11 Day Tour - 'Gulf Savannah'
(Darwin - Cairns)
Choice of accommodation
Experience the remarkable history, colourful characters and expansive, ever changing landscape that bounds the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria
This tour will not operate in 2009, however we welcome your interest. Please contact our office to register your interest in this tour (no obligation or deposit required at this stage). Price for this tour to be advised when re-scheduled.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Top End Northern Territory
• Mataranka Springs
• Remote drive via Roper Bar
• Heartbreak Hotel and Cape Crawford
• Borroloola
• Great Top Road from NT into QLD via Wollogorang and Hell’s Gate
• Lawn Hill Gorge and Adel’s Grove
• Burketown and “Plains of Promise”
• Gulf towns of Normanton and Karumba
• Sunset cruise on the Gulf at Karumba
• Gulflander Train ride
• Goldrush towns of Croydon, Georgetown and Forsayth
• Undara Lava Tubes
• Atherton tablelands
INCLUDES:
• Travel in air conditioned 4WD coach
• All accommodation as per itinerary
• Most meals as shown: B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner
• Admissions and Park fees
• Sunset cruise at Karumba
• Gulflander train ride
• Cruise on Cobbold Gorge
• Guided tour of the Undara Lava Tubes
• Services of experienced driver/guide and hostess/cook
• GST
DAY 1: DARWIN – MATARANKA
Depart the transit centre in Darwin at 8:00am. and follow the Stuart Highway southbound with stops at Adelaide River, Pine Creek, and Edith Falls ( picnic lunch ). We arrive early afternoon in Mataranka and have time to enjoy a swim in the thermal pool before settling in to our accommodation for the night. (L,D)
Package A – Motel accommodation
Package B – “Bush Lodge”
DAY 2: MATARANKA - CAPE CRAWFORD
Today’s drive is through remote NT cattle country along mostly gravel roads via the Roper Bar and Nathan River to our overnight stop alongside the Heartbreak Hotel at Cape Crawford for the next two nights. (B,L,D)
Package A - Air conditioned “donga” unit, shared facilities
Package B – “Bush Lodge”
DAY 3: CAPE CRAWFORD
Time today to take an optional helicopter flight (at own expense) to the nearby
“Lost City” – a spectacular landscape of towering rocks that resemble city towers. We visit the Caranbirini reserve where a short walk amongst very similar formations to the “Lost City” can be enjoyed. (B,L,D)
DAY 4: CAPE CRAWFORD – BURKETOWN
Travel via Boroloola to the “Great Top Road” for the big day’s drive through remote Gulf Country with many creek and river crossings along the interesting route from
NT into QLD. We pass by the “Hell’s Gate” and aboriginal community of Doomadgee before arriving in historic Burketown. (B,L,D)
Package A – Park cabins
Package B – “Bush Lodge”
DAY 5: BURKETOWN – ADEL’S GROVE
We tour this historic river settlement visiting the old boiling down plant and explorer’s tree before heading to Adel’s Grove with a stop en-route at the Gregory River with time for a swim in the cool, fast flowing waters. The scenery along the river is superb and the bird life is in abundance. We
spend the afternoon at Lawn Hill Gorge – considered by many to be the most beautiful spot in Australia! Lawn Hill creek flows abundantly between the towering red cliffs that are fringed by ancient palms. Swimming, hiking and bird watching are popular activities or hire a canoe (at own expense) and paddle the gorge. Adel’s Grove is our destination for the next two nights. (B,L,D)
Package A – Permanently erected tents
Package B – “Bush Lodge”
DAY 6: ADELS GROVE (or optional tour to the Riversleigh Fossil Fields)
Today is free for you to spend at your leisure at the historic Adel’s Grove park with it’s wonderful shady location and excellent swimming. Optional tours to the fossil fields on Riversleigh Station are operated from Adel’s Grove (at own expense). (B,L)
DAY 7: ADEL’S GROVE – NORMANTON
Travel today via Wills Development Road via Burke and Wills Roadhouse to Normanton where we settle in to our accommodation before driving out to the Gulf coast at Karumba (the prawn capital of Australia) for a sunset cruise and croc spotting tour on the Gulf and Norman River. Dinner tonight is at your own expense in Karumba. (B,L)
Package A -Motel accommodation
Package B - "Bush Lodge"
DAY 8: NORMANTON - COBBOLD GORGE
We start the day with a short ride on the famous Gulflander train out to the Norman River on the original line that was constructed to link the goldfields at Croydon to the port at Normanton. Back onto the coach and via Croydon,
Georgetown and Forsayth to Cobbold Gorge for the next two nights. (B,L,D)
Package A - Ensuite cabins
Package B – “Bush Lodge”
DAY 9: COBBOLD GORGE
A later start for our day to Cobbold Gorge - one of the most recently opened natural attractions in the region. Here we board boats and cruise deep into the sandstone
Gorge with scarcely enough room to squeeze the boats through the narrow cleft in the rocks.
The afternoon is free to relax around the pool or perhaps take an optional
tour of "Robin Hood" cattle station (at your own expense). Tonight
we enjoy dinner on the open deck at the park dining room (at your own expense)
(B,L)
DAY 10: COBBOLD GORGE - UNDARA LAVA TUBES
Today’s drive is mostly following the rough route of the famous ‘Savannahlander’ train tracks through outback cattle stations and the isolated former copper mining town of Einasleigh on the Copperfield Gorge.
Enjoy after dinner entertainment around the campfire.
(B,L,D)
Package A - Permanent tents
Package B - “Bush Lodge”
DAY 11: UNDARA LAVA TUBES – CAIRNS
This morning a very competent Savannah Guide leads us on a 2 hour inspection of the massive underground tubes and explains their formation. The drive into Cairns has great variety starting with the 40 Mile Scrub (semi-evergreen vine thicket which closely resembles that commonly found in Africa) then up to the fertile Atherton Tablelands with lush rainforests and rich farmlands.
Arrival time in Cairns approximately 5:00pm (City Place, Cnr Lake & Shield Streets). (B,L)