14 Day Queensland Outback & Rainforest
This tour is categorised as 3 out of 5
Balanced exploration with walking tours: Our most popular style, this tour offers a good mix of planned activities and free time. Expect moderate daily walking tours, so pack comfortable shoes.
As a general requirement across all of our trips, you may be required to walk up and down stairs, get on and off transportation, handle your own luggage, and participate in all scheduled sightseeing that may be conducted on uneven ground and terrain. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability and where required, supporting documentation may be requested to ensure that we are comfortable that you will enjoy your trip.
This tour features a combination of escorted and independent travel. Part of your journey will be enjoyed as a group experience, led by expert tour leaders or local guides. The remainder is self-guided—whether by rail, cruise, or overland—allowing you the freedom to travel between destinations independently and explore at your own pace.
✓ Incredible sightseeing, visit the Daintree, Cape Tribulation, experience historic Winton, learn about life on the land and the mining mecca of Mt Isa
✓ 13 nights’ accommodation in hotels and lodges
✓ Fly one way from Brisbane to Longreach, including checked baggage
✓ Fly one way from Mt Isa to Cairns, including checked baggage
✓ 7 breakfast, 8 Lunches, 6 dinners
✓ Escorted Days 2-6 and 10-12
✓ Dedicated, comfortable air-conditioned transportation
✓ Flight from Mt Isa to Cairns
✓ In depth sightseeing as per itinerary
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
Today, board your flight from Brisbane to Longreach. You will be met at Longreach Airport by your guide and transferred to your beautiful accommodation at the boutique outback lodgings. Tonight, meeting you fellow travellers for a tour briefing and a late supper.
Today board your transportation as your guide and group explores Strathmore Station for an insider's view of life on the land. After, you will continue to the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame to explore the different exhibits before enjoying a Stockman’s Show. This afternoon, you will experience the hospitality of local graziers at Camden Park Station with sunset drinks.
Witness a totally different way of schooling on a tour of the Longreach School of Distance Education. Visit historic Rosebank Station originally settled as a sheep and cattle station some 100 years ago. Wander the world-class Qantas Founders Museum, eloquently telling the story of the founding of Qantas. View marvellous interpretive and interactive exhibits then join a guided Airpark Tour. Late afternoon, unwind on the Drover’s Sunset Cruise with tasty on board nibbles platters followed by a two-course table service dinner under the stars and show.
Travelling west today continuing touring to the historic town of Winton. Here, learn about the story behind the iconic song Waltzing Matilda at the local museum. Discover the Arno Wall, thought to be the only musical fence in the world. Later this afternoon your guide will take you on a short drive to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs experience. Here, join an interpretive tour of the laboratory and Dino Canyon. Upon conclusion you’ll enjoy a sunset barbeque overlooking the dinosaur plains.
Enjoy a second day in this quintessential Australian town. Your guide will take you on a tour of Carisbrooke Station. Here, follow the scenic Cory’s Range drive to the local Three Sisters rock formation where you can try your hand at opal mining and enjoy billy tea. Witness a moment frozen in time where we can see a prehistoric dinosaur stampede from 95 million years ago. This afternoon return with your group to Winton for dinner and some relaxation time.
Today, farewell your fellow group members and board the regional coach for the drive to Mt Isa. The journey takes approximately 8 hours, prior to boarding you may wish to purchase drinks and snacks.
The coach will depart Winton at 13:20PM (subject to change). Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure. You will arrive in Mt Isa at approximately 19:05PM. The coach is air-conditioned, modern vehicle and will make rest stops along the way. On arrival in Mt Isa, it is only a 750m walk to your hotel or a short taxi.
Today you will be collected from your hotel to enjoy a half day Mt Isa discovery tour. Discover the past and present of ‘The Isa’. Traditional dwellings and original grand homes with a sneaky look at the mine and it's processes. We take a sneaky look at the mine and it's processes including the original copper open cut before getting a photo opportunity in front of the lead smelter and ball mill. We visit Mount Isa's train station only metres from the mine and the end of the line for "Progress and Prosper" as the rail line extension to Darwin never eventuated. Before heading back to Outback at Isa we visit Buchanan Park home to Mount Isa's world famous Rodeo, the biggest Rodeo in the southern hemisphere and a quick trip to Mount Isa's City Lookout.
Enjoy the morning at leisure. This afternoon, make your way to the airport to board your flight from Mt Isa to Cairns. The flight typically departs at 18:20PM and arrives in Cairns approximately 20:20PM. On arrival, please make your way to your Cairns accommodation for check-in.
This morning you will be collected from your hotel and travel in air-conditioned comfort in a purpose-built 4WD vehicle, experiencing some of the most amazing scenery and natural beauty in Australia. Your experienced guide will enlighten your journey with fascinating stories and history along the famous 4WD- only Bloomfield Track. Enjoy lunch at the infamous Lions Den Hotel. You will arrive in historic Cooktown in the early afternoon where we visit Grassy Hill for panoramic views before you are transferred to your accommodation for the night.
Note: Please have your Cairns hotel store your suitcase and pack an overnight bag as suitcases can not be taken. You will return to the same hotel in Cairns on Day 11.
Today you will explore Cooktown, the first stop is the Heritage listed Cooktown Cemetery which bears testimony to the diverse nationalities who came to Cooktown and the Palmer Goldfields in the late 19th century. Visit the James Cook Museum for a guided tour and see an original anchor and cannon from Cook’s HMB Endeavour amongst many of the interesting exhibits.
Next visit the Cooktown Botanic Gardens and enjoy a driver/guided walk viewing many of the same plants collected by botanists, Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, as well as plants traditionally used by the local Aboriginal people. Relax at Nature’s Powerhouse café, Art Gallery and Visitor Information Centre.
Travelling the Mulligan Highway, we briefly stop at Black Mountain, Byerstown Range lookout and the Palmer River Roadhouse. The outback landscape is dotted with termite mounds and many different eucalypt species. Keep an eye out for livestock that graze along the roadside before we return you to your Cairns accommodation.
This morning you will be collected from your hotel to board a 4WD air-conditioned vehicle while listening to informative and entertaining commentary by your local naturalist guide. On todays tour you will have the opportunity to spot crocodiles on a Daintree River cruise, learn about flora, fauna and the history of the Daintree on a guided boardwalk tour, take a 4WD ride through a World Heritage-listed rainforest on the rugged Bloomfield Track, savour a traditional Aussie barbecue, sample traditional ‘Aussie’ billy tea, damper and tropical fruits in the company of wallabies and enjoy a homemade Daintree ice-cream on your journey home. This afternoon you will be returned to your hotel in Cairns.
Enjoy a full day at leisure in sunny Far North Queensland.
Enjoy another full day at leisure in sunny Far North Queensland.
Optional Tour: Cairns in Two Days - This special optional tour is conducted over the next 2 days.
First Day - Kuranda Scenic Railway. Start your journey aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway where you’ll meander through pristine rainforest, rugged mountains and cascading waterfalls to the pretty village of Kuranda. Spend the day wandering around the unique township and exploring the markets. Join the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and glide over World Heritage-listed rainforest before descending through the canopy layers and deep into the heart of the lush rainforest. Enjoy stops along the way as you alight and explore the awe-inspiring Barron Gorge and Falls from a network of boardwalks at varying levels. Includes hotel pick up and drop off.
Second Day - Cruise Out & Fly return with Down Under Cruise & Dive. For an extraordinary day on the Great Barrier Reef, combine your Down Under Cruise & Dive outer reef cruise with an exhilarating return helicopter flight. On board ‘Evolution’, spend five hours exploring two stunning outer reef destinations, each with their own unique coral formation and diverse marine species. The package includes an Aussie BBQ lunch, snorkelling out on the reef. On the return, take to the air for a spectacular helicopter journey over the magical waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Sweep over coral gardens and sand cays, and see marine life from high above before returning to Cairns. Includes hotel pick up and drop off.
Farewell Cairns today as you make your own way to the airport for your onward flight or to continue the next part of your journey.
Secure your trip with a $599.00 deposit per person.
Once we receive your deposit, we will send you an invoice with your remaining balance and payment options.
Instalment Schedule:
This package is sold as land only, however you do have the option of adding domestic & international airfares to your booking. Simply click on’ book now’, and under upgrades , you will be asked “Would you like us to contact you around our flight service?”. By selecting this option Inspiring Vacations will contact you to discuss adding flights to your chosen destination. We can then assist with turning your booking into a flight inclusive package.
Upon completing the purchase of your package and fulfilling the following booking requirements, you will be granted access to our flight portal via your Traveller Hub.
Once these criteria have been met, access will be made available to you via Traveller Hub to book your flights via our flight portal.
The following requests are able to be processed through the online flight portal:
The online flight portal is unable to process the following requests and you must book these yourself independently:
Online check-in
Some airlines may not permit online check-in where flights have been booked by a travel company. Where unavailable to do so online, you will be required to check-in at the airport. Inspiring Vacations cannot check-in online on behalf of our customers
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Inspiring Vacations customers.
As a general rule, porterage is not included, therefore at all times you are expected to handle your own luggage where help may not be available.
This particular tour is categorised as a “3”.
3 – Moderate Tour: A good level of fitness and mobility is required, as this tour includes a moderate level of physical activity and is considered a medium-fast paced tour. You should be able to walk up and down stairs, get on and off the coach and able to walk reasonable distances of approximately 2 kilometres per day or more with ease. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability. If you have any form of walking aids, other than a walking stick or hiking poles, then this tour is not suitable.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard. Bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only. All efforts will be made to meet your preferences, however any changes are beyond our control.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended to protect yourself against the unexpected. In addition to the support that a policy may provide, you may be asked to present a copy of your travel insurance documentation while traveling.
We have partnered with nib to offer our customers competitive rates for their travel insurance. You can book Comprehensive or Essentials cover for your domestic, international or multi-trip journeys simply by clicking HERE.
Note that Inspiring Vacations cannot provide advice with regards to any insurance product.
Single Supplement
Single supplement is $999.00 per person, in addition to the twin-share price.
Triple Share
Not available.
Children
Children must be 5 years old or above and share a room with parents at all times. Children are charged the same price as adults.
Group Size
This package is made up of multiple components which will be provided by different operators throughout your trip. As such, group size will differ between operators and can be as intimate as 2 people or as lively as up to 60 people, depending on the activity and advertised inclusions. There may be unique cases where your selected travel date exceeds the expected group size for special events or types of activities, particularly during popular times of travel. For packages that include a train or cruise, you will be travelling with other passengers up to the capacity of this component.
When travelling with a group, no matter the size, we ask you to be understanding of the various needs and preferences of your group - patience with your fellow travellers is sometimes required for the benefit of everyone's travel experience.
Bedding requests
We do our best to meet your bedding preference, however, bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only and cannot be guaranteed. All efforts will be made to meet your preference, however, any changes are beyond our control and limited by the hotel facilities and availability.
Tour Styles - This package is a Partially Escorted style.
To meet the needs of various types of travellers, we choose to operate various types of tours and depending on your selected package will mean different services are provided throughout your trip. The following descriptions of each tour style we hope will ensure that each traveller has appropriate expectations before they start their travels:
Who is operating this package
We have partnered with a wide range of third party operators who assist in fulfilling your booking and delivering an enjoyable on-tour experience. Each package will consist of multiple operators meaning both guides and fellow travellers may change day to day. But don't worry, regardless of the operator, you'll be in good hands to experience the most out of each destination
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