Great Corner Country & Central West Wanderer
Westlander rail journey, Charleville, Nardoo Station, Tibooburra, Quilpie, Cameron's Corner, Innamincka, Birdsville, Winton, Longreach, Spirit of the Outback rail journey |
| Price |
$4,050pp Twin Share | $4,470 Sole Use
+ Rail Fare
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Departure
dates 2011 |
3rd May, 21st June, 16th August |
Tour overview
& inclusions |
· The Westlander rail journey
· Overnight Charleville, Cosmos Centre
· Overnight Nardoo Station, Eulo Date Farm & Mud Springs
· Quilpie Opal Altar, 2 nights Ray Station
· Eromanga, Sturt National Park, Tibooburra
· Cameron’s Corner, Strzelecki Desert
· Moomba Gas Installation, 2 nights at Innamincka Hotel
· Cooper Creek, Burke & Wills History
· Dig Tree, Cordillo Downs, Cadelga Ruins
· 2 nights Birdsville Hotel, Inland Mission Ruins
· Birdsville Racetrack, Happy Hour at sunset on Big Red
· Flying Doctor Auction, Cacoory Ruins, Cuttaburra flood plain
· Bedourie, overnight Boulia and discover the Min Min Encounter
· Cawnpore look-out, Winton, Waltzing Matilda Centre
· 2 nights Longreach Motor Inn, Hall of Fame Cottage
· RM Williams Heritage Gardens Tour
· Stockman’s Hall of Fame
· Drovers Dinner, Spirit of the Outback Rail Journey
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Westlander
Bilby
Working Cattle Station
Sturts Desert Pea
Birdsville Hotel
Cacoory Ruins
Stockmans Hall of Fame
Spirit of the Outback
Day 1 - Tuesday
Join The Westlander train journey departing Roma St Brisbane at 7.15pm for an overnight journey bound for Charleville.
Day 2 - Wednesday (B,L,D)
Arrive in Charleville in time for lunch followed by a visit to the Royal Flying Doctors Visitor Centre and a tour of the Historic Hotel Corones. Arrive and check in to the Mulga Country Motor Inn for an overnight stay. Tonight experience the spectacular Cosmos Night Show followed by dinner.
Day 3 - Thursday (B,L,D)
This morning we meet the rare and endangered Bilby, then travel through red earth Mulga country and into open Mitchell grass plains. Arrive at Nardoo Station for an afternoon station tour and, in the light of the late afternoon, relax in a Hot Artesian Spa with welcome ‘Happy Hour’ and dinner. Overnight Nardoo Station.
Day 4 - Friday (B,MT,L,D)
Depart Nardoo and discover the quaint township of Eulo, visiting the Date Farm Gift Shop and enjoy the tales of Isabel ‘The Eulo Queen’. See the Eulo mud springs and the pub without a town, “The Toompine Hotel”. We continue on to Quilpie, visit the Opal Altar and galleries then head out to Ray Station for a two night stay. After dinner enjoy poetry and guitar around the campfire..
Day 5 - Saturday (B,MT,L,D)
Today we join the host family for a Tully Durack tour taking in the homestead and remarkable pioneering stories. Our afternoon is spent visiting the family cemetery and exploring the unique features of the property. After an incredible focus on one family’s life on the land, past and present, we enjoy our Ray Station farewell night with a country style dinner followed by a showing of family movie reels.
Day 6 - Sunday (B,L,D)
Travel south via Eromanga’s Old Royal Hotel, the Noccundra Hotel and the border crossing at the Warri Gate. Now in outback NSW view the eastern sections of the Sturt National Park enroute to Tibooburra. Traverse gibber country and spectacular ‘jump up’country arriving in Tibooburra. Enjoy ‘Happy Half Hour’ soaking up the significance of Sturt the explorer’s survival in harsh conditions. Overnight Tibooburra.
Day 7 - Monday (B,MT,L,D)
Today we travel onto Cameron’s Corner where South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland come together. Soak up the remote contrast of landscapes as we move through the red sand dunes of the famous Strzelecki Desert to Innamincka, traversing the oil and gas fields and isolated installations. Arriving where the Strzelecki Creek begins as an overflow of the mighty Cooper Creek we check in at the Innamincka Hotel for a two night stay.
Day 8 - Tuesday (B,L,D)
Today we relax around Cooper Creek and there is much more to Innamincka than meets the eye. Tour the pioneer graves, retrace the last days of Burke and Wills and hear about the town with two lives.
Day 9 - Wednesday (B,L,D)
Departing for Birdsville we take in the rich cultural history of the famous Dig Tree. Travelling on to Cordillo Downs we parallel the second corner (by approximately 70kms), “Haddon’s Corner”, at the top end of the Strzelecki Desert and on to Cadelga Ruins for a break. We then venture on to the top end of the Birdsville Track, crossing the mighty Diamantina River before arriving into an amazing desert community of Birdsville for a two night stay at the Birdsville Hotel.
Day 10 - Thursday (B,L,D)
Today explore Birdsville’s unique features including inland mission ruins, the billabong, the Wirrari Centre, Race Track, then discover the Burke and Wills tree on the Diamantina River. Mid afternoon we head out for happy hour on the amazing red dunes at Big Red. Feel the very soul of Australia as the sun goes down over the heart of the outback. Back to the Birdsville Pub for dinner, and Flying Doctor Auction.
Day 11 - Friday (B,L,D)
Departing Birdsville for Boulia we explore the Waddi Trees, found in only 3 places on the planet. Down the track we’ll encounter the Cacoory Ruins, a sign of first European settlement established in 1870, amongst some of the toughest country in the heart of the Lake Eyre Basin, one fifth of Australia’s land mass. Travel across the vast Cuttaburra flood plain and onto Bedourie for lunch. Moving north of Eyre Creek, where the channel country meets the desert, we arrive into Boulia mid afternoon to check into our accommodation. In the late afternoon we discover Boulia’s Min Min Encounter. Overnight Boulia.
Day 12 - Saturday (B,L,D)
This morning we travel east to Longreach via the vast timeless landscape of the majestic mesas set amongst the open pebbly plains at the Cawnpore Lookout. We arrive in Winton in time for lunch at The Waltzing Matilda Centre. Arrive and check in at Longreach Motor Inn for a 2 night stay.
Day 13 - Sunday (B,L,D)
Visit the Hall of Fame Cottage, enjoy the RM Williams Heritage Gardens Tour and learn of the legends and unsung heroes at The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame before tantalising your taste buds with lunch at the Cattleman’s Bar and Grill. This evening we soak up a spectacular outback sunset with the Drover’s Dinner Extravaganza, featuring outback entertainers and outback themed cuisine.
Day 14 - Monday (B,L,D)
Depart on the Spirit of the Outback returning home after an amazing journey of a lifetime exploring one of the world’s last frontiers “The Corner Country”.
Day 15 - Tuesday
Return to Roma St Station, Brisbane early morning.
N.B. Some accommodation is shared facilities and is split over multiple accommodation venues. Luggage is restricted to soft baggage of 15kg per person due to specialised Coaches on tour. Excellent washing facilities are available on tour with 4 two night stays.
Deposit required to secure this booking $500pp + Rail Fare.
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