2023 Australia Dinosaur Country

We begin our adventure with a briefing and celebratory welcome dinner and drinks at the Hotel with the group and your tour leader setting the stage for the journey ahead. 

Overnight: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Townsville (D)

After checking out, take a tour of the Army Museum of Queensland located in the beautiful Jezzine Barracks. The museum collects objects and stories relating to the history of the Australian Army in North Queensland. Head to the station to board the Inlander for our train journey to Charters Towers. This evening we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Cattleman’s Rest Motor Inn (or similar), Charters Towers (B, D)

Our day in ‘The Towers’ starts with a guided walk of the heritage buildings in the heart of town to the Arcade, where one of Australia’s most volatile Stock Exchanges operated in the boom times of the 1890’s. Later in the morning, we head a short way out of town to the Venus Gold Battery for a guided tour of the largest surviving Battery in Queensland. Built in 1872, this mill provided gold extraction facilities to miners for over a century. The huge “stampers” pounded away through the day and night extracting the precious gold from quartz up until 1973. In the afternoon, take a tour via the Burdekin River to the National Trust Gold Rush town of Ravenswood. Here you can enjoy a guided walking tour of the compact historic townscape. Back in Charters Towers, the evening is free at leisure.

Overnight: Cattleman’s Rest Motor Inn (or similar), Charters Towers (B, L)

Departing first thing we hit the highway, the Flinders’ Way, heading west along the Dinosaur trail to the town of Hughenden. Enjoy Lunch at the Windmill Café and freshen up before we take time to explore the Flinders Discovery Centre, which is well stocked with fascinating specimens and houses heaps more than just Dinosaurs. Late afternoon, continue onto Richmond an hour or so further west along the Flinders Highway.  Tonight’s dinner is hosted at the hotel.

Overnight: Ammonite Hotel, Richmond (B, L, D)

This morning we head to Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond’s main attraction and Australia’s premier marine fossil museum.  We have time to explore before we continue our exploration along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail in Queensland’s Outback a few hours south to the town of Winton.  Along the way, we talk about the Outback Landscape and its defining feature which is home to so many of the fossil records and Dinosaur story – the great Inland Sea.  On arrival into Winton check in to our hotel. This evening you will enjoy dinner in the hotel’s authentic retro dining room.

Overnight: North Gregory Hotel (or similar), Winton (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast at the hotel we begin the exploration of Australia’s rich Dinosaur legacy. Vicki from Red Dirt Tours is on hand once again to take us on a guided tour of the wild country to the west of Winton, leading us across the outback to the exceptional Lark Quarry National Monument. It was here that the world’s best preserved fossil proof of a Dinosaur stampede was discovered by the local station manager in the 1960’s. Your time here includes a guided tour, a film, and some time for a picnic lunch at Carisbrook Station. Back at Winton, a somewhat more recent history is on show with a visit to the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the first museum in the world dedicated to a song. Late afternoon we head out of town to Rangelands to enjoy a sunset tour with nibbles and wine. Dinner this evening is at leisure.

Overnight: North Gregory Hotel (or similar), Winton (B, L)

This morning, enjoy free time to explore the classic outback town of Winton. You may wish to visit the heritage truck and machinery museum, check out the famous boulder opals, and wander the streets that feature many interesting heritage buildings and interesting shops. After lunch on your own, Vicki will pick you up for the drive out to visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. Here, you will have plenty of time to wander the displays and our guide will show us around and host the walk-through Dino Canyon.

To cap off the day we enjoy an early dinner at Age of Dinosaurs and visit the newly opened Observatory which is a great addition to the Outback story. The rest of the evening back in town is at leisure.

Overnight: North Gregory Hotel (or similar), Winton (B, D)

This morning after breakfast, we board our private coach from Red Dirt Tours to take us the 180 kilometres to Longreach. Named after the “long reach” of the Thomson River, the town had only been gazetted for five years when the railway arrived in 1892. Longreach is situated right on the Tropic of Capricorn and has a population of just over 3,000, boosted by travellers who come to see the great museums, notably the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum.

Qantas Founders Museum tells the story of the four key figures who founded Qantas and highlights what life was like in Queensland in the 1920s. The history of our iconic airline unfolds as you experience a 1½-hour Jet Tour, a behind-the-scenes look at both a 747, 707, and more followed by lunch at the museum. Enjoy Luminescent Longreach, an entertaining and informative night-time light and sound show. Dinner this evening will be at a local restaurant.

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

After breakfast we head off to the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Australia’s premier outback heritage institution where you can explore the museum showcasing an eclectic mix of objects – touchscreens, open displays, photographs, artworks, and audio-visual presentations. Enjoy a live ‘Outback Stockman’s Show’ which tells the story of real-life stockmen and women who work on the land. Lunch is at leisure.

This evening we enjoy a Thompson River cruise followed by dinner around the campfire.

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

This morning after breakfast we head to the station to board the Spirit of the Outback for our overnight journey to Brisbane. As we head out of the heart of Outback Queensland, the ever-changing landscape passes the sleepy Central Queensland towns like, Barcaldine, Alpha, and Jericho. A chef-prepared dinner is served in the train’s “Tuckerbox” dining car while the Central Ranges towns of Emerald, Blackwater, and Bluff roll by.  Afterward, you can unwind in the “Shearers Rest” lounge car as evening descends on our southbound train. From the comfort of your air-conditioned, first-class sleeping berth you will enjoy a fascinating journey from Longreach to Brisbane.

Overnight: On board the Spirit of the Outback (B, L, D)

Wake up to a vista of the lush sub-tropical coastal plain with features like the Glass House Mountains to capture. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the train this morning with an expected arrival at Roma Street Station just before midday, signaling the end of our adventure. From here you can take transfers to the airport for the flight home, or onward connections to continue your adventure.