Corner Country Explorer

This morning, we tour the historic secret United States Army Air Force (USAAF) base with a local guide and discover the reasons behind choosing Charleville as a WWII base. Explore the Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum, then step inside the famous Hotel Corones, built during Charleville’s wool industry boom. Join a guided tour with exclusive access to normally restricted areas of the hotel, followed by lunch in the hotel dining room. Visit the Charleville Bilby experience for a tour of the nocturnal house. Discover the remarkable volunteer program underway to preserve this environmental engineering marvel.

Overnight: Mulga Country Motor Inn, Charleville (B, L, D)

This morning, be inspired by the farmer who turned a long-term dream into reality with a. tour of the Charleville Date Farm. Learn how dates grow, how reclaimed water came to be used for this environmentally friendly project, and best of all, enjoy delicious date loaf. Heading west, to Lake Houdraman, which is a beautiful expanse of water set amongst shady gum trees. Discover the Lake, a property with a guided station tour and enjoy a delicious lunch. Following lunch, we take a guided tour of Quilpie, including a visit to St. Finbarr’s Church and its stunning Opal Altar. This afternoon we check into our accommodation. Enjoy an exclusive sunset tour to nearby rolling red sandhills where the contrasting outback colours dazzle. After a big day of activities, enjoy a gourmet paddock-to-plate dinner experience.

Overnight: Toogunna Plains Farmstay, Quilpie (B, L, D)

This morning, enjoy a station tour of Toogunna Plains. Learn the history of this 4th-generation family-owned sheep and cattle property. This afternoon, relax and enjoy the panoramic views of this vast open plain, before we travel to Eromanga, Australia’s furthest town from the sea and home to Australia’s largest dinosaur. Get up close to a 95-million-year-old dinosaur bone on the Australian Dinosaur Giants tour at the Eromanga Natural History Museum. Savour the Tastes of the Outback degustation dinner in the museum gallery tonight.

Overnight: Toogunna Plains Farmstay, Quilpie (B, L, D)

This morning, we visit the historic Noccundra Hotel, before crossing the border at Warri Gate into outback New South Wales. View the eastern sections of the Sturt National Park. Traverse gibber plains and spectacular ‘jump-up’ country to Tibooburra. The striking granite boulders around Tibooburra are said to be remnants of a mass underground granite dome dating back around 410 million years. Explore the National Park’s Interpretive Centre and Court House Museum.

Overnight: Tibooburra Hotel or Family Hotel, Tibooburra (B, L, D)

Travel through Sturt National Park to Cameron Corner, where the boundary lines of the states of Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales meet. See the Strzelecki Desert, characterised by extensive red dune fields, home of the Dusky Hopping Mouse. Pass by large cattle stations, then travel through the heart of the oil and gas fields to Innamincka, on the banks of the Cooper Creek.

Overnight: Innamincka Hotel, Innamincka (B, L, D)

Retrace the last days of Burke and Wills and learn the story of Innamincka, dubbed ‘the town with two lives’. Visit Burke’s original resting place, marked beneath a large tree along Cooper Creek. Learn the important role played by the Australian Inland Mission in providing essential medical services to remote towns. Tonight, we toast the glorious outback Innamincka sunset as we watch a blanket of stars rise above the famous Outpost on Cooper Creek.

Overnight: Innamincka Hotel, Innamincka (B, L, D)

This morning, visit the heritage-listed Burke & Wills Dig Tree, an enduring reminder of the pioneering spirit and extreme harshness of the Outback. While there, you’ll have the opportunity to stroll the boardwalk and spot the local birdlife. Follow the Strzelecki Desert through flood plains, sand dunes, and gibber country. Travel through large stations, including Arrabury, which is over 700 square km in size. En route to Birdsville, we call into Deon’s Lookout, the famous Betoota Hotel, and the Dreamtime Serpent Indigenous artwork. Tonight, yarn with the locals and enjoy a dinner at the famous Birdsville Hotel.

Overnight: Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville (B, L, D)

This morning, visit the Wirrarri Centre to view work by local Indigenous artists. Next, take a stroll to the Birdsville Billabong with birdlife, fish, and yabbies abound. Stand on the well-known Birdsville Racetrack and explore the Inland Hospital and Royal Hotel ruins, poignant reminders of a pre-federation metropolis. Tonight, we’ll toast the glorious outback sunset from Big Red Sand Dune, a 40-metre-high sand dune on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

Overnight: Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville (B, L, D)

Leaving Birdsville this morning, we’ll visit the Carcory Ruins, a heritage-listed homestead built in 1877 and abandoned after years of drought. Explore the remote town of Bedourie, located on a sand dune, overlooking the Eyre Creek floodplain. See the Royal Hotel, built in the 1880s with adobe bricks and still very much in its original condition. Witness spectacular 360-degree views from the Vaughn Johnson Lookout. In Boulia, we’ll visit the Min Min Encounter, a tribute to the famed mysterious Min Min Light phenomenon. Explore the Stonehouse Museum, one of the first homes built in Western Queensland, and see the impressive Marine Reptile Fossil exhibit.

Overnight: Australian Hotel & Desert Sands Motel, Boulia (B, L, D)

Follow the spectacular scenic drive between Boulia and Winton. Call in at Cawnpore Lookout to view the stark flat-topped beauty of the surrounding Lillyvale Hills. Visit the historic Middleton Hotel, built during the Cobb & Co. era. Uncover the story behind the song that lives in the heart of all Australians at Winton’s Waltzing Matilda Centre. This afternoon, we visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, perched high on a spectacular mesa. Join a guided interpretive tour of the Laboratory, Collection Room, and Dinosaur Canyon. Take in the moment at our very special sunset barbecue overlooking the plains where dinosaurs once roamed!

Overnight: Boulder Opal Motor Inn, Winton (B, L, D)

Departing Winton, we follow the Matilda Way east to Longreach, where we spend a relaxed morning downtown. After lunch, we explore the fascinating themed galleries at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and discover inspiring stories of our pioneering heroes. This evening, we visit the Qantas Founders Museum for the entertaining and informative Luminescent Longreach Sound & Light Show, which brings the 100-year-old story of Qantas to life, followed by an exclusive dinner surrounded by aviation history. Wander through the interactive displays to discover the real Qantas story.

Overnight: Longreach Motor Inn, Longreach (B, L, D)