MELBOURNE TO GRIFFITH

Welcome to our 15 day tour to Outback Queensland! With chauffeured pickup from home we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew. We begin our journey following the Goulburn Valley Highway to The Big Strawberry for a delicious lunch. This afternoon we cross into New South Wales and through Coleambally and Darlington Point to Griffith. Row upon row, farm upon farm of oranges, grapes, peaches and other delights boldly announce we have entered one of Australia’s most magnificent food and wine producing areas of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.

OVERNIGHT: Kidman Wayside Inn, GRIFFITH

GRIFFITH TO COBAR

Following breakfast we travel a short distance to the Griffith Tourism Hub where we are joined by a local guide. Our tour will give us a good introduction to the area and what occurs over a twelve-month period, as well as the history of the Griffith area. On the road again, we follow the famous Kidman Way to Cobar. We travel through quite a few little outback towns like Goolgowi, Hillston and Mount Hope. On our arrival in Cobar, we enjoy an interesting talk about Cobar and the mining industry at the Great Cobar Museum.

OVERNIGHT: Copper City Motel, COBAR

COBAR TO CHARLEVILLE

We have a slightly earlier start this morning to make the most of our day. After breakfast we continue north to Bourke on the banks of the Darling River. We enjoy our morning break

here before a look around at the local sights, including a visit to Fred Hollows grave. We stop for lunch at Barringun, right on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. This afternoon, we pause in Cunnamulla to view some fantastic artwork on the water tower before continuing on to Charleville. This evening we will visit the Cosmos Centre. The centre is an audio-visual extravaganza featuring hi-tech interactive displays that take you on an astronomical journey through the ages, unravelling many mysteries of our night sky. Tonight we can enjoy the open-air observatory and view the outback night sky.

OVERNIGHT: Mulga Country Motor Inn & Waltzing Matilda Motel, CHARLEVILLE

CHARLEVILLE TO LONGREACH

After breakfast we continue north to Blackall, home to the legendary gun shearer Jackie

Howe and where he set the almost unbelievable record of shearing 321 sheep with blade shears in a day. A bronze statue now stands as a monument to the man and the achievement. We visit the Wool Scour for lunch and a tour. From Blackall we continue north to Barcaldine before turning west towards Longreach. We take a break in Ilfracombe where you may like to take a wander along the Folk Transport Museum. From here it’s onto Longreach, a town which has played a significant role in the early development of Central Queensland and

Outback Australia. On arrival we settle into our motel for the next four nights.

OVERNIGHT: Longreach Motor Inn, LONGREACH

EXPLORING LONGREACH

Today we are going to have a special experience as we get an insight to the area through the eyes of local graziers and pioneer families. We meet the owners of a local property called Rosebank Station and learn about their operations and the challenges of working on the land. Returning to town we arrive at the iconic Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame to experience the Outback Stockman’s Show. It encompasses the modern-day aspects of being a stockman, as well as telling the tales of what it used to be like in the past. We can enjoy lunch straight after the Stockman’s Show and then are free to look through the museum at our own pace and return to the hotel for return to the hotel for some free time. At the heart of Italian culture is the joy of sharing stories, laughter, and most of all, food. At The Italian Longreach tonight for dinner, our dining experience celebrates this spirit with every dish - just as Nonna intended!

OVERNIGHT: Longreach Motor Inn, LONGREACH

MORE SIGHTSEEING

Today we uncover some national treasures, as we will be visiting the QANTAS Founders

Outback Museum. The Museum tells the story of Qantas from the early days in Outback Queensland to present day. Displays focus on the founding figures of Qantas, life in Outback Queensland in the 1920s and the advancement and impact of aviation in Australia and the world. Included in our visit is a tour of the Boeing 747, 707 and DC-3 aircraft. Next, we return to town where we enjoy lunch before time to explore the Outback Pioneers Station Store. Tonight, we enjoy a sunset cruise of the Thomson River. Relax on the top deck of the Longreach Explorer and take in 360 degree views of the Thomson River. Enjoy entertaining and informative commentary detailing river and cultural stories. Unwind with complimentary

nibbles platters and purchase drinks from the licensed onboard cash bar. As the sunset fades into starlight, we dock at Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show for a night of great food and live entertainment under the stars. It will be a fantastic night.

OVERNIGHT: Longreach Motor Inn, LONGREACH

WINTON - THE AUSTRALIAN AGE OF DINOSAURS

We will see some dramatic and ever-changing scenery as we make our way to Winton. The area was once home to dinosaurs and is full of ground breaking scientific discoveries and archaeological digs. Today we will have the opportunity to learn about this prehistoric phenomenon. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs is located on top of the “jump up” – a rugged mesa plateau formation that stands 75 metres above the surrounding plains. The centre hosts the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils and the largest fossil preparation laboratory in the southern hemisphere. We now head to town and head straight to the Waltzing Matilda Centre for lunch and time to look through the world class museum and art gallery. Displays focus on the Australian landscape, channel country, the women of the homesteads and livestock/wool industries of the outback. Also, it was in the Winton area that Banjo Paterson wrote his famous poem about the swagman and the jolly jumbuck and “Waltzing Matilda”. It was first heard in the North Gregory Hotel! We return to Longreach late afternoon following a great day sightseeing in Winton.

OVERNIGHT: Longreach Motor Inn, LONGREACH

LONGREACH TO EMERALD

Departing Longreach this morning we retrace our steps to Barcaldine, a town steeped in the history of the early pioneers’ struggles - and the evolution of Australia as a nation. It was here that the famous shearers’ strike of 1890 took place. The “Tree of Knowledge” monument next to the Barcaldine Railway Station marks the spot where the Australian Labour Party was formed. From Barcaldine, it’s onto Alpha for our lunch stop. Known as "The Gateway to the West", is an interesting mix of historic and modern buildings, changed by fire, flood and progress over the years. It was established in 1884 to serve railway construction workers and is still an important station on the line to the Central West. Alpha, taken from the Greek word

meaning - "the beginning" - is claimed by locals as the beginning of the west. We have our afternoon stop at the Miners Heritage in Rubyvale where we take an interesting

underground tour. For those of us who don’t want to go underground, there is a chance to

fossick to find a treasure of our own or just sit and relax. The final leg of our journey today is

to Emerald, the commercial hub of Central Queensland. We will see the historic railway

station built in 1900 and now classified by the National Trust. Outside the Town Hall we also see a fossilised tree that is 250 million years old. It was unearthed on the banks of the Mackenzie River when a railway bridge was being constructed to one of the local mines and donated to the town on the event of its centenary by BHP Mines.

OVERNIGHT: Western Gateway Motel, EMERALD

EMERALD TO ST GEORGE

We travel south this morning to Rolleston to connect with the Carnarvon Development Road which takes us through to Roma. Lunch today will be at Injune then we travel to Roma where we visit the Big Rig Tourist Complex. We will enjoy a short tour of the Oil Patch, which features a giant 1920 Emsco Rig, the last steam driven rig in Australia. A fascinating series of interactive and informative panels along with audio presentations describe the Roma landscape some 300 million years ago. The final leg of today’s journey sees us arriving at St. George for our overnight accommodation.

OVERNIGHT: Riverland Motor Inn, ST GEORGE

ST GEORGE TO LIGHTNING RIDGE

This morning, we head over the border on our way to Lightning Ridge. We pass through the

little town of Dirranbandi and arrive in Lightning Ridge late morning where we head to Opal Mine Adventure to experience the atmosphere of an underground mine. We also have a tour including a video presentation and explanation about opal mining followed by a light lunch. We then visit the showroom to view the opals that came from the mines in this area and have the opportunity to purchase an opal. This afternoon, we visit Bevan’s Cactus Nursery. Started in 1966 and now encompassing two passionate generations, Bevan’s host one of the largest cactus nurseries in the Southern Hemisphere. Grown from seeds collected from around the world, many plants are now over 100 years old, with the oldest being nearly 150 years of age.

Lunch own arrangements and cost

OVERNIGHT: Wallangulla Motel, LIGHTNING RIDGE

LIGHTNING RIDGE

We have an interesting day planned today, starting with a special, locally escorted, Black Opal Tour. We visit historic Three Mile Flat, an early opal miners’ settlement, before heading to Lunatic Hill Open Cut, the largest opal mine in NSW. Discover the largest opal agitator and try fossicking for opals. Enjoy a Devonshire Tea at the historic Old Red Rattler Train Carriages with an opal cutting demonstration and learn about Black Opals. We learn of the Artesian Bore Baths, visit The Bottle House mining museum and Amigos Castle. After a light lunch we have a very special experience at the Chambers of the Black Hand. Opened in April 2007, this is a unique tourist mine. More than 11 metres underground, local artist Ron Canlin has created the most awesome paintings and sculptures. There is The Last Supper, Archangel Gabriel and the Chinese Terracotta Warriors and a whole lot more! It is amazing and there is nothing else like it in Australia. Our final stop today is a visit John Murray Art Gallery, followed by free time for some personal opal shopping in town.

OVERNIGHT: Wallangulla Motel, LIGHTNING RIDGE

LIGHTNING RIDGE TO MOREE

We depart Lightning Ridge and continue our journey across this great land to arrive at Moree in time for lunch. This afternoon, we meet a local guide who will familiarise us to the town including a visit to one of the many cotton farms in the area where the cotton is picked and packed ready for transporting to the Cotton Gin. After a wonderful day out, we head to our hotel. Some of us may like to enjoy the artesian thermal pool located in the property before dinner.

OVERNIGHT: The Phoenix Artesian Spa Resort, MOREE

MOREE TO DUBBO

Today we are off to Dubbo, a vibrant regional city on the banks the majestic Macquarie River it is also situated in the geographical heart of NSW and has a history that goes back more than 180 years. Arriving this afternoon we have a chance to “talk to the animals” at the award-winning Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The zoo is one of the largest in the world, covering some 300 hectares, where animals live in large natural areas behaving very much as they would in the wild. We are joined by a local guide who will board our coach and provide us with an insight into the animals and zoo (with plenty of stops for explanations and photos). After a wonderful time here, we then check into our accommodation for the night.

OVERNIGHT: Matilda Motor Inn, DUBBO

DUBBO TO WAGGA WAGGA

We have a slightly earlier start this morning; from Dubbo we take the Newell Highway

through Peake Hill. Just north of Parkes, we visit the CSIRO Radio Telescope, also called “The Dish”. The visitor centre features many hands on displays and exhibits and our visit also includes an audio visual experience. Our lunch venue today is in Grenfell and our afternoon journey takes us through Young and Cootamundra. We stop in Junee for a visit to the Junee Liquorice and Chocolate Factory before the last leg of today’s journey which takes us to Wagga Wagga.

OVERNIGHT: Mercure Wagga Wagga, WAGGA WAGGA

WAGGA WAGGA TO MELBOURNE

Unfortunately, our holiday is coming to an end and today is mostly a travel day so sit back and enjoy the ride! We travel to Benalla where we enjoy lunch before continuing home. As always, our chauffeurs will await our arrival in Melbourne to transfer us safely home - all part of the fabulous O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours service!