Stations & Farmstays
A station stay is a beautiful way to experience pastoral life on a working property, while enjoying the very best of what the Flinders Ranges and Outback have to offer.
Ever wanted to get back to basics, switch off from the digital world, and live a simple, country lifestyle…even if it’s just for a while?
An increasingly popular holiday experience in the Flinders and Outback is stations and farmstays, with more than 25 properties offering unique accommodation options and a range of activities not available anywhere else.
Most are working properties that have grazed sheep and cattle in isolation for more than 150 years. However, they’re now opening their homes to visitors so they too can appreciate not only the beauty of their location but the appeal of a rural adventure.
Experiences can include water runs, livestock checks, crutching, drenching, shearing, and more as you help run fully working sheep and cattle stations. More often, though, station properties are destinations themselves, with a vast range of activities providing access to some of the region’s most stunning countryside.
Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts are well catered for with adrenaline-pumping tracks featured at just about every station, while mountain biking is another favourite pastime with challenging trails aplenty.
Bushwalkers will love the huge array of walks through native and pine forests and along 400-year-old gum-lined creeks. Hike up stony bluffs, explore natural springs, chasms, gorges, tracks, trails and open fields. Be on the lookout for stunning wildflowers and all manner of local wildlife, including kangaroos, emus, yellow-footed rock wallabies, echidnas, dingoes, reptiles, brolgas and an incredible variety of birdlife.
Speaking of lookouts, there are plenty worth checking out, each providing endless opportunities and inspiration for photographers and artists alike.
Back at camp, it’s sunsets with drinks and nibbles, followed by a home-cooked meal and a chat with good friends, with even better wine around a campfire under a blanket of stars.
Regardless of where you choose, a station stay allows you to switch off, relax and appreciate a sense of place while enjoying the hospitality of fourth and fifth-generation pastoralists, station owners and their down-to-earth, welcoming staff.