Experience luxury and wilderness at El Questro, a must-visit in Australia's Kimberley region. Photo / Supplied
Have you ever considered the Outback to be a luxury holiday option? Stay at one of Australia’s most deluxe cattle stations and you’ll find equal amounts of opulence and culture, writes Nannette Holliday
El Questro. It’s an unquestionable bucket-list destination.
A 90-minute drive west of Kununurra in the heart of Australia’s northwest Kimberley region at the eastern end of the infamous Gibb River Road, the property’s romantic name and plush accommodations juxtapose the surrounding harsh wilderness, craggy rusty-ochre rock faces, sheer vertical burnt-orange gorges, and the ancient rolling Cockburn Range.
But it’s these age-old geological formations, stunning natural attractions, plunging waterfalls, secluded spring-fed swimming holes, and picturesque gorges that attract everyone, from families to grey nomads, as well as the rich and famous.
READ MORE: Australia’s Kimberley coast: One of the world’s great wildernesses
Established as a cattle station in 1903, grazier Charles Torrance McMicking named it El Questro in 1958. No one knows why, but every owner has kept it since.
Knowing it was unprofitable for large-scale cattle grazing, Will Burrell, the British Royal Doulton and Penguin publishing heir, and his Australian wife, Celia Shelmerdine, purchased the million-acre property for $1 million in 1991 to create the Homestead and El Questro Wilderness Park tourist destination.
However, with long-standing land claims and conflict between the local communities and earlier operators, tourism has never included Indigenous-led tours.
In November 2022, 21 months after purchasing the property, Australian-owned G’Day Group signed the largest land claim settlement in the Kimberley, returning half the property to the traditional owners, the Ngarinyin people.
The former pastoral lease is now a freehold reserve owned by the traditional owners, who granted G’Day a 99-year commercial tourism enterprise lease last year.
The magnetic and untamed beauty of El Questro has a magical and mysterious way of seeping into your soul and spirit. The traditional owners know this land’s spiritual healing powers only too well and now happily share their stories and closely held secrets.
El Questro’s 2024 season offers guests a cultural immersion, an opportunity to experience daily ancient family healing rituals, hear stories about El Questro’s ancestors and history, and learn about the Ngarinyin people.
Currently, there’s a variety of accommodation options across the property, with tours at the Homestead priced between $3000 and $5500 a night while staying in the Chamberlain Suite.
If you’d like a little less luxe for a little less money, too, guests can also stay in basic caravan and camping sites (starting at $60 a night) and self-contained bungalow River Rooms at the Station. At the top of the property, there are Emma Gorge’s safari-style ensuite glamping tents.
G’Day plans to spend over $30m on extensive refurbishment, eco-friendly new infrastructure, carbon-neutral electric cruise boats, recycling facilities, and improved water, waste, and land management practices.
Standing beside the Homestead pool overlooking the Chamberlain River, El Questro general manager Geoff Trewin shows me where the new Homestead villas will be built beside the current Homestead lounge area, increasing the guest count from 18 to 30.
“Plans are also under way for a beautiful day spa with sweeping Chamberlain River views further down the road that will be available for all El Questro guests, Trewin says. “Twenty-five new river rooms are being built at the Station, and we’re still unsure whether to take Emma Gorge’s current 65 glamping tents to an ultra-luxury level.
“The most significant change is our new range of cultural experiences and tours. It’s our commitment to respecting and preserving El Questro’s cultural heritage.”
My early morning bush culture and history tour with El Questro ranger Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Antony and four senior Indigenous Wyndham District High School students undertaking work experience is a real eye-opener into the versatility of the Kimberley native bush.
“The Kapok tree’s soft wood is easily carved into canoes and coffins. Mattresses and pillows were stuffed with its fluffy fibres,” Antony says. “The vibrant yellow petals, leaves and seeds make great eating and are full of antioxidants.”
Tentatively, I bite the pea-sized black seed he hands me. Its squishy texture tastes like a mushroom. It’s okay, but not as delicious as the juicy bush figs.
We also get a hands-on lesson in harvesting spinifex resin used as an adhesive, apparently 10 times stronger than Super Glue, and how to make a fire by rubbing two sticks together before enjoying the bush morning tea and a refreshing swim in Moonshine Gorge’s clear spring water.
The Indigenous students are excited about becoming tour guides and working on their land. They happily relay one of the region’s many stories to me.
“The boab tree flourished all year round here. That’s why there’s so many. It was always boasting how beautiful it was. The Dreamtime Serpent was sick of hearing this, so he pulled the boab out of the ground and shoved its head back into the earth. That’s why it has a bulbous trunk and spindly root-like branches. It only flowers around three months a year now.”
My private afternoon swim at palm-fringed Zebedee Springs, with its 28- to 32C aquamarine thermal waters and peaceful setting, soothed my soul — or was it the chilled champagne in my hand?
A sunset picnic at Buddy’s Point Lookout exposes El Questro’s vastness. The surrounding weathered ranges and snaking deep-carved gorges hold tight to the Pentecost, Chamberlain, Salmond, and King rivers flowing through the property and stretch beyond the horizon.
Zooming over the property the following day via helicopter reveals more natural wonders.
From towering vertical cliffs, majestic rivers, tall, slender palms bunched together like emerald umbrellas between rust-red gorges to cascading white waterfalls plunging into deep valleys and balding treeless plateaus, perfect for a private picnic.
El Questro undoubtedly delivers wilderness and ancient culture in spades while holding tight to its original Outback cattle station heritage and charm and providing various accommodation options, including all of the Homestead’s luxury trimmings.
GETTING THERE
The easiest way to get to El Questro is to fly to Kununurra from Darwin, Broome, or Perth.
DETAILS
From skipping the queues to planning your parade spot, here's all you need to know.