Frequently Asked Questions

Accommodation

What type of accommodation is there?

We offer a range of accommodation:

Luxury Cabins: Stone Cottage (1 king & 4 singles in 2 rooms), Timber Cabin (Desert Oak 4-poster bed), Tin Cabin (Desert Oak 4 post bed)
Log Cottage: 1 queen & 3 singles, this room is warmly appointed however is not airconditioned. It has a fireplace. A true replica of living in teh 19th century (with benefits)
Glamping Tents: Available during winter months, not insulated but warmly appointed, A giant step up from camping. Shared facilities.
Campground: Equipped with showers, toilets, and washing machine facilities.
Swag Hire: Experience the true Northern Territory under the stars. These are bedrolls that roll out under the stars and do not include a tent.

Pets

Are pets allowed ?

Yes pet are allowed at Ooraminna.

All dogs mut be on a leash due to the wandering livestock and baby animals that are loose.

There is a $50 fee to have pets at cabins. No pets are allowed at glaming tents.

Cats must be contained to a secure cat box due to the threat of damage to wildlife.

Pig dogs or hunting dogs are not allowed. We have a pet sow.

Please respect the property and its surroundings. Keeping your pet under control and cleaning up after them.
Please ensures that your pet does not disturb other guests or wildlife, maintaining a peaceful environment for everyone.
Respect other guests’ space and privacy, and ensure your dog does not become a nuisance.

Animals that disrupt the peacefull enjoyment of other guests or threaten or damage property, people or domestic livestock will be asked to leave.

Dining

Is the restaurant open and do I need a booking?

The Wildhorse Bar and Grill is open daily in peak season.

Bookings are essential. Delicious fresh Modern Australian Cuisine is on offer and the menu changes.

In the off season, a light menu is offered to in-house guests by staff, please advise in advance of any meal requirements.

Saturday and Sunday graze and swim events are only bookable on our website.

Breakfast is available to in house guests, just let us know on arrival if you would like breakfast.

Please contact us to book on 08 89530477. If we do not answer the phone we may be out housekeeping or on property elsewhere. Please otherwise email us via our website https://www.ooraminna.com.au/contact

Dietary requirements are catered for, just let uis know.

The Resort Pool

Is the Resort Pool open to the public?

No.

Ooraminna is private property and the resort pool is only open for in-house guests and restaurant patrons.

Restaurant patrons may enjoy the pool at Sunday and Saturday Graze & Swim events between 11am and 3.30pm. Booking is essential.

In-house guests have exclusive use of the resort pool at all other times.

Ooraminna is a licensed venue. There is no BYO to the restaurant or pool area, this includes food and picnics.

If you would like to go for a swim on a hot day and do not have a restaurant or accommodation booking may we recommend Ellery Creek Big Hole,, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge, Redbank Gorge, or Alice Springs Aquatic Centre.

Pool rules must be adhered to.

Children must be monitored at all times.

Weddings

Can I have my wedding at Ooraminna?

Yes, weddings may be held at Ooraminna Station.

Welcome to the event of your dreams. We will arrange your perfect day for you.

Then on the red sands of the Simpson desert you can dine under a moonlit sky & dance the evening away beneath a canopy of stars.

An intimate and ultimately memorable venue to create everlasting memories.

There are multiple locations on property where we facilitate ceremonies, photographs and wedding receptions.

Please email us a requets for more information.

Movies & TV

What films have been made at Ooraminna Station Homestead

TV & FILM

Ooraminna Station Homestead is one of Australia's premier film locations. Please check with staff if a film or TV miniseries is in progress on location during your stay. If so you ou may be asked to sign a NDA! Too exciting!

The followiong productions amongst others have been filmed on property:

Sweet Country 2016

https://youtu.be/WYPTZQ_-o0c

The Bachelor USA Proposal 2020

https://youtu.be/stESBl8UhwY

Home and Away episode Revenge 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i4q4Hn_sls

Australian Idol, Jessica Mauboy audition 2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AnUzTDcH1I

60 Minutes "The Sting" 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNxfDycrAmU

The Betoota Advocate - Official trailer 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrC3lCv4Q6M

Ford Ranger Advertisement 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FAQW5TfKUU

Russell Coight makes a spear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjwkS8tNc_I

The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7_O33oQE

MKR 2016

The Filmset

What is the history of the Filmset?

Ted Egan, legendary Australian Singer/songwriter, wrote a song in 1981 - "The Drover's Boy".

Set in the 1920s, The Drover's Boy recalls the time when it was illegal for Caucasians and Aborigines to marry or ride with the men in the stock camp. It is the story of a Caucasian drover (the Australian name for a cowboy or sheep herder) who is forced to pass off his Aboriginal wife as a "drover's boy".

Ted Egan wrote this song as a tribute to the Aboriginal stockwomen, in the hope that one day their enormous contribution to the Australian pastoral industry might be recognized and honored.

He decided to make a film of this story, generated a few million dollars in funding from Entrepeneurs, built the filmset on the Hayes' property Deep Well Station but never completed the film. There resulted an excellent filmclip that covers his song.

The filmset remains today.

Road Conditions

Do I need a 4WD to get there?

No.

The 23km road from Alice Springs to Ooraminna front gate is sealed.

The access road from the Front gate into the property is unsealed but generally accessible by 2WD.

The only time you might need a 4WD is in hte case of exceptionally heavy rain.

Please contact the station on 08 89530477 for a road report if the weather is unseasonally wet!.

We can if need collect you from the front gate on one of the station vehicles.

There's always a way to make your visit to the Central Desert a true - "Outback Experience!"

If the road is challenging, dont worry, there is a bar at the homestead with a very cold beer and a great Gin & Tonic!

Refunds

Will I get a refund if I have to cancel a booking?

Please check your cancellation policy on your booking to see if you are eligible for a refund.

We have 4 beautifully appointed exclusive cabins and 4 glamping tents. Ooraminna is a very private property and often the staff out number the guests.

The cost of operating any business in a remote location is enormous and we require notice for cancellations.

We have a 48 hour cancellation policy whereby bookings that do not have a legitimate reason for cancellation will forfeit their moneys.

Plan your travel & contact us as early as possible to make any changes or requet a refund.

We offer a ful refund to all event bookings should an event be cancelled.

Location

Where is Ooraminna and how do I get there?

Ooraminna is located a half hour South of Alice Springs on the MARYVALE Rd towards Chambers Pillar and is on the edge of the Simpson desert.

It is well signposted.

Do not follow google maps past the Alice Springs Airport or you will end up on a dirt track on deep Well Station.

Take the Maryvale road turnoff which is BEFORE you arrive at the airport if you are heading out to us from Alice Springs.

Clear Directions to Ooraminna can be found here :https://www.ooraminna.com.au/directions

We recommend that if you are planning to drive the remote outback roads to explore the Alice Springs region that you hire a reasonable size vehicle, SUV or 4WD and always carry at least 10L of water.

There is so much to see and do in the region. Plan at least 3 or 4 days to drive around the East and West MacDonnell ranges, both are very acessible for day trips from Ooraminna Staiton.

If you require a meal early or late in the day, please let us know.

Alice Springs has a number of incredible museums offering a wealth of history and some fabulous cafes..

The Property

Who owns Ooraminna Station Homestead?

Ooraminna is approximately 600 acres of excised private pastoral land situated in the middle of Deep Well Cattle Station which belonged to the Hayes family for over a hundred years.

The Deep Welll Homestead is about 40km away, and Ooraminna was established when Ted Egan built the flimset to make his film "The Drover's Boy". When teh fiml crew left, the Flimset remained and Jan and her husband Bill kept the buildings and generated furhtre developemnt with the hope to create a business to supsplement the Deep Well cattle enterprise by way of holding events, parties and weddings on the beautiful section of the station.

Very soon after this old Bill sadly died in a quad bike accident and Jan shut down the proptertyy for over 10 years.

Not long after tragedy struck again and Jan lost her son Bill jnr in a light aircraft accident.

In 2017 Jan Hayes sold Ooraminna Station Homestead to the Lorimer Family who had been running cattle in the Northern Territoy for 20 years and with a rich family history in Pastoral Australia. Then in 2023 Jan sold Deep Well Station to The Oldfield Family, a Northern Territory Pastoral Pioneering family with pastoral history like no other.

We ask that you do not pass through any fences or gates onto Deep Well Station or Undoolya Station while enjoying the Ooraminna Prpoerty.

Nicole Lorimer and her children welcome you to their desert home and trust that you enjoy your stay and experience at this incredibly serene slice of the Australian Central Desert.

The Lookout

Is there a romantic lookout?

In 2021 The Lorimers bult a road up on to the top of one of the escarpments on Ooraminna.

The view of the East and West Macdonnell ranges from the lookout is unsurpassed.

Generating the scense that you are on top of the world, now the Lookout is the prefered site of wedding proposals, wedding ceremonies, welcome drinks for retreats and of course, sunset drinks and date nights for in-house guests!

The gap in the hills at 12 O'clock is "The Heavitree Gap" leading through the ranges into the Alice Springs Township. If you look along the ranges you can see the other "gaps" Jessie Gap, Emily Gap to the East, Simpsons Gap to the West.

The white dots before the Heavitree Gap are the planes stores at the Alice Springs Airport. During Covid-19 when the whole wolrds fleet of aircraft were almost grounded, there were over 150 jumbo jets stored at the Alice Sprigns Airport. It was quite a spectacle.