2024 Outback Queensland Explorer – “Open for bookings”

Early morning pick up from Brisbane Ibis Airport Hotel and travel through the Lockyer Valley which is one of the most fertile farming areas in the world, through Toowoomba and Darling Downs region to Roma, our destination for tonight.

After breakfast we visit the Roma Saleyards which is the largest cattle selling centre in Australia.  From here we will travel to the amazing Carnarvon Gorge where we will stay and enjoy nature and the surrounds for today and tomorrow.  You will have time to explore one of the shorter walks today before dinner at our accommodation, the Wilderness Lodge Resort.

Carnarvon Gorge National Park has some of the best day walks in Queensland – from 600 metres to 10kms.  You can visit places such as the Amphitheatre, Moss Garden and Art Gallery as you wander through towering white sandstone cliffs which form a spectacular steep-sided gorge with narrow, vibrantly-coloured and lush side-gorges.  You will take your picnic lunch in your backpack and enjoy it at your leisure.  You can choose to do as little or as much as you like today before gathering for dinner tonight.

Today we farewell the gorge and travel towards Emerald, a rural town in the Central Highlands of Queensland. Travelling via Blackwater, a significant coal mining area and Comet where the early explorer Ludwig Leichhardt marked a tree with ‘Dig’ during his exploration of the region in 1844. Emerald is the gateway to the gemfields and home to the Van Gogh Sunflowers Big Easel. The botanic gardens covers 42 hectares.

Before departing Emerald today we will visit some iconic sites and then travel towards Barcaldine where we will visit ‘The Tree of Knowledge’.  Barcaldine played a major role in the Australian Labour Movement.  A chance to visit the Heritage Centre before making our way to Longreach stopping at the famous Wellshot Hotel in Illfracome along the way.

A highlight today as we head off on an exciting Cobb and Co experience when we clamber aboard the old stagecoach, just as a pioneer would have done.  Prepare to get dusty as our team of horses wait patiently and then it’s off with creaks and rattles to the old Longreach-Windorah mail route. There we’ll travel along the bush track, before a short gallop to ‘outrun the storm’. This is the only place in Australia you can gallop in a stagecoach.

A visit today to the world renown Stockmans Hall of Fame before crossing over to the Qantas Founders Museum where we’ll also enjoy lunch.  Dinner tonight is another highlight as we enjoy sunset and dinner as part of Smithy’s Dinner Cruise with great live entertainment and a night full of fun and laughter.

After breakfast we head towards the first of our dinosaur discoveries.  Muttaburra is famous as the site of the discovery of the Muttaburrasaurus, one of Australia’s largest dinosaurs and also the heart of one of Australia’s most daring cattle rustling events by the legendary Harry Redford.  From here we travel to Hughenden and follow the outback artist haven with it’s sculptures installed around the town.  Our final destination today is the town of Richmond, situated on Queensland’s longest river, ‘The Flinders’.

Our first visit today is Koronosaurus Korner, a museum primarily dedicated to displaying marine reptiles.  We will see Minmi, considered to be our best preserved dinosaur skeleton.  We head west to Mount Isa, a town known for its rich deposits of copper, silver, lead and zinc and classed as one of the world’s great mines passing through Julia Creek and Cloncurry along the way.

Another highlight today as we visit the Hard Times Mining Tour donning our

work gear and exploring Mt Isa’s mining history.  You will also visit the Riversleigh Fossil Centre with it’s many exhibits, dioramas and videos relating to prehistoric animals and plants.

More history today as we visit The Isa’s historic Underground Hospital and Museum.  After the bombing of Darwin

In 1942, there was a real fear that Mount Isa with its rich mineral resources

would be next. Given that Darwin Hospital was also bombed, there was also genuine concern for Mount Isa Hospital so the underground hospital was carved into the hills near the existing base hospital.  Our next stop is Lake Moondarra, an artificial lake and water source for the town.  A city tour will complete our stay in this outback mining town.

We leave Mt Isa early this morning and make our way to Mary Kathleen, once a thriving township which belonged to the nearby uranium mine.  Travelling on towards Winton we will stop in Cloncurry to visit the John Flynn Place Museum before continuing on our way south.

Winton is home to some of the most amazing dinosaur finds.  Today we visit Age of Dinosaurs outside the town and the iconic Matilda Centre in town.  Age of Dinosaur museum houses some spectacular fossils and you will learn about the finds in this area.  The Matilda Centre tells about Banjo Patterson of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ fame and the history of the area, its opal mining, grazing and sheep farming.

We leave the township this morning and make our way to Lark Quarry, the only known dinosaur stampede site. Marvel at the fossilised footprints of smaller and larger dinosaurs where they ran millions of years ago. There are estimated to be over 150 two-legged dinosaur footprints in the quarry. We will make our way back to Winton and explore the Musical Fence, Arno’s Wall and Willi Mar Heritage Market Garden Site.

An early start to make our way to Eromanga.  We will have plenty of stops along the way at Jundah and Windorah before arriving at Eromanga.

Eromanga is known as being the furthest town from the sea in Australia, as well as being famous for its significant palaeontologist discoveries of Australia’s largest dinosaurs. We’ll enjoy a wonderful museum tour, meet Cooper and learn about dinosaur digs and the preparation of dinosaur and megafauna fossils. We will continue on through the Channel Country to Eulo, famous for opals to our final destination for today, Cunnamulla.

Today we enjoy Cunnamulla where there is much to see and do.  We’ll visit the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’ and learn about the Great Artesian Basin with a visit to ‘The Time Tunnel’.  More highlights today with a soak in the newly opened Cunnamulla Hot Springs and later in the evening the ‘All Aboard Show’ showcasing the history of this proud township.

A leisurely breakfast and then back on the road towards St George.  Enjoy a cruise on the Balonne River and take in the local flora and fauna.  This small town has many heritage listed buildings and is surrounded by cotton farms and wineries.

We’ll enjoy a morning tour of a cotton farm today followed by lunch at a local winery.  In the afternoon we’ll make our way to Glenelg Station via Goondiwindi where we’ll stop to visit the Cotton Shop.  Our accommodation tonight is in the Shearers Quarters at Glenelg Station which has a working Woolshed.  Sunset drinks and nibbles at Sunset Hill followed by stories of the past around the campfire from our station hosts.

Leaving Glenelg we make our way to Warwick where we’ll enjoy lunch at the wonderful garden centre where you will have time to explore and enjoy some retail therapy for clothing, plants and other nic naks.  After lunch we will return to Brisbane where we will say goodbye to our travelling companions after an amazing road trip of our vast and beautiful state.