Arkaba Homestead

An 1850s pastoral homestead sits at the centre of a 63,000-acre private wildlife conservancy between Wilpena Pound and the Elder Range, its stone walls and deep verandahs restored rather than remade. Four rooms occupy the original building, each opening onto a shaded verandah with range views; a fifth sits apart in the old Coachman's Cottage, favoured by couples. Wild Bush Luxury took on the run-down station in 2009 and kept its layout and character largely intact, adding ensuites and comfort without erasing the marks of a working sheep station. Only ten guests stay at a time, meals and drinks included, evenings built around a long table, shared stories and the property's field guides rather than a formal dining room. By day, guides lead treks and drives across a landscape under active rewilding — feral goats and foxes removed, native species reintroduced — so the conservation work is as much the story here as the restoration. It reads less like a hotel than a homestead that happens to take guests.