Brisbane to Cairns
- 21 days
Experience the unique serenity, colours, and ancient spirit
of the Australian Outback - an unforgettable experience.
Pre-departure briefing
In Brisbane 7.30pm, the evening before tour departure
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Day 1
Travel 4.75 hrs | Walking 4 hrs
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Our journey commences in Brisbane. Within an hour we’ll
leave our vehicle for a short summit walk in The Glass
House Mountains NP to view surrounding volcanic formations.
We’ll travel through picturesque rural scenery and ranges
to a picnic lunch in the farming township of Kingaroy. After
lunch a short drive to the Bunya Mountains National Park and
our cottage retreats for two nights. A short walk to cliff top
lookouts at Koondaii, Valley View, Cherry Plain or Bottle Tree
Bluff will lead to a local eatery for dinner.
Accommodation: Mountain cottages with private
facilities
Day 2
Walking 5 hrs
We’ll rise at a leisurely hour for breakfast then embark
on a circuit forest walk with various falls and lookouts. The
walk is approx 10 kms taking in the Barker Ck Lookout, Big Falls
and Pine Gorge Lookout.
Accommodation: Mountain cottages with private
facilities
Day 3
Travel 8 hrs
Today is our longest travel day as we head along quiet back
roads to Chinchilla. Nearby Condamine River feeds into the Balonne
and Darling Rivers Australia’s great inland river system.
After lunch we head toward our overnight motel in Injune, passing
through the larger town of Roma in the heart of Australia’s
oil and gas fields.
Accommodation: Country village motel with private
facilities
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Day 4
Travel 2.5 hrs | Walking 3 to 4 hrs
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We continue our journey north to a major feature of the
Central Queensland Highlands, the Carnarvon National Park
with its 35km long-600 metre deep, scenic, white sandstone
gorge, its narrow side gorges, picturesque “rock-hopping”
creek with lush vegetation, wildlife and Aboriginal rock
art.
Simply relax on arrival or join us in an afternoon walk up Boolimba
Bluff high on the rim, and then return to our comfortable bush
lodges for dinner.
Accommodation: Timber and canvas safari cabins
with private facilities
Day 5
Walking 8 to 9 hrs
Today is a walking day through the scenic wonders of Carnarvon
Gorge. We’ll start early to cover as much of the main
gorge and side features as possible. There are narrow side gorges
an arms reach in width with towering sides folding over to hide
the sky .
Accommodation: Timber and canvass safari cabins
with private facilities
Day 6
Travel 7 hrs
We head for the outback today calling firstly on the small settlements
of Rolleston and Springsure in the heart of prime but tough
cattle country. We join an historic “wilderness way”
track to Tambo through remote properties. We enjoy the small
town atmosphere and stroll the Coolibah Walk, at dusk or dawn,
along the banks of the Barcoo river.
Accommodation: Country village motel with private
facilities
Day 7
Travel 2.5 hrs
We travel along the Matilda Highway through the great Australian
heartland. Beneath the earth’s surface is a great underground
water source, The Great Artesian Basin, the single most important
factor in settling these lands. The scene is set for our visit
to a genuine outback rural station located on the celebrated
Barcoo River. We will spend the remainder of the day immersing
ourselves in outback station life with wonderful evening hospitality
and story telling and a swag on which to rest our heads for
the night.
Accommodation: Bush comfort camping with shared
facilities or Homestead rooms with shared facilities (subject
to final tour numbers and configuration).
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Day 8
Travel 2.5 hrs
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We continue our genuine bush experiences today travelling
a short distance to the acknowledged heart of the outback,
Longreach. We’ll remain here overnight visitng the
Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre
and later the Qantas Founders Outback Museum.
We’ll lunch at the Hall and you then have a free afternoon
to enjoy the interactive exhibits drawing you to the very heart
and soul of Australia, then we will dine with locals in a genuine
outback pub, or camp oven style at a woolshed.
Accommodation: Country motel with private facilities
Day 9
Travel 5.5 hrs
We head due north and head across vast open plains to Muttaburra
and beyond, our overnight motel at Hughenden. Muttaburra was
the place of discovery of one of Australia’s largest dinosaurs
and also the most daring attempt at cattleduffing (stealing).
We relax in Hughenden preparing for tomorrows full day exploring
the nearby Porcupine Gorge, a lightly visited and “undeveloped”
National Park. The town is on the edge of a vast pre-historic
inland sea which was home to both terrestrial dinosaurs and
marine reptiles.
Accommodation: Country motel with private facilities
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Day 10
Travel local | Walking 8 hrs
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We travel to Porcupine Gorge for a day of exploration,
bird watching, swimming, photography and meanderings.
Firstly, we stop on the rim to view its depth and magnitude
and then we make our way to a trail providing access to
the watercourse below where we can roam freely.
Accommodation: Country motel with private facilities
Day 11
Travel 6 hrs
Today will be an early start, to enable us to reach our afternoon
destination, the extraordinary Undara Volcanic Lava Tubes, regarded
as the best preserved phenomena of their kind in the world.
In the evening we’ll indulge in dinner from a Fettler’s
Iron Pot “Bistro”, then bed down in a beautifully
restored turn of the century rail carriage.
Accommodation: Unique rail carriages with shared
facilities
Day 12
Travel 3 hrs | Walking Cave 1.5 hrs Other 3
hrs
You can alight from your carriage at a relaxed hour or join
us a little earlier for a short dawn walk to spot some birds
and wildlife. After breakfast it is a short mornings drive to
Chillagoe. Set in dry open savannah woodland it has the ruins
of an old abandoned copper mine and a network of 600 fascinating
limestone caves. National park rangers will assist our visit
with cave inspections and other local walks and features, including
rock art . We sleep in modest lodge or cabin accommodation.
Accommodation: Cabins with shared facilities
or motel with private facilities
Day 13
Travel 4.5 hrs
We head off on remote back roads to a bush camp for 2 nights
near the village of Laura – population 100, mainly Aborigines.
We are amidst some of the most outstanding galleries of indigenous
rock art in Australia offering a lifetime experience to savour.
We will connect with our local expert guide, son of a legendary
family which over 30 years has discovered and painstakingly
recorded on canvass some 1500 galleries.
Accommodation: Bush comfort camping with shared
facilities
Day 14
Travel – local
A full day dedicated to galleries and, dreamtime stories, folklore
and hiking across the sandstone escarpments, swimming and more
discovery. We hope to include the galleries of Death Adder,
Honeymoon, Red Lady, Garfish Sorcery, Tent Shelter, Emu Dreaming
and Giant Wallaroo, before returning to camp and dinner remote
hotel style.
Accommodation: Bush comfort camping with shared
facilities
Day 15
Travel 2.5 hrs | Walking – up to 6 kms
We bid farewell to the outback as we head for the tropical coastline
of the Coral Sea and our overnight abode at Cooktown. We lunch
early and head out on a choice of walking options, through the
rainforest of Mount Cook National park, or the mangroves and
bush of the Endeavour river or the botanic gardens to the sand
dunes and beaches of Finch Bay and Cherry Tree Bay. You may
otherwise choose some free time to visit the historic museum
and sip cool drinks or coffee at quaint local establishments.
A climb to Grassy Hill for a sunset view from Cook’s lookout
to the reefs is also an option.
Accommodation: Motel with private facilities
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Day 16
Travel 2 hrs | Walking – casual
and beach
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Today we’ll enjoy a leisurely drive south to the
Daintree National Park and our Beach House cabin accommodation
right on the beach at Cape Tribulation where two outstanding
World Heritage Listed wonders meet – The Great Barrier
Reef and the Wet Tropics.
We’ll include visits to the quaint Lions Den Hotel near
Black Mountain National park, Bloomfield Falls and finally the
resort where the afternoon is free for relaxing. We’ll
gather again for dinner and plan our visit to the Cooper Creek
Wilderness set in the heart of the Daintree World Heritage Rainforests.
Accommodation: Resort beach house cabins with
private facilities
Day 17
Travel – local | Walking
The owners of this sacred piece of Cooper Creek wilderness have
been granted advanced ecotourism accreditation for their facilities.
We will split into smaller non-invasive groups and join their
informed local guides in a number of habitat experiences, then
lunch and an optional swim in idyllic waters. As time permits
we’ll also take in the village attractions of Daintree
and even a delightful pot of the local Daintree Tea. We return
to the beach house.
Accommodation: Resort beach house cabins with
private facilities
Day 18
Travel 6.5 hrs | Walking
We travel south today through the beautiful Atherton Tableland,
presenting us with choices and a full day of activity. We will
not include time in the city of Cairns or nearby tourist destinations
at this point for our journey concludes back at Cairns. We join
the award winning Sky-rail for a journey over the rainforest
clad slopes to the Tourist village of Kuranda. Arriving at Kuranda
you will have opportunity to browse the local market style retail
outlets before rejoining our vehicle for the ongoing journey.
After a lunch break in Atherton we’ll travel to the Nyleta
Wetlands and Bird Hide at Hasties Swamp. We’ll take a
short walk to a viewing platform and then visit nearby Dinner
Falls. Finally we leave the tableland, travelling back to the
coast to the secluded setting of Mission Beach and overnight
at a beachfront resort.
Accommodation: Resort cabins with private facilities
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Day 19
Travel 1 hr | Walking - Optional
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We have an early departure scheduled to enable us to catch
our ferry to the World Heritage Listed Hinchinbrook Island.
We’ll arrive on the island for lunch and check in
to our idyllic two bedroom tree houses at the Wilderness
Lodge, then contemplate a selection of walks, resort activities
or simply laze around.
Our two and a half day visit may contain a boat cruise to Macushla
and a walk back to the resort, or a walk in absolute seclusion
on North and South Shepherd Bay via Cape Richards.
Accommodation: Island wilderness lodge tree
house with private facilities
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Day 20
Walking - Optional
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We’ll walk with our hearts content in this paradise
today reminiscing over the journey soon concluding - what
better way than on a solitary beach.
Accommodation: Island wilderness lodge tree house with
private facilities
Day 21
Travel 2.5 hrs | Inactivity - Optional
A slumber day on the Island, check out and transfer back to
the mainland by 5.00pm. We then drive to Cairns to end the tour
at approx. 7.30pm.
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Australia holidays from the following airports :
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