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DAYSBOOK NOW AND SAVE $800 per couple!* Discover 12-13 days of contrasting landscapes - Longreach to Cairns with incredible rail & overland 4WD touring.
Day 1: Sunday – Longreach
Arrive at Longreach by QantasLink flight or Spirit of the Outback train where you will be met by your Savannah Guides Operator driver-guide and transferred to your accommodation. This evening enjoy an exclusive welcome dinner surrounded by aviation history at the Qantas Founders Museum.
2 nights Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach.
Day 2: Monday – Longreach
This morning start the day with a leisurely breakfast cruise aboard the M.V Longreach Explorer. Discover the sacred Scar Trees and the magic of being on the water in the middle of the Outback. Explore the fascinating themed galleries at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and discover inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes. Take your seat at the exciting Stockman’s Life Live Show to see amazing horsemanship and the action of a live muster. Late afternoon, join the Silver-Tails Rail Sunset experience where you watch the sunset over the floodplains, whilst savouring signature canapes, enjoying a drink and quality Outback hospitality on our heritage rail motor. After we disembark, we connect you with our incredible Smithy’s Outback Dinner and Show.
Day 3: Tuesday – Richmond
We’ll travel north east via Muttaburra to Hughenden in the Flinders Shire. While in town we’ll visit the Flinders Discovery Centre, home to Hughie the Muttaburrasaurus. Continue along the Overlander’s Way to Richmond. Once in Richmond we visit Kronosaurus Korner to see the most complete marine reptile fossils in the world. These fossils are from the Cretaceous Inland Sea that covered a large section of Queensland 100 million years ago.
Overnight Ammonite Inn, Richmond.
Day 4: Wednesday – Cloncurry
After breakfast this morning, we travel on the Overlanders Way calling in at Julia Creek, before continuing our journey through to Cloncurry. Arriving in Cloncurry, we visit the Cloncurry Unearthed and John Flynn Place Museum where we discover the great Australian story of our Royal Flying Doctor Service, one of the most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world.
Overnight Gidgee Inn, Cloncurry.
Day 5: Thursday – Karumba
We drive north along the Burke Developmental Road to the Burke & Wills Roadhouse. You will be travelling through mostly cattle country along this road. See the contrasting colours of this rugged landscape; the black trunks of the gidgee scrub, golden Mitchell grass, and enormous rust red termite mounds. Enjoy a nostalgic rail journey on the famous Gulflander, affectionately called the ‘Tin Hare’ to Normanton. Wander the streets in Normanton and take a selfie with Krys the life-size statue of the largest saltwater crocodile ever caught. See the Purple Pub, as well as Queensland’s earliest surviving and heritage-listed Burns Philp store. Arrive in Karumba, also known as the ‘outback by the sea’, in time to watch the sunset.
2 nights End of the Road Motel, Karumba.
Day 6: Friday – Karumba
Discover the amazing secrets of the mighty barramundi at The Barramundi Discovery Centre, the only hatchery in the world to breed the Southern Gulf strain of this iconic fish. Your tour of this state of the art Interpretive Centre includes the opportunity to feed a barramundi. Enjoy free time after lunch to explore the town or to simply relax and take in this beautiful location. Late afternoon, we’ll enjoy another Karumba sunset before dinner.
Day 7: Saturday – Cobbold Gorge
This morning we visit the historic gold mining townships of Croydon and Georgetown. See the impressive mineral collection display at the TerrEstrial Centre. Arrive at the hidden outback oasis Cobbold Gorge in time for sunset drinks overlooking the stunning infinity pool!
2 nights Cobbold Gorge Village, Forsyth.
Day 8: Sunday – Cobbold Gorge
Enjoy a tour of the magnificent sandstone gorge on this privately owned cattle station. The gorge is stocked with a variety of native fish and freshwater crocodiles. On a guided cruise, you’ll glide silently between towering cliffs in a specially designed, electric-powered punt. Join an optional walk to the top of the escarpment for awesome views of the gorge below from the glass bridge!
Day 9: Monday – Mount Surprise
Enjoy smoko at the Einasleigh pub with its quirky miniature furniture collection and see the impressive rock formations of Copperfield Gorge. We take a scenic drive to Mount Surprise before heading on to the Undara Experience. This afternoon we join a guided tour of the incredible Undara Lava Tubes, part of the world’s longest lava flows from a single volcanic crater. Enjoy learning about the geological and historical features pointed out and explained by your Savannah Guide.
Overnight Undara Experience, Mount Surprise.
Day 10: Tuesday – Mareeba
Travel through contrasting landscapes and Forty Mile Scrub National Park to Woodleigh Station. Take a tour through the original homestead built in 1876 and learn how hard life was for Queensland’s early settlers. Relax with morning tea in view of their giant 100-year-old Bougainvillea and take a stroll around their expansive gardens. Next, we experience the beauty of Lake Barrine. Sit back and relax on this private boat cruise before enjoying lunch at the Lake Barrine Teahouse.
Overnight Cape Gateway Motor Inn, Mareeba.
Day 11: Wednesday – Cairns
This morning we board the famous Savannahlander on an adventurous journey from Karanda to Almaden. This journey aboard the historic 2000 class rail motor takes us from the rainforest through the rich farmlands of the Atherton Tablelands through to the rugged granite gorges and the early boom and bust mining stories of North Queensland. After lunch we travel through to Cairns after the incredible contrasts and experiences of our journey through the Gulf Savannah.
Overnight Rydges Esplanade, Cairns.
Day 12: Thursday – Homeward Bound
Your tour concludes after breakfast at Rydges Esplanade Resort. Please make your own arrangements for your connecting flight or rail home. Alternatively, you may like to extend your stay in Cairns, please contact us for further information.
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Prices (per person)
| 2025 Tour Prices | Twin Share | Single |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Day Longreach-Cairns Package | $8,599 | $9,999 |
| 13 Day Brisbane-Cairns Package. Includes One-way First Class Sleeper on the Spirit of the Outback **Rail based on Aust. Gov Senior Card holder fares | $8,958 | $10,358 |
Minimum tour numbers apply. Itinerary subject to change.
Prices do not include: travel insurance; meals not specified in the itinerary; drinks; laundry; optional activities; and items of a personal nature.
Tour Highlights
- Exclusive Welcome Dinner at Qantas Founders Museum
- Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Stockman’s Live Show
- Silver-Tails Rail Sunset Outback Rail Adventure Experience and Smithy’s Outback Dinner & Show
- Breakfast Cruise Aboard M.V Longreach Explorer
- Flinders Discovery Centre, Hughenden
- Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond
- Cloncurry Unearthed and John Flynn Museum
- Normanton’s Purple Pub
- Barramundi Discovery Centre
- Gulflander Heritage Rail Tour
- Cobbold Gorge Tour and Cruise
- Einasleigh Pub & Copperfield Gorge
- Undara Lava Tubes Tour
- Woodleigh Station Morning Tea
- Savannahlander Heritage Rail Tour
Customer Reviews
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Discover the outback you didn’t know existed on the Savannah Gulf Tour with Aussie Outback Tours Discover the real outback of Australia as you travel through Queensland from the southern capital of Brisbane to the Gulf of Carpentaria, by bus and 4 unique trains. We began with 17 strangers and ended our adventure with 17 friends. Guides Darren and Rachael provided a fun and knowledgeable atmosphere and facilitated everyone’s energetic participation into all aspects of the journey.
Jennifer C -
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Fun tour to Gulf with OAT We had an awesome time with Outback Aussie Tours. The staff were fantastic, the itinerary was excellent and vehicles including trains, boats and bus were top notch. We got Savannah Guides in Cobbold Gorge and lava tubes who were walking encyclopedias, greatly enhancing the experiences. Can't recommend OAT highly enough.
Brian C -
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An experience of the ancient and modern history and geography of Australia- what formed this country Travelling with a great group of people under guidance of our fantastic tour guides, Alex and Linda. Appreciating the rich beauty of rainforests and hidden lakes and sitting on a sandbank in the Gulf watching the sun set over the water. Being in awe of the forces of nature that created the gorges, the lava caves and left the open spaces. The people who live here. Advice for the trip is to slow down. Use the long distances just to learn to be quiet in your mind and if you like your espresso coffee, take your own.
Di P -
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The holiday was the best we have done in Australia so far, even better than the tour through the red centre last year with AATKings. Outback Aussie Tours (OAT) were great.. Besides the bus breaking down at Karumba and almost missing a trip on the Gulflander train everything went well. They were very good with everything and no issue was too hard for them to solve. I would recommend them to anyone who was interested in doing central Central Qld. Their operations at Longreach are very good. Besides the Qantas museum and Stockman Hall of fame, they have a river boat tour, BBQ/dinner show alongside the river, and a night on Camden Park Farm with the owner and his wife over drinks at sunset and a BBQ dinner. We met Sue (wife of Smithy), owner of OAT, when we had a BBQ/Dinner show alongside the Thomson River. I'm told Smithy has lots of ideas and is keen to expand his business. He has brought an old rail-motor diesel train (see attached photo) and is starting to run rail tours either side of Longreach on short day tours, which will eventually extend as demand grows, most likely down to Emerald. This is due to start this month. Their office is currently in the old Longreach railway station, but out the back of the station, next to a siding where his rail motor is, they are going to build a new HQ for their operations. So many good experiences. I can tick off four of my "bucket-list" things I wanted to do, in one holiday. The tour guide and bus driver were excellent (Husband and wife team), with both providing commentary along the way and prepared to spend time with each of us at dinner, etc. They just made the journey so much better. Regards Mr and Mrs Williams
Mr and Mrs Willliams
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*Offers valid on new bookings for our 2023 Guided Holiday Program only and may not be combined. Conditions apply.
