Arkaba Australia
Arkaba
Via Wilpena Road, access through Hawker,
Flinders Ranges 5434
Australia
www.arkabaconservancy.com/
HOTEL INFORMATION
Group
Wild Bush Luxury
Shareholders
Experience Co
Date of Creation
2009
Hotel General Manager
Dee Todd
Hotel Positioning
We invite you to discover one of the most exclusive stays in Australia – Arkaba Conservancy, a Wild Bush Luxury property in the Flinders Ranges. Just ten guests at a timeshare this remote 60,000-acre private wildlife conservancy is dedicated to the conservation of Australia’s unique wildlife and birds. Mobs of kangaroos, emus and other abundant wildlife will delight you on safaris through spectacular ancient landscapes, where expert field guides will immerse you in the story of the bush.
What is Wild Bush Luxury?
• 5-star experiences, not 5-star accommodation
• Comfortable yet not luxurious
• Informal and ‘down to earth’ not rigidly service driven
• Relaxingly informative and educational, not a checklist of items to be seen
• Involved and participatory / hands-on, yet still exclusive
• Conducive to like-minded participants not to pure privacy
Development strategy
Our vision is to be The Benchmark for Contributive Tourism in Australia through our mission to:
• Conserve the environment that sustains us
• To provoke, inspire, educate and connect guests to the bush through experiences that is natural, exclusive, and truly Australian
ARKABA
History & Story
In 2009 Wild Bush Luxury added Arkaba (a former sheep station) to its portfolio. Our goal was to provide a unique tourism experience with exclusive private access for our guests to enjoy the extraordinary diversity of our property.
In addition, our mission is ultimately to conserve the environment that sustains us and this philosophy guides everything we do. Since 2009 our focus has been to reverse the impacts of over 150 years of livestock-grazing and restore the land to its pre-European settlement bio-diversity. In just a short time, our hard work has paid off with the return of native species and the regeneration of native habitat.
Gaining a true insight into what’s involved in conservation is one of the most rewarding experiences to be had and guests can join our mission to restore Arkaba’s biodiversity with some hands-on conservation activities. These can include tracking a radio-collared feral ca with a telemetry device, setting up the trip cameras that monitor key sites across the property, looking for signs of vegetation critical to endangered animals, or joining a biologist on land surveys.
Main Strengths, Special Touch
• African safari meets Australian outback
• Exclusive access to 60,000-scenic acres
• Prolific wildlife
• All-inclusive stay with approximately seven hours daily of included activities tailored to guests’ interests
• Australia’s most knowledgeable field guides
• An atmosphere more akin to staying with friends in the country, or at a private safari lodge than a luxury hotel
• Hosted chef-cooked dinners, bottomless beverages
• A million-stars sky
Location
Arkaba is nestled within in the spectacular Flinders Ranges of South Australia and is one of the most accessible outback destinations in Australia.
• One-hour flight from Adelaide or Kangaroo Island
• Five-hour drive north of Adelaide
• Four-hour drive from the Barossa Valley wine region
Key sites/activities in the area
Your immersive stay at Arkaba includes approximately seven hours of daily guided exploration across the 60,000-acre property. Our field guides pull together the incredible geological history, wildlife, and pastoral heritage of this region with a range of activities that gives you a chance to take in the sights and sounds of the bush.
• Safari drives
• Walking safaris
• Wildlife-viewing hide
• Conservation in action
• Family adventures
• Wildlife spotting
• Birding
• Photography
• Indigenous experience
• Brachina Gorge – Flinders Ranges
• Fossil hunting
• Air safaris
Fun Facts
Arkaba has a guest to land ratio of one guest per 6,000 acres! (It’s 260sq miles!)
• Results of conservation efforts have confirmed the reestablishment of two colonies of Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies and 10 new bird species sightings including the Stubble Quail and Spotted Nightjars
• The fossils preserved in the ancient sea floor at Ediacaran in the Flinders Ranges record the first known multicellular animal life on Earth
Children’s Corner
We believe that connecting children to the bush is fundamental to their education. With only five rooms, the recommended way to experience Arkaba as a family is with an exclusive use stay.
Activities may include:
• Orienteering using a map and compass
• Gathering native herbs to make traditional damper bread
• Wildlife species identification
• Learn how to track wildlife using their habits and behaviours
• Setting camera traps or radio tracking feral species
• Making a sundial
The minimum age is 8 years.
ARKABA by Wild Bush Luxury
Learn the conservation story behind this sheep station turned private wildlife conservancy from chief wildlife warrior and property manager, Brendon Bevan.
HOTEL FEATURES
Accommodation
With just five guestrooms the Arkaba homestead is an oasis of comfort and style amidst a harsh and rugged landscape, where guests enjoy a taste of classic Australian country hospitality.
As the layout of the original homestead has been retained, each room has a character of its own. Four bedrooms are in the homestead, while the Coachman’s Cottage in the garden provides a fifth guestroom.
Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and opens out onto a shaded verandah with individual views of the spectacular ranges. A mix of king and twin beds have premium mattresses, organic cotton sheets and choice of pillows to ensure a great night’s sleep. The rooms are air conditioned and have been decorated with the homestead’s heritage in mind.
With no telephones, televisions, minibars or the typical features of a hotel room to distract, the focus is on the experience and one of the most beautiful properties in Australia.
Restaurants & Bars
A stay at Arkaba is all inclusive of chef-prepared meals and beverages from an open bar.
Dinners are hosted by our field guides and shared with fellow guests, providing an atmosphere more akin to staying with friends in the country, or a private safari lodge. Dining around an old wool classing table on the outdoor terrace with the ever-changing light and sounds of the bush, is a special and uniquely Australian experience.
Arkaba has adopted a ‘buy local’ principle and the head chef uses the very best of South Australia’s produce to craft the food program with a few native elements to add a unique intrigue and interest. The chef will adapt very specifically to guest tastes and needs.
A purely South Australian wine cellar has been selected to showcase a cross-section of wine growing regions with the grape varieties for which they are best known. The bar is completely open for guests to help themselves at any time of day. Evening drinks are often enjoyed on top of the ranges with the scale and space of the outback stretching for miles around.
Wellness
Arkaba is all about reconnecting guests with the environment that sustains us.
It is not only landscape rehabilitation, biodiversity conservation and thriving wilderness at Arkaba. So much self-preservation, restoration and renewal happens when we tune into nature and deepen the connection with the land, with ourselves and the person by our side.
There’s something about being in true wilderness that has a way of getting into your heart. Let the morning sound of galahs from the Arkaba Creek transport guests even further away from their regular city soundscape.
The swimming pool overlooking the Arkaba Creek is a welcome retreat after a morning or day spent exploring the bush.
At night a fire pit in the garden provides the perfect setting to gaze in awe at the brilliant stars, which shine brightly in the absence of light pollution.
Corporate & Celebration Events
With only five rooms, the best way to experience Arkaba is with an exclusive use stay.
Extra Notable Features
Arkaba is accredited with the Tourism Industry Council in South Australia, and a member of The Long Run. Arkaba and the Arkaba Walk are members of Luxury Lodges of Australia and Great Walks of Australia respectively and have met the quality standards required of membership of these Signature Experiences of Australia organizations.
Hotel & Restaurants Awards
2017 – National Geographic World Legacy Awards – Finalist of 3 worldwide in ‘Conserving the Natural World’.
2016 – National Geographic World Legacy Awards – Finalist of 3 worldwide in ‘Conserving the Natural World’.
2014 – PURE Life Experiences Awards Shortlist
2012 – Australian Gourmet Traveller – Best Outback Experience (Expert Panel Award).
2012 – South Australian Tourism Industry Council (SATIC) Awards – Silver Award in the Eco Tourism category.
2010 – Australian Gourmet Traveller – Top 100 Greatest Australian Gourmet Experiences.
Number of employees
10