7 ways to connect to Australia's outback spirit

The Australian outback is like no where you’ve experienced before: here are seven places not to miss.

As beautiful as it is vast, the Australian outback is an otherworldly place. It’s a destination brimming with adventure but also seeped in meaning: a place where custodians of the world’s oldest living continuous culture share how they live in tandem with country, and nature remains largely unspoiled by man. But with Outback Spirit, you can see it all.

It’s a place for true adventure, where you can watch thousands of birds break into flight, cool off in outback waterholes, or turn in for the night under a sky awash with stars. However, the Australian outback isn’t a place you see but one you feel; if you let it, it’ll capture your spirit. Here are seven outback experiences not to miss.

1. Soar over Lakefield National Park / Rinyirru

A haven for over 200 species of birdlife, the best way to navigate the waterways, floodplains and grasslands of Rinyirru is from above. Rising up over the Kennedy River and flying at low altitude, a helicopter flight reveals the rich abundance of birdlife as you soar over lagoons and waterholes, mangroves and coastal estuaries ebbing and flowing with Cape York’s powerful tides. Accessible from May to September during the dry season, the experience is part of Outback Spirit’s 13-day Cape York Wilderness Adventure.

See Lakefield National Park from above.

2. Twitch at Lotusbird Lodge

After exploring Rinyirru’s spectacular wilderness by air and land on the Cape York Wilderness Adventure, spend the afternoon soaking your bones in a private swimming hole at Lotusbird Lodge, located on the western boundary of Lakefield National Park. Set among the rainforest canopy, the pole-style cabins overlook a billabong and feature private verandahs perfect for spotting rare birds like the rare Black Bittern heron, Great Crested Grebe and the Palm Cockatoo. At night, the remote location means there are ample opportunities to star gaze from your private balcony.

Spot rare birds at Lotusbird Lodge.

3. Slumber at Ngauwudu Safari Camp

Some of Australia’s most remote lodges aren’t just a place to stay: they’re a destination unto themselves. Like Lotusbird, Ngauwudu Safari Camp in the Kimberley is the gateway to an incredible wilderness: the Mitchell Plateau, including Mitchell Falls and an abundance of rock galleries featuring Indigenous art. Exclusive to Outback Spirit guests, spend two nights in eco-friendly, solar-powered safari suites set among the pandanus, swim in a private waterhole and enjoy fine dining on the Kimberley experiences.

Get exclusive access to Ngauwudu Safari Camp.

4. Wonder at the Kimberley’s Waterfalls

Whether a thunderous riot at the end of the wet season or a gentle cascade during the dry, the majesty of Mitchell Falls astounds visitors from around the world. Arguably Australia’s most beautiful waterfall, Mitchell Falls is a key highlight of Outback Spirit’s Kimberley tours. Guests hike inland to the famous, four-tiered falls along the Punnami-Uunpuu Tracks, before picnicking by the emerald pools carved into the red sandstone over the centuries. One of the best ways to experience the falls- and the Kimberly landscape- is from above. Opt for a return flight in a helicopter, the aircraft rising up and revealing the intimacy and treachery of the landscape.

Get a bird’s-eye view of Mitchell Falls.

5. See the Bungle Bungles

The World Heritage-Listed Bungle Bungles in Purnululu National Park are like nowhere else: shaped by the passage of time, the red and yellow sandstone formations are polished into curious beehive and tower shapes. Visitors to the park can walk the trail to the natural amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge, viewing the formations up close on the dome trail. However, guests of Outback Spirit get to see the remarkable view from above, with an 18-minute scenic helicopter flight over the national park offering a bird’s eye view of the chasms and gorges throughout the park.

Marvel at the Bungle Bungles.

6. Learn from the locals at Murwangi Safari Lodge

Peer out into the wilderness at Murwangi Safari Lodge, located on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. Open exclusively to Outback Spirit guests on the Arnhem Land Wilderness Adventure, the luxury eco-lodge features a fully licensed restaurant, air conditioning and comfortable ensuite bathrooms. But the real highlight of this remote lodge is the chance to learn from the local Indigenous guides about traditional land management practices, Dreamtime stories about the swamp, and the bush survival skills used by the traditional custodians for centuries.

Learn from local Indigenous guides at Murwangi Safari Lodge.

7. Visit Arafura Swamp

Flocks of magpie geese soar above the waters in formation, crocodiles silently skim the surface and egrets tentatively stretch in the shallow waterways of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. A thriving habitat for an estimated 300,000 birds, the 1,300 square kilometre wetland is considered one of the largest paperbark swamps in Australia. Explore the lagoon by boat, and the fringes of the swamp by 4WD on Outback Spirit’s Arnhem Land Wilderness Adventure.

About Outback Spirit

For over twenty years, Outback Spirit has shared Australia’s unique outback adventures and remote places with guests, including destinations like the Kimberley, Cape York, Pilbura, Arnhem Land, Central Australia and South Australia. Part of the Journey Beyond group, the award-winning tour operator is an eco-certified company that supports a number of socio-cultural and wilderness conservation projects in Australia. Offering exclusive lodges and premium experiences, Outback Spirit helps guests find their own adventure.

Start planning to rewild your spirit at outbackspirittours.com.au.