Longreach, Outback Queensland, NSW & Goondiwindi

16 Days -Thursday 5th to Friday 20th June 2025

Accommodation: Hilltop Motel Broken Hill, Cobar Town & Country Motor Inn, Lightning Ridge Outback Resort & Caravan Park, Best Western Ascot Lodge Motor Inn Goondiwindi, Roma Explorers Inn, Oasis Motor Inn Blackall, Albert Park Motor Inn Longreach, Warrego Motel Charleville

Highlights of the tour:

There’s no place like outback Queensland. This land of contrasts offers a travel adventure like no other. It is amazing how each town situated throughout this vast expanse of land has taken up the challenge and developed their own unique ways to capture the many travelers’ adventuring and exploring the outback. During our 16 days together, you will take home a lifetime of memories and get to see just how big and beautiful Australia really is.

«Board the coach, take a deep breath, relax and let us take you on a special journey. Morning tea will be at Tarlee, then on to Burra, an old copper mining town, for our next stop. Travel, passing through towns such as Mt Bryan and Hallett, before arriving for our lunch stop at Terowie, once a very bustling railway station and made famous by General McArthur’s speech saying “I shall return”
«Spend the first night in Broken Hill.
«Tour the sights of Broken Hill. We pass by places such as Bells Milk Bar, the Big Ant, The Palace Hotel (think Pricilla Queen of the Desert) and the Line of Load Miners’ Memorial.
«We stop at the Silver City Mint and Arts Centre, where you can view the “The Big Picture” the world’s largest Acrylic painting on canvas by a single artist, 100 meters long and 12 meters high.
«Leave Broken Hill and make our way to Cobar. Along the way we pass through the towns of Little Topar, Wilcannia (our lunchtime stop) and Lillyvale, finally reaching the Cobar Town & Country Motor Inn, our home for tonight and also later in our tour on our way home.
«Head for Burke, where we will pay our respects to the great Eye Surgeon Fred Hollows who is buried in the cemetery at Burke.
«The next town will be Walgett, where we will view the big truck mural and the water tower with Jimmy Little painted on it.
«A quick comfort stop at Apex Park and then our last leg of the day before arriving at the Black Opal mining town of Lightning Ridge. See “Stanley” the big Emu on the way into town and we will drive straight to the lookout for champagne and orange juice as we watch the sunset over the horizon.
«See the Artesian Bore Baths, where water from the Great Artesian Basin comes to the surface and maintains a constant temperature of 41.5 degrees. The water contains therapeutic qualities that help relieve aching and tired muscles. (I think we should bring home a 44 gallon drum of this magic potion).
«Visit Amigo’s Castle, single-handedly built of ironstone by an opal miner named Amigo. Hear about the man and see his quirky outback castle.
«Before leaving town we stop at Bevan’s Black Opal & Cactus Nursery, one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere with approx 2,500 varieties.
« Leaving Lightning Ridge our first stop is Hebel. See the pub that started out as a Cobb & Co Changing Station in 1884. In 1897 a dance hall was built across the road and is now the General Store.
«See the Beersheba Memorial to all who fought in the Great War 1914-1918 and to all the horses who could not come home. The charge of the 4^th & 12^th Light Horse Regiment was led by Brigadier General William Grant (1870- 1939) who purchased property at Dirranbandi after the war and remained here until his death. This will also be our lunch time stop.
«As we travel on we pass through Thallon, Weengallon and then arrive at Goondiwindi. This town is famous for that great grey racehorse Gunsynd and we will visit his statue at Apex Park.
«We will be joined on our coach by a local guide for a tour of the town and Goondiwindi Cotton’s working farm “Alcheringa”. Discover the history of cotton production and the evolution from field to fabric and finish the tour at their very own fashion house.
«Stop at Moonie, home of the “Big Yabbie” and then further up the track we stop at Miles (formerly Dogwood Crossing). This rural town on the Warrego Highway in the Western Downs Region is situated on Dogwood Creek which was named by the explorer Ludwig Leichardt.
«After leaving Miles we pass the “Pink Hotel” at Dulacca before arriving at the Roma Explorers Inn, where we will stay for the next two nights.
«Make our way to the Roma Saleyards and Val Harms Interactive Centre. You will get to hear the auctioneers at work, see the cattle weighed and sorted ready to be reloaded and trucked to their destinations. Anywhere from up to twelve thousand cattle are sold here EVERY week and we will be able to witness this amazing spectacle. One of the highlights of our tour.
«Visit the 18 square meter 3D Clay Mural in the Cultural Centre. Created in 1988 by local artists John & Maureen Morrison, the mural depicts the history and development of Roma and the district. Time now for a guided tour of the Big Rig, hear of pioneer exploits in trying to find either water, gas or oil.
«Say goodbye to Roma and head further inland through towns such as Radford, Mungalla and then make a stop at Augathella for a picnic lunch.
«See the painted water tower, the giant Meat Ant and the Smiley Mural.
«On to Tambo, home of Tambo Teddies. In 1992 wool prices had crashed and the district was in the grips of a drought. The community of Tambo came up with the idea of making Teddies stuffed with wool.
«Head to our destination, Blackall, birthplace of Perry Bros Circus. See Jumbo the Elephant in Banks Park, a tribute to the circus.
«Saddle up” and drive out to Blackall Woolscour, recognized as the last operational steam driven wool-washing plant in Australia. This heritage listed place has been meticulously restored into a fully operational museum. We will have a guided tour unveiling the secrets of the steam machinery and providing insights into the pioneering engineering achievements of yesteryear
«Our next town is Barcaldine, situated on the junction of the Capricorn and Landsborough Highways. Barcaldine is the reputed birthplace of the Labor movement of Australia.
«Visit the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, with it’s 14 buildings housing 22 displays and exhibits celebrating our working history.
«Arrive at Longreach, our home for the next four nights at the Albert Park Motor Inn. After settling in we board the coach and travel to the Qantas Founders Museum for the night time show called Luminescent Longreach. A spectacular sound and light experience as you stand amongst iconic aircraft with a 360 degree immersive sound that brings the 100 year story of Qantas to life with the mighty Boeing 747 serving as a primary canvas.
«Visit the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, with it’s 14 buildings housing 22 displays and exhibits celebrating our working history.
«Enjoy a breakfast at McGinness café at the Qantas Museum. Real delicious food, “not just airline food”.
«Experience the captivating journey of aviation history at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, a true gem of the outback.
«Head into town for some light hearted entertainment at the Harry Redford Old Time Tent Show. Laugh at the corny jokes and step back into a time when life was simple. Come see the horse with it’s tail where it’s head should be. Finish off the show with your Billy Can Lunch, a unique way to serve up your lunch… in a Billy Can!.
«Enjoy a Starlight cruise, dinner and sound & light show tonight. This was the original Thomson River Cruise and is still a favourite with its historic ‘Thomson Belle’ paddle wheeler or ‘Thomson Princess’ riverboat and its traditional riverbank entertainment, including a stockmen’s dinner around the campfire.
«Step ashore at the riverbank site and gather around the crackling fire for tales and bush poetry. Watch Starlight’s Spectacular Sound & Light Picture Show featuring the exclusive movie about the adventures of Captain Starlight (aka Harry Redford).
«Off to another highlight in Longreach… The Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Since opening in 1988, the Hall of Fame has played host to over 2 million visitors. Take in the Cinematic Experience, Museum and Galleries, Live Stockman’s show, Billabong Gardens and Unsung Heroes. There will be time for you to see the Live show with it’s amazing whip cracking, visit the Cinema, browse the displays and purchase a light lunch.
«Head out of town where we will settle back and enjoy an evening to remember dining under the stars beside the Coolibah-lined Thompson River. Enjoy full table service as you tuck into camp oven cuisine cooked on a fire of gidgee coals at Smithy’s, followed up with freshly baked damper and billy tea.
«Live on stage a talented outback performer will entertain you with songs and stories. Another memorable night.
«Drive straight to the Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History. This is a world-class organisation and home to the world’s largest collection of Australia’s dinosaur fossils.
«Next stop will be the Waltzing Matilda Museum. Winton’s Waltzing Matilda Centre tells the story of Waltzing Matilda, a song that is our unofficial anthem and the first museum in the world dedicated to a song.
«Say goodbye to Longreach. Enter our first town of Ilfracombe we pass Machinery Mile, a wonderful display of equipment from standing engines to earthmoving equipment, including a 1917 Ruston Proctor tractor (only 2 others of this model left in the world).
«Arrive in Charleville, our home for the next two nights. Dine at the historic Hotel Corones, the most famous landmark in Charleville. It is one of the few masonry buildings built in the 1920s and represents the social and economic fabric of those prosperous and pioneering days
«Embark on our Outback Date Farm tour. Enjoy delicious date loaf morning tea while admiring rows of magnificent palm trees. Learn how dates grow, and how reclaimed water came to be used for this environmentally friendly project. Best of all find out how incredibly healthy dates are for you.
«Guided tour of the historical Charleville Landmark, the Hotel Corones. Hear the rags to riches story of Harry, an early day entrepreneur who made not only local history, but Australian history more than once and still holds an Australian record to this day. Be amused by the stories of Harry’s comical antics.
«Tour the WWII Secret Base. Discover it’s role during the war, and experience what it was like for 3,500 United States Army Air Force Personnel stationed at Charleville during WWII and how they constructed and managed a top-secret base here. Fall in line and follow the guide. On our bus journey we will explore unique sites and get up close with the most classified pieces of military equipment from WWII.
«Explore the wonders of the outback sky at the Cosmos Centre. Enjoy a guided tour of the night sky and observe spectacular objects through a 14 inch telescope (or Planetarium on cloudy nights) Maybe you will be lucky and see the space station orbit the earth as we did last time we were there.
«Bid farewell to Charleville. Our first stop being the Angellala Bridge Explosion site.
«After a brief comfort stop at Wyandra we arrive at Cunnamulla, the only surviving south-west town along the original Cobb & Co route, beside the Warrego River.
«Stop at Enngonia, a “one pub” tiny town on the Mitchell Highway. It’s main claim is that it is particularly rich in bushranger history.
«Our last town before Cobar is Burke. We passed through here earlier on in our trip and visited Fred Hollows grave so today we will see the painted water tower which includes a tribute to Percy Hobson who made history by becoming the first Indigenous athlete to win a medal in the Commonwealth Games in 1962.
«We will have a local guide join our coach for a tour of the town of Cobar, “The Copper City”, once Australia’s largest producer of the mineral and at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier Highway.
«On our last day as we make the final journey leg back to Adelaide. Our first stop is Yunta, which became a busy railway town in the 1890’s providing a link between Broken Hill and the SA capital of Adelaide.
«We will enjoy our farewell meal together at the Burra Hotel.

It will be the end of an epic holiday from which we are sure you will have gained so much knowledge of our beautiful outback, had some amazing experiences and made new friends. It will have been our pleasure to escort you on this memorable journey!

Inclusions

« 15 nights accommodation at the listed motels/hotel
« Cooked or continental breakfast every day except day 1
« Lunch on Days 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15 and 16
« Two course dinner on Days 1 to 15
« Entrance to Museums/attractions listed
« Fully escorted with a tour host
« Deluxe coach travel

COMPLIMENTARY HOME PICK AND RETURN TO SELECTED SUBURBS

A more detailed itinerary is available, please contact the office for your copy