When Captain Cockpit first suggested the outback odyssey, my only stipulation was that we should stop at a small hotel we stayed in about 20 years ago. The mind can play tricks on just how amazing somewhere was all those years ago, but the Prairie Hotel Parachilna didn’t disappoint. Nestling in the foothills of the Flinders Ranges is this amazing hotel and pub, sitting alongside a disused railway and an airstrip.

The owners are the Stetson-wearing Fargher family, who are the most welcoming of people. Art adorns the walls, they brew their own beer, the food is amazing. As Head of Entertainment said, he could have kissed the floor when he saw the beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms. We arrived in this settlement (permanent population ZERO) via an exhilarating flight through the mountain range of dramatic peaks and multi coloured gorges. (The Daily Telegraph’s Nick Hoult and I smiled wanly at each other and tried to be brave.)The area has links with home, as it’s named after the Lincolnshire born adventurer Matthew Flinders, whose remains were returned to the village of Donington last year. And Donington is where my parents live. Burt they don’t get sunsets like this:

Anyway, I digress. The Flinders are home to some of the earliest fossil evidence of animal life and the Farghers have made a top job of preserving and developing a wonderful heritage site. That night we feasted on a feral banquet. Yes, that’s right; emu, kangaroo and camel. In all honesty I won’t be eating camel again; it tasted exactly as you might expect - chewy and strong!

We were up with the larks, shooing kangaroos from the end of the runway the following morning for our flight to Lake Eyre. This is usually Australia’s largest brilliant white dry salt pan, but on very rare occasions, after flood rains, it turns into a inland sea. We are so supremely lucky to visit this year, as the Lake has only been filled with water three times since 1860 - and there’s water there at the moment.

Our photos could never do justice to the natural wonder of the pink lake, truly one of the natural wonders of the world. Apparently it’s the salty algae that produces beta carotene cresting the glorious pink colours - and I’m a girl who loves anything pink.

Jonathan first came to Parachilna with his old friend and pilot, Godfrey Gardiner, 24 years ago. It was before Jonathan learned to fly and he was determined to return and land on the Prairie’s gleaming new runway. I think it was one of his highlights of this amazing adventure when he brought us safely down.

Our final night on this Outback adventure was an absolute classic. A final fundraising cricket evening for Angel Flight, but the star of the show was undoubtedly the “Ballading Bushman”.

Well known to the locals, John is an Australian country and western singer and guitarist who can play anything you want. We sang and danced the night away, knowing that from tomorrow it’s back to reality and the serious job of England trying to save the Ashes.