Take a hike/What big teeth you have/Bear market/Saddle up

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This was published 14 years ago

Take a hike/What big teeth you have/Bear market/Saddle up

By KAY O'SULLIVAN
Natural selection ... in the shark cage off Port Lincoln.

Natural selection ... in the shark cage off Port Lincoln.

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Blaze your own trail

The Heysen Trail is one of South Australia's great walks, but it's a marathon journey - 1200 kilometres from Cape Jervis on the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula to Parachilna in the Flinders Ranges.

If you don't have the time or the energy for that, adventure touring company Surf and Sun provides a manageable solution. The company's Hike the Heysen tour encompasses the Waitpinga Beach to Victor Harbour leg of the trail, a manageable distance of 15 kilometres.

Walkers are picked up from accommodation in Victor Harbour and then driven to Waitpinga Beach, where the walk follows the trail along the spectacular headland to Victor Harbour.

The company provides a day pack, lunch, water bottle, interpretive map and safety equipment. There's also a spray jacket in the pack. An average walker will complete the journey in five hours. Adults $69, children $49.

Phone 1800 786 386, see surfandsun.com.au.

Shark patrol — from a distance

Getting up close and personal with great white sharks is not for everyone. And for that reason, Port Lincoln's Calypso Star Charters has introduced a spectator-only option on its diving-with-sharks tour.

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Captain Andrew Wright says the spectator-only option was introduced to accommodate passengers who prefer to see the great whites from the comfort of the MV Calypso Star, rather than from the shark cage beneath the waves. If they discover their courage on board, they can upgrade and jump into the cage for their turn with the sharks.

The spectator-only Shark Cage Diving Tour is $395 a person, including morning tea and lunch. The dive package is $495 a person. Note: Dive qualifications are not necessary but courage is.

See sharkcagediving.com.au.

What's black, white and cute?

Panda fever has engulfed Adelaide. Attendances at Adelaide Zoo in December jumped 350 per cent in the first three weeks after Wang Wang and Funi went on show, compared with the previous December.

Numbers dipped slightly at the end of the school holidays but the Chinese visitors from the province of Sichuan are still the zoo's star attraction and are likely to remain so.

Now that Wang Wang and Funi are settled into their new million-dollar home, Adelaide Zoo has two behind-the-scenes tours. On the Panda and Friends tour, participants get to see Wang Wang and Funi released into the Giant Panda viewing area and are introduced to the zoo's red panda population. The 3½-hour tour also involves a guided tour of the rest of the zoo. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 8.30am. Cost $130.

The VIP Panda tour is all about Wang Wang and Funi. The one-hour tour takes participants behind the scenes with the panda keeper. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 8am. Minimum age is 16. Cost $495.

See zoossa.com.au/adelaide-zoo; www.giantpanda.org.au.

Take sanctuary as a volunteer

A former sheep station, the Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Kangaroo Island is home to thriving animal and bird populations. In the south-west corner of the island between the attractions of Kelly Hill Caves and Flinders Chase National Park, the 3845-hectare sanctuary is looking for volunteers to work on the various environmental projects it operates.

"It's a great way to learn about the area and get involved in conservation work," the sanctuary's manager, James Tomlinson, says. Work could involve monitoring koalas, which abound on the property, feeding kangaroos and wallabies, planting trees or working in the laundry.

Tomlinson says while the sanctuary maintains a fenced-in area for vulnerable animals, it is not a zoo. "This is a wild environment," he says. "The idea is that you can come here and just be surrounded by animals."

The sanctuary has six cottages in the Hanson Bay dunes to rent and beds in a bunkhouse that sleeps 11. The cottages are priced from $170 a night and dorm beds in the bunkhouse from $25 a night. A queen-sized room with ensuite is $85.

Volunteers pay $998 for two weeks' accommodation and food.

Phone (08) 8559 7344, see hansonbay.com.au.

Driven to drove

The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive is on again. This year, the big ride that celebrates the history of Australia's legendary cattle drives will be held from July 30 to August 29.

As in previous years, the ride is divided into six journeys, each of five days. There is a central camp with tent accommodation, hot showers, flushing toilets, bar, library and a kitchen and each morning after breakfast riders are transferred to the starting point for that day's droving.

The cattle are driven up to 14 kilometres each day through the vast reaches of the 23,700-square-kilometre Anna Creek Station. At the end of the day, a bus riders back to a waiting dinner. Each segment is $3200 and includes riding, accommodation and food and non-alcoholic drinks.

See www.cattledrive.com.au.

Enjoy a taste of the outback

Two of Australia's luxury lodges, Arkaba Station and The Louise, have teamed up to provide an exclusive South Australian Wine and Wilderness deal of four nights at Arkaba Station with meals, beverages and guided activities and one night's accommodation including in-suite continental breakfast at The Louise for $4740 a couple. This represents a saving of $1975 a couple. The deal is available until June 30.

The historic Arkaba Station, which was built in 1851, reopened recently after an extensive renovation. The Louise is a stylish retreat in the heart of the Barossa Valley. Its restaurant, Appellation, has won awards in South Australia and nationally.

See wildbushluxury.com.

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