Rail & Coach Exploration of Queensland

DAY 1 Tuesday 19 July 2022 Brisbane to Rockhampton - Tilt train
Today group members depart Brisbane Roma Street Station midmorning on our Tilt Train journey to Rockhampton. The Tilt Train connects passengers with some of Queensland’s most iconic tourist destinations with a quick and convenient way to access the Southern Great Barrier Reef and Capricorn Coast. Travelling at up to 160km per hour, the tilt Train is one of the fastest trains in Australia. Upon arrival early evening we check into our Rockhampton hotel. This evening we enjoy an included Welcome Dinner.

DAY 2 Wednesday 20 July 2022 Airlie Beach
This morning we enjoy a city tour of Rockhampton before heading north to Airlie Beach via Mackay. The tour manager will recommend restaurants for those that wish to dine with the group.

DAY 3 Thursday 21 July 2022 Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands, a gathering of 74 sandy isles scattered across the centre of the Great Barrier Reef. Today we take a cruise to spectacular Whitehaven Beach followed by lunch and free time at Hamilton Island.

DAY 4 Friday 22 July 2022 Townsville
We depart Airlie Beach today following the coast north to Townsville. We check into our hotel late afternoon. Townsville is a vibrant and bustling city with Federation-style architecture and a coastal vibe. It’s also Australia’s largest garrison town with Australian Defence Force bases and a fascinating military history.

DAY 5 Saturday 23 July 2022 Charters Towers – The Inlander
A free morning in Townsville before we board The Inlander train for Charters Towers. Relax as we depart the coast and head into the Great Dividing Range and Outback Queensland. We disembark in Charters Towers mid-afternoon and check in to our motel. Gold was first discovered in the outback town of Charters Towers in 1871 by Aboriginal horse boy, Jupiter Mosman. It quickly became a booming gold rush town, with over 65 hotels and a population of more than 25,000 people. The afternoon will be free to explore the town.

DAY 6 Sunday 24 July 2022 Richmond
This morning we will have a tour of Charters Towers. The town has many magnificent heritage buildings which are testament to its prosperity in the early 1900s. These include the heritage listed Stock Exchange Arcade, The World Theatre, City Hall and the Post Office Tower. The cemetery, which was established in 1895, is the resting place of Jupiter Mosman. This afternoon we travel to Richmond, a small outback town which functions as a service centre to the surrounding pastoral community. Once part of Australia’s vast Inland Sea, Richmond is best known for its marine fossil discoveries.

DAY 7 Monday 25 July 2022 Mt Isa
This morning we visit Kronosaurus Korner which displays fossil finds from the cretaceous-era inland sea, which existed from about 97.5 to 120 million years ago. We then travel to Mount Isa via Cloncurry. Mt Isa is Outback Queensland’s largest town, built around vast silver, copper, zinc and lead mines. Nestled among the ochre-red Selwyn Ranges, on the banks of the Leichhardt River, Mount Isa is a bustling melting pot of culture and industry and home to one the most productive single mines and the southern hemisphere’s largest rodeo.

DAY 8 Tuesday 26 July 2022 Mt Isa
We enjoy a sightseeing coach tour of Mount Isa, with local guide, including a visit to Mount Isa’s fascinating World War 2 Underground Hospital. This afternoon we visit the Hard Times Mine underground tour. Descending into the mine in the Alimak Cage, we begin to explore the history of mining as the guides entertain us with their stories of the good times and the hard times that they had working deep under the earth.

DAY 9 Wednesday 27 July 2022 Winton
This morning we travel to Winton via McKinlay and the Walkabout Creek Hotel, location for the pub scenes in the movie Crocodile Dundee. On the way we will see the Combo Waterhole, a famous billabong that has important links with the Waltzing Matilda story. ‘Banjo’ Paterson visited Combo Waterhole for a picnic before writing the song in 1895. On arrival we visit the outstanding Waltzing Matilda Centre, which tells the intriguing story behind the writing of Waltzing Matilda. After dinner, we will enjoy an Old-time Movie Night, a special one hour movie show at Winton’s Royal Theatre, one of the few remaining open air picture theatres still operating in Australia, complete with original projection equipment and canvas seats! The show includes old cinema newsreels, old movie ads, ‘The 3 Stooges’ and ‘Popeye’.

DAY 10 Thursday 28 July 2022 Winton
This morning we enjoy a visit to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Display in Winton’s Corfield and Fitzmaurice building. One of Australia’s largest dinosaur fossils (‘Elliot’) was discovered near Winton in 2002. This afternoon we visit the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways for a guided tour. We’ll see amazing fossilized footprints from a dinosaur stampede 95 million years ago.

DAY 11 Friday 29 July 2022 Longreach
Late morning we depart Winton for Longreach, which is the heart of Outback Queensland and home to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum. According to its founders; “[Qantas] was conceived in Cloncurry, born in Winton and grew up in Longreach.” After time for lunch we will check into our hotel and the rest of the afternoon will be free.

DAY 12 Saturday 30 July 2022 Longreach
This morning we will visit the Qantas Founders Museum. The museum tells the story of Australia’s national airline, from its early days in Outback Queensland to the present day. Characters of the early Qantas days, their pioneering spirit and the impact the airline had for all Australians, is brought to life through life size exhibits, historical artefacts and interactive displays including the National Heritage Listed Qantas Hangar. We will also enjoy informative guided tours of the Boeing 707, Boeing 747, Super Constellation and DC-3 in the Museum’s new Airpark Enclosure. This evening enjoy a sunset cruise and traditional stockman’s campfire dinner on the nearby Thomson River.

DAY 13 Sunday 31 July 2022 Longreach
This morning we visit The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre, which pays tribute to Australia’s outback heroes. It also tells the story of the rural areas from the arrival of the Aborigines more than 40,000 years ago, settlement by the British, exploration, the establishment of grazing, agriculture, mining, forestry and other industries in country Australia. It also follows the story of the many kinds of technologies which are playing a role in farming, business and communications to the present day. This afternoon there is free time, in the centre of town. Make sure you visit The Station Store. This outstanding store is based on the traditional outback stores that sold everything.

DAY 14 Monday 1 August 2022 Barcaldine – Spirit of the Outback
We enjoy a taste of the historic Spirit of the Outback train journey this morning as we board for the Longreach to Barcaldine leg. Enjoy watching the ever changing outback scenery from the comfort of the train. On arrival in Barcaldine we have an over view tour of the town and learn about the historic Tree of Knowledge (the Tree under which shearers met during Great Shearer’s Strike of 1891).

DAY 15 Tuesday 2 August 2022 Charleville
This morning we travel to Charleville. On arrival we enjoy a sightseeing tour with a local guide. We see the School of Arts Hotel, mentioned in the song Charleville, recorded by Slim Dusty and visit the Charleville Historic House and Museum, a beautiful historic building (1881). After lunch we visit the Charleville Bilby Experience (presented by Save the Bilby Fund). We see the rare and endangered bilby, a cute local marsupial.

DAY 16 Wednesday 3 August 2022 Roma
We depart Charleville and continue on to Roma, where we see some of the town’s famous bottle trees. We also see the impressive heritage-listed Roma Courthouse, situated on site of courthouse where Harry Redford (Captain Starlight) was tried in 1872 for cattle-stealing. Optional Westlander Train Journey Tour members have the option to return to Brisbane on the Westlander overnight train to Brisbane departing from Roma this evening. Travel overnight and wake up to the stunning scenery of the Darling Downs and Great Dividing Range as you pass through Toowoomba and head towards Brisbane, arriving late morning on Thursday.

DAY 17 Thursday 4 August 2022 Brisbane
For tour members returning by coach we travel from Roma to Brisbane across the Darling Downs and the Great Dividing Range. In Toowoomba visit the outstanding Cobb & Co Museum and see Australia’s finest collection of horse-drawn vehicles. We arrive into Brisbane Roma Street Train Station at approximately 5:00pm and the tour concludes. Please talk to your consultant if you would like us to arrange post tour accommodation.