• Undara Lava Tubes
• Longreach
• Emerald
• Carnarvon Gorge National Park
• The "Big Rig"
• Lightning Ridge
• Dubbo

DAY 1 CAIRNS – UNDARA (LD)

After an early morning pick-up from your Cairns accommodation, your journey begins travelling over the Great Dividing Range. A scenic drive through the Tropical Tablelands, visit the magnificent Curtain Fig Tree, historic town of Yungaburra, and Lake Barrine. Past the Wind Turbines at Ravenshoe, before arriving at your accommodation, Undara Lava Wilderness Lodge.

DAY 2 UNDARA - HUGHENDEN (BLD)

Morning rise to a great bush breakfast, after which you will be met by your Savannah Guide for an informative tour of the world's largest, longest, and most accessible lava tube system. Continuing on to Porcupine Gorge and Hughenden's mini Grand Canyon, before arriving at the Hughenden Royal Hotel Resort.

DAY 3 HUGHENDEN - LONGREACH (BLD)

This morning we make our way to Winton where Banjo Patterson wrote the famous Aussie song Waltzing Matilda. Visit Waltzing Matilda Centre. On to Longreach for lunch. after which you have time for a guided tour of the Qantas Founders Museum. Accommodation for the next two nights at the lbert Park Motel.

DAY 4 LONGREACH (BD)

A leisurely morning or an optional tour of Longreach School of Distance Education. This afternoon visit the Stockman's Hall of Fame, an opportunity to learn of accomplishments of pioneers and explorers of the outback. This evening we take a Billabong Cruise on the Thomson River to absorb more of the bush ambience, followed by outback dinner, and bush poetry and ballads.

DAY 5 LONGREACH - EMERALD (BLD)

First stop this morning is the Workers' Heritage Centre at Barcaldine, which holds a special place in Australian political history. This is where the Australian Labor Party was founded under the Tree of Knowledge. After lunch, we take a guided underground mining tour of the sapphire fields of Rubyvale. On to Emerald, a thriving centre of agriculture, mining, and the largest sapphire fields in the Southern Hemisphere. This afternoon you may wish to walk through the Botanical gardens.
Accommodation: Emerald Maraboon Motor Inn.

DAY 6 EMERALD - CARNARVON GORGE (BLD)

Traveling South through Springsure we arrive at the beautiful Carnarvon Gorge National Park. After lunch, we explore the park, taking a walk on the Nature trail to the Rock Pool, where you may catch a glimpse of a local platypus.
Accommodation: Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge.

DAY 7 & 8 CARNARVON GORGE NATIONAL PARK (B)

The next 2 days will be spent exploring the gorge. There are a variety of easy grade walks ranging from half an hour to 3 hours for you to do at your leisure. Some of the suggested popular walks are: The Moss Garden, Aboriginal Rock art, Balloon Caves, and the Amphitheater.

Leaving Carnavon Gorge, we travel down to Roma, visiting "the Big Rig", Australia's living history of oil and gas exploration. On to Lightning Ridge, where you can freshen up in the Bore Baths, which are continuously fed from an artesian basin 900m below the surface.
Accommodation: Lightning Ridge Motel.

DAY 10 LIGHTNING RIDGE - DUBBO (BLD)

This morning, we take an underground guided mining tour of the opal fields, where you will have the opportunity to purchase some opals. This afternoon we make our way to a Dubbo.
Accommodation: Blue Lagoon Motor Inn.

DAY 11 DUBBO - SYDNEY (BL)

Following the Mitchell Highway to Bathurst, making our way to the East Coast. Travelling over the Blue Mountains, you arrive back in Sydney late afternoon and Newcastle later in the day. We bid farewell to our new made friends.