Covering more than 80 per cent of the state Flinders Ranges and the Outback, is a region of great diversity. With the pink parallel dunes of the Simpson Desert to Mount Remarkable Wines and gulf cruises in the south. You'll find ancient ranges steeped in Aboriginal legend, bird-filled lakes in the middle of the desert and pretty Flinders Ranges towns celebrating the history of heroic pioneers who opened up the continent with the Overland Telegraph and the Old Ghan railway.
Discover a vast and ancient land filled with startling colours, amazing wildlife and stories as spellbinding as the location itself. A place where the power of the Aboriginal Dreamtime is strong, where precious opal gems lie hidden in a moonscape of red rock, and where the word ‘adventure’ has real meaning.
A natural playground for children, away from TV and computer games, there is something for all ages. Simple things can surprise you, like multi-coloured rocks and stones, an eagle soaring overhead or tadpoles found in a creek. For those seeking an escape from life’s noise and stress, the silence, space and sheer beauty of the Outback will surprise and seduce you. A sea of wildflowers, a flash of feathers across a bright blue sky, a dragonfly darting over still waterholes, a great red kangaroo bounding through the bush. At the end of the day, a dip in the swimming pool, springs or waterhole perhaps.
The sun setting over a golden landscape, birdcalls rustle the branches of the big gumtrees, and soon the huge canopy of stars will be displayed in a silent spectacular parade.
There are great attractions and experiences in the southern, central and northern regions of the Flinders Ranges, so take the time to discover them all on your journey north.
 View event guide for Flinders Ranges and the Outback
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| Opal Inn Hotel & Tourist Park |
 Hutchison Street, Coober Pedy
The Opal Inn Hotel Motel and Caravan Park in the centre of Coober Pedy, has something for everyone, motel rooms and all caravan and camping amenities, plus a range of dining, bar and gaming facilities.
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| Prairie Hotel |
 Corner High Street & West Terrace, Parachilna
Prairie Hotel is renowned as being one of Australia's most-awarded Outback hotels. Prairie Hotel is situated in Parachilna, on the plains adjacent to the Flinders ranges about 470 kilometres north of Adelaide.
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| Coober Pedy Experience Motel |
 Crowders Gully Road, Coober Pedy
Mined from 1918 to the 1960s the site was transformed into an underground motel complex between 1990 and 2001. Experience the joy of restful sleep in the beautiful individually decorated underground rooms.
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| Standpipe Golf Motor Inn |
 Corner Eyre & Stuart Highway, Port Augusta
Situated on the corner of Highway One and Highway 87 Standpipe Golf Motor Inn offers secure off road parking with 85 modern well appointed suites overlooking the Flinders Ranges and adjacent to the Port Augusta Golf Course.
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From Adelaide you can sit in an armchair in air-conditioning and watch the outback pass your window as the Ghan is one of the world's great rail journeys. But nothing could be further from the origins of this rail line. The first Ghan was named after the Afghan cameliers who helped open up the outback. It started in 1879 when the first 40 kilometres of track was laid between Port Augusta and Quorn. It was built in stages over the next 50 years through the Flinders Ranges, Maree, Oodnadatta and finally Alice Springs in 1929.
Building this iron strip through to the centre was ambitious - and maintaining it on the edge of Lake Eyre with its sandy soil and habit of flooding was a constant job. A second line was built and when it opened in 1980 the Ghan was re-routed through Tarcoola. The Old Ghan line was left to the elements. However it is a fascinating journey of discovery to drive along the Oodnadatta track looking for the old line. Between William Creek and Lake Eyre a section of line stands proud - not all the sleepers are here though, some are now part of the dining room extension of the William Creek Hotel. Some of the lines were ripped up and machinery taken for scrap but in other sections sleepers lie in order like soldiers on parade and spikes litter the ground near a boiler section built at Port Adelaide last century.
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Arkaroola is a 61,000 hectare privately-owned wildlife sanctuary in the rugged northern Flinders Ranges just to the east of the Gammon Ranges National Park. Features seen include spectacular arid zone mountain terrain, picturesque gorges, water holes and wildlife unique to the area.
Arkaroola Village, a motel, caravan and camping complex, is the focus for the sanctuary, purchased by the current owners in 1968. Until then, the area was made up of a series of degraded pastoral leases infested with vermin; these were eradicated, and today Arkaroola is a fine example of a privately-run sanctuary. The scenic waterholes of Nooldoonooldoona, Bolla Bollana, Arkaroola, Stubbs and Bararranna are well worth visiting.
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