Tour Highlights:
• Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame • Qantas Founders Museum • Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show • Crocodile Dundee’s Walkabout Creek Hotel • Cloncurry Unearthed & John Flynn Place Museum – Royal Flying Doctor Service • Guided Interpretive Tour of Boodjamulla National Park • Lawn Hill Gorge Cruise • Burketown touring • Leichhardt Falls • Normanton’s Purple Pub • Sand Island at Sunset Cruise • Barramundi Discovery Centre • Gulflander and Savannahlander Scenic Rail • Cobbold Gorge Tour and Cruise • Undara Lava Tubes • Woodleigh Station Lunch • Lake Barrine Cruise
Inclusions:
• All en suite accommodation • Travel by luxury 4WD coach from Longreach to Cairns • Savannah Guides Operator driver & host • All meals (12 buffet breakfasts; 11 lunches; 12 dinners) • All entries/activities as per itinerary • Arrival transfer from Longreach Airport or Railway Station.
Extra Additions
Travel on The Spirit of the outback in a sleeper from Brisbane for an additional $427pp
Travel in a seat from Brisbane on The Spirit of the Outback in a seat for an additional $141pp
Itinerary:
Day 1: Wednesday – Longreach (D)
Arrive in Longreach, the heartland of Queensland’s Outback. You will be met by your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host at either Longreach Railway Station or Longreach Airport and transferred to your central accommodation for the next two nights. Meet fellow travellers at our Welcome Supper and hear about the adventures ahead with a comprehensive tour briefing by your driver and host. 2 nights Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach
Day 2: Thursday – Longreach (B,L,D)
Visit the world-class Qantas Founders Museum, eloquently telling the story of the founding of Qantas. View interpretive displays, interactive exhibits, original and replica
aircraft, and an impressive collection of genuine artefacts. Wander the five themed galleries of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and discover inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes. Enjoy some free time in downtown Longreach to meet the locals and wander the local shops. Late afternoon, unwind on the Drover’s Sunset Cruise with tasty onboard nibbles platters; then take your seat at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show. Relax under the stars savouring a table service two-course camp oven themed dinner, as the talented musical
Day 3: Friday – Cloncurry (B, L, D)artists perform on the river stage.
We follow the Matilda Way via Winton to Kynuna and
the Blue Heeler Hotel for a slice of Australian folklore. It was here that Banjo Paterson brokered a truce with the shearers who had burnt down the Dagworth woolshed and 143 jumbucks. Rather than shoot each other, they sang Waltzing Matilda and both ‘swagman’ and ‘squatters’ sank their last drinks at the bar. Next stop will be the Walkabout Creek Hotel made famous in the movie blockbuster Crocodile Dundee. Late afternoon in Cloncurry we discover the great Australian story of our Royal Flying Doctor Service at John Flynn Place; one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. Overnight Gidgee Inn, Cloncurry.
Day 4: Saturday – Adels Grove (B,L,D)
Journey around 180km north of Cloncurry on a sealed road to the Burke & Wills Roadhouse before travelling on to the beautiful Gregory River for a relaxed picnic lunch. The river is spring fed and the water is crystal clear. We’ll then travel a largely unsealed section of road around 90km to Adels Grove, an oasis in the outback and just 10km from the spectacular Lawn Hill Gorge, Boodjamulla National Park. The park features breathtaking gorge country, sandstone ranges and World Heritage fossils. On arrival at Adels Grove, your accommodation for the next two nights, enjoy some free time to explore your surrounds before dinner. 2 nights Adels Grove
Day 5: Sunday – Adels Grove (B,L,D)
After breakfast, you’ll board a state-of-the-art solar powered pontoon boat for an hour long guided cruise along tranquil Lawn Hill Creek and the breathtaking Lawn Hill Gorge. Have your camera ready to capture the gorge’s vivid orange sandstone cliffs towering above emerald green waters. Join a guided interpretive tour on one of the many walks the Park has to offer featuring natural and cultural sites. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure in this stunning location. Tonight we’ll watch the beautiful sunset from Harry’s Hill.
Day 6: Monday – Karumba (B,L,D)
Leaving Adels Gove today we’ll head east on the Gregory-Lawn Hill Road then travel north to Burketown along State Route 84. Enjoy a short break in Burketown for morning tea and local stories then relax with a picnic lunch at Leichhardt Falls. In Normanton, take a selfie with Krys the life-size statue of the largest saltwater crocodile ever caught. See the Purple Pub and Queensland’s earliest surviving and heritage-listed Burns Philp store. Arrive in Karumba in time to capture your first memorable Gulf sunset. 2 nights End of the Road Motel, Karumba
Day 7: Tuesday – Karumba (B,L,D)
Discover the amazing secrets of the mighty barramundi at The Barramundi Discovery Centre, the only hatchery in the world to breed the Southern Gulf strain of this iconic fish. Your tour of this new state of the art Interpretive Centre includes the opportunity to feed a Barramundi. Enjoy free time after lunch to explore the town or to simply relax and take in this beautiful location. Late afternoon, we’ll cruise to a special sand island in the Gulf of Carpentaria to toast the sunset and feast on fresh seafood as spectacular twilight hues colour the skies.
Day 8: Wednesday – Cobbold Gorge (B,L,D)
Travel to Normanton for a nostalgic rail journey on the famous Gulflander, affectionately called the ‘Tin Hare’. Visit the historic gold mining townships of Croydon and Georgetown. See the impressive mineral collection display at the TerrEstrial Centre. Arrive at the hidden outback oasis Cobbold Gorge in time for sunset drinks overlooking the stunning infinity pool! 2 nights Cobbold Gorge Resort
Day 9: Thursday – Cobbold Gorge (B,L,D)
Enjoy a tour of the magnificent sandstone gorge on this privately owned cattle station. The gorge is stocked with a variety of native fish and freshwater crocodiles. On a guided cruise, you’ll glide silently between towering cliffs in a specially designed, battery powered punt. Join an optional walk to the top of the escarpment for awesome views of the gorge below.
Day 10: Friday – Mount Surprise (B,L,D)
We board the Savannahlander in Forsayth for a unique outback rail experience on this classic 1960s ‘silver-bullet’ railmotor. Enjoy a light lunch at the Einasleigh pub with its quirky miniature furniture collection. Re-board the train and travel to Mount Surprise, then transfer by coach to Bedrock Village. 2 nights Bedrock Village, Mount Surprise
Day 11: Saturday – Mount Surprise (B,L,D)
Explore the Undara Lava Tubes, part of the world’s longest lava flow from a single volcanic crater. These tubes were created when the Undara Volcano erupted over 190,000 years ago, pouring out enough lava to fill Sydney Harbour three times over. Join a highly skilled Savannah Guide for amazing insights into the tubes’ environmental, geological and historical features. We return to Bedrock Village for a relaxed dinner under the stars before gathering around the campfire with fellow travellers.
Day 12: Sunday – Cairns (B,L,D)
Travel through contrasting landscapes and Forty Mile Scrub National Park to Woodleigh Station. Relax with lunch in view of the giant 100-year-old bougainvillea, then take a stroll around the expansive gardens. Continue on to Atherton Tablelands and an enchanting natural lake hidden in World Heritage Rainforest, Lake Barrine. Gain a close-up view of one of the most amazing rainforest ecosystems in the world as you cruise this beautiful lake. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner at your accommodation. Overnight Rydges Esplanade, Cairns
Day 13: Monday – (B)
Your tour concludes after breakfast. Own transfers to your homeward bound connections.
