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Day 1 : Cairns (D)
On arrival at Cairns airport you will be met and transferred* to your hotel. Enjoy some free time exploring Cairns, browsing in the shops along the esplanade or relaxing by the pool. This evening meet your Outback Discovery crew and get together with fellow travellers during your welcome dinner.
Overnight Stay: Cairns
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Day 2 : Cairns – Undara (B,L,D)
It’s the first day of our great adventure across the Savannah Way, a network of roads stretching over 4,000 kilometres joining Cairns in Queensland with Broome in Western Australia. We farewell Cairns and drive through the rainforests of the Great Dividing Range to the tablelands farming town of Atherton. This is the start of the outback and we drive to Undara on the eastern edge of the ruggedly beautiful Gulf Savannah region, arriving in the afternoon. You’ll take a guided tour of the Undara Lava Tubes formed some 190,000 years ago when a volcano erupted, its molten lava flowing down a dry riverbed. As the top layer quickly cooled and crusted, the fiery magma below continued to flow through the tubes taking it further and further from the volcano. After dinner tonight, have some fun around the campfire swapping tales.
Overnight Stay: Undara
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Day 3 : Undara – Karumba (B,L,D)
Start the day with a true Aussie breakfast surrounded by birds and the bush before leaving Undara and driving west to Georgetown. At the Terrestrial Centre you will view the multi award–winning Ted Elliott Mineral Collection. This collection, which is all the work of one man, contains over 4,500 mineral specimens in a myriad of fascinating colours and shapes from the region and throughout the world. We’ll stop in the historic village of Croydon, which was once a booming gold town. We’ll then travel to the gulf town of Karumba, where a huge prawn trawling fleet is based. It was near Karumba that the Bourke and Wills expedition reached the top end of Australia.
Overnight Stay: Karumba or Normanton
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Day 4 : Karumba – Adel’s Grove (B,L,D)
This morning we board the Gulflander Train for a ride back in time. This historic little train takes you on a journey with a difference through the tough and inhospitable Gulf Country to Critters Camp. Your driver is waiting to take you to the Leichhardt River, which was named after the great explorer who went missing without a trace. We’ll pass through the historic settlements of Burketown and Gregory Downs and then on to Adel’s Grove for two nights at the gateway to Lawn Hill National Park
Two Night Stay: Adel’s Grove
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Day 5 : Adel’s Grove (B,L,D)
This morning we travel a short distance to the Riversleigh Fossil Site. This is one of the few fossil sites around the world that has been listed as a World Heritage site. We then continue our adventure in Lawn Hill National Park where you will take guided walks with your crew, swim in the spring-fed waters of the gorge or explore aboard a canoe. We’ll return to Adel’s Grove in time to relax with friends before dinner.
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Day 6 : Adel’s Grove – Mount Isa (B,L,D)
Today we travel to the Burke and Wills Roadhouse before turning south to Cloncurry where we will visit John Flynn Place Museum. The exhibits here trace the inspirational story of the origins of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Our final destination today is Mount Isa, known as the ‘Oasis of the Outback’, nestled among the ochre-red Selwyn Ranges on the banks of the Leichhardt River. We’ll make a brief stop at the Mount Isa Lookout to view the town and mine below.
Overnight Stay: Mount Isa
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Day 7 : Mount Isa – Barkly Homestead (B,L,D)
We’ll spend some time this morning at the Outback at Isa complex, which incorporates Outback Park and Visitor Information Centre. The award-winning Riversleigh Fossil Centre is located within the centre and is a great place to visit to get a clear explanation of what you saw at the Riversleigh Fossil Site near Lawn Hill. Before departing Mount Isa, we will take a drive around the town and pass the huge Mount Isa Mine, the world’s largest single producer of copper, silver, lead and zinc. The Barkly Highway takes us west to Camooweal and the Northern Territory border. The road is now almost perfectly straight and leads us to our overnight destination.
Overnight Stay: Barkly Homestead
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Day 8 : Barkly Homestead – Daly Waters (B,L,D)
We drive north along the Tablelands Highway passing through the Northern Territory’s largest pastoral lease, Brunette Downs Cattle Station. As we cross the vast plains of Mitchell and Flinders grass you will get a true understanding of the long distances between settlements in this remote region. We’ll stop at Cape Crawford, the only roadhouse for hundreds of kilometres. The next stop will be well received as it is at the colourful Daly Waters Pub.
Overnight Stay: Daly Waters
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Day 9 : Daly Waters – Katherine (B,L,D)
Today our route takes us along the Stuart Highway towards Mataranka and Katherine. On the way we will call into the Elsey Cemetery to see the grave of Aeneas Gunn and several other characters from ‘We of the Never Never’ written by Jeannie Gunn. At Mataranka’s Hot Springs take a dip in the warm thermal pools which are fed by water that originates in Papua New Guinea. This afternoon we take a leisurely cruise through Katherine Gorge. The cruise takes in two of thirteen gorges carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River. At the Nitmiluk Visitors’ Centre you will see informative displays outlining the geology, landscape and Aboriginal history of the national park.
Overnight Stay: Katherine
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Day 10 : Katherine – Jabiru (B,L,D)
Spectacular Edith Falls is our first stop today where you can take a swim in the large pandanus fringed waterhole at the base of the falls. We’ll stop at Pine Creek, the Northern Territory’s first gold mining town. We drive on to Kakadu National Park, 20,000 square kilometres of savannah woodland, ancient escarpments and tropical wilderness inhabited by a multitude of flora and fauna. This afternoon enjoy a cruise on the Yellow Waters Billabong where it’s possible to see estuarine crocodiles in their natural habitat. One third of Australia’s bird species is represented in Kakadu National Park, with at least 60 species found in these wetlands. Whistling ducks, jabiru, brolga and magpie geese are the most abundant. Overnight Stay: Jabiru
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Day 11 : Jabiru – Darwin (B,L,D)
Depending on time and availability, you might choose to take a scenic flight over the wetlands of Kakadu (at own expense). Alternatively a visit to the excellent Bowali Visitors’ Centre will provide you with plenty of information about this complex region. Then it’s on to Ubirr to view Aboriginal rock art galleries that date back thousands of years. After a walk up onto the escarpment you will be rewarded by panoramic views of scenery you will never forget. In the heart of crocodile, buffalo and barramundi country, we will stop briefly at the quirky Bark Hut Inn. Our journey then takes us to the laid-back tropical city of Darwin.
Three Night Stay: Darwin
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Day 12 : Darwin (B,L,D)
You have a day of leisure in Darwin today to explore on your own. The harbour foreshore area is a great place to discover the city’s maritime links, with museums and markets.
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Day 13 : Litchfield National Park – Darwin (B,L,D)
We will spend today touring in Litchfield National Park where numerous waterfalls cascade from a sandstone plateau called the Tabletop Range. View intriguing magnetic termite mounds. We then travel to the extraordinarily beautiful Wangi Falls for the chance to swim in the pool at the base of the falls, which is one of the Top End’s most popular swimming spots. After lunch we’ll spend the afternoon at the Territory Wildlife Park where you can get close to the birdlife in the dome aviary or walk through the aquarium tunnel as barramundi and turtles swim overhead. The majority of fauna found in the Top End is represented in this Park which covers 400 hectares.
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Day 14 : Darwin – Katherine (B,L,D)
After breakfast travel to the small settlement town of Adelaide River which was the base for 30,000 Australian and American soldiers during World War II. Visit the war cemetery for the hundreds of servicemen and civilians who were killed by air raids in Darwin. Continue on via Pine Creek to Katherine. This evening we head out to a nearby stock camp to dine on traditional bush tucker under the clear star studded sky. After a delicious meal, sit back and enjoy the humorous yarns and stories of the local area.
Overnight Stay: Katherine
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Day 15 : Katherine – Kununurra (B,L,D)
This morning we’ll visit the Katherine Outback Heritage Museum. Originally constructed as an air terminal for the region during WWII, it now contains an eclectic collection of artefacts, photographs, maps and pioneer memorabilia in an informative museum. Our journey will then take us past the Victoria River Downs Station which was once the largest land holding on earth. Victoria River crossing is our lunch stop. The river is known by locals as ‘The Vic’ and was a key influence on Aboriginal heritage and today is a lifeline for pastoral properties. We’ll travel through Timber Creek, named in 1855 when the explorer Augustus Gregory used timber from the banks of the creek to repair his expedition’s boat. We will pass by Bullo River Station, made famous by top-selling author Sara Henderson whose books vividly described station life. We leave the Northern Territory and enter Western Australia and the Kimberley.
Two Night Stay: Kununurra
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Day 16 : Kununurra (B,L,D)
Kununurra is a vibrant town at the centre of the fertile Ord River Irrigation Scheme which ships huge volumes of fruit and fresh produce to Australian and overseas markets. To start this exciting day we take a cruise from Lake Kununurra down the spectacular Ord River. Next we drive to the rebuilt homestead of the Durack family – Argyle Downs. After a visit to the homestead that is now a museum, we visit the Hoochery, the State’s only licensed distillery where rum is produced from local sugar. We then make our way to Ivanhoe Crossing, the original crossing across the Ord River.
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Day 17 : Kununurra – El Questro Wilderness Park (B,L,D)
On our way out of Kununurra we will stop at Zebra Rock Gallery to see works carved by local residents from the patterned stone unique to the region. We reboard our coach to follow the Cockburn Range before reaching the port of Wyndham. A visit here is not complete without taking in the panoramic views of the region at the Five Rivers Lookout. You will see for miles out across the Cambridge Gulf and the five rivers that flow into it - the Ord, Pentecost, Durack, King and Forrest. We’ll then backtrack to join the famous Gibb River Road which takes us to El Questro Wilderness Park, a working cattle station set on a million acres of untamed Kimberley wilderness.
Two Night Stay: El Questro Wilderness Park
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Day 18 : El Questro Wilderness Park (B,L,D)
Enjoy the peaceful surroundings on your early morning walk into Emma Gorge before our cruise on Chamberlain Gorge. This freshwater hole is enclosed by a towering escarpment and home to incredibly diverse flora and fauna. This afternoon there is the chance of taking an optional helicopter flight over some of El Questro’s many gorges and waterfalls (at own expense – subject to availability). Then it’s on to the thermal pools at Zebedee Springs for a relaxing dip in this natural day spa surrounded by sheer cliffs and Livistona Palms.
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Day 19 : El Questro Wilderness Park – Bungle Bungles (B,L,D)
We travel south along the Great Northern Highway as we follow the rugged red Carr Boyd Range before our vehicle turns off the highway and into World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park, home to one of Western Australia’s most fascinating landmarks, the Bungle Bungle range.
Two Night Stay: Bungle Bungles
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Day 20 : Bungle Bungles (B,L,D)
This morning there is the opportunity of taking an optional helicopter flight over the magnificent Bungle Bungle range (at own expense). Seeing these incredible rock formations from the air gives a true sense of the scale of this incredible National Park. Today we drive to the northern end of the Bungle Bungle range for a memorable day of walks into two of the Park’s best attractions. The first walk is into Echidna Chasm through a narrow gorge that reveals something new at every bend – it’s like walking through a huge gap in the landscape with sunlight bouncing off the flaming red hues of the rock walls. After lunch we set off along a creek bed into Mini Palms to a platform atop a scenic amphitheatre for spectacular views of verdant palm trees and the valley beyond.
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Day 21 : Bungle Bungles – Fitzroy Crossing (B,L,D)
After breakfast we travel to the southern end of the National Park for a walk into Cathedral Gorge, an acoustically magnificent natural amphitheatre. We then leave Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park and rejoin the Great Northern Highway to Halls Creek on the boundary of the Kimberley and Tanami Desert. Halls Creek is a thriving service centre for pastoralists, Aboriginal communities and mining camps. Our destination this afternoon is the Fitzroy River Lodge located on the banks of one of the highest volume rivers on earth.
Overnight Stay: Fitzroy Crossing
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Day 22 : Fitzroy Crossing – Derby (B,L,D)
This morning relax on a cruise through the sanctuary that is Geikie Gorge, where 30 metre steep limestone walls laid down over a period of 50 million years were formed by fossilised coral reefs. From here it’s on to Tunnel Creek for a guided walk into Western Australia’s oldest cave system, made famous in 1897 as a hideout for the Aboriginal leader Jandamarra. We’ll then continue to Windjana Gorge where a large population of Johnston freshwater crocodiles inhabit the waterhole. Before arriving at our hotel in Derby, we stop at the town’s jetty, built to handle huge 10 metre tidal flows.
Overnight Stay: Derby
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Day 23 : Derby – Broome (B,L,D)
We leave Derby for Broome this morning. On our way out of town we will visit the famous Boab Prison Tree that for many years was used by police as a convenient lock-up for prisoners. We then travel to Willie Creek Pearl Farm where you will discover, during a guided tour and cruise, how the rare and beautiful Australian South Sea Pearl is produced.
Two Night Stay: Broome
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Day 24 : Broome (B,L,D)
This morning enjoy a tour of the sights of Broome. Stop at Gantheaume Point for a great photo opportunity looking back across Cable Beach. We then stop at the Broome Jetty before we visit the Japanese Cemetery, a testament to the dangerous early days of the pearling industry as over 900 divers are buried here. View the Old Courthouse and enjoy a tour at the Pearl Luggers’ Museum where you will learn of the perils of the deep and what made the pearl divers life so hazardous. This afternoon, wander through the old buildings in Chinatown where many indigenous art galleries and pearl showrooms can be found. There is also the opportunity of taking an optional scenic flight over the picturesque Buccaneer Archipelago (at own expense, must be pre-booked^). This evening’s dinner is time to relive many memorable holiday moments and say farewell to your crew and fellow travellers.
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Day 25 : Broome (B)
This morning after breakfast you will be transferred* to the airport for your homebound flight. ^The Buccaneer Archipelago optional flight must be booked at the time of booking this tour. Flights are not included. *Check transfer entitlements with your travel agent. For passengers who have already received documentation - refer to your booking summary.
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