Outback Aussie Tours - 2019

4WD COACH ADVENTURES | SCENIC FLIGHTS GORGE & RIVER CRUISES | ICONIC RAIL JOURNEYS

outbackaussietours.com.au

Award Winning Outback Queensland Touring Experiences 2019-2020

Hammond Island Wednesday Island Goods Island Thursday Island Friday Horn Island Island

Legend Spirit of Queensland

Prince of Wales Island

Horn Island

Spirit of the Outback Savannahlander

Thursday Island

Gulflander

Cape York

Seisia Jardine River NP

Fruit Bat Falls

Moreton Telegraph Station

Optional Scenic Flights

Bamaga

Boat/Ferry Cruise

Archer River

Weipa Mungkan Kandju NP

QantasLink or REX flights

Iron Range NP

Old Telegraph Track Coen

TOURING ROUTES n

Cape York & Torres Strait

n

Journey of the Gulf Savannah

n

Birdsville Desert Escape

n

Legendary Longreach & Winton

n

Corner Country Explorer

Lakefield NP

Wujal Wujal

Daintree Port Douglas

B

Cairns

Lake Barrine

A

Karumba

R

Critters Camp

Mount Surprise

Georgetown

Lawn Hill Boodjamulla NP

Undara Lava Tubes Croydon Einasleigh Cobbold Gorge Forsayth

E

sR

Cloncurry

iv er

Innamincka Strzelecki Regional Reserve Cameron Corner

Belyand oR iv e r

Thom son River

Carnarvon Gorge NP er

Mitchell

Wa

Charleville

Dig Tree Thargomindah Eulo Sturt NP

Tibooburra

Maryborough

Roma

Bonus Downs Station

o Ri ver

Noccundra

Bundaberg Brisbane to Longreach

g rre

o

iv er

Ba rco oR ive r

BRISBANE

Paro

Innamincka Regional Coongie Reserve Lakes

Idalia NP

Bullo oR

Haddon’s Corner

Gladstone

Camden Park Station

Welford NP

Windorah

Rockhampton

R iv

Jundah

Riv er

Stonehenge

Creek Cooper

2

Diam ant ina Riv er

ree Eyre C k

Anna William Creek Creek Painted Hills

Lake Eyre NP

Lochern NP

Betoota Birdsville

Strathmore Station

Diamantina NP

QUEENSLAND

LONGREACH

Th om son

NORTHERN TERRITORY

River ina org Ge

Goyder’s Lagoon

Lake Eyre

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Dinosaur Stampede

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

F

Mackay

Boulia

Poeppel Corner

E

Longreach to Townsville

Bladensburg NP Middleton

Big Red

E

Porcupine Gorge NP

Winton

Simpson Desert NP

R

Townsville

Mount Isa

Bedourie

R

Brisbane to Cairns

r Rive rry Fli cu nd

er

Clo n

iver rdt R hha Leic

Adels Grove

I

R

Normanton

AT G R E

Cooktown Lion’s Den Hotel Cape Tribulation Staaten River NP

Cunnamulla

NEW SOUTH WALES

St George

Goondiwindi

Gold Coast Stanthorpe

nd Sue a n la entic Outback A m o fr ections and auth y nn co l ca lo r G’da Ou . world k Aussie cover this magic make an Outbac a journey to dis Let us take you on the last 30 year s to call home. For ky luc ’re we e ac pl t to share the dream’. We ge we’ve been ‘living culture and le, op e bush, its pe th r fo n io ss pa r ou m all over the pes to guests fro ca ds lan le dib re inc

what experiences are r guests leave fair to say that ou s It’ . ial ec sp so Tour e Outback. We our family and th as firm friends of e you soon. any other way! Se wouldn’t want it

h Alan & Sue Smitlan d’s Outback Longreach, Quee

ns

Contents 04

RAIL & FLIGHT CONNECTIONS

12

6 Days LEGENDARY LONGREACH & WINTON

05

OUR VEHICLES

14

9 Days BIRDSVILLE DESERT ESCAPE

06

THE OUTBACK AUSSIE TOURS EXPERIENCE

16

11 Days CAPE YORK & TORRES STRAIT

08

5 Days OUTBACK GETAWAY

20

13 Days JOURNEY OF THE GULF SAVANNAH

10

6 Days OUTBACK ESCAPE

24

16 Days CORNER COUNTRY EXPLORER

3

UNWIND AND RELAX BY RAIL

Spirit of the Outback

Spirit of Queensland

All aboard the iconic Spirit of the Outback to Longreach in a First Class Sleeper! This must-do 26-hour rail adventure is the perfect introduction to your Outback Queensland holiday. All Outback Aussie Tours commencing or ending in Longreach can be packaged with either one way or return rail from Brisbane. Here’s some of the onboard features:

Settle back in a state-of-the-art RailBed for a very comfortable trip between Brisbane and Cairns. This spacious reclining seat converts to a flat bed for a restful sleep. It’s a 24-hour journey operating five times weekly. Here are some of the features:

n Exclusive access to the Shearers Rest Lounge carriage

n 18.5 inch on-demand personal entertainment system

n 35 degree seat recline and seat converts to flat bed

n All main meals are served directly to your seat n 240 volt power point, reading light and drink holder n All bed linen, towel and amenities pack n Restrooms are provided at the end of all seating carriages n Showers are located at the end of two carriages n Accessibility RailBeds and facilities are available

n Outback inspired meals created with Queensland’s best produce served in the Tuckerbox Restaurant n Portable entertainment tablets are available for use n Single or Twin cabins with all linen, 240 volt power point & reading light n Share toilets and showers are at the end of each carriage

QantasLink Longreach is where Qantas began and is home to the award-winning Qantas Founders Museum. It’s just a 2 - 3 hour daily flight with QantasLink from Brisbane. The flight includes full onboard service and awesome aerial views of Outback Queensland.

We can package our tours to include return or one way flights.

4

MERCEDES BENZ & MAN 4WD TOURING COACHES

When you travel with Outback Aussie Tours, you’re guaranteed to travel in comfort and safety. Our fleet of 2WD coaches and custom-built 4WD coaches, built to German precision, are specially designed for outback conditions.

Features for your comfort and safety include: n Coach reclining seats with generous legroom n On-board restroom n Television and DVD Player n USB charging points for tablets and smart phones n Air-conditioning n Satellite communications n Refrigerator & hot water urn

SAVANNAH GUIDES OPERATOR DRIVERS & HOSTS

You’re in good hands with our Savannah Guides Operator drivers and dedicated onboard hosts. Trained to Savannah Guides standards, our drivers are professional tour guides, protectors and interpreters of the Outback. Authentic, genuine and knowledgeable, every Outback Aussie Tour is a journey of a lifetime.

5

THE

OUTBACK AUSSIE TOURS EXPERIENCE With over 30 years’ experience in crafting authentic Outback tours, you’re assured of a memorable and highly personalised touring holiday with Outback Aussie Tours. Guests travelling to our outback home are hosted to a suite of signature experiences, made possible through our long-standing local connections and partnerships.

SAVANNAH GUIDES OPERATOR

Professional tour guiding services play an essential role in great tours. Our drivers are all trained to Savannah Guides standards. This is a highly professional network of paleontologists, geologists, agronomists, wildlife experts and Traditional Custodians. What does this mean for you? It means you benefit from in depth natural and cultural interpretation and stories that will remain with you for a lifetime.

ONBOARD HOSTS

All of our extended tours (with the exception of the Outback Getaway and Outback Escape packages) travel with a dedicated onboard host. Our hosts are specially selected for their people skills and attention to detail. They are truly the icing on our touring cake!

THEMED DINNERS & OUTBACK HOSPITALITY

Get a real taste of the Outback with our onboard home-baked goodies made to Sue’s favourite family recipes. Make the most of the incredible outback vistas with our special sunset drinks and nibbles events. Enjoy the benefits of our local connections with exclusive hospitality at outback stations and attractions.

6

COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY

Outback Aussie Tours is committed to best practice environmental sustainability, contributing to conserving the environment and helping local communities. We take our role as local custodians very seriously and our ethos is to leave the environment a better place.

Great Ways to Save EARLY EMU OFFER Book and pay deposit by 31 Dec 2018 and save up to $400pp on selected departures.

PAST PASSENGER SAVINGS Past passengers enjoy Early Emu Offers on all tour departures if they book and pay deposit before 31 Dec 2018.

TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS & SAVE* Book and travel with six or more of your favourite people and you will each receive $150pp off your tour price.

SECOND TOUR DISCOUNT* Book two or more of our extended tours at the same time and receive a 10% discount. This discount applies to the tour of lesser value.

Offers valid on new bookings only. *May not be combined with Early Emu Offers.

Cobbold Gorge Infinity Pool

OPTIONAL

EXPERIENCES If you’re an ‘above and beyond’ type of person then you’ll love our optional experiences.

Book these specially selected flights and cruises in conjunction with the related tours below.

BIRDSVILLE DESERT ESCAPE

CAPE YORK AND TORRES STRAIT

CORNER COUNTRY EXPLORER

JOURNEY OF THE GULF SAVANNAH

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

Duration: 30mins flying

Duration: 30mins flying

Duration: Full Day - 2hrs flying

Duration: Full Day - 2.2hrs flying

Breathtaking views of the Simpson Desert and Big Red

Spectacular flight over the Torres Strait Islands

Majestic Carnarvon Gorge and guided walk to Moss Gardens

Magnificent Lawn Hill Gorge, cruise and Gulf river channels

OPTIONAL CAPE CRUISE

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT

Duration: 1.5hrs cruising

Duration: Full Day - 5hrs flying

Duration: 30mins flying

Cruise the Cape’s Wilderness Coast and Endeavour Strait

Awesome views over Lake Eyre North, Painted Hills and more

Scenic helicopter flight over Cobbold Gorge

More details page 19

More details page 26

More details page 22

More details page 15

7

5 DAYS

OUTBACK GETAWAY Including Winton day trip

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Historic Wellshot Hotel Dinner Longreach School of Distance Education Tour Qantas Founders Museum & Jets Tour Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show Strathmore Station Smoko Tour Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame Camden Park Station Sunset Tour Australian Age of Dinosaurs Tour Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton

Day 1 | SUNDAY | LONGREACH

Day 3 | TUESDAY | LONGREACH

Arrive in Longreach, the heartland of Queensland’s Outback. You will be transferred to your accommodation for the next four nights. Late this afternoon join your tour group for a short drive to Ilfracombe and the historic Wellshot Hotel for a welcome dinner.

Join our Strathmore Station Smoko Tour for an insider’s view into life on the land followed by a delicious morning tea.

Explore the five themed galleries of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame to discover the inspiring stories of the men, women and children living in and pioneering Outback Queensland. Late afternoon experience the warm hospitality of local graziers on our Camden Park Station Sunset Tour with Dinner.

4 nights Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach

Day 2 | MONDAY | LONGREACH Witness a totally different way of schooling at Longreach School of Distance Education where you will walk in the footsteps of the students and teachers who share a classroom more than twice the size of Victoria! Wander the Qantas Founders Museum and step inside the 747 and 707 jets on a guided interpretive tour. Late afternoon, board the Longreach Explorer for the Drover’s Sunset Cruise on the Thomson River. Unwind with onboard nibbles and drinks, watching a magnificent outback sunset. Enjoy a two-course table service dinner under the stars as you watch the entertaining Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show. Top off the evening with billy-tea and freshly baked damper.

Strathmore Station

OUTBACK GETAWAY

Twin Share

Single

5 Day Longreach – Longreach

$1729pp

$2109pp

7 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$2447pp

$2827pp

(with return overnight rail)

8

Day 4 | WEDNESDAY | WINTON Be prepared to be impressed with the changing landscapes as we travel from Longreach to Winton. We visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs perched high on a magnificent mesa overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed!

Onsite dinosaur enthusiasts treat us to a top-class interpretive tour of the laboratory, collection room and Dinosaur Canyon. In Winton see the quirky Arno’s Wall, the Musical Fence and learn the story behind Australia’s unofficial national anthem at the Waltzing Matilda Centre. Return to Longreach late afternoon. Dinner tonight will be at the award-winning Harry’s Restaurant.

Day 5 | THURSDAY Your Outback Queensland adventure comes to an end after breakfast with a complimentary transfer to your homeward bound connections.

*Price includes return First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types or fly/rail options.

Camden Park Station Sunset Tour

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Qantas Founders Museum

Drover’s Sunset Cruise

Low level of fitness required

INCLUSIONS 4 nights en suite accommodation Touring with Savannah Guides Operator driver/guide Most meals (4 continental breakfasts; 4 dinners; 1 lunch) Entries/activities as per itinerary Longreach accommodation arrival/ departure transfers

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $100pp Valid Apr & Oct 2019 departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (GET5): 07 Apr, 14 Apr, 28 Apr, 12 May, 26 May, 09 Jun, 23 Jun, 07 Jul, 14 Jul, 04 Aug, 11 Aug, 25 Aug, 08 Sep, 22 Sep, 06 Oct, 13 Oct, 20 Oct

TRAVEL OFF-PEAK & SAVE

DAYLIGHT RAIL PACKAGE

VISIT LONGREACH AND WINTON BETWEEN 01 NOVEMBER 2019 AND 31 MARCH 2020 FOR GREAT SAVINGS.

COMBINE YOUR OUTBACK GETAWAY PACKAGE WITH THE MOST SCENIC SECTION OF THE SPIRIT OF THE OUTBACK RAIL JOURNEY.

During the off-peak season, the visit to Stathmore Station on Day 3 will be replaced with a visit to Rosebank Station. The rest of the itinerary will remain unchanged.

Days 1 – 4 OUTBACK GETAWAY

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (GET5S): 03 Nov, 10 Nov, 17 Nov, 24 Nov, 01 Dec, 08 Dec

2020 DEPARTURE DATES (GET5S): 19 Jan, 26 Jan, 02 Feb, 09 Feb, 16 Feb, 23 Feb, 01 Mar, 08 Mar, 15 Mar, 22 Mar Price from

$1499pp Twin share

Sunday – Wednesday as featured in the itinerary.

Day 5 | THURSDAY | LONGREACH – EMERALD

Take in panoramic views from your comfortable economy seat as you travel through Mitchell and Flinders grass country, vast open plains and desert uplands. Enjoy a delicious lunch, pre-dinner nibbles platter and dinner from the Shearers Rest Servery on this daylight rail journey to Emerald.

Overnight Maraboon Motor Inn, Emerald

Day 6 | FRIDAY | EMERALD Transfer to Emerald Airport

Price from

$2722pp Twin share

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame

9

6 DAYS

OUTBACK ESCAPE Including Winton & Barcaldine Day Trips

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Longreach School of Distance Education Tour Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame Camden Park Station Sunset Tour Australian Workers Heritage Centre Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show

Day 1 | WEDNESDAY | LONGREACH

Day 3 | FRIDAY | BARCALDINE

Welcome to Longreach where you will receive a warm outback greeting by your Outback Aussie Tour Driver/ Guide and a courtesy transfer to your accommodation. Meet fellow travellers at our Welcome Dinner. Your guide will give you an insight into the exciting adventures to come.

Today we drive to Barcaldine, the ‘Garden City of the West’. Wander the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, Australia’s only dedicated and ongoing tribute to Australian working men and women. Discover Barcaldine’s links to the formation of the Australian Labor Party following the Shearers’ Strike in 1891. Learn the significance of The Tree of Knowledge memorial to this proud outback town before returning to Longreach. Late afternoon, join the Drover’s Sunset Cruise on the Thomson River. Unwind with onboard nibbles and drinks, watching a magnificent outback

5 nights Longreach Motor Inn

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Tour Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton Qantas Founders Museum and Jets Tour Historic Wellshot Hotel Dinner

Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton

Join a town tour this morning followed by some free time to wander downtown Longreach. Witness a totally different way of schooling at the Longreach School of Distance Education. Watch lessons being delivered by highly skilled teachers to isolated students in Outback Queensland.

Visit the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame with its five themed galleries. Learn the inspiring stories of the men, women and children living in and pioneering Outback Queensland. Meet Outback Dan on Camden Park Station for a tour of his third generation family homestead and property. Enjoy sunset drinks and an exclusive Camden Park Dinner under the spectacular outback night sky.

OUTBACK ESCAPE

Twin Share

Single

6 Day Longreach – Longreach

$2029pp

$2479pp

8 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$2747pp

$3197pp

(with return overnight rail)

10

Day 2 | THURSDAY | LONGREACH

Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine

*Price includes return First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types or fly/rail options.

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame

Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show

Drover’s Sunset Cruise

Low level of fitness required Australian Age of Dinosaurs

sunset. Enjoy a two-course table service dinner under the stars as you watch the entertaining Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show on the banks of the river.

5 nights en suite accommodation

Day 4 | SATURDAY | WINTON

Touring with Savannah Guides Operator driver/guide

Be prepared to be impressed with the changing landscapes on our full day tour to Winton. We visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs perched on a magnificent mesa overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed! Onsite, we’re treated to a top-class interpretive tour of the laboratory, collection room and Dinosaur Canyon by dinosaur enthusiasts – a truly enlightening experience. Heading into historic Winton we tour the town and visit the Waltzing Matilda Centre for a self-guided tour.

Day 5 | SUNDAY | ILFRACOMBE Visit the Qantas Founders Museum and join the entertaining Jets Tour.

Late afternoon we’ll travel to nearby Ilfracombe for a wonderful nostalgic experience. Wander ‘the Great Machinery Mile’, an impressive time-lined display of mechanisation in the west. See a replica early station residence at the Folk Museum. Have a go at the traditional coin toss during our dinner at the iconic Wellshot Hotel before returning to Longreach.

INCLUSIONS

Most meals (5 continental breakfasts; 5 dinners; 2 lunches) Entries/activities as per itinerary Longreach accommodation arrival/ departure transfers

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $100pp Valid Apr & Oct 2019 departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (OBE6): 24 Apr, 22 May, 17 Jul, 07 Aug, 18 Sep, 09 Oct

TRAVEL OFFPEAK & SAVE VISIT LONGREACH AND WINTON BETWEEN 01 NOVEMBER 2019 AND 31 MARCH 2020 FOR GREAT SAVINGS. 2019 DEPARTURE DATES (OBE6S): 13 Nov, 20 Nov, 27 Nov, 04 Dec, 11 Dec

2020 DEPARTURE DATES (OBE6S): 15 Jan, 22 Jan, 29 Jan, 05 Feb, 12 Feb, 19 Feb, 26 Feb, 04 Mar, 11 Mar Price from

$1799pp Twin share

Day 6 | MONDAY Following breakfast you will be transferred to either Longreach Airport or Longreach Railway Station for your homeward bound connections.

Wellshot Hotel, Ilfracombe

11

6 DAYS

LEGENDARY LONGREACH & WINTON TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Strathmore Station Smoko Tour Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame Camden Park Station Sunset Tour & Dinner Longreach School of Distance Education Rosebank Station Morning Tea Qantas Founders Museum & Jets Tour Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show Winton Town Tour Waltzing Matilda Centre Australian Age of Dinosaurs Tour including Dinosaur Canyon and Deluxe Sunset Barbeque Carisbrooke Station Tour Dinosaur Stampede at Lark Quarry Conservation Park

Day 1 | WEDNESDAY | LONGREACH

On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation for the next three nights. Meet fellow travellers at our Welcome Dinner with your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host. Tonight you’ll get a preview of the exciting adventures to come.

3 nights Albert Park Motor Inn, Longreach

Day 2 | THURSDAY | LONGREACH

Join our Strathmore Station Tour for an insider’s view into life on the land followed by a delicious home-baked morning tea. Discover inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Late afternoon, experience the warm hospitality of local graziers on our Camden Park Station Sunset Tour with Dinner.

Day 3 | FRIDAY | LONGREACH Witness a totally different way of schooling on a tour of the Longreach School of Distance Education. Visit historic Rosebank Station originally settled as a sheep and cattle station some 100 years ago. Visit the world-class Qantas Founders Museum, eloquently telling the story of the founding of Qantas. View marvellous interpretive and interactive exhibits then join a guided Jets Tour. Late afternoon, unwind on the Drover’s Sunset Cruise with tasty onboard nibbles platters followed by a two-course table service dinner under the stars at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show.

Day 4 | SATURDAY | WINTON Travel west to Winton and learn the story behind Australia’s unofficial national anthem at the Waltzing Matilda Centre; the only museum dedicated to a song.

Dinosaur Stampede at Lark Quarry

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

12

N O R T H E R N T E R R I TO RY

Winton

2 Dinosaur Stampede

LONGREACH

3

Camden Park Strathmore Station Station

Outback Dan, Camden Park Station

QUEENSLAND NEW SOUTH WA Carisbrooke Station

Medium level of fitness required Rosebank Station

Discover the quirky Arno’s Wall and play a tune on what is believed to be the world’s only musical fence. Check-in to your accommodation for the next two nights then enjoy some free time. Mid afternoon, we take a short drive out of town to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, perched high on a spectacular mesa.

Join a guided interpretive tour of the laboratory, collection room and Dinosaur Canyon. Take in the moment at our very special sunset barbeque overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed!

2 nights Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton

INCLUSIONS All en suite accommodation (3 nights Longreach, 2 nights Winton) Touring with our Savannah Guides Operator driver & host All meals (5 buffet breakfasts; 4 lunches; 5 dinners) All entries/activities as per itinerary Longreach accommodation arrival/ departure transfers Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show

Day 5 | SUNDAY | WINTON Travel into the heart of Waltzing Matilda country and drive along private tracks to the beautiful Carisbrooke Station.

Here we’ll follow the scenic Cory’s Range drive to the Three Sisters rock formation, fossick for opals and enjoy a relaxed billy tea. Witness a prehistoric event from some 95 million years ago at Dinosaur Stampede, Lark Quarry Conservation Park. Join an interpretive tour of the world’s only recorded dinosaur stampede featuring over 3000 footprints frozen in time in ancient mudflats. Return to Winton for a relaxed dinner at your accommodation tonight.

Day 6 | MONDAY Following an early breakfast, we end the tour with a short drive back to Longreach to join your connecting transfers home.

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $150pp Valid March, Oct & Nov 2019 departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (LLW6): 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 03 Apr,

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Deluxe Sunset Barbeque

10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 01 May, 08 May, 15 May, 29 May, 05 Jun, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 26 Jun, 03 Jul, 10 Jul, 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 04 Sep, 11 Sep, 25 Sep, 02 Oct, 09 Oct, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 06 Nov

LEGENDARY LONGREACH & WINTON

Twin Share

Single

6 Day Longreach – Longreach

$2399pp

$2799pp

8 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$3117pp

$3517pp

(with return overnight rail)

*Price includes return First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types or fly/rail options.

13

9 DAYS

BIRDSVILLE DESERT ESCAPE TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Qantas Founders Museum Rosebank Station Morning Tea Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame Drover’s Sunset Cruise & Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show Welford National Park Sunset Sandhill Nibbles, Windorah Betoota and JC Hotel Ruins Deon’s Lookout and Dreamtime Serpent Art Sculpture Sunset Nibbles atop Big Red Inland Hospital Ruins Channel Country Touring Famous Birdsville Hotel Min Min Encounter and Boulia Heritage Complex Historic Middleton Hotel & Cawnpore Lookout Australian Age of Dinosaurs Tour & Sunset Barbeque Waltzing Matilda Centre

Day 1 | WEDNESDAY | LONGREACH On arrival in Longreach you will be met and transferred to your accommodation for the next two nights. Meet fellow travellers at our Welcome Dinner with your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host. Tonight you’ll get a preview of the exciting adventures to come.

2 nights Jumbuck Motel, Longreach

Day 2 | THURSDAY | LONGREACH Visit the world-class Qantas Founders Museum, eloquently telling the story of the founding of Qantas. Meet the Smith family at historic Rosebank Station for great hospitality and a relaxed homestead morning tea. Discover the inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Late afternoon, unwind on the Drover’s Sunset Cruise with tasty onboard nibbles platters, before taking your seat at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show.

Day 3 | FRIDAY | WINDORAH

Follow the mighty Thomson River floodplain to Windorah, said to be the only place in the world where two rivers form a creek! See magnificently contrasting colours in Welford National Park; golden green spinifex, white-barked ghost gums and stunning red sand dunes. Late afternoon in Windorah, we’ll take a short trip out of town to toast the sunset from beautiful wind-swept red sandhills. Have your cameras ready!

Overnight Cooper Cabins or Western Star Hotel, Windorah

Day 4 | SATURDAY | BIRDSVILLE

See the JC Hotel Ruins, once part of the township site of Canterbury. Visit Betoota, originally established to collect cattle tolls and later as a Cobb & Co change station.

It’s now a ghost town. Take in spectacular views from Deon’s Lookout and see the Dreamtime Serpent Indigenous artwork; an impressive hillside installation created with gravel and gibbers. At the end of the famous Birdsville Track we arrive in Birdsville.

2 nights Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville

Day 5 | SUNDAY | BIRDSVILLE

Dreamtime Serpent, Betoota

14

Stroll down to the banks of tranquil Birdsville Billabong and see the well known Birdsville Racetrack. Visit the Wirrarri Centre to view local artists’ work and explore the Inland Hospital. Tonight we toast the glorious outback sunset from atop Big Red, a 40 metre high sand dune marking the symbolic eastern edge of the Simpson Desert.

QUEENSLAND

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Winton

Boulia

2

1

LONGREACH

2

Bedourie

2

Stonehenge Jundah 1 Windorah Betoota

Birdsville Wild camels, Boulia

NEW SOU

Big Red

Medium level of fitness required Birdsville Hotel

Day 6 | MONDAY | BOULIA

Take a close up look at the rare and ancient Waddi Trees. Visit the Carcory Ruins, a remnant of European settlement, and see the nearby flowing Artesian Bore.

Explore the remote town of Bedourie, located on a sand dune; overlooking the Eyre Creek floodplain. See the historic Royal Hotel, built in the 1880s with adobe bricks; still very much in its original condition. Witness spectacular 360-degree views from the Vaughan Johnson Lookout. Arrive in Boulia mid afternoon.

Overnight Australian Hotel or Desert Sands Motel, Boulia

Day 7 | TUESDAY | WINTON

Visit Boulia’s Min Min Encounter, a tribute to the famed Min Min Light phenomenon.

Explore the Stonehouse Museum, one of the first homes built in Western Queensland. Discover the impressive Marine Reptile Fossil exhibit. We follow a spectacularly scenic drive to Winton via Cawnpore Lookout to view the stark flat-topped beauty of the surrounding Lillyvale Hills. Visit the historic Middleton Hotel, originally a coach staging post.

Hear entertaining yarns over your casual pub lunch. Enjoy some free time in Winton to relax or wander the Opal Walk.

2 nights Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton

Day 8 | WEDNESDAY | WINTON

Discover the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the only museum dedicated to a song.

Mid afternoon, visit the Australian Age

of Dinosaurs, for an interpretive tour of the laboratory, collection room and Dinosaur Canyon. Relax with newfound friends at our exclusive sunset barbeque overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed!

Day 9 | THURSDAY

Following breakfast you will be transferred to either Longreach Airport or Longreach Railway Station for your homeward bound connections.

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 5

BIRDSVILLE Duration: 30mins flying Breathtaking views of the Simpson Desert and Big Red Price from

$229pp Min number – 4 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

INCLUSIONS 8 nights en suite accommodation Travel by quality touring coach Touring with our Savannah Guides Operator driver and host All meals (8 buffet breakfasts; 7 lunches; 8 dinners) All entries/activities as per itinerary Longreach accommodation arrival/ departure transfers

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $200pp Valid Apr & Oct 2019 departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (BDE9) 10 Apr, 15 May, 12 Jun, 14 Aug, 25 Sep, 02 Oct, 23 Oct

BIRDSVILLE DESERT ESCAPE

Twin Share

Single

9 Day Longreach – Longreach

$3629pp

$ 4279pp

11 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$ 4347pp

$ 4997pp

(with return overnight rail)

*Price includes return First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types or fly/rail options.

15

11 DAYS

CAPE YORK & TORRES STRAIT

Friday Island

Medium level of fitness required

16

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Daintree Rainforest and Daintree Discovery Centre Bloomfield Track and Daintree Coast James Cook Museum Cooktown Botanic Gardens Gulf Eco Cruise Moreton Telegraph Station Fruit Bat Falls (swimming opportunity) Cape York Walk to ‘The Tip’ Endeavour Strait Cruising Kazu Pearl Farm Tour Horn and Thursday Island Touring Torres Strait Cultural Heritage Experiences

Daintree Discovery Centre

Day 1 | FRIDAY | CAIRNS On arrival in Cairns, transfer to your hotel for an afternoon check-in. At the Welcome Dinner tonight, meet fellow travellers and hear all about the adventures ahead with a comprehensive tour orientation by your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host.

Overnight Rydges Esplanade, Cairns

Day 2 | SATURDAY | COOKTOWN

Cassowary

We travel north along one of Australia’s most scenic coastal drives to Mossman; nestled in the World Heritage-Listed Daintree Rainforest. We’ll board the Daintree River Ferry for a short cable crossing of the famous Daintree River.

Visit the Daintree Discovery Centre, an award-winning interpretive facility.

Join a guided tour of the rainforest boardwalks. Follow the Bloomfield Track on a spectacular scenic journey hugging the Daintree Coast. Call in to the popular Lions Den Hotel for a refreshing ale.

Travel via the mysterious Black Mountains to Cooktown.

2 nights River of Gold Motel, Cooktown

Day 3 | SUNDAY | COOKTOWN

Cooktown

Discover Cooktown’s colourful history today. Join a guided cemetery tour and learn the mysterious story of the “Normanby Woman” buried in 1886. Visit James Cook Museum in the magnificent 19th Century Sisters of Mercy Convent.

Learn the story behind the grounding of the Endeavour. Captain Cook and his crew of 86 men spent 48 days (almost 7 weeks) in Cooktown; the longest and most significant land based stay of Cook’s east

coast expedition. Explore the beautiful Cooktown Botanic Gardens celebrating the work of naturalist Joseph Banks. Later, enjoy some free time to stroll downtown Cooktown.

Day 4 | MONDAY | ARCHER RIVER

Travel via Battle Camp Road through Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, Queensland’s second largest park. Best known for its vast river systems and spectacular wetlands, the park attracts dozens of colourful waterbird species.

Cross the Normanby and Hahn Rivers before arriving at Moreton Telegraph Station; the only telegraph station left standing in the Cape. Pass through the old mining community of Coen to Archer River, the longest river in the Cape. Our accommodation tonight will be basic en suite rooms, clean and comfortable.

Overnight Archer River Roadhouse

Day 5 | TUESDAY | WEIPA

Travel via Peninsula Development Road to Weipa, the Barramundi capital of Queensland. Originally an Aboriginal mission, Weipa grew to become a township after the discovery of bauxite. Enjoy a free afternoon to relax at your accommodation with sweeping views of Albatross Bay. 2 nights Albatross Bay Resort, Weipa

Day 6 | WEDNESDAY | WEIPA

Learn about Weipa’s mining operations and visit local beaches. Join an Eco Cruise on the Gulf of Carpentaria for a chance to spot local birdlife and crocodiles.

Relax with drinks and nibbles as you learn about the incredible ecosystems and local

17

11 DAYS

CAPE YORK & TORRES STRAIT Smithy at ‘The Tip’

culture. Witness a stunning sunset in one of the few places in Queensland where the sun sets over the ocean in the west.

on Sommerset Beach with breath-taking views to Albany Island. Visit the iconic Croc Tent then return to your accommodation for free time to relax or to join an optional Cape York cruise.

Day 7 | THURSDAY | BAMAGA

Bloomfield Falls

Follow the Old Telegraph Track to the Wenlock River crossing. Spot giant termite mounds as the country changes to the open plains of Heathlands Resources Reserve. Cool off in the lush Fruit Bat Falls with its crystal clear water (croc free), a perfect swimming spot and one of the most special places on the Cape. Cross the Jardine River by cable ferry to Bamaga, the closest settlement to the Tip of Australia.

2 nights Cape York Peninsula Lodge, Bamaga

Day 9 | SATURDAY | TORRES STRAIT

Day 8 | FRIDAY | BAMAGA

Overnight Gateway Torres Strait Resort, Horn Island

Experience the highlights of Cape York Peninsula, one of Australia’s last great wilderness areas. We begin with a drive to Pajinka. The 20-30 minute walk over rocky headland to ‘The Tip’ of Cape York requires a good level of fitness. Take that ‘bucket-list’ photo as you stand at the Tip of Australia; then savour a picnic lunch

Gulf Eco Cruise

Cruise the beautiful turquoise waters of the Endeavour Strait to Thursday Island; just one of 274 islands which lie between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Discover Thursday Island’s hidden past, including Green Hill Fort, on a guided history tour. Join a special tour to Friday Island and the Kazu Pearl Farm.

Learn about the cultivation, seeding and harvesting of the oyster followed by a delicious Japanese lunch.

Day 10 | SUNDAY | CAIRNS Join local guides on a tour of the World War II sites. See gun emplacements, an underground command post and an aircraft wreck with an epic tale. Walk in the steps of traditional owners, the Kaurareg People, and learn their stories. Transfer to the airport for your QantasLink flight to Cairns.

Overnight Rydges Esplanade, Cairns

Day 11 | MONDAY Your Cape York and Torres Strait adventure concludes after breakfast with a complimentary transfer to your homeward bound connections.

18

Thursday Island Friday Island Bamaga Weipa

Horn Island

1 2

2 1

Archer River

2

Cooktown

Daintree

Fruit Bat Falls

NORTHERN TERRITORY

2

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 10

CAPE YORK ADVENTURE CRUISE

TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS

Duration: 1.5hrs cruising

Duration: 30mins flying

Board at Seisia Wharf where the road literally ends at the top of Australia

Scenic helicopter flight over Torres Strait Islands

Hug the coastline with views to rocky headlands and uninhabited islands Happy Hour snacks and refreshments

Prince of Wales Island featuring spectacular waterfalls, WWII bunkers, shipwrecks and gun stations Circle Green Hill Fort and Thursday Island before landing on Horn Island

Price from

QUEENSLAND

Pearl Farm - Friday Island

OPTIONAL CRUISE - DAY 8

Cruise the Cape’s wilderness coast and Endeavour Strait

CAIRNS

Price from

$199pp

$599pp

Min number – 4 Pax *Subject to weather conditions

Min number – 2 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

LONGREACH INCLUSIONS 10 nights en suite accommodation Travel by luxury 4WD coach Birdsville from Cairns Windorah

Charleville

Savannah Guides Operator driver & host

Roma

All meals (10 buffet breakfasts; CAPE YORK & Innamincka 9 lunches; 10 dinners) TORRES STRAIT All entries/activities as per itinerary Ferry transfers between Cape York, Thursday Island and N Horn E W Island SOUTH

Cameron One way economy flight Horn Tibooburra Corner Island to Cairns

WALE

Cairns accommodation arrival and departure transfers (cab voucher)

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $400pp Valid on 10 May & 13 Sep departures, for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

Crocodile on Daintree River

Thursday Island

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (CAPE11) 10 May, 12 Jul, 02 Aug, 16 Aug, 30 Aug, 13 Sep

CAPE YORK & TORRES STRAIT

Twin Share

Single

11 Day Cairns – Cairns

$ 6599pp

$7489pp

12 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$7273pp

$ 8163pp

(Fly/Rail package)

*Price includes one way Rail Bed on the Spirit of Queensland based on Aust. Govt Senior Cardholder rates + one way economy flight between Cairns & Brisbane.

19

13 DAYS

JOURNEY OF THE GULF SAVANNAH

Cobbold Gorge

Medium level of fitness required

20

Savannahlander

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Rosebank Station Morning Tea Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame Qantas Founders Museum Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show Winton & Waltzing Matilda Centre Australian Age of Dinosaurs Tour & Sunset Barbeque

Undara Lava Tubes

Crocodile Dundee’s Walkabout Creek Hotel John Flynn Place – Royal Flying Doctor Service Outback at Isa Gallery and Riversleigh Fossil Centre River Nature Cruise & Sand Island at Sunset Cruise Barramundi Discovery Centre Gulflander and Savannahlander Scenic Rail

Day 1 | WEDNESDAY | LONGREACH

Day 4 | SATURDAY | CLONCURRY

Welcome to Longreach! On arrival, transfer to your accommodation for the next two nights. At our Welcome Dinner tonight, meet fellow travellers. Hear all about the adventures ahead with a comprehensive tour orientation by your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host.

Meet outback characters when we visit favourite Aussie pubs the Blue Heeler, and Walkabout Creek Hotel from the hit movie Crocodile Dundee. See Cloncurry Unearthed Museum and John Flynn Place. Discover the great Australian story of our Royal Flying Doctor Service; one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world.

2 nights Gidgee Inn, Cloncurry

2 nights Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach

Cobbold Gorge Tour and Cruise Undara Lava Tubes

Day 2 | THURSDAY | LONGREACH

Woodleigh Station Lunch

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. Meet the Smith family at historic Rosebank Station for great hospitality and a relaxed homestead morning tea. Wander the five themed galleries of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and discover inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes. 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 twocourse camp oven themed dinner, as the talented musical artists perform on the river stage.

Lake Barrine Cruise & Afternoon Tea

Normanton Station

Day 3 | FRIDAY | WINTON We follow the Matilda Way to Winton and the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the only museum dedicated to a song.

Hear wonderful stories surrounding Winton’s links to Australia’s unofficial national anthem; discover state of the art interpretive displays. Mid afternoon, visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, for an interpretive tour of the laboratory, collection room and Dinosaur Canyon.

Relax and take in the view at our exclusive sunset barbeque overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed!

Overnight Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton

Day 5 | SUNDAY | MOUNT ISA On a full day trip to Mount Isa, affectionately known as the ‘Oasis of the Outback’, we visit Outback at Isa. Explore the fascinating displays of the Isa Experience. Gain an insight into how this town evolved following the discovery of the world’s richest deposits of copper, silver and zinc. Step back some 30 million years at the Riversleigh Fossil Centre, with its captivating interpretations into early mammal megafauna development.

Day 6 | MONDAY | KARUMBA Travel overland through changing landscapes to Normanton with its origins as a port for the Gulf of Carpentaria’s cattle industry. 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 Join a nature cruise on the Norman River and Six Mile Creek then take a tour of the Barramundi Discovery Centre to learn about the live breeding program. Enjoy some free time after lunch then cruise the Port of Karumba estuary to a special sand island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Toast the sunset and feast on fresh seafood as spectacular twilight hues colour the Gulf of Carpentaria.

21

13 DAYS

JOURNEY OF THE GULF SAVANNAH

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 6

LAWN HILL & GULF Duration: Full day – 2.2hrs flying Scenic flight from Cloncurry to Karumba via Lawn Hill Gorge Spectacular cruise on Lawn Hill Gorge followed by lunch Awesome aerial views of the gorge, Gulf river channels and coastline

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) Gorge

Price from

$1799pp

Min number – 4 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 9

COBBOLD GORGE AND ROBIN HOOD STATION Aerial views over the Gulf Rivers

Gulflander

Duration: approx. 30mins flying Scenic helicopter flight over the magnificent Cobbold Gorge Breathtaking views over the sandstone gorge and escarpments Birdseye view of the expansive Robin Hood Station and Kimberley Sue Lake Price from

$227pp

Min number – 3 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

22

CAIRNS

Karumba Lawn Hill Gorge

2

Mt Surprise

2

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Einasleigh

2

Adels Grove

Mount Isa

1

Cobbold Gorge

2

Cloncurry

1

QUEENSLAND

Winton

LONGREACH

2

Legend Optional Scenic Flights Spirit of Queensland Spirit of the Outback

B

Savannahlander Gulflander

Gulf sunset, Karumba

NEW SOUTH WALES Day 8 | WEDNESDAY | COBBOLD GORGE 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 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 We board the Savannahlander in Forsayth for a highly personalised rail tour 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 for a two night stay.

2 nights Bedrock Village, Mount Surprise

Day 11 | SATURDAY | MOUNT SURPRISE

Meet some of the local characters at Whitewater Cattle Station. Explore the Undara Lava Tubes, part of the world’s longest lava flow from a single volcanic crater. Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of dining under the stars before gathering around the campfire with fellow travellers.

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

Day 12 | SUNDAY | CAIRNS

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

Your tour concludes after breakfast today with a transfer to your homeward bound connections.

Arrival transfer from Longreach Airport or Railway Station Departure transfer to Cairns Airport or Railway Station (cab voucher)

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $400pp Valid on 10 Apr & 16 Oct departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (GULF13) 10 Apr, 29 May, 19 Jun, 17 Jul, 16 Oct

JOURNEY OF THE GULF SAVANNAH

Twin Share

Single

13 Day Longreach – Cairns

$ 6439pp

$7679pp

15 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$7135pp

$ 8375pp

(with return overnight rail)

*Price includes return First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback and Spirit of Queensland based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types or fly/rail options.

23

16 DAYS

CORNER COUNTRY EXPLORER

Innamincka Sand Hills

Medium level of fitness required

24

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Stanthorpe Food & Wine Experiences Roma Big Rig Night Show Bonus Downs Station Tour & Homestead Lunch Cosmos Centre Twilight Telescope Observation Session Meet the Bilby Experience

Innamincka Hotel

Historic Noccundra Hotel

Birdsville Racetrack and Birdsville Billabong

Abbey of the Roses for a tour of the heritage-listed sandstone country manor built in 1891. Enjoy lunch and sample ciders at Sutton’s Apple Farm before taking a tour of Ballandean Winery. Late afternoon, check-in to your cosy cedar cabin at Granite Belt Brewery Retreat.

Tonight, you’ll sample their famous Brewers Platter – a seasonal produce menu matched with craft beer.

Betoota Ghost Town and Deon’s Lookout

Overnight Granite Belt Brewery Retreat, Stanthorpe

Windorah Sandhills at Sunset

Day 3 | TUESDAY | ROMA

Cameron Corner & Strzelecki Desert Cooper Creek Cruise Burke & Wills Dig Tree Birdsville Hotel and Big Red Sunset Inland Hospital and Royal Hotel Ruins

Welford National Park Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Stockman’s Dinner & Show Qantas Founders Museum & Jets Tour Drover’s Sunset Cruise including Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show

Day 1 | SUNDAY | BRISBANE

This morning we set off for St George on the beautiful Balonne River. Enjoy lunch at Riversands Wines, Queensland’s western most winery. Continue on to Roma where you’ll join an evening tour of the Big Rig. See the entertaining sound and light show telling the story of Australia’s boom and bust oil and gas years.

Overnight Roma Explorers Inn, Roma

Day 4 | WEDNESDAY | CHARLEVILLE

Day 2 | MONDAY | STANTHORPE

Visit Roma Saleyards, the largest cattle selling facility in Australia. Then, travel to Bonus Downs Station for a tour, homestead lunch and traditional billy tea.

Arrive in Charleville late afternoon with time to relax at your accommodation.

Discover the wonders of the magical outback night sky at the mesmerising Cosmos Centre Twilight Telescope Observation Session.

Travel to the beautiful Southern Queensland Country region and visit

2 nights Mulga Country Motor Inn, Charleville

Arrive in Brisbane and check-in to your accommodation early afternoon. At the Welcome Dinner tonight, meet fellow travellers. Hear all about the adventures ahead with a comprehensive tour orientation by your Savannah Guides Operator driver and host.

Overnight Hotel Jen, Brisbane

Day 5 | THURSDAY | CHARLEVILLE Tour the airport precinct and hear how the base was deemed ‘top secret’ in WWII. This secret has only come to light in recent years. Visit the Historic House Museum, one of the few Queenslanders left in Charleville. This afternoon we meet the rare and endangered Bilby at the Bilby Experience. Learn more about this native marsupial and the long-running captive breeding and conservation program.

Day 6 | FRIDAY | THARGOMINDAH Channel Country Birdlife

Follow the Warrego River to Cunnamulla, which came into being as a Cobb & Co

coach stop. Visit the Cunnamulla Fella Centre, home to the art gallery and Artesian Time Tunnel. Discover the quaint township of Eulo, hear tales of Isabel ‘The Eulo Queen’ and learn the story of the Eulo Artesian Mud Baths. Travel to Thargomindah and discover its historic electrical street lighting story.

Overnight Oasis Motel or Explorers Caravan Park Cabins, Thargomindah

Day 7 | SATURDAY | TIBOOBURRA Travel southwest across the Dingo Barrier Fence to historic Noccundra Hotel; then cross the border at Warri Gate into Outback New South Wales. View the eastern sections of the Sturt National Park; then traverse gibber plains and spectacular ‘jump up’ country to Tibooburra. The striking granite boulders around Tibooburra are said to be remnants of a mass underground granite dome dating back around 410 million years. Explore the National Park Interpretive Centre and Court House Museum.

Overnight Granites Motel, Tibooburra

Day 8 | SUNDAY | INNAMINCKA Travel through Sturt National Park to Cameron Corner where the boundary lines of the states of Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales meet.

See the Strzelecki Desert, characterised by extensive red dune fields; home of the endangered Dusky Hopping Mouse.

Pass by large cattle stations then travel through the heart of the oil and gas fields to Innamincka, on the banks of Cooper Creek. Learn the important role played by the Australian Inland Mission in providing essential medical services to remote towns.

2 nights Innamincka Hotel, Innamincka

Day 9 | MONDAY | INNAMINCKA Retrace the last days of Burke & Wills and hear about the town with two lives. Visit the historic Burke & Wills Dig Tree and spot gliding pelicans as you cruise beneath gnarled river gums on the peaceful Cooper Creek.

25

16 DAYS

CORNER COUNTRY EXPLORER

Tarpot’s Cottage, Windorah

Day 10 | TUESDAY | BIRDSVILLE

Carnarvon Gorge

Follow the Strzelecki Desert through flood plains, sand dunes and gibber country. See the historic woolshed on Cordillo Downs Station; once one of the largest pastoral properties in the country. Further north we’ll pass the crumbling ruins of Cadelga Outstation as we travel to Birdsville through some of Australia’s richest cattle country. Tonight have a yarn with the locals and enjoy a dinner at the famous Birdsville Hotel.

2 nights Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 4

OPTIONAL SCENIC FLIGHT - DAY 10

CARNARVON GORGE & WILDERNESS WALK

LAKE EYRE AND PAINTED HILLS

Duration: Full Day – 2hrs flying

Duration: Full Day – 5hrs flying

Scenic flight from Roma to Carnarvon Gorge

Scenic flight from Innamincka to Birdsville

Spectacular rock formations of the Central Queensland Sandstone Belt

Awesome aerial views over Strzelecki Desert, Coongie Lakes and Lake Eyre North

Guided Walk to Moss Gardens including morning tea

Lunch at William Creek

Lunch at Carnarvon Gorge Scenic flight from Carnarvon Gorge to Charleville

Eerie lunar landscape of Anna Creek Painted Hills Stunning views over Warburton Creek, Goyder’s Lagoon, Simpson Desert and Big Red

Day 11 | WEDNESDAY | BIRDSVILLE This morning visit the Wirrarri Centre to view work by local Indigenous artists.

Next take a stroll to the Birdsville Billabong where birdlife, fish and yabbies abound. Stand on the well known Birdsville Racetrack and explore the Inland Hospital and Royal Hotel ruins; poignant reminders of a pre-federation metropolis. Tonight we’ll toast the glorious outback sunset from Big Red, a 40-metre high sand dune on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

Day 12 | THURSDAY | WINDORAH Price from

26

Price from

$2199pp

$1999pp

Min number – 4 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

Min number – 4 Pax *Subject to passenger weights and weather conditions

Travel on to the ghost town of Betoota, once a Cobb & Co change station. Stand atop Deon’s Lookout with its amazing view of the Diamantina Shire. We arrive in Windorah on the Cooper Creek where the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers merge.

Explore Windorah in the heart of the Channel Country with its majestic red sand

LONGREACH

3 Carnarvon Gorge

Simpson Desert NP

1

Birdsville

2 2

dune landscapes. Late afternoon, we’ll drive out to Windorah’s red sandhills for a spectacular sunset.

Overnight Cooper Cabins or Western Star Hotel Motel, Windorah

Thargomindah

1

Tibooburra

Follow the Cooper Creek floodplain via Welford National Park to Jundah on the banks of the Thomson River. Just outside of town we visit a Native Well, once a valuable source of water for Indigenous people. See the unusual Address Book at Stonehenge where visitors sign their town names in stone! We arrive into Longreach late afternoon.

3 nights Albert Park Motor Inn, Longreach

Day 14 | SATURDAY | LONGREACH Meet the Smith family at historic Rosebank Station for great hospitality and a relaxed homestead morning tea. Later, enjoy some free time in downtown Longreach.

Bilby Experience, Charleville

1

Roma BRISBANE

QUEENSLAND

1

NEW SOUTH WALES

Stanthorpe

1

Cameron Cameron Corner

Cooper Creek Cruise

Explore the five themed galleries at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Then, take your seat at the Outback Stockman’s Dinner and Show, a tribute to the skills of stockmen past and present.

Day 15 | SUNDAY | LONGREACH Day 13 | FRIDAY | LONGREACH

Bonus Downs Station

1

Lake Eyre

The Dig Tree

2

Charleville

Innamincka

Anna Creek Painted Hills

Windorah

Wander the interactive displays of the Qantas Founders Museum to discover the real Qantas story. Hear the inspiring human stories of our national airline’s early years. Step inside the 747 and 707 Jets on an interpretive tour followed by an exclusive Qantas Founders Museum lunch.

Relax with some free time then join the Drover’s Sunset Cruise on the beautiful Thomson River. Unwind with onboard nibbles and drinks, whilst watching a magnificent outback sunset. Enjoy live entertainment and a two-course camp oven themed dinner under the stars at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show.

Day 16 | MONDAY Your Outback Queensland adventure comes to an end after breakfast with a complimentary transfer to your homeward bound connections. The journey may have ended, but the memories will last a lifetime.

INCLUSIONS All en suite accommodation Travel by luxury 4WD coach Brisbane to Longreach Savannah Guides Operator driver & host All meals (15 buffet breakfasts; 14 lunches; 15 dinners) All entries/activities as per itinerary Longreach accommodation departure transfer to Longreach Airport or Railway Station

EARLY EMU SAVER ALERT Save $400pp Valid on 21 Apr & 06 Oct departures only for bookings made and deposited before 31 December 2018

2019 DEPARTURE DATES (CCE16) 21 Apr, 26 May, 28 Jul, 08 Sep, 06 Oct

CORNER COUNTRY EXPLORER

Twin Share

Single

16 Day Brisbane – Longreach

$ 6999pp

$ 8289pp

17 Day Brisbane – Brisbane*

$7358pp

$ 8648pp

(with one way overnight rail)

*Price includes one way First Class overnight rail on the Spirit of the Outback based on Aust. Govt. Senior Card holder fares. Please ask for other fare types.

27

1. TOUR PARTICIPATION / EXCLUSION / RELEASE

5. PRICING AND CONDITIONS

Outback Aussie Tours (OAT) may, if in the opinion of any representative of Outback Aussie Tours or carrier, either refuse to allow persons on the tour or expel persons from the tour if their mental or physical condition is such as to render them: incapable of caring for themself; likely to become objectionable to other passengers; or a hazard to themself or other passengers. Outback Aussie Tours will not be liable for any expenses arising from such persons being precluded from completing the tour for any such reason. Each booking is conditional on Outback Aussie Tours securing the minimum number of bookings required to operate the tour and to ensure an enjoyable group atmosphere. Where sufficient numbers cannot be achieved, Outback Aussie Tours reserves the right to cancel or suspend a scheduled departure.

2. SPECIAL DIETS

Passengers requiring special diets, such as vegetarian or gluten free, must inform Outback Aussie Tours at time of reservation and reconfirm their request with the Outback Aussie Tours Driver/Host upon arrival. Outback Aussie Tours cannot guarantee special requests will be met in all instances.

3. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Outback Aussie Tours welcomes passengers with disabilities or special needs provided they are accompanied by a companion capable of providing all necessary assistance. Any special requirements must be advised at time of booking. Outback Aussie Tours reserves the right to refuse to carry any person who it deems cannot fully care for themselves on tour without assistance. Wheelchairs cannot be carried on motorcoaches due to space limitation.

Wheelchair passengers should be aware of these limitations. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to a passenger for walking, dining, getting on and off motorcoaches or other transportation vehicles, or other personal needs. Passengers who need such assistance must be accompanied by a qualified companion.

4. HEALTH AND FITNESS

Tours include short and long distance walks with varying degree of difficulty from moderate to challenging, and often over uneven ground or including steps. For safety and enjoyment passengers should be in good physical condition to participate in all tours. OAT reserves the right at its discretion to exclude from a tour, or to terminate the travel arrangements during the course of the tour without refund, of anyone who is unable to cope with the requirements of coach travel – this includes using coach steps for embarking and disembarking; needing services or facilities that are not available; failing to comply with the reasonable instructions of OAT personnel; and/or engaging in undesirable behaviour or interfering with the enjoyment of or jeopardising the safety of other participants. In accordance with these conditions, OAT will not be held liable for any termination of your travel arrangements or any expenses incurred as a consequence of decisions made by OAT. Passengers need to be aware of the high temperatures which may be experienced in the outback. Medical Equipment: Please note that in some remote Outback locations electric power may not be available 24 hours per day. Passengers are advised to bring adequate medication (and spare prescriptions for essential medication) for remote travel and emergencies.

Low level of fitness – minimal walking with some wheelchair/wheelie-walker accessible facilities; please note a Carer is required should guests have mobility concerns with any facilities on tour or boarding the coach.

Medium level of fitness – guests have no mobility concerns and they have declared any pre-existing injuries which may affect their participation.

Please note tours include leisurely walks that can be in excess of 1.5km. Not suitable for guests needing wheelie walkers or wheelchairs

All prices in this brochure are quoted in Australian currency and include tour preparation, operation costs and GST where applicable. Prices include all on-tour coach travel, all railway station and some airport transfers at arrival and departure point of each tour, meals, accommodation, sightseeing and admissions as per the itinerary. Prices do not include airfares, rail tickets, meals not specified in the itinerary, drinks, laundry, optional activities and items of a personal nature. Changes to rail/flight schedules may require additional overnight accommodation at either commencement or completion of the tour, which is at passenger’s own expense.

Additional Optional Activities are not included in the tour cost and incur additional charges. Tours are subject to availability, operational and seasonal factors. A minimum number of people are required for some activities to operate and you are encouraged to pre-book these prior to arrival to avoid disappointment.

6. CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY

Outback Aussie Tours is often not the provider of attractions, excursions and/or optional tours. Accordingly, Outback Aussie Tours may, where it is required to do so, suspend or cancel any tour inclusion where that tour inclusion is not available or in the opinion of Outback Aussie Tours, unadvisable, unsafe or unsuitable. During local or national holidays, certain facilities such as museums and restaurants, sightseeing tours and shopping may be limited or not available. Outback Aussie Tours reserves the right to alter or change the accommodation, carriers or vessels at any time for any reason; and cancel or alter the itinerary and/or tour at any time without notice as Outback Aussie Tours considers necessary for any reason whatsoever including road, weather or traffic conditions, nonperformance of suppliers, industrial action, operational conditions and requirements. Where a tour is cancelled prior to the departure date, Outback Aussie Tours will use all reasonable endeavours to offer the nearest possible alternative tour (subject to a refund or payment to cover any tour price difference) or, if this is not acceptable, refund the tour price or such portion of it as Outback Aussie Tours considers appropriate. Services of a tour host are not guaranteed on tours with less than 20 passengers.

7. CANCELLATION FEES DAYS OF NOTICE

FEE PER PERSON

60 days and over

loss of deposit

59-46 days

50% of tour fare

45-15 days

75% of tour fare

14-0 days

100% of tour fare

Please note: transferring to another date is treated as a cancellation and cancellation fees apply.

All cancellations must be advised in writing.

8. DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENTS

10. BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

One small to medium sized suitcase per person (approx. height 60cm - width 40cm - depth 30cm) maximum weight 20kg. One piece of hand luggage/day pack may be carried onboard the coach. Due to limited space, the carriage of wheelie-walkers must be requested prior to travel.

11. YOUNG TRAVELLERS

Persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Where a child rate is quoted, children aged 4 to 14 years are permitted to travel. Some guided tours are not suitable for children.

12. RESPONSIBILITY

Passenger participation in tours operated by the carrier companies and Outback Aussie Tours may incur certain risks and dangers which are beyond the operators’ control including, but not limited to, the hazards of travelling in remote areas, travel by boat, train, automobile, aircraft or other means of transportation, the forces of nature and accident or illness in remote regions without means of rapid evacuation or medical facilities. The carrier companies and Outback Aussie Tours will not have any liability regarding provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care that may be rendered. It is understood that Outback Aussie Tours will use their best efforts to ensure that adequate measures are taken. Passengers must make their own enquiries regarding safety warnings in relation to the destination they are travelling to.

13. SEAT ROTATION AND SMOKING

To ensure all clients have the opportunity to enjoy front and window seats, a daily seat rotation system is employed.

Government regulations prohibit smoking on tour coaches.

14. THIRD PARTY SUPPLIERS

Third party excursions such as Scenic Flights, Boat Cruises and Rail are not operated by Outback Aussie Tours, nor by persons or companies associated with Outback Aussie Tours. These activities may involve inherent risk of injury, death, accident, delay and loss and clients assume all such risk with regard to any misadventure, death, injury, delay or loss which occurs during, or as a result of, any such activity.

Scenic Flights included in Outback Aussie Tours are covered by the air charter carriers liability insurance. All flights are subject to pilot discretion, weather, air traffic control and aircraft availability. Please note that Outback Aussie Tours does not incur any liability for airfares purchased by travel agents or clients via the internet, if a tour is cancelled.

Outback Aussie Tours cannot be held responsible for airfare conditions. All such risk, loss and expense must be borne by the travel agent or client.

15. BROCHURE VALIDITY

01 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 These terms and conditions may be subject to further changes by Outback Aussie Tours from time to time and are shown on the Outback Aussie Tours website.

A non-refundable/non-transferable deposit of $200 per person is payable within 7 days for booking confirmation.

Air, Rail & pre/post accommodation needs to be paid in full at time of booking. Bookings will be automatically cancelled if a deposit is not received by Outback Aussie Tours within 7 days of the booking. Final payment for tour costs must be paid no later than 60 days prior to travel.

For bookings made less than 60 days prior to departure, full payment is required within 48 hours for confirmation.

It is the passenger’s responsibility to pay the tour price by the due date. Please ensure payments are made within the specified time limits to ensure that bookings are not automatically cancelled.

YOUR LICENSED TRAVEL AGENT

9. TRAVEL INSURANCE

Passengers are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance to cover against unforeseen circumstances. Ask your travel agent for details.

Call 1300 78 78 90 (within Australia) or +61 4658 3000 (International) Email info@oat.net.au or visit www.outbackaussietours.com.au Longreach Historic Railway Station, Landsborough Hwy ABN: 31 010 813 313 | ACN: 010 813 313