7 DAYS OUTBACK | camel-treks-aust

7-Day Outback Adventure

Immerse Yourself in the Heart of the Outback on a 7-Day Journey. Wake up to soul-nurturing sunrises that cast a golden glow over the vast desert landscape, making each morning a cherished memory. Over seven unforgettable days, experience the simple joys of bushwalking, camel riding, and evenings by the campfire. Whether you ride, walk, or embrace the immersive Cameleer Experience, this journey will redefine what an unforgettable getaway means.

Three Booking Options

Riding Seat (Full Fare): Enjoy the adventure of riding atop a camel—a mentally restorative experience.
Bushwalking Option (Discounted Rate): Walk alongside camels and fully immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.
The Cameleer Experience: A hands-on, immersive option where you’ll learn camel handling and join the trek crew.

Special Discounts

10% Reduced Rate for Bushwalkers
20% Discount for Return Trekkers

How to Book

Bookings are now open for 2025–2026.
Email us with your preferred trek dates before December 11th to secure your place.
Our new booking system launches December 11th for on-line payments.

Payment & Important Notes

20% Deposit: A non-refundable deposit confirms your booking (fully transferable if needed).
Final Payment: Due 90 days before departure and can be made online or via bank transfer with prior arrangement.
Travel Insurance: Mandatory to cover unforeseen events such as weather disruptions or travel delays.

Passenger numbers are limited to ensure a personalised experience.

Secure your spot today for this one-of-a-kind journey with Camel Treks Australia!

7-Days: Arrival & Departure Information

A typical day on our camel trek unfolds with a serene rhythm:

Morning Delights: Begin with hot tea or coffee 1 hour after sunrise
Breakfast Bounty: Enjoy a leisurely breakfast amid the picturesque surroundings.
Camel Moments: Capture the beauty of camels grazing in the morning light.
Guest Engagement: Join in as guests are welcome to assist with camel care.
Saddling Up: Observe or participate as cameleers prepare camels for the day's journey.
Scenic Walk: Set out for a walk with camels, cameleers, and fellow guests.
Midday Pause: Take a break for lunch halfway to the next campsite.
Camp Arrival: Reach a new campsite in the late afternoon.
Unsaddling Ritual: Join the process of removing saddles and blankets from camels.
Evening Atmosphere: Experience the magic of evenings with campfires, stories, and new friendships.
Guest Participation: Choose your level of involvement, from observing to hands-on engagement.
Hot Soak: At certain campsites a relaxing wash in the hot Artesian Basin waters is possible.

The trek's unhurried pace ensures you savour every moment of this unique holiday adventure. Each morning offers opportunities to witness and participate in the saddle-fitting process, fostering a deeper connection with the camels and the trek experience.

With an average daily trek of 8-15kms, there's ample time for exploration, relaxation, and enjoying the natural beauty of the Outback. Morning activities commence at sunrise, allowing guests to appreciate the tranquil light and enjoy a leisurely start to their day.

Whether you're an early riser or prefer a bit more sleep, our camel trek accommodates your pace for an enriching and memorable experience.

DAY 1. Transfer Day and Arrival at the Clayton Station Wetlands Campground

If you have opted for the additional service departing Adelaide at 8:25 am on Friday with the Stateliner Premier Coach Service from the Adelaide Central Bus Station, our Cameleers will welcome you at the Port Augusta Regional City, specifically at the Port Augusta East - Puma Service Station, at 12:54 noon.

Our goal is to depart promptly, and along the journey, we'll make stops at cafes in the Quorn and Hawker townships for refreshments and lunch. We'll provide frequent toilet breaks and pauses at notable locations en-route, taking you through the picturesque Flinders Ranges and Outback. A highlight stop will be the camel historic township of Marree, where you can explore camel memorabilia and, perhaps, enjoy a drink at the old Marree Hotel showcasing regional Gin creations. It is from Marree that we arrive at the southern end of the famous Birdsville Track, and journey 50kms north east to Clayton Station, which is a diverse landscape of approximately one thousand square miles.

Upon arrival at the Clayton Station Wetlands Campground, our staff will assist you in setting up our brand new Darche luxury King-Size Swags and preparing the communal, natural, rejuvenating hot water artesian basin spa-sized outdoor tub, ideal for relaxation under the stars on your first night in the Outback. If the tub isn't to your liking, we can highly recommend the relaxing artesian showers. While you enjoy, our Cameleers will prepare a delicious evening meal for you to savour under the clear night sky.

Day 2. Cameleers Rise Early for Your First Day of Trekking

Early in the morning, our Cameleers rise to prepare hot coffee and tea, setting up the breakfast/lunch tent with an array of options to cater to all tastes. As a group, we pack up and transfer to locate the camels deeper on Clayton Station. Observe as we muster the camels, halter them, apply lead ropes, and feel free to become as hands-on as you'd like, brushing, blanketing, and saddling the camels before we embark on a full day's trek, covering typically between 10-15kms before setting up camp along the Clayton Creek.

The trees along the creek-line are teeming with birdlife, dingoes are regularly spotted, and the colors of the sunset never fail to disappoint. Once our Cameleers have completed their camel tasks, they set about lighting the evening campfire, boiling the billy, and preparing the evening meal, which frequently includes making damper breads with main meals and sweet puddings for dessert.

DAYS 3 - 4 - 5:

We journey deeper into the parallel sand dunes of the Tirari Desert, observing their increasing height as we venture northward. There are varying distances between the dunes, separated by the inter-dune flats. The dune ridge-tops stretch across hundreds of kilometers, punctuated by salt lakes and immense sand formations running from north to south. Situated in the eastern reaches of South Australia's Far North, the Tirari Desert encompasses part of the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park, with Lake Eyre North to its west.

The Tirari Desert hosts a diverse range of flora and fauna. Sandhill canegrass and sandhill wattle dominate the dune crests and mobile slopes, while varied grasses thrives on stable slopes and sandy corridors. Sparse shrublands of acacia, and eremophila are common on dune flanks, with saltbush and bluebush found in swales and interdune flats. Coolibah woodlands can be found flourishing around good rainfall catchment areas and floodplains.

Among the threatened and vulnerable species in the Tirari Desert are the Crest-tailed mulgara, dusky hopping mouse, fawn hopping-mouse, grey falcon, and woma python. A night walk with head torch is worthwhile. Finally the Australian Dingo is at home here and it is not uncommon to see them and hear their unique howl. They pose us no threat, but do tuck your shoes away at night!

Depending on the prevailing wind and our current wanderlust, our destinations may include the following locations:

Peachawarina Wetlands: An oasis between the dunes attracting an abundance of birdlife and wildlife in general, thanks to the constant flow of artesian basin water. There is also an opportunity to soak in the waters under the stars and sleep like a baby after absorbing the mineral-rich waters.
Kabeer ClayPan: An impressive sight to be discovered after a sand dune expedition. This impressively large claypan is covered in fossilized remains of a time long passed. Formations exhibit coral-like resemblances.
Lake Eyre: The camels traverse as close as they can to the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park. In some areas, we approach the ground softens, and the heavier camels literally sink - this is how we know when to stop. Beholding the endless vista of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and remaining to take in the sunset makes for a great day and memory.
Dicka Dickana and Coodlunga: This area is close to the Clayton River that, when in flow, feeds into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. The soft creek beds make for a wonderful night's sleep, birdlife is abundant, and dingoes never fail to show us their curious nature at this location.
Halfway Floodplain: A wide expanse at the end of the southern Tirari Sand dunes on the eastern side. It greets the sunrise and hosts evidence of Aboriginal life in years since passed. Arriving here takes us through tighter and tighter sand dunes as the spaces between the inter-dunes tighten.
CaneGrass Swamp: A gibber plane and complete change of landscape signal our arrival to this wetland, which is home to Australia's largest crane, The Brolga. They are a sight to behold and hear as they fly above and gracefully land. The entire area is a mecca for desert birdlife. Camping here is a delight surrounded by permanent waterholes, lots of lush vegetation, and a chance to wash off the sand in Great Artesian waters. It's hard to believe the lofty dunes of the Tirari Desert remain so close.
Illturina: We camp either near a delightful wetland or at the top of a dune crest. Either option is a visual delight. If you like riding earlier in the morning, why not assist or photograph the morning's activities as the cameleers gather the camels for the morning's brushing and saddling activity.

The above represents some of the many possibilities of the varied landscapes which we encounter on Camel Treks. We are absolutely fortunate to experience enormous diversity on each and every exploration.

Day 6: A Full Day of Desert Adventure

Cameleers rise early to kindle the fire, boiling the eco billy for authentic coffee and offering an assortment of teas. Inside the kitchen tent, they prepare provisions for breakfast and lunch, providing a diverse selection to choose from. Early risers are welcomed to join the Cameleers in preparing the camels for the day ahead.

Depending on the wind direction, our journey will take us either north or south, ultimately leading us to the southern end of the Tirari Desert—a hidden gem accessible only through private lands such as Clayton Station.

The Tirari Desert: An Enigmatic Landscape

The Tirari Desert, part of the Simpson–Strzelecki dune fields bioregion, lies within the complex desert country of northeastern South Australia, flanked by the Simpson Desert to the north and the Sturt Stony and Strzelecki deserts to the east. Covering 15,000 square kilometres entirely within South Australia, the Tirari Desert is a unique ecosystem.

The Cooper Creek winds through the northern Tirari Desert, fostering a corridor of coolibah shrubland. Salt lakes and north-to-south sand dunes dominate the landscape, covered with canegrass and sparse acacia shrubland. Sandhill canegrass and sandhill wattle grace the dune crests and slopes, while hard spinifex thrives on stable slopes and sandy corridors between dunes.

Sparse, tall shrubland of acacia, eremophila, and grevillea dots the dune flanks, with saltbush and bluebush found in swales and interdune flats. Occasional crossings of floodplains and gibber plains—desert pavements covered with closely packed, interlocking rock fragments—add diversity to the terrain.

After rainfall, Gibber plains transform into short-lived herb-fields of ephemeral grasses, chenopods, or daisies. The Tirari Desert, like the Simpson Desert, is characterised by predominantly north–south-oriented parallel longitudinal dunes. Smaller areas of transverse and reticulate dunes appear near river and creek systems. Tirari's dunes, though sharing characteristics with those further north, are generally lower, shorter in length, more closely spaced, and closely associated with clay pans and salt lakes.

This day provides trekking guests with a genuine sense of Australia's arid desert environment, one that the camels effortlessly glide over with ease and enjoyment.

Day 7. Goodbye to Camels, Tirari Desert and Return Transfers

The return journey to Port Augusta from Clayton Station, off the Birdsville Track, is an adventure in itself. We start our day early, with the option to refresh in the hot artesian showers or indulge in a soak in the hot tub. After packing our bags and enjoying breakfast, we set out along the Birdsville Track, immersing ourselves in the picturesque landscapes of the Outback, Far North and Central Flinders Ranges.

If time allows, we make a stop at The Maree Oasis Cafe, where you can purchase souvenirs to remember this unique region. We also visit the Aboriginal Ochre Pits before pausing for lunch at The Flinders Cafe in Hawker. Our journey continues via Quorn, winding our way back to Port Augusta.

While goodbyes may be bittersweet, the memories we've shared will last a lifetime.