Travel: Outback of beyond

THE tiny and extremely remote town of Parachilna, in southern Australia, boasts an official population of seven. But the region's spectacular light attracts artists, photographers and filmmakers from all over the world, and celebrities can often be seen propping up the town's one and only bar '“ at the iconic Prairie Hotel. Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel stayed here during the making of Holy Smoke, as did the cast and crew of the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Today, the hotel (aka the Bush Hilton) offers more stars than any hotel in the world '“ the Outback sky is studded with them. People fly halfway round the globe just to sit on the veranda and hang out with the locals.

I'm on my way to Parachilna with Pat Kent and Peter Sherlock, who operate Big Blue Air Touring, a bespoke tour company based in Adelaide that uses small aircraft to land on remote airstrips larger operators can't access. The town, which has one of the lowest levels of annual rainfall in Australia, is located 490km north of Adelaide and set against the backdrop of the ancient Flinders Ranges. From the air, the jagged edges of the Flinders mountains look like the craggy back of a crocodile. Below us, the R M Williams Highway, named after South Australia's most famous saddler and bootmaker, stretches endlessly into the distance.

Until 1981, the Prairie was a run-down pub serving only local beer, but farmers Ross and Jane Fargher grabbed the chance to develop it into a place where Outback travellers could stop for great food, good wine and wonderful hospitality. Ross is a fourth-generation station owner, while his wife Jane is the talkative one. The couple live on the 22,000-acre cattle farm Nilpena Station, which was used in the filming of several Australian blockbusters.

At the Prairie Hotel, the bar has a relaxed atmosphere and serves up its own Fargher lager, while the restaurant offers a variety of delights '“ including smoked kangaroo, camel mettwurst (sausage), emu pt and bush tomatoes with goat's cheese '“ that people drive for hours to sample.

As I sit on the veranda with a chilled lager in my hand, my panoramic view of the surrounding area is interrupted by the Leigh Creek coal train, whose 2.85km length makes it the longest in the world. Just when I think it is going to end, it rattles on and on and on and on. Hauling 161 wagons through the Outback, it makes its 500km daily round trip from Port Augusta to Leigh Creek. As the last carriage passes, Ross's older brother Ian lands his four-seater plane in front of the pub to give me a lift to join Norman and Lyn Litchfield on a cattle drive. Once airborne, we watch the snake-like locomotive from the air, its long brown body crawling across the desert floor.

Ian radios ahead to Norman, who is moving a herd of 300 cows back towards a lifesaving watering hole. Looking down, all I can see is red dirt, rocks and a lot of nothing, but as we descend I spot Norman and Lyn with a large herd of cattle moving through the dry, dusty desert. There hasn't been rain here for nearly a year.

The Litchfields own Wilpoorinna cattle station, covering 750,000 acres of territory. I am introduced to Magnum '“ not an ice-cream, although that would be nice in this heat, but a sturdy and experienced stock horse. While Norman and his crew ride off to check the station's fences, Lyn explains how to drive the cattle to the watering hole that will be our camp for the night, keeping them calm so they don't lose weight.

Slowly we push together, crisscrossing behind the 300 cows in a cloud of red dust, the hot earth crackling under their hooves. A few cunning beasts, wise to my rookie efforts, break rank and create a mini stampede. I chase after them, ducking and diving among the pointed horns, and with Lyn's help regain control. Smelling the water, the cows head straight for it, plunging their tired bodies into the cool, refreshing pool. And we make camp.

Lyn prepares a great bush-style curry while a local country singer entertains us with traditional droving songs as we huddle round a roaring campfire. The Litchfields talk about the trials of living in the Outback and the abundance of wild animals in the area, including red kangaroos, yellow-footed rock wallabies, emus and dingoes, as well as blue-tongued and shingle-back lizards. There are more spiders than you would care to know about, and all sorts of snakes.

As the night rolls on, we drift off to our swags, a traditional Australian waterproof bedroll with built-in foam mattress and cover. Having checked for unwelcome reptilian and eight-legged guests, I climb in and watch satellites, shooting stars and what Norman calls 'space junk' moving across the sky.

Fact File

Big Blue Air Touring (00 61 3 9580 5880, www.bigblueairtouring.com) offers the Saddles, Stockmen and Steers package, a bespoke four-night Outback adventure '“ including a day and a half with Australia's 'horse whisperers'. Also included are a private flight to Wilpoorinna, where cattle-mustering or 4WD tours are available, plus a night in a traditional Australian swag.

Accommodation is at the Louise retreat in the Barossa valley, where non-riders can enjoy vineyard tours, and at the Prairie Hotel, where you can ride across Flinders Ranges. Prices start at 6,900 per person for two people, or 4,400 each for four people.

Flights from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Adelaide cost from 662 return, including taxes, through Qantas (0845 774 7767, www.qantas.com) '“ which includes British Airways flights from Scotland to Heathrow.