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AUSTRALIAN HORSEBACK RIDING ADVENTURES
SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
THE GREAT CATTLE DRIVE
Start Planning for 2009!!!
The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive is on the move in 2009. Five hundred head of cattle. Three hundred and ninety kilometres of desert track. And a swag of adventure stories along one of the most evocative desert trails in Australia - the Oodnadatta Track. |
For five weeks, from May 5 to June 10, the herd will push south-east through the Oodnadatta Track. This unique and rewarding travel experience offers people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, the opportunity to re-live the glory years of Australia's outback cattle drovers by riding alongside real working people, moving a real herd through real outback wilderness.
From Oodnadatta to Marree riders will slowly traverse a haunting and remarkable desert landscape, one of stony plains and cresting dunes, ancient uplifts and bubbling springs, dazzling salt lakes and parched river beds.
Cattle Drive guests will come to know and love their horses, each chosen to match their riding abilities. First-timers will have the rare opportunity of learning from people who have literally lived in the saddle, while experienced riders will relish the chance to exchange stories and insights with some of Australia's greatest horsemen and women. |
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| HIGHLIGHTS |
Lake Eyre
One of the natural wonders of the world: this blinding salt lake covers 9,690 square kilometres — which is about the size of the Netherlands. It is truly a mesmerising sight. |
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Anna Creek Station
The world's largest cattle station: covering 26,000 square kilometres, Anna Creek is ordinarily off-limits; you will be crossing country that is rarely seen by the public. |
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Aboriginal
A special cultural journey: the indigenous peoples traded sacred ochre up and down the Oodnadatta region. Stories of this trade route, their Dreaming and their remarkable survival skills will be told as the Drive progresses... |
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The surreal Mound Springs
These large domes bulge out of the flat, endless rocky plains. Adding to the abstraction is the fact they weep water, giving life to grasses, flowers, insects—and even species of water snails found nowhere else on the planet. |
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A history of endeavour
The Cattle Drive will literally be trailing history as it passes relics left by the explorers, the railway gangers and the men who laid the famous Overland Telegraph line to Alice Springs.
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Proud Members of:
Qualified Merchants for:
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William Creek
A real desert outpost: it's the town that's home to some ten people as well as Australia's most isolated pub. Nights at the William Creek Hotel are legendary...
Coward Springs
Literally an oasis in the desert: Coward Springs not only provided refreshment and shade, it also watered the famous Ghan steam engines. The ruins of the old railway outpost are still a welcome respite—though soaking in the 29 degree Celsius (84 F) springs, surrounded by wetland, date palms and bird life will be especially refreshing...
Marree Man
The world's largest piece of outdoor art: Marree Man is a geoglyph—a design etched into the ground—found at Finniss Springs. Depicting a standing aboriginal warrior with a boomerang, it measures some 4km long and was discovered by air in June 1998. How it came to be is still a mystery.
For more information on any of our Great Horseback Riding Adventures & Riding Vacations, contact us today!
All photos are courtesy of The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive. |
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