Queensland Outback Experience

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Brisbane

Arrival day, you will be picked up from the airport and transfered to your start hotel.

Day 2 Brisbane to Warremba (B,L,D)

Departing Brisbane at 7.30am this morning, (in 20 seater coaster bus) our first destination will be the historical Jondaryan Woolshed. Built 1859, Jondaryan Woolshed is the oldest woolshed still standing in Queensland and the first purpose built woolshed in Australia. The first shearing in the shed was conducted without the roof in place. The galvanised iron for the roof was made in England. Shutters and many of the gates are made of red cedar. The uprights are made of iron bark and are in the ground seven feet (2.135 metres). The shed has never missed a shearing in its history. It is the only shed in Australia still shearing with steam power. In its peak, 650,000 sheep were shorn in one year in the 1880s. Woolpress has been in the same position since 1892. Originally here were two woolpresses side by side. In 1861, an average fleece weighed 1.8 pounds (0.8 kilograms). By 1881 they weighed 4.9 pounds (2.2 kilograms) and by 2002, 16 pounds (7.3 kilograms). In 1892 Jackie Howe was said to have shorn 321 sheep in one day. This equates to one sheep per 80 seconds. In 1998 at the Jondaryan Woolshed Sports Shear Competition it took 40 seconds to shear one sheep using a wide comb. An interactive, rustic and charming outback sheep station, Jondaryan will give guests the chance to learn about (and participate in!) sheep shearing and to gain some insight into our old bush pioneers. Traditional Australian billy tea and damper will be served for your lunch, and you will see how the pioneers prepared their staple damper ‘bread’ with only flour, salt and water and cooked it in a huge cast iron pot over the coals of a bush campfire. After a horse drawn wagon ride, we’ll make tracks for our destination this evening at Warremba Farmstay, a privately owned cattle station. While your accommodation is cosy cabins, you’ll still get to enjoy an outback campfire meal and a talk under the stars. For those of you who haven’t yet travelled in the outback, you'lll be blown away by this night show …

Day 3 Warremba To Tambo Via Carnarvon Gorge (B, L, D)

This morning we’ll get going as early as possible, to make sure you see an outback sunrise and catch all the early morning wildlife on the hop. Most of our critters prefer the cool of the morning, so the early start will guarantee you an abundance of kangaroos, wallabies, birdlife and more on our short drive to the Carnarvon Gorge hiking trail. Designed to be a very easy, the walk through the gorge is along a sandy pathway meandering between 150m high sandstone cliffs, giant gums and ancient palms, and over many rocky stream crossings. We'll spend a relaxing half day exploring the flora and fauna, and other highlights include the fascinating aboriginal rock art that has been preserved at the base of the sandstone cliffs. Patient and quiet folks may be rewarded with a platypus sighting. Mid afternoon we head back to Warremba Cattle Station where you will have a chance to relax or you may choose to have a look around the farm. Tonight we will have another traditional Aussie meal (BBQ or Camp oven) Carnarvon Gorge is an oasis in the semi-arid heart of Queensland. Here, in the Carnarvon Gorge Section of Carnarvon National Park, towering white sandstone cliffs form a spectacular steep-sided gorge with narrow, vibrantly coloured and lush side gorges. Boulder-strewn Carnarvon Creek winds through the gorge.Remnant rainforest flourishes in the sheltered side gorges while endemic Livistona nitida cabbage tree palms, ancient cycads, ferns, flowering shrubs and gums trees line the meandering main gorge. Grassy open forest grows on the cliff-tops. The park’s creeks attract a wide variety of animals including more than 173 species of birds.Aboriginal rock art on the sandstone overhangs is a fragile reminder of the Aboriginal people who used the gorge for thousands of years. Rock engravings, ochre stencils and freehand paintings at Cathedral Cave, Baloon Cave and the Art Gallery include some of the finest rock art in Australia.

Day 4 (B,L)

This morning you have an option to sleep in or get up nice and early for another short walk on the Station where more aboriginal art can be found. After a hearty Breakfast we then travel to Tambo via the Arcadia Valley – you’ll be amazed at the change in scenery throughout this off-road stretch of country, which is reminiscent of the African savannah plains. Our lunch stop today is in the middle of a cattle station the size of a small country. Today we really are in the middle of nowhere travelling off road we’ll be lucky to see another vehicle this afternoon. Tonight, Aussie hospitality will be guaranteed at the tiny Tambo Pub. Tambo’s population is around 350 plus us for the night. Tonight is a great opportunity to meet the colorful characters of Australia’s outback. You will be lucky to find another tourist here.Tambo is the oldest town in Queensland’s central west. It is a living museum of cultural history covering an area of vast scenic beauty, from rugged cliffs of the Great Dividing Ranges to the open downs country.Tambo was established in the mid 1860’s to service the surrounding pastoral properties such as Tambo Station and Landsdowne. Today the pastoral industries of wool and beef continue to remain as the basis for Tambo’s economy. Tambo’s heritage is reflected in the many historical buildings that represent excellent examples of late 19th century architecture..

Day 5 Tambo to Longreach (B,D)

Today guests can enjoy a well earned sleep-in, and a relaxed 300km drive through to Longreach, travelling via the town of Blackall. You'll learn more about Australian heritage and the world’s most famous blade-shearer, Jackie Howe.Jackie Howe was born at Canning Downs station, on the Darling Downs, in 1861. He is known as the greatest shearer who ever lived. Just as Bradman had the eye of an eagle, Jackie also had physical attributes that helped him become the greatest in his field. He was as strong as an ox, had hands the size of small dinner plates, wrists as strong as steel, and, it was said, he could hold down a sheep like no other man. Jackie was also a natural athlete. He once ran against a professional runner, in bare feet. The result was a dead heat. Of course the race was held after work, where Jackie had just shorn 217 sheep. Jackie’s path to greatness began when the gun shearer at the station where he worked insulted him. Jackie was determined to prove he was the better man. Up until this point Jackie was more than happy to shear about a hundred sheep a day. But on that day he was able to shear a record 211 sheep. Word of his achievement spread and ringers across the country set out to beat his record. In 1892, an Australia wide competition was held to see who was the greatest shearer in the land. Two gold medals were offered as prizes and Jackie was determined to claim both. On 10th October 1892, at Alice Downs station outside Blackall, Jackie set the record for hand shearing 321 sheep in just seven hours and forty minutes. Later he went on to set the machine shearing record of 237 sheep. Jackie Howe hung up his blades in 1900 but his legend continues. The rest of the drive takes us through the tiny towns of Barcaldine and Ilfracombe. Barcaldine is the home of the ‘Tree of Knowledge” – The Tree of Knowledge at Barcaldine - a dusty bush - is one of Australia's most famous historical trees.The 150-year old ghost gum, Eucalyptus Papuana, earned its claim to fame as the founding site of the political movement we now know as the Australian Labor Party.The tree was the main meeting place for townspeople and was then known as the 'Alleluia Tree' because the Salvation Army used to meet under its branches.Meetings of bullock drivers ('bullockies") were also held under the tree.In 1891 Barcaldine was the centre for the striking shearers during The 'Great Shearers Strike' when they met under its boughs. In May 1891, about 3000 striking shearers marched under the 'Eureka' flag to put forward their protests against poor working conditions and low wages.The shearers strikes were broken by the Governments of NSW and Queensland who sided with the business interests and arrested 13 of the leaders who were sentenced to gaol for three years.Following this the the unions and others formed the "Labour Electoral Leagues" which later became the "Labor Party" and then the "Australian Labor Party" (ALP) which is, of course, one of the two major parties in Austrlia today. The Australian Labor Party is the oldest political party in Australia and one of the oldest in the western world.In those days there were no organised political parties. Politicians grouped on different issues as they arose. The organised Labor Party changed all this and forced the non Labor politicians to form political parties to oppose them. Along this route you'll see another dramatic change in scenery when we get to Australia’s famous outback "gidgyea plains" … endless, flat, rocky plains with mulga and gidgyea scrub dotted throughout. Birdlife in the form of bustards and dancing grey brolgas is plentiful; both of these birds are tall, elegant and iconic Queenslanders. After we arrive at Longreach - the home of QANTAS - we'll have some lunch then drop guests off at Queensland’s world renowned Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Here you can take your own time to browse and enjoy the interactive displays on offer. Most guests enjoy a three hour visit, but our cabins are just a short walk from the hall so you can stroll back at your leisure for a swim.The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre was formed to capture and record the fast disappearing culture and history of rural Australia. It is an incorporated, self funding non-profit company which operates without any debt or on-going government assistance. Money for the running and maintenance is provided from admissions, sales of souvenirs, catering, membership subscriptions, sponsorships and donations (fully tax deductible). This evening is one of the highlights as we head out of town to the Thompson river for a cruise aboard a paddle wheeler. We take in the sunset on the boat while enjoying a beer or wine and the absolute peace and tranquility. After sunset we enjoy a camp dinner under the stars around the campfire and some unique entertainment supplied by our hosts.

Day 6 Longreach To Hughenden Via Dinosaur Tracks (B)

This is an unexpected surprise today for many. We travel 200km north to Winton, the home of "Waltzing Matilda", before heading due west and out to the Lark Quarry dinosaur tracks. Lark Quarry, in outback Australia, is currently the only recorded dinosaur stampede on earth. In this place, around 95 million years ago, a large herd of small two legged dinosaurs gathered on the banks of a forest lake to drink.The herd was stalked by a large theropod – four tonnes of sharp-clawed, meat-eating dinosaur. The herd panicked, stampeding across the muddy flats to escape the theropod’s hungry jaws.A record of those few terrifying minutes is cast in more than 3300 fossilised footprints. The footprints tell us about a cooler, wetter world, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and the mammal’s time is yet to come.Yes indeed, this is an ancient fossilized dinosaur stampede site! Your guide will explain it all thoroughly when you arrive. Along the 4WD track to the site, you will once again be totally amazed that our outback landscape can change so significantly in such a short time. Today your backdrop is desert panoramas, shimmering pale ghost gums and "red dirt blue sky" country that rivals the famous Territory – and you will realize how "outback" you really are today. Mid-afternoon we'll leave our desert haven and head for our motel in the town of Hughenden for the evening.

Day 7 Hughenden To Cairns Via Porcupine Gorge (B)

This morning we’ll get going nice and early once again to see more wildlife and another sunrise as we head 70km out to Porcupine Gorge.Porcupine Gorge National Park is a unique area of the savanna plains with a dramatic sandstone gorge cut deep into its interior. A thin, hard, basalt cap, the product of geologically recent lava flows, has in most places protected the older underlying rock, but where this capping has been worn away, the scouring action of waterborne particles has excavated a deep chasm into the softer sandstone. The "excavator" is Porcupine Creek, a meandering string of clear pools in winter and a boiling cascade in the wet season.In the wider section of the gorge, the eroding action of the creek has also created the Pyramid, an isolated monolith of multicoloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge, shaped as its name suggests.Wind and water have coloured and sculptured the sandstone to form fluted channels, boulders, potholes and shallow caves. Permanent deep pools, each with its resident turtles, are lined with casuarinas (sheoaks) and melaleucas (paperbarks), while various eucalypts and acacias, including the rare pink gidgee, grow in precarious positions on the cliffs above.The gorge is filled with the calls of currawongs, parrots and the occasional soaring bird of prey. Closer observation reveals a wide variety of birds including the black duck, red-winged parrot, black bittern and numerous honeyeaters. Back into thicker and denser scrub country today, we should see plenty of kangaroos and wallabies, and start to come across Queensland’s famous and very lovely outback Brahman cattle. Our 1.2km hike this morning is medium difficulty and takes us down a rocky pathway to "The Pyramid" – a giant triangular red rock face in the depths of the gorge. Well worth the effort! You can immerse yourself in the cool rock pools or explore the caves and listen to bird calls echoing in the gorge as you relax. Afterwards, we’ll continue our 4WD through lush and spectacular Brahman cattle country towards The Lynd Junction. This afternoon, prepare for the most radical change of all as we make the transition from red dirt to the green rolling hills and Fresian dairy cattle of the Atherton Tablelands. These are reminiscent of Ireland and are the path leading us into our home for the night and the end of the Outback tour. Our Accomodation tonight is Hides Hotel in the centre of Cairns.

Day 8 Depart Cairns (B)

Feel free to depart Cairns at any time as there are no planned activities for this day.

Trip Details

Accommodation	Hotels (4 nts), Farm Stay (2 nts), cabin (1nt)
Group Size	Max 15, Avg, 10
Included Highlights	Fully interactive Jondaryan Woolshed tour, Horse drawn Wagon Ride, Carnarvon Gorge National Park (fully guided walk), Aboriginal rock art gallery, Longreach Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Thomson River Sunset Cruise, Winton’s Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways tour, Porcupine Gorge National Park walk, Daily breakfast, arrival transfer.
Local Payment	AUD200
Meals Included	7 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 3 Dinners
Recommendation	Why not extend your stay in Queensland and add on the Coastal Queensland Brisbane to Cairns, OACQ.
StartFinish	Brisbane to Cairns
Transport	Mini bus, off road vehicle.
Brochure Intro	This comfortable and relaxing adventure through the Outback will allow you to absorb the breathtaking views, bustling towns and truly unique wildlife that Queensland has to offer. Stop at sleepy towns and watch the sun rise over the Outback. A true Aussie experience!

When can I go?

Start Date	Finish Date	Places Available
2008-11-07	2008-11-14	5

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