Rails, Reefs and Rainforests

This morning after a relaxed breakfast and check out, we’ll make our way to Brisbane’s Roma Street Station to take your comfortable seats on the Spirit of Queensland train for the journey to Maryborough, passing through key towns like Caboolture, Nambour, and Gympie North before reaching our destination in the mid afternoon. You’ll be able to have lunch at leisure during the journey. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel and check in. After some time to relax, or get out and explore your surroundings, we’ll regroup for dinner in a local restaurant. 

One of Queensland’s oldest provincial cities, Maryborough is best known for its beautifully preserved colonial-era architecture, with over 50 heritage-listed buildings, and for being the birthplace of author P.L. Travers ( Helen Lyndon Goff), the creator of Mary Poppins.

Overnight: Blue Shades Motel, Maryborough (B, D)

This morning after breakfast and checkout, we’ll enjoy a privately chartered scenic rail journey on a replica of the iconic Mary Ann steam train, which was Australia’s oldest Australian-built steam locomotive. The original, built in 1873 to haul logs and sugarcane on a narrow-gauge tramway between the Mary River wharves and the original Maryborough railway station, was abandoned in 1914 and left to rot on the banks of the river. 

After having some free time in town for lunch at leisure, our next special stop is at Olds Engineering, the historic family-owned mechanical engineering and foundry business that built the replica of the Mary Ann. Established over 100 years ago and now led by the fourth generation of the family, Olds Engineering is more than a business – it’s a cornerstone of Maryborough’s industrial heritage. The workshop’s nostalgic ambiance, filled with classic machinery, embodies resilience – from wartime revival to modern innovation. The company’s quiet achievements include engineering a spare wheel spoke for the Royal Carriage at Buckingham Palace. 

From here, our private coach will take us on to our home for the night in Hervey Bay. After checking in, there’ll be plenty of time to relax before enjoying dinner in a local restaurant. 

Overnight: Mantra Hotel, Hervey Bay (B,D)

It’s an early start this morning to join our whale watching cruise, so we’ll be collecting boxed breakfasts from a local cafe on the way for you to enjoy on the boat. Hervey Bay is widely regarded as one of the best whale-watching destinations in the world, especially for humpback whales, which migrate from Antarctica to the warm waters of Queensland to calve and nurse their young. Hervey Bay is one of their favourite “rest stops” on the way north and south, which is why they stay longer and are more playful here than almost anywhere else.

We’ll return to our hotel late in the morning and check out. You’ll have some free time to explore Hervey Bay on foot and have lunch at leisure before boarding our private coach to travel to Bundaberg. 

After check-in and a bit of downtime to relax, we’ll head out to a local restaurant together for dinner. 

Overnight: Villa Mirasol, Bundaberg (B,D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll embark on a cruise on the Burnett River – a fantastic way to learn about the region’s rich history, including its sugarcane heritage, Indigenous stories, and industrial past. You’ll glide past key landmarks like the Bundaberg Rum Distillery (which we’ll come back to this afternoon), historic wharves, and lush riverbanks teeming with birdlife, so don’t forget your camera, and maybe a pair of binoculars! The interesting commentary from the skipper highlights colorful tales of the river’s role in the area’s development as a sugarcane hub.

On arrival back at the marina, we’ll pause for lunch at Grunske’s Seafood Restaurant, located right on the river – for those that don’t eat seafood, be assured the menu offers many alternatives.

After lunch, we’ll pay a visit to the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery, one of Australia’s most iconic and beloved rum producers. Founded in 1888 by a group of local sugar mill owners who wanted to use excess molasses (a by-product of sugar production) rather than discard it, it has gone on to be globally recognised for its distinctive dark rum – affectionately called “Bundy” by Australians.

Upon arrival, you’ll have half an hour or so to explore at your own pace and visit the interactive Museum before we enjoy a guided tour of the working distillery to learn about the process of making this popular drop. 

After returning to our hotel, the rest of the afternoon and evening is yours to explore at your own pace and enjoy dinner at leisure. 

Overnight: Villa Mirasol, Bundaberg (B,L)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll board our private coach and head to the lush Botanical Gardens, to ride the Sugar Cane Railway, a charming narrow-gauge railway that operates on part of the historic cane tramway network originally built to transport harvested sugarcane from farms to the local sugar mills. Sitting in authentic open-sided passenger cars made from converted cane bins – you sit in what used to be big metal sugarcane trucks – and hauled by a restored vintage locomotive, you’ll cross wooden trestle bridges over the lagoons, and duck under trees, while rolling through the lush gardens. 

From here, we’ll explore the fascinating Hinkler Hall of Aviation, a tribute to Bert Hinkler, a pioneering Australian aviator born in Bundaberg in 1892, who became famous for his solo flights, including the first solo flight from England to Australia in 1928. It’s then on to the nearby 

Fairymead House, a heritage-listed, grand plantation-style mansion overlooking the Botanic Gardens. Built in 1890 for the owners of the nearby Fairymead Sugar Mill at the time, it exemplifies the opulent lifestyle of Queensland’s sugar barons during the colonial era, featuring spacious verandas, high ceilings, and intricate detailing typical of federation-style homes. 

We’ll pause for lunch at Café 1928 in the gardens before transferring to the Bundaberg Railway Station to board the Tilt train to Rockhampton, arriving in the evening.

After checking into our hotel, we’ll enjoy dinner together in the hotel restaurant.

Overnight: Empire Apartment Hotel, Rockhampton (B,L,D)

This morning after breakfast, our private coach will take us on a short drive out to the historic gold-mining town of Mount Morgan, where we’ll spend the morning visiting the Mt Morgan Railway Museum and the Mt Morgan Historical Museum before lunch at the Grand Hotel. 

The railway museum, housed in the original 1898 Railway Station building, preserves and displays the railway heritage of the famous Mount Morgan Gold Mine and the historic Mount Morgan-Wowan (formerly Rack) Railway, one of Queensland’s most spectacular and difficult-to-build railway lines; while the historical museum houses an impressive collection of relics from the town’s earliest years to the present, including a fine collection of horse-drawn buggies and wagons, along with the first motor hearse in Mount Morgan. 

Our lunch venue, the Grand Hotel, is a historic heritage-listed hotel and landmark in the town. Built around 1901, it’s the only surviving brick hotel from the late 19th-century gold rush era, when the town boasted around 40 pubs. 

After lunch we’ll return to Rockhampton and drop in to the Archer Park Rail Museum in town on our way to our hotel. Housed in the 1899 railway station building, this museum features, among many other memorabilia, a restored Purrey Steam Tram, incorporating parts of one of the original nine tramcars and six trailers that operated in Rockhampton between 1909 and 1939.

After returning to our hotel, the rest of the afternoon and evening is yours at leisure.

Overnight: Empire Apartment Hotel, Rockhampton (B,L)

This morning after an early breakfast and check out, we’ll transfer to the airport for our flight to Townsville. Upon arrival around midday, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel, our home for the next three nights, and check in. The afternoon is yours to have lunch at leisure and explore the city at your own pace.

This evening, we’ll enjoy a delightful dinner at the Sugar Shaker Restaurant in our hotel, savoring local flavors in a welcoming atmosphere.

Overnight: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Townsville (B,D)

This morning after breakfast we’ll board our private coach and transfer to the Breakwater Ferry Terminal to board the ferry to Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island. Boasting a unique natural environment of palm-fringed beaches, large granite boulders, hoop pines, sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs, Magnetic Island is a tropical paradise where golden beaches meet crystal-clear waters, and the rhythm of life is relaxed and friendly. 

You’ll enjoy a guided bus tour of the Island to get a sense of the various small settlements before having free time for lunch at leisure at gorgeous Horseshoe Bay. Magnetic Island was an important defensive position during World War II because of its proximity to Townsville, and remnants of an artillery battery and observation post can still be seen in the hinterland. 

Our return ferry will have us back in Townsville in the mid afternoon, where the rest of the afternoon and evening is yours to explore at your own pace and enjoy dinner at leisure.

Overnight: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Townsville (B)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll visit the Jezzine Barracks heritage precinct commemorating the military and Aboriginal heritage of the Kissing Point headland through 34 specially commissioned public artworks, extensive interpretive signage and the restoration of significant elements of the Kissing Point Fort complex. 

From here, we’ll drop into the Museum of Tropical Queensland,which focuses on researching and interpreting the region’s unique tropical heritage, from prehistoric ecosystems to contemporary stories. A star exhibit of the Museum is the Pandora Gallery featuring over 1,000 artifacts from the 1791 wreck of HMS Pandora, the British ship dispatched to capture mutineers from HMS Bounty. This includes cannons, bells, and personal items, telling the dramatic story of the ship’s ill-fated voyage.

At the completion of our visit, after some lunch at leisure, you have two choices – you can either stay in town for the afternoon, or join your tour leader on an afternoon rail excursion to Charters Towers, one of the best-preserved historic gold-mining towns in Australia. We’ll ride the regular ‘Inlander’ train – this twice a week service is one of only three loco hauled trains left running to Outback regions in Queensland. Their days may be numbered and the run to Charters Towers will give you a taste of the gentle journey the train will make all the way to Mt Isa. Once in ‘Charters’, we’ll embark on a town tour to admire the town’s beautiful late-Victorian and Federation-era buildings, wide verandahs, and ornate façades, before returning to Townsville by coach. 

This evening is at leisure.

Overnight: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Townsville (B)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll make our way back to the station and board the now familiar Spirit of Queensland train for the journey to Cairns, slicing through some of Australia’s most captivating tropical scenery. This stretch showcases the transition from dry coastal plains to lush tropical wilderness, often called one of the train’s most picturesque legs. Early on, you’ll pass sandy beaches, mangrove-lined shores, and the Burdekin River delta. As you approach Cairns, the landscape shifts to UNESCO-listed ancient rainforests, with misty mountains, sugar cane fields, and glimpses of the Great Dividing Range. You will have access to the train’s onboard cafe for lunch at leisure.

After arriving in the mid-afternoon, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel and check in for some down time or a leisurely stroll along the waterfront, before regrouping in the evening for dinner in the hotel restaurant. 

Overnight: Novotel, Cairns (B,D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll transfer to Freshwater station, just outside Cairns, where you’ll enjoy a complimentary refreshment before taking your Gold Class seat in a beautifully restored red-wood heritage carriage to ride the Kuranda Scenic Railway, one of Australia’s most famous and beautiful heritage railway journeys. 

Opened in 1891, it was originally built to service the mining boom in the Tablelands and to transport goods and people past the treacherous Barron Gorge. The train climbs from sea level to 328 metres through lush rainforest, passing 15 hand-cut tunnels, 37 bridges, and dramatic curves. You’ll pass Stoney Creek Falls and several smaller cascades right beside the tracks, but the highlight is the stop at   – right opposite the spectacular Barron Falls. An enjoyable on-board audio commentary explains the history, engineering feats, and Indigenous significance of the area, as you sit back in comfort and enjoy complimentary food and beverage served to your seat by cheerful attendants.

After arriving in Kuranda in the late morning, there’ll be free time to have lunch at leisure and enjoy everything Kuranda Village has to offer, including amazing scenic rainforest walks, village shopping, and the famous Kuranda markets. In the mid-afternoon, enjoy a truly unique perspective of this ancient landscape with unsurpassed panoramic views of Barron Gorge and Australia’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, as you glide metres above the pristine jungle canopy back to Cairns on the SkyRail.

We’ll return to the hotel by 4.00pm so you can enjoy some down time before we gather for a jolly Farewell Dinner at one of Cairns’ favourite restaurants.

Overnight: Novotel, Cairns (B,D)

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast as we bid fond farewells and make our way to the station or airport for onward travel. Check out time is 11.00am.

End of tour (B)