Legendary Outback Towns

We fly to Adelaide and spend some time at the seaside town of Glenelg before being transferred to our accommodation. We meet and greet with a pre-dinner drink before our evening meal – a lovely way to start the tour. (D)

This morning on to the heritage-listed historic copper town of Burra, the town is heritage listed and very interesting, we stop for morning tea here and explore. On to Peterborough, once a thriving railway town and through many small towns on the way. Later we continue the Barrier highway to Broken Hill, our home for two nights. (B,D)

Broken Hill, or ‘The Silver City’ as it is sometimes called, is a city forged out of a hill that was almost pure silver, lead and zinc and this morning we explore it. In the afternoon we visit the tiny outback town of Silverton. If it wasn’t for the small community of artists and its desirability setting for outback movies such as “Mad Max”, Silverton would be a ghost town. (B)

This morning we head to Cobar, a mining town for over 100 years, and then onto Wilcannia, which was the third largest inland port in the country during the great river boat era of the mid-19th century. Sadly today it’s a shell of its former glory days. We continue to Bourke for a two-night stopover. (B,D)

Today, we visit the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre, another must see, and we also enjoy an afternoon cruise on the Darling River, on board the riverboat PV Jandra. (B)

The township of Cunnamulla was created by Cobb & Co. on the third of September 1879. Today it is the only surviving south-west town along the original route. We visit and meet the “Fella from Cunnamulla”, and later we travel to another iconic outback town of Charleville, our home for the night. (B,D)

Blackall district was discovered in 1846 by explorer Major Thomas Mitchell and the township was gazetted in 1868. The local legend Jackie Howe earned his own statue in 1892 after shearing a record breaking 321 sheep by hand in 7.5 hours. If you’ve never heard the saying ‘beyond the black stump’ then that is Blackall. Onto Longreach for two nights. (B,D)

Longreach is home to the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Qantas Founders Museum. Later we enjoy the sights and sounds of the outback on this evening’s riverboat adventure. Disembark at a campground where we continue our outback experience with a two-course stockman’s dinner around the campfire. (B,D & ASHF, Cruise, included in fare)

Onto Muttaburra, home of the Muttaburrasaurus, one of Australia’s most famous dinosaurs. Later we step back in time and discover the authentic charm of Charters Towers, a living montage to the rich Australian gold mining history and heritage. We arrive to enjoy a two-night stopover. (B,D)

Founded in 1871 after the discovery of a gold nugget, Charters Towers was established as a place for prospectors to find their fortune in the gold fields. Over the next 36 years, they turned up over 200 tonnes of gold. We also visit the Venus Gold Battery Museum. There’s nowhere better to appreciate this rich history. We will also visit Towers Hill Lookout (B)                                                                                                                                                   

Today we head to the East Coast and visit the towns of Townsville and Ingham on our way to Cairns. We visit the wonderful Townsville Strand, a 2.2 km boardwalk along the front of the Coral Sea. We continue to Ingham, known as “Little Italy “, due to its high Italian population. (B,D)                                                      

This morning, time permitting, we visit the beautiful Cairns Botanical Gardens. Later on you will be transferred to the airport for your flights home, after a magical tour of some amazing historic outback towns of Australia. Wanting more of Cairns? You can arrange to stay a little longer, though. Just let us know, so we can arrange your flights. (B)