ITINERARY:

Day 1: Arrive Adelaide
Welcome to South Australia’s capital. Make your way to your hotel for the evening. Balance of the day is at leisure in Adelaide.

Day 2: Embark Murray River cruise
This morning you will transfer by coach to the South Australian town of Mannum. Mid-afternoon the PS Murray Princess departs historic Mannum, the birthplace of the Murray River trade and communication, and heads upriver while you enjoy a Welcome Dinner. As we cruise under floodlight to our overnight mooring at Caurnamont, you may see nocturnal wildlife on the riverbank. Watch for kangaroos, hairy-nosed wombats, tortoises, egrets and many other species. Our on-board entertainer provides music for the night owls.

Day 3: Murray Princess
Daybreak and it’s time for the keen photographers to be out to capture the special light and the morning movement of wildlife. Prolific birdlife includes pelicans, wrens and swans. Enjoy a leisurely morning and lunch cruising upriver to Blanchetown through one of 13 locks which maintain the flow and levels of water. This afternoon we moor opposite to the township of Blanchetown for our overnight anchorage. As the last rays of the sun fade, we visit Burk Salter Boutique Winery and enjoy wine tasting at the cellar door which is fitted out with beautiful red gum bars. After dinner, join us for all the fun and excitement, and participate in our “Murray River Cup”.

Day 4: Murray Princess
After breakfast we cruise downriver to picturesque Swan Reach. The town was first settled in the 1850s, was originally the largest of five sheep and cattle stations in the area and is now home to native flower and fruit growers. The original Swan Reach homestead is now the Swan Reach Hotel where you can enjoy an ale or cappuccino overlooking the Murray River (additional cost). Join a walking tour and visit the Swan Reach Museum (gold coin donation at entry). Cruise downriver after lunch and take in the tranquillity as the landscape slides by. When we arrive at Sunnydale, it’s all ashore for the Woolshed Show as we recreate typical Australian woolshed history. Later we visit the Native Wildlife Shelter where some of South Australia’s most interesting native animals are cared for. And then of course, there is the great Aussie Barbecue – cooked and served in a bush setting on the banks of the mighty Murray River.
After dinner, there are two optional onshore tours to choose from (additional cost). A Nocturnal Tour in a comfortable purpose-built cart where you may see kangaroos, wombats, foxes, bats and owls and the Dark Sky Night Tour where you will be taken to an internationally recognised Dark Sky Reserve to observe the stars of the Milky Way. Night viewing binoculars and a telescope with a digital control locator are available plus a tablet to locate and name what can be observed with the naked eye.

Day 5: Murray Princess
After an optional early morning Bush Tucker Breakfast (additional cost) or a bush walk with the Captain, the vessel cruises slowly downriver past magnificent cliffs scoured by the river over millions of years. We reach Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve, one of Australia’s most significant archaeological sites, for a step back in time – tens of thousands of years – for a guided boardwalk tour to view ancient rock carvings and to learn about Aboriginal history in the area. We return to the vessel to cruise downriver to Younghusband. Along the way, adventure seekers can also take a scenic tender boat ride.
Tonight, join the Officers for complimentary pre-dinner drinks (sparkling wine and soft drinks) before a delicious dinner.

Day 6: Disembark, return to Adelaide
We leave Younghusband and head back to Mannum. After breakfast we reluctantly say farewell as we arrive at the Mannum Wharf. Transfer back to Adelaide and check-in to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 7: Adelaide free day
Spend the day at leisure enjoying South Australia’s capital.

Day 8: Dolphin cruise
Wake up bright an early and make your own way to the promenade in Glenelg, a seaside suburb just south of the CBD. Look for dolphins off the coast of Adelaide on a dolphin-spotting cruise. As you glide across Holdfast Bay by catamaran, keep your eyes peeled for some of the thousands of dolphins who live in these waters. To enhance your encounter with these lovable creatures, upgrade your tour to include a dolphin-swimming experience from the boat (no extra charge). The boat tour last approximately 3.5 hours. Upon return to Glenelg spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 9: Barossa Valley full day tour
Just a short drive from Adelaide, a pilgrimage to the world-renowned Barossa region is a must for food and wine lovers. Sip and snack your way through the valley, absorbing the Arcadian atmosphere and exploring picture-perfect country villages.
Your first stop is Pindarie, a multi-tourism award winning cellar door, which feels more like an Australian Homestead than a cellar door. The friendly staff share their stories behind the wines as you sample their famous blends in the heritage stables. Sit back and admire their stunning vineyard views while you enjoy some morning tea. Your next stop is a visit to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, an absolute must whilst visiting the Barossa. Maggie Beer – cook, writer and founder of 'Maggie Beer Products', offers tastings and sales of her full product range including limited edition seasonal produce. Here you can browse amongst her personally selected regional speciality goods, purchase one of her signed books or simply sit back and take in the view. On arrival at Lambert Estate at Angaston, sit down and enjoy a structured wine tasting followed by a delicious 2-course Barossa restaurant lunch. You may wish to purchase a glass of wine from the impressive wine selection, or enjoy a coffee accompanied with their popular Chocolatier (Chocolate Port). Leaving Lambert Estate, travel to Mengler Hill Lookout for sweeping views over the valley. Leaving Lambert Estate, travel to Mengler Hill Lookout for sweeping views over the valley and then onto the Barossa Valley Chocolate Company your final stop for the day. Here you will taste house made chocolates paired with Vineyard Road’s handcrafted wines which will be a great way to finish off your Barossa Food & Wine Experience. Return to Adelaide.

Day 10: Adelaide free day
Spend the day at leisure enjoying South Australia’s capital.

Day 11: All aboard The Ghan!
This morning, check out of your hotel and board The Ghan in Adelaide at noon. Enjoy lunch as you watch Adelaide's gracious outskirts roll into pastoral lands and undulating wine country before flattening into rugged mallee scrub. Pass through coastal Coonamia and Port Augusta. Cross over the Dingo Fence – the world’s longest fence, built to keep dingoes out of southeast Australia – and speed through the outback train station of Cadney Homestead, at the gateway to the Painted Desert. Look out at the small, rustic railway towns and vast tracts of Aboriginal land, where communities have maintained their connection with country for thousands of years.
Watch the sun setting over the vast expanse of the outback as you meet new friends over cocktails in the Outback Explorer Lounge. In the classically-styled Queen Adelaide Restaurant, dine on South Australian produce from an ever-changing menu that represents the regions traversed by the train. Finish with a platter of local cheeses, which pairs perfectly with a hearty red wine from South Australia's McLaren Vale or Clare Valley regions.

Day 12: Travel through the Outback
Passengers alight the train at Marla in South Australia, which marks the start of the remote Oodnadatta Track, to watch the sunrise and enjoy a light breakfast in the heart of the outback. Back on the train, cross the Northern Territory border and travel through the small bush town of Kulgera and over the generally dry Finke River before arriving in Alice Springs at about noon. Visit the Alice Springs Desert Park to learn more about the landscapes that The Ghan traverses. Alternatively, do a tour of the town, where you can visit the base of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which offers airlifted medical support to Australia's outback community. You can take an optional upgrade and enjoy a scenic helicopter flight over the ancient red MacDonnell Ranges or ride a camel in the desert. Reboard the train in the late afternoon and travel north through the desert as you enjoy dinner in the train's Queen Adelaide Restaurant.

Day 13: Arrive in Darwin
The train races through the gold mining town of Tennant Creek as you're eating breakfast. It stops at the historic pioneering township of Katherine, where numerous excursion options await. You could enjoy a leisurely cruise in Nitmiluk National Park’s Katherine Gorge, and admire towering sandstone cliffs and crocodiles basking in the sun. Alternatively, head out to Katherine Outback Experience, owned by multiple Golden Guitar winner Tom Curtain. This fantastic show celebrates life on the land through real horse-starting and working dog demonstrations entwined with live music and humorous bush tales. Optional upgrades include a scenic helicopter flight over the 13 gorges of Nitmiluk National Park or a 90-minute fixed-wing scenic flight over both Kakadu and Nitmiluk national parks. Back on board, enjoy a late lunch as the rainforest of the Northern Territory outback rushes by the window. Pass through the old gold mining town of Pine Creek and Adelaide River, once a World War II military headquarters. You'll roll into the Northern Territory's tropical capital of Darwin in the evening. Upon arrival, make your own way to your hotel for the evening. Balance of the day at leisure.

Day 14: Darwin free day
Enjoy spending the day at your leisure in tropical Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory.

Day 15: Litchfield National Park
Wake up early this morning to join a full day tour of Litchfield National Park. Enjoy a private boat cruise on the mighty Adelaide River and have the opportunity to swim among awesome waterfalls. The tour lasts approximately 7 hours and lunch is included. Return to Darwin mid-afternoon and spend one final night here at your leisure.

Day 16: Depart Darwin
Your tour ends this morning. Check out of the hotel and prepare for your ongoing travel arrangements.

Please note: The day by day descriptions published are intended as an indicative guide only. Travel by nature is unpredictable. Weather patterns, road conditions, public holidays, travel restrictions and a multitude of other factors may necessitate itinerary changes that ultimately are for the client’s benefit. It is essential that clients are flexible and open minded in this regard.