Herds roam freely in the 15,000ha Monarto Safari Park in South Australia.
Jane Phare spends two days at Australia’s newly-opened Monarto Safari Resort and spa, surrounded by wild animals
There’s something pinch-me-and-wake-me-up about wandering on to your hotel balcony to survey the savannah below and watch a couple of hippos eat their dinner.
They’ve lumbered out of their hippopotamus lake – where earlier we witnessed them snorting and cavorting from our seats on the safari bus – to munch on evening snacks tossed over the fence by the Monarto keepers.
Our corner suite balcony gives us sweeping views in different directions. The hippos’ watering hole to the right, grazing nyala and oryx in front and nothing much to the left. But as the daylight fades and stars begin to push their way out, five giraffes are standing below where earlier there was nothing.
That’s the thing about savannahs. At first glance, they look like a big stretch of empty land, dotted with trees. But wait and watch in the quiet – so quiet – and something will happen. It’s not Africa but it’s pretty close to the next best thing.
The 78-room Monarto Safari Resort is perched on a 67ha site overlooking the Mallee Plains in the Murraylands region, an hour’s drive from Adelaide.
The striking building is long and low, fringed by gardens and two swimming pools. Beyond is 15,000ha of open land and bush, home to around 750 animals.
The hotel’s understated interior is a medley of African and Australian influences. Rattan chairs, a parquet floor and polished cork table tops in the hotel’s restaurant Kutjera (an Australian bush tomato) give it a “smart casual” vibe, as do the staff who wear safari pants, shirts and boots.
Floor-to-ceiling windows provide commanding views of the watering hole and savannah, and there’s always something to see. For a closer encounter with the wildlife, guests can book a sunrise or sunset safari tour through Wild Africa, a 550ha area of free-roaming herds reserved for the resort.
We opted for a sunset tour aboard a safari bus that, with a guide, meandered past giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos, hippos, zebras, ostriches and various herd animals including nyala, waterbuck, oryx and barbary sheep.
Who knew that ostriches like to hang out with the giraffes so that they can hoover up any fallen leaves their lofty hosts drop below?
At one stage a giraffe strolled past so close we could have reached out and touched it. An ostrich stood for ages admiring its reflection in the bus window, while we gazed back at it. Nearby, zebras grazed peacefully.
The reason Monarto’s wildlife are so chilled is that prey are kept well away from predators by a series of high, electrified fences, like Jurassic Park but not as scary. As a result, Monarto guests won’t be put off their buffet breakfast after witnessing a cheetah pounce on a baby antelope.
At dinner that night I polished off a Midnight Sky cocktail – black gin, Adelaide Hills blackberry liqueur and citrus, infused with activated charcoal and with sparkling sugar crystals left in the bottom. A magical concoction. Then, half a dozen plump South Australian Smoky Bay oysters and pan-fried barramundi with winter melon, heirloom tomato and a divine leaf ash sauce. The soft, dark rolls served with whipped bush-tomato butter were so delicious we asked for more.
Somehow, I found room for dessert – a guava yuzu lemon tart with Davidson plum ice cream and soursop chia seed sauce.
I’m not much of a wine drinker so I asked Kiwi wine expert and foodie Fraser Mackenzie, who has worked in New Zealand and Australian vineyards, his opinion of Kutjera’s extensive wine selection. The list showcased classic regions of South Australia, he said.
Many wines are available by the glass, including hard-to-find selections poured using Coravin, a preservation system that keeps wine fresh. “Rockford Basket Press Shiraz at $A49 [$53] a glass and Seppeltsfield Para Grand Tawny at $A11 won’t be missed by ardent wine lovers,” Mackenzie said.
He was impressed by Kutjera’s menu, too, pointing out it showcased top South Australian produce with dishes like wild safari gin-flamed prawns, kangaroo carpaccio and Barossa pork belly. Indigenous ingredients like desert lime, lemon myrtle and saltbush also feature across the menus.
Our hotel suite had a luxurious yet unfussy feel with all the extras expected in a 5-star hotel: monogrammed bathrobes, a vast bathroom with double hand basins, a free-standing bath, a separate toilet alcove and a large walk-in shower.
A pair of powerful binoculars in each room allows for unlimited animal gazing from the balcony.
The next day we hopped on the hotel shuttle to visit the adjoining 10,000ha Monarto Safari Park, run by conservation charity Zoos SA. A portion of each guest’s stay at Monarto Safari Resort goes towards conservation efforts at the park.
Here visitors can get up close and personal with the wildlife including lions, cheetahs, dingoes, zebras, chimpanzees, American bison, the close-to-extinction Przewalski Horse, African painted dogs, giraffes, rhinos – both white and the endangered black species – elephants, meerkats, reptiles, and kangaroos that were trapped inside when the park was fenced.
The most thrilling moment was seeing dear old Burma, now aged 43, Auckland Zoo’s much-loved elephant, who was transferred to Monarto last year. There she was, rolling a log around in Monarto’s new 14ha elephant habitat, complete with underfloor heating in the enclosures. Keeping her company in the A$6.4m habitat are three other female elephants, with a male due to join in August.
Her three Kiwi keepers, who worked with Burma for years at Auckland Zoo, have stayed on to help develop and run Monarto’s elephant programme.
The story of why 15,000ha of land 80km east of Adelaide came to be home to wild animals dates back to the 1970s, when the South Australian government had plans to develop a satellite city. But the plan never went ahead. Instead, Adelaide Zoo began using the land for grazing and breeding in the early 1980s, and the park opened to the public in 1993.
Australian multimillionaire Gerry Ryan, founder of caravan makers Jayco, bought 67ha of land adjoining the park several years ago and built the 5-star Monarto Safari Resort, now managed by Australian tourism group Journey Beyond.
Still under construction are 20 glamping tents and a luxury lodge overlooking the savannah that are due to open early next year.
After breakfast it was time to check out the resort’s Murala day spa for a full-body massage and facial. I’m not one for spa treatments as a rule but this was as close to bliss as it gets.
Every bit was massaged, even my closed eyes. There were rose oils and scented sprays, hot damp towels wrapped around me, and a hot flat crystal laid on my chest.
Afterwards I was left to relax, sipping herbal tea served with strawberry syrup and a chocolate truffle, in the spa lounge. Guests can also soak in the thermal plunge pool, take a dip in an ice bath or use the sauna after their treatment, but as I forgot to pack my togs I missed that bit.
“Ooh, you smell nice,” the hotel receptionist remarked when I checked out later that morning in a blissed-out state. I felt nice too.
Adelaide, Australia
GETTING THERE
Qantas flies from Auckland to Adelaide via Melbourne and Sydney. A direct service will launch between Auckland and Adelaide on October 31, 2025.
DETAILS
Rooms at Monarto Safari Resort start at $307 a night and go up to a Waterhole View two-bedroom suite for $921 a night. The Dawn Safari costs $145 and the Sunset Safari costs $178. Journey Beyond are offering Monarto Safari packages for guests beginning or ending their train travel in Adelaide on The Ghan, Indian Pacific or Great Southern which include transfer to the hotel, a two-night stay, a Sunset Safari tour and a Monarto Safari Park admission ticket.
New Zealand Herald Travel visited Adelaide and stayed at Monarto Safari Resort courtesy of Journey Beyond and Qantas.