The Collier's

30/05/2025

26/05/2025

📍COOBER PEDY

Coober Pedy is like stepping onto another planet. Known as the opal capital of the world, this outback town in South Australia is famous for its underground homes, built to escape the scorching desert heat.

The landscape is surreal—think sunbaked earth, dusty roads, and piles of mined rock dotting the horizon. Exploring the underground churches, shops, and even a hotel is an unforgettable experience.

The Breakaways, just outside town, offer stunning views and sunset magic that feels like a scene from Mars. If you’re up for something quirky, wild, and truly unique, Coober Pedy is a must.

We stayed in the donation camp at the Old Timer’s Mine and explored the town for an afternoon. We visited Josephine’s Gallery to check out some of the local artwork and the kids were shown how to do some painting by the local artist Tommy Crow. They are still talking about this- Tommy took the time to show them different brush strokes and even gave the kids some opal he had found locally.

We then headed up to the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum. This was fantastic. We did the tour and loved it- both us and the kids learnt so much about mining and it was great to see an underground house.

We finished off the afternoon watching the sunset with a drink at the Big Winch 360 Cafe.

25/05/2025

📍ULURU/YULARA

We see so many posts about the coast, but please don’t forget about Central Australia!

We spent 10 years living in the middle of NT (and explored before we had kids) but decided we wanted to show the kids all these amazing places now that they are old enough to remember it.

The flies, red dust, spinifex, sand dunes and rocky outcrops are just spectacular!

Yulara
We stayed at Yulara while exploring both Uluru and the Olga’s. Our first day we did the base walk, a very easy 10km flat track that skirts around the base. You can ride your own bike, hire bikes from the cultural centre or just walk. There are some rock art to see and there are little bits of cultural information at various parts around the walk.

The second day we went out to the Kata Tjuṯa (The Olga’s). From here we did the Valley of the Winds Walk (7.4km). This walk had steps and some uneven rock scrambling. It wasn’t as challenging (cardio wise) as the Kings Canyon Rim Walk but is still considered a grade 4 track. We then headed out to Waḻpa Gorge and did the short track here. It was a relatively flat, well used track and wasn’t hard.

We stayed at the Ayres Rock Campground at Yulara. It had clean amenities, a pool and was only short walk to sunset viewing areas, the town centre which has an IGA and lots of dining options, as well as a post office and some gift/clothing type shops.

While we were Yulara, we did the camel tour. Unfortunately the sunset/sunrise time slots were booked out so we did the 2pm one and the kids absolutely loved it. The guides were super knowledgeable and the kids were able to get up close and personal with the camels after the ride.

You cannot miss an Uluru sunset and it’s definitely worth heading out to the sunset viewing platform to see the show- as the sun sets the colours change and it’s just spectacular!

If you’re planning a lap and haven’t got the red centre on your list, we highly recommend it!

24/05/2025

📍KINGS CANYON

We see so many posts about the coast, but please don’t forget about Central Australia!

We spent 10 years living in the middle of NT (and explored before we had kids) but decided we wanted to show the kids all these amazing places now that they are old enough to remember it.

The flies, red dust, spinifex, sand dunes and rocky outcrops are just spectacular!

We spent 3 nights at Kings Canyon and 3 nights at Yulara before heading back to Alice for a couple of nights.

Kings Canyon
We stayed at the campground on a powered site. The park was really well maintained, clean amenities, friendly staff and only 10km from the Kings Canyon walk carpark.

We did the Kings Canyon rim walk and it was fantastic. The first part of the walk is quite steep and a lot of stairs, so you need to have some fitness about you, but take it easy and it’s definitely worth it. The whole circuit says 6km but I clocked it a bit shorter. There are a lot of parks where you are walking over uneven rocks and more stairs throughout the walk so the walk is considered a grade 4. There is also the shorter Kings Creek walk which is only 1.5km and a very flat, pleasant walk for those that don’t think they can tackle the rim walk.

If you’re up for a challenge, there is a 22km walk to Kathleen Springs. The walk isn’t overly hard, but the track is hard to follow in some spots and although it has some scenic spots, the rim walk is better in our opinion.

If you’re planning a lap and haven’t got the red centre on your list, we highly recommend it!

You can follow along with us at https://www.instagram.com/the__colliers or https://www.facebook.com/share/1AQghmka4r/?mibextid=wwXIfr for more spots as we travel around.

23/05/2025

📍Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island, located off the coast of South Australia, is a nature lover’s paradise known for its stunning landscapes, abundant wildlife, and unspoiled beaches. Just a short ferry ride from the mainland, it offers a peaceful retreat rich in biodiversity and natural beauty.

The island is home to unique native animals such as kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, and sea lions, many of which roam freely in the wild (so we learnt the hard way, do not drive from one end of the island to the other at night 🦘)

Visitors can explore Flinders Chase National Park, where the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch showcase the island’s dramatic coastline and geological wonders. Pristine beaches like Vivonne Bay and Stokes Bay provide ideal spots for swimming, fishing, and relaxing (although your itinerary is dependant on the weather- it was a little too chilly for us to swim).

Kangaroo Island is also known for its local produce, including honey, wine, olives, and fresh seafood, which can be enjoyed at farm gates, markets, and boutique eateries.

After suffering significant damage in the 2019–2020 bushfires, the island has shown remarkable resilience and recovery, with local communities working hard to rebuild and protect this special place.

We based ourselves at Kingscote which has a fantastic gym, coffee shops, restaurants, an IGA and provided the perfect base to explore.

Places we visited and loved:

- Raptor show (birds). Super interactive for the kids and very informative
- Seal bay - paid attraction but we actually enjoyed seeing the baby seals playing more at Flinders Chase National Park (free)
- Clifford’s honey farm
- Lavender Farm
- False Cape Wines
- Kangaroo Island Spirits