itinerary
Day 1 • ARRIVE – TOWNSVILLE
We begin our adventure with a briefing and celebratory welcome dinner and drinks at the Hotel with the group and your tour leader setting the stage for the journey ahead. Overnight: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Townsville (D)
Day 2 • TOWNSVILLE – CHARTERS TOWERS
After checking out, take a tour of the Army Museum of Queensland located in the beautiful Jezzine Barracks. The museum collects objects and stories relating to the history of the Australian Army in North Queensland. Head to the station to board the Inlander for our train journey to Charters Towers. This evening enjoy dinner together at the local tavern. Overnight: Cattleman’s Rest Motor Inn, Charters Towers (B,D)
Day 3 • CHARTERS TOWERS
This morning we head out of town to Leahton Park, a working cattle property and home to Australia’s Texas Longhorns. Here we will see and learn about the fascinating history of these historical and magnificent cattle. After lunch in town we head a short way out of town again to the Venus Gold Battery for a guided tour of the largest surviving Battery in Queensland. Built in 1872, this mill provided gold extraction facilities to miners for over a century. The huge “stampers” pounded away through the day and night extracting the precious gold from quartz up until 1973. Back in Charters Towers, the evening is free at leisure. Overnight: Cattleman’s Rest Motor Inn, Charters Towers (B,L)
Day 4 • CHARTERS TOWERS – HUGHENDEN – RICHMOND
Departing first thing we hit the highway, the Flinders’ Way, heading west along the dinosaur trail to the town of Hughenden. Enjoy Lunch at the Windmill Café and freshen up before we take time to explore the Flinders Discovery Centre, which is well stocked with fascinating specimens and houses heaps more than just Dinosaurs. Late afternoon, continue onto Richmond an hour or so further west along the Flinders Highway. Tonight’s dinner is hosted at the hotel. Overnight: Ammonite Hotel, Richmond (B,L,D)
Day 5 • RICHMOND – WINTON
This morning we head to Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond’s main attraction and Australia’s premier marine fossil museum. We have time to explore before we continue our exploration along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail in Queensland’s Outback a few hours south to the town of Winton. Along the way, we talk about the Outback Landscape and its defining feature which is home to so many of the fossil records and Dinosaur story – the great Inland Sea. On arrival into Winton check in to our hotel. This evening you will enjoy dinner in the hotel’s authentic retro dining room. Overnight: North Gregory Hotel, Winton (B,L,D)
Day 6 • WINTON
This morning after breakfast at the hotel we begin the exploration of Australia’s rich Dinosaur legacy. Vicki from Red Dirt Tours is on hand once again to take us on a guided tour of the wild country to the west of Winton, leading us across the outback to the exceptional Lark Quarry National Monument. It was here that the world’s best preserved fossil proof of a Dinosaur stampede was discovered by the local station manager in the 1960’s. Your time here includes a guided tour, a film, and some time for lunch. Back at Winton, a somewhat more recent history is on show with a visit to the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the first museum in the world dedicated to a song. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours at leisure. Overnight: North Gregory Hotel, Winton (B,L)
Day 7 • WINTON
This morning, enjoy free time to explore the classic outback town of Winton. You may wish to visit the heritage truck and machinery museum, check out the famous boulder opals, and wander the streets that feature many interesting heritage buildings and interesting shops. After lunch on your own, Vicki will pick you up for the drive out to visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. Here, you will have plenty of time to wander the displays and our guide will show us around and host the walk-through Dino Canyon. To cap off the day we enjoy an early dinner at Age of Dinosaurs including a visit to the Observatory which is a great addition to the Outback story. The rest of the evening back in town is at leisure. Overnight: North Gregory Hotel, Winton (B,D)
Day 8 • WINTON – LONGREACH
This morning after breakfast, we board our private coach from Red Dirt Tours to take us the 180 kilometres to Longreach. Named after the “long reach” of the Thomson River, the town had only been gazetted for five years when the railway arrived in 1892. Longreach is situated right on the Tropic of Capricorn and has a population of just over 3,000, boosted by travellers who come to see the great museums, notably the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum. Qantas Founders Museum which tells the story of the four key figures who founded Qantas and highlights what life was like in Queensland in the 1920s. The history of our iconic airline unfolds as you experience a 1½-hour Jet Tour, a behind-the-scenes look at both a 747, 707, and more followed by lunch at the museum. Enjoy Luminescent Longreach, an entertaining and informative night-time light and sound show. Dinner this evening will be at a local restaurant. Overnight: Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach (B,L,D)
Day 9 • LONGREACH
After breakfast we head off to the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Australia’s premier outback heritage institution where you can explore the museum showcasing an eclectic mix of objects – touchscreens, open displays, photographs, artworks, and audio-visual presentations. Enjoy a live ‘Outback Stockman’s Show’ which tells the story of real-life stockmen and women who work on the land. Lunch is at leisure. This afternoon your dinner experience starts with the Silver-Tails Sunset rail experience on the heritage 2000 class Rail Motor where we will watch the sun set over the floodplains, whilst savouring signature canapes and quality outback hospitality. For dinner, you’ll enjoy the incredible Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show experience under the stars, where we’ll enjoy a bush dinner around the campfire. Overnight: Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach (B,D)
Day 10 • LONGREACH
This morning we are back on the Silver Rail Motor for an excursion to Ilfracombe, named after a small town in Devonshire England. It originated in 1891 as a transport nucleus for Wellshot Station, the largest sheep station in the world at the time (in terms of stock numbers). Listen to incredible stories of nostalgia told by the rail motor drivers, who bring back to life ‘the hub of the West’, and explore unique attractions like the Wellshot Centre & Machinery Mile. Enjoy lunch at the famous Wellshot Hotel before returning to Longreach. This evening we enjoy a dinner at Camden Station. Overnight: Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach (B,L,D)
Day 11 • LONGREACH – BRISBANE
This morning after breakfast we head to the station to board the Spirit of the Outback for our overnight journey to Brisbane. As we head out of the heart of Outback Queensland, the ever-changing landscape passes the sleepy Central Queensland towns like, Barcaldine, Alpha, and Jericho. A chef-prepared dinner is served in the train’s “Tuckerbox” dining car while the Central Ranges towns of Emerald, Blackwater, and Bluff roll by. Afterward, you can unwind in the “Shearers Rest” lounge car as evening descends on our southbound train. From the comfort of your air-conditioned, first-class sleeping berth you will enjoy a fascinating journey from Longreach to Brisbane. Overnight: On board the Spirit of the Outback (B,L,D)
Day 12 • BRISBANE
Wake up to a vista of the lush sub-tropical coastal plain with features like the Glass House Mountains to capture. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the train this morning with an expected arrival at Roma Street Station at 9.55am, signalling the end of our adventure. From here you can take transfers to the airport for the flight home, or onward connections to continue your adventure. (B)
MEET YOUR TOUR LEADER – CHRIS HARDING
Chris Harding is Vice President of the Australian Railway Historical Society, NSW Division. Chris fell under the spell of rail as a child, when he would walk from his home in the Sydney suburb of Belmore to watch trains in action at the Enfield Railway Yards, then home to over 300 steam locomotives. Although side-tracked by a high-flying career in the banking industry, Chris continued to have an active interest in railway history as a tour guide and office-bearer at the NSW Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere. After leaving the banking world, Chris had the opportunity to pursue his passion full-time, first working for 3801 Limited, the operating company of the famous steam locomotive 3801, and later managing the ARHS Railway Bookshop at Sydney’s Central Station. He also became a popular media contact for commentary on historic and current railway events, frequently appearing on talkback radio and television programs. Although retired, Chris still enjoys working with his mate and founder of Railway Adventures, Scott McGregor hosting many railway adventures in Australia and Europe.
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