Central Australia Pastoral Bus Tour

Are you keen to explore the research, innovation, deep knowledge and practical solutions shaping Central Australia while building meaningful networks and gaining inspiration to bring back to your property and community? 

If you answered yes, then we want you aboard the Central Australia Pastoral Bus Tour.  

Beginning in Coober Pedy and heading north, the tour will visit livestock production businesses in Central Australia and meet with like-minded people involved in a range of projects and programs to manage grazing country in a highly variable climatic zone.

Learning from experienced pastoralists, you will see first-hand how pastoral enterprises are implementing innovative technology and adding value to existing production systems. You will observe how family-run businesses navigate management challenges like climatic variability and succession.

The tour will also showcase the Old Man Plains Research Station where you will hear from researchers who have been involved with the long-term studies on cattle production including breeding efficiencies and sustainable grazing management.

When: 25 October to 1 November 2026

Where: Meeting at Coober Pedy and travelling to Alice Springs and back. Pick up stops can be organised.

Cost: $200 for a tour valued at $4500. Attendees will also need to cover some evening meals and any travel and accommodation pre and post bus tour. Cancellations less than one month prior to the tour will forgo the co-contribution.

Tour highlights: 

Mt Riddock Station - Located north-east of Alice Springs, Mt Riddock has been under the careful management of the Cadzow family since 1986. We will meet with property owners Steven and Rebecca Cadzow and see first-hand how they have invested in developing infrastructure to implement a rotational grazing program. Take a sneak peak at the work being undertaken at Mt Riddock on this Central Station podcast, 

Old Man Plains Research Station - Located 20km south-west of Alice Springs, this property has been trialing and showcasing cattle management practices and best practice rangeland management techniques since 2004. The long-term research trials underway here encompass a large range of seasonal conditions and are revealing interesting results in native pasture management practices.

Curtain Springs - We'll be learning from hosts Lyndee and Ashley about streamlining their business and how they have diversified.

Alice Springs Desert Park: The wildlife in central Australia often flies under the radar.  Many native rangeland animals have adapted amazing strategies to survive desert conditions, including being largely nocturnal.  On the Central Australian Pastoral Bus Tour, we’ll be learning about more than bovine livestock – we’ll also be learning about some of the amazing ecosystem engineers responsible for how the country regenerates…the ones that often fly under our radar.  From Planigales to Dunnarts, Bilbies and Bettongs, we’ll see a range of hard-to-see critters at the Nocturnal House during our stay in Alice Springs.

De Rose Hill 

Apply at https://landscape.smartygrants.com.au/2026NTbustour

Applications close 21 August 2026.