglet, a Flinders Ranges endemic. There are also lizards, goannas and snakes. The large Carpet Python rests in tree hollows or on rock ledges, moving on the ground to hunt at night. Keep your ears open for Innamincka's fascinating Barking Owls.

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PEOPLE

A number of friendly and intrepid people have made this rugged environment their home. Share a drink with them at an Outback pub, and they'll tell you all about the walking trails of the Flinders Ranges, where you can trek through stunning gorges and hear the exotic sounds of native birds echoing around you.

They'll tell you that sunset is the best time to catch the wallabies coming out to play.

They'll talk about how people made their homes deep underground in the opal-mining centre of Coober Pedy, and give you a few tips on how you might go fossicking yourself.

They'll talk about the indigenous heritage of this land, and you'll get the chance to hear spellbinding stories from the Aboriginal Dreaming, stories that have been handed down from generation to generation over 40,000 years.

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REGIONS

The vast and beautiful Flinders Ranges can be divided into three distinct regions - each with something tantalising to offer you.

If you're driving from Adelaide, you'll reach the Southern Flinders Ranges first. Stretch your legs and get close to nature on the area's walking and cycling trails, which traverse through spectacular scenery. Climb to the  peak of Mount Remarkable, trek through Wirrabara and Bundaleer forests, or discover the homegrown flavours of the region on the Southern Flinders flavours trail. Don't miss the local ice cream!

In the Central Flinders Ranges, go to bush picnic races at Beltana and Blinman, delve into caves and gorges and see the awesome amphitheatre that is Wilpena Pound.

And don't miss the Northern Flinders Ranges, where you'll really feel that you're beginning to get into the Outback. See rugged peaks, starry skies and kangaroos bounding over red earth. Head to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary for challenging 4WD tracks and the astronomical observatory there.

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BEST NATIONAL PARKS

Head to Flinders Ranges National Park for rugged mountain ranges, spectacular gorges, creeks lined with River Red Gums and abundant wildlife.

The park is one of South Australia's most popular tourist destinations. It's world renowned for its geological history, Aboriginal rock art sites, impressive fossil remains, and ruins of early European settlement. It is home to some of South Australia's most fascinating natural attractions including Wilpena Pound.

Here, you may be lucky enough to spot a Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby. These beautifully marked creatures were almost pushed to extinction, exploited for their skins. They also faced competition from introduced stock and predation from foxes. Thanks to conservation programs, the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby is now regularly seen in Brachina and Wilkawillina gorges, and also Bunyeroo Gorge or around the edge of Wilpena Pound.

Bird life is rich and varied in Flinders Ranges National Park too, with more than 100 native bird species recorded.

Each season has its own charm. Autumn brings warm, mild days and cool nights. Wildlife is more readily seen in winter and the denser air provides sharp detail for photography. Spring brings a carnival of color, with many flowering plants and birds celebrating another breeding season. Summer months in the Flinders Ranges can get very hot.

If you'd like to see a landscape like nothing you've seen before, visit Lake Eyre National Park.

Lake Eyre is an extensive 'salt sink' which derives its mineralisation from the evaporation of floodwaters over countless years. During the past forty years or so the lake has seen many floods of varying sizes.  When Lake Eyre does fill, it becomes the biggest lake in Australia. The massive Lake Eyre system covers an area roughly the size of Holland. Nearly one-sixth of Australia's landmass drains into Lake Eyre, but it has filled to capacity only three times in the past 150 years.
 
Seasonal rainfall attract waterbirds such as Australian Pelicans, Silver Gulls, Red-necked Avocets, Banded Stilts and Gull-billed Terns. Driven by instinct, thousands of pelicans, banded stilts and gulls flock in from as far away as north Queensland to breed and feed on the teeming fish.

More often than not though, the lake is dry -  even then it's a sight to behold.

Perhaps the best and safest way to take a look at Lake Eyre is from the air on a charter plane out of William Creek, Marree or Coober Pedy, although you can access the lake margin (in 4WD vehicles only) from Muloorina Station near Marree or a turn-off near William Creek.

This park can be accessed only by four-wheel-drive vehicles

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BEST SCENIC DRIVE

Brachina Gorge is one of the Flinders Ranges's most popular and spectacular attractions. The gorge is an important refuge for the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby as well as many species of birds and reptiles. The Brachina Gorge Geological Tour is a 12 mile self-guided trail that passes through 130 million years of earth history, giving an insight into past climates, the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early life forms.

The trail is best travelled from east to west, commencing at the Brachina Gorge/Blinman Road junction. A geological map and more detailed information is available at the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre near Wilpena Pound Resort.

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