Intrepid Travel is deepening its roots in the Australian outback, snapping up Ooraminna Station Homestead – a storied 200-hectare property just 30 kilometres south of Alice Springs – as part of its push beyond guided tours and into immersive, destination-defining stays.
The deal, announced 15 April 2026, is the latest piece in Intrepid’s 2030 growth strategy, which is betting heavily on travellers who want more than a bed for the night. Think private cabins, glamping tents, a natural billabong, and a restaurant framed by the rust-red ridgelines of the Ooraminna Hills – a landscape that has already moonlighted as a film and TV backdrop, most notably for Ted Egan’s The Drover’s Boy.
For Intrepid, the appeal is straightforward. Demand for regionally rooted, low-impact travel is climbing — and properties that can deliver genuine cultural and landscape immersion are increasingly rare. Ooraminna, with its campground, pool and direct connection to Central Australian country, fits the brief.
ANZ Managing Director Brett Mitchell framed the move as more than a real estate play. “We’re seeing continued demand for experience-rich stays in regional Australia,” he said, “and properties like Ooraminna allow us to create deeper connections to place, community and culture.”
The Northern Territory government was equally enthusiastic. Tourism Minister Marie-Clare Boothby called it another vote of confidence in the Red Centre’s visitor economy, while Tourism NT Chief Executive Suzana Bishop pointed to the property’s ability to offer experiences that are genuinely irreplaceable – the kind, she noted, that “can only be found here.”
Intrepid isn’t stopping at what it inherited. Plans are already in motion to add 10 new rooms targeting families and couples, alongside facility upgrades and fresh on-site experiences. The property will be bookable through Intrepid’s website shortly, folded into its broader product lineup.
Whilst the situation in the Middle East has undoubtedly renewed focus in domestic tourism, focusing on Australian destinations has long been a focus for Intrepid.
“You’ll see a huge focus going forward on domestic travel,” Mitchell said at an intimate famil at Daintree Ecolodge in May 2025. “And coming out of COVID, I think was really went to business, try not to waste a crisis.”
“We’re trying to find ways to play a more meaningful part in our community’s lives on a more regular basis. When you start to extrapolate that, you think, well, it sort of means product.”
Intrepid push into boutique accommodation with 20 global venues in next three years
