Mackay Trip Overview
This tour showcases some of real outback experience. We head inland to some of the remote townships Queensland has to offer. We explore the history of the region from Dinosaurs, Gems to Cowboys and all that is inbetween.
Enjoy the comforts of a medium size boutique bus and small passengers numbers and a tour guide with a yarn of his own.
We use small buses which makes a good personalized tour.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 days
Starts: Mackay, Australia
Trip Category: Outdoor Activities >> 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours
Explore Mackay Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Mackay, Queensland, Australia
This tour showcases some of real outback experience. We head inland to some of the remote townships Queensland has to offer. We explore the history of the region from Dinosaurs, Gems to Cowboys and all that is inbetween.
Enjoy the comforts of a medium size boutique bus and small passengers numbers and a tour guide with a yarn of his own.
We use small buses which makes a good personalized tour.
Itinerary
Day 1: Let the journey Begin with Australia’s largest rainforest
Stop At: Eungella, Eungella, Queensland
We will pickup at Mackay airport or train station. We head up the Pioneer Valley to Eungella passing the small sugar cane towns, stopping at the Pinnacle Pub for a refreshment break. Leaving there we head up the Great Dividing Range to Eungella Chalet, for spectacular scenery. After Dinner we go spot lighting nocturnal animals in the rainforest.
Duration: 8 hours
Stop At: Broken River Mountain Resort, 524 Eungella Dam Rd, Broken River QLD 4757, Australia
Broken River Mountain Resort is nestled in Australia largest rain forest. There are rainforest walks beside the resort, which has the best viewing of Platypus in the World.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Eungella
Day 2: Lets try a little fossicking
Stop At: The Gemfields QLD 4702, Australia
On our way to Barcaldine we will try our hand at fossicking for sapphires in the heart of the Gemfields, Rubyvale.
We then venture through to the country town of Barcaldine home to the Tree of Knowledge, the reputed birth place of the labour movement in Australia and the location of the first Australian Shearer strike.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Tree of Knowledge Memorial, Capricorn Hwy, Barcaldine, Queensland Australia
The Tree of Knowledge grew outside the Railway Station for about 180 years until 2006 when sadly, it was poisoned by an unknown culprit. The famous tree has been preserved and placed under an award winning structure that gives the illusion of a canopy over the Tree. The best view of the Tree and the memorial is at night when it is beautifully lit by special lighting. A visit at night will be a highlight of your trip.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Barcaldine
Day 3: Longreach – The Real Outback
Stop At: Longreach, Longreach, Queensland
Cobb & Co stage coach ride – Live the past with all your senses as you ride the old Longreach-Windorah mail route. Hear the pounding hooves of the magnificent horses on the outback dirt road. Hear the rattle and creak of the coach. Hold on to your hat for the only stagecoach gallop in Australia!
Thompson River Sunset cruise with a campfire dinner on the paddle wheeler – Board the only paddlewheeler west of the Great Divide and enjoy an adventure to the heart of outback tradition and legend. Ashore we enjoy a traditional stockman’s camp-fire dinner. This is the real outback experience with inspiring and humorous traditional entertainment featuring the barefoot bush poet.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner: A traditional stockman’s camp-fire dinner.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Longreach
Day 4: Longreach – The Real Outback continues
Stop At: Longreach, Longreach, Queensland
Qantas Museum – The museum tells the story of Australia’s national airline, from its early days in Outback Queensland to present day. Characters of the early Qantas days, their pioneering spirit and the impact the airline had for all Australians.
The Australians Stockman’s hall of fame live show – Wonder through the themed galleries, each one depicting an important aspect of our pioneering history. Then bring the experience to life with a Stockman’s life live show.
Camden Park working cattle and sheep station – Meet Outback Dan who will show you the old swaggies grave, tour the solar farm, shearing shed, muster the livestock. Retreat at 2 tree hill for some nomadic nibbles and drinks before heading to the cooks cottage for some wagyu steak, potatoes, beans and salad followed by the outback’s best sticky date pudding.
On the odd occasion some experiences above may swap days. This is the outback after all and we will work in with her schedule.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner: Wagyu steak, potatoes, beans and salad followed by the outback’s best sticky date pudding.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Longreach
Day 5: Winton – The dinosaur capital of Australia
Stop At: Winton, Winton, Queensland
Explore the regions highlights
Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton, Outback Queensland tells the story of Waltzing Matilda, a song that lives in the hearts of all Australians as our unofficial anthem and the first museum in the world dedicated to a song.
The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum is home to the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils in the world. Enjoy a guided tour experience and a BBQ Dinner
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner: BBQ Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Winton
Day 6: Hughenden and Charters Towers
Stop At: Hughenden, Hughenden, Queensland
Enjoy lunch in Hughenden, a relaxed small town with a smile and a friendly wave on every corner.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Charters Towers, Charters Towers, Queensland
We take a historical walking tour in Charters Towners and visit the miners cottage and learn how to pan for gold.
Enjoy Drinks and nibbles at sunset on Tower hill over looking the beautiful Charters Towers
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Charters Towers
Day 7: Now lets try a little gold mining
Stop At: Charters Towers Venus Gold Battery, Millchester Road, Charters Towers, Queensland 4820 Australia
Waking up to the smell of gold ….. that is todays adventure.
First on todays agenda, our visit to the Venus gold Battery which offers an insight into the incredible Australian Gold Rush of the late 1870’s
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ravenswood, Ravenswood, Western Australia
Take a tour of Ravenswood, a heritage listed ghost town, a national trust treasure, it was once a thriving gold mining town. Today it is a beautifully preserved, virtual ghost town with a couple of pubs, a general store and some small businesses. In the boom era the town had over 50 pubs and a population of over 5,000. Ravenswood is worth exploring. The mullock heaps, the old shafts, the chimneys, the rusting machinery and the historic buildings.
We will enjoy lunch at the Railway Hotel, built in 1901, and hopefully be graced by the presence of some unseen locals then off we go to the coastal town of Townsville
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight in Townsville
Day 8: Highlights of Townsville
Pass By: Townsville, Townsville, Queensland
Tour this beautiful region and her highlights such as Castle Hill and The Strand, before meeting your flight home.
Stop At: Castle Hill Road, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia
Magnificent views over the looking the city, island and the Coral Sea
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: The Strand, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia
Enjoy the beautiful shores of Townsville along the strand with Magnetic Island in the background
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.