4 TRAINS IN FAR NORTH

Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 12th August 2014 4 Trains in Far North Queensland features travel on the whole range of Queensland’s iconic trains. This 11 day tour features all the great trains of Queensland including the rustic from Croydon to Normanton, the adventurous from coastal Cairns to the outback locality of Forsayth then the Inlander from Mount Isa to - one of the last of Australia’s regional overnight sleeping berth trains. Our piece de resistance however will be travelling Queenslander class on . Insights Tours has managed to secure all available cabins in Queenslander class from to Cairns. With coach touring complementing the train travel, you’ll see: gorges, caves, the Gulf of Carpentaria, mines, vast savannah and spectacular mountains and outback sights and experiences. With major changes to services scheduled for mid 2014 this will definitely be your final opportunity to experience all these trains in the one tour.

Day 1 Saturday 2nd August arrive Brisbane Meet at Traders Hotel located above Roma Street station in Brisbane. Note this hotel has undergone a name-change; it was previously the Holiday Inn. We’ll meet for a complimentary welcome drink at 6.30pm then dinner will be served in the restaurant. Overnight at Trader’s Hotel.

Day 2 Sunday 3rd August Brisbane to Cairns

Following breakfast we will walk to Roma Street station to board the iconic Sunlander for the 1,700 kilometre coastal journey to Cairns. The Sunlander has been making this trip for 60 years however this will be one of its final journeys before retirement in August 2014 when it will be replaced by a new . We check in to our luxury Queenslander class cabins and settle back to enjoy this world renown journey to Cairns. Dining in Queenslander Class is one of the true highlights of the journey. The mouth watering gourmet meals are prepared by the expert onboard chef, made from the freshest local produce and complemented by an award winning selection of Australian wines. The signature seafood platter is delivered direct from the trawler to the train in Townsville. Meals are served in the fine dining atmosphere of the Queenslander restaurant car.

As well there is the exclusive Queenslander class lounge car experience. Insights Tours is currently holding the entire allocation of Queenslander class (32 guests). Overnight Queenslander class on the Sunlander.

Day 3 Monday 4th August arrive Cairns

Awake to the tropical scenery of far north Queensland. Breakfast and lunch are served in the beautifully appointed dining car and you’ll have most of the daylight hours of today to relax in the lounge car and take in the vistas and panoramas. We’ll see Townsville, Cardwell, Ingham and Tully pass by before we reach our destination of Cairns in the late afternoon. On arrival in Cairns we transfer by chartered bus to the Hotel Cairns for 2 nights.

Day 4 Tuesday 5th August Cairns Today is a free day. Take advantage of the day to relax, travel to a particular place or maybe take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We have included breakfast for today while lunch and dinner will be your own arrangement leaving you free to decide how to spend your day. Of course, our hotel has a good restaurant if you don’t want to venture too far afield. If you’d like any assistance with suggestions or with bookings for excursions, please contact us.

Day 5 Wednesday 6th August Cairns to Chillagoe Early morning transfer to the station to join the Savannahlander - a railmotor - which ascends the range to Kuranda thence Mareeba and westwards to the savannah country to Alma Den – this tiny settlement lies about 25 kms from Chillagoe where we stay tonight. Breakfast will be a packed meal served on the train. Lunch will also be served on the train. We will tour Chillagoe in our chartered coach to see the historic relics of this former copper mining town and the limestone caves where we will have a guided tour. As accommodation is very limited we will have 2 properties where we will stay.

Day 6 Thursday 7th August Chillagoe to Cobbold Gorge After breakfast we continue by the Savannahlander from Alma Den stopping briefly at Mount Surprise and Einasleigh then over the Einasleigh Range to Forsayth. Transfer to Cobbold Gorge where we stay 2 nights. Cobbold Gorge is situated on the property “Robin Hood” a huge cattle station and lodge which is operated as a family owned enterprise. Accommodation will be at the Cobbold Gorge Lodge for 2 nights, beautifully situated near the gorge

Savannahlander Day 7 Friday 8th August Cobbold Gorge Cruise by electric powered boat taking in the serenity and grandeur of the gorge. Then we return to the lodge for lunch. This afternoon the Robin Hood staff will take us on a tour of the property with insights into the daily life on an authentic, typical Gulf cattle station. Dinner in the lodge dining room.

Day 8 Saturday 9th August Cobbold Gorge to Normanton Full cooked breakfast this morning then we travel by our chartered coach to the old gold mining town of Croydon. This is also the terminus for the famous and unique Gulflander – sometimes billed as the train going from nowhere to nowhere. Though not quite correct, this does capture the remoteness of this truly remarkable train journey. Originally constructed at the height of the Croydon gold rush in the late 1800’s, by the time it was opened, the gold rush had finished. The Gulflander has continued its once a week trip ever since. Insights Tours has chartered the railmotor for the trip from Croydon to Normanton. This afternoon we travel by our coach to the Gulf of Carpentaria for a sunset dinner cruise.

Day 9 Sunday 10th August Normanton to Mount Isa Travelling south to Cloncurry we travel through the area where Burke and Will’s reached their most northerly point on their infamous trek from Melbourne. At Cloncurry, we’ll see where Qantas’ first flight landed and where John Flynn inaugurated the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We will visit the John Flynn Place Museum then “Cloncurry Unearthed” where you’ll learn more about the area and see memorabilia including the water bottle of explorer Robert O’Hara Burke, indigenous artifacts and the museums’ mineral and gem collection which is ranked by experts as one of the most comprehensive in Australia. Then we travel to Mount Isa, famous as one of the richest mining cities in the world and where we stay tonight.

Day 10 Monday 11th August Mount Isa to Townsville

Morning city tour including the underground hospital, Isa Experience and the Riversleigh Fossil Centre. Isa Experience is a vibrant and entertaining multi-media gallery illustrating the prehistoric, indigenous, cultural diversity and mining heritage of Mount Isa. At the Riversleigh Fossil Centre we can explore Australia's prehistoric past and learn about the amazing creatures that once roamed the rainforests of inland Queensland. The centre illustrates the unique discoveries from the fossils extracted at the nearby Riversleigh - one of the world's richest fossil fields.

Lunch at a local club then time to board the Inlander - our sleeping berth train – for the overnight journey to Townsville. We’ll enjoy dinner and breakfast aboard in the dining / lounge car as we traverse far north western Queensland. Overnight in your choice of either single or twin cabins.

Day 11 Tuesday 12th August arrive Townsville By breakfast time the Inlander is scheduled to be around Charter’s Towers so you’ll enjoy the change of landscape as we near the coastal fringe before arriving late morning into Townsville – unofficial capital of Far North Queensland. The tour ends on arrival leaving you with numerous options to return home by flight or train. If you need any assistance please don’t hesitate to contact us. Of course, it’s only a short ferry ride to Magnetic Island which would make a great extension.

General Information and conditions of booking

Cost

The cost of this tour is $3,575 AUD

The cost includes:

1 All train travel as per the itinerary including: 2 luxury Queenslander class sleeping berth cabins from Brisbane to Cairns 3 sleeping berth cabins on the Inlander from Mount Isa to Townsville 4 travel by chartered Gulflander on day 8 5 travel on the Savannahlander railmotor from Cairns to Forsayth 6 good quality accommodation on a twin share basis in ensuite rooms at Brisbane, Cairns, Cobbold Gorge, Normanton and Mount Isa. 7 at the remote village of Chillagoe we have secured all the best available accommodation. Please note that some rooms at Chillagoe are not ensuite however the facilities are situated adjacent to the rooms. If you require ensuite, please indicate this on your booking form. We will allocate rooms on a first booked basis. 8 all road transport on days 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 in a chartered air conditioned coach 9 all sightseeing excursions, guided touring and entrance fees to all places as specified in the itinerary 10 all meals except lunch and dinner on day 4 11 all taxes, tips and gratuities 12 services of Insights Tours’ escort throughout the tour 13 bottled water on the coach

The additional costs are: drinks, travel insurance, items of a personal nature and anything not mentioned above.

Places on the tour require a $500 deposit.

The balance will be due by Friday 30th May 2014

To make a booking Please complete the enclosed booking form and return it to Insights Tours with your deposit.

Cancellations policy If you need to cancel your booking prior to or on Friday 30th May 2014, the cancellation fee is $200 per person.

For cancellations after Friday 30th May 2014 Cancellations fee is 100% of the total tariff. That is, there is no refund of the total tariff. Insights Tours strongly recommends that you consider travel insurance in case you need to cancel.

Insurance We strongly recommend considering travel insurance to cover cancellation fees as well as medical emergencies, lost luggage and unforeseen delays during the tour. Insights Tours can provide information about obtaining insurance. We are an accredited agent of Aussie Travel Cover insurance.

Viability of tour In the event that the economic minimum number of guests is not reached, the tour will be cancelled by Insights Tours no later than Monday 2nd June 2014 and we will refund in full any money paid.

Trains and sleeping berth cabins On days 2, 3, 10 and 11 we travel on Queensland Railʼs Sunlander and Inlander overnight trains.

Twin bed sleeping berth carriages on both trains consist of 2 beds arranged in bunk style ie is one above the other and a ladder is provided to access the upper bunk.

Toilets and showers are provided at the end of every carriage. Running cold water is provided in each cabin as well as all bed linen, pillow, duvet and towel.

Inlander Dining A combined dining / lounge car is provided on this train. On days 10 and 11, dinner and breakfast respectively will be served

Single berth cabins are available on the Inlander. Please refer below for a diagram of these cabins. You will be allocated one of these cabins if your elect to pay the single supplement for the tour. If you are a couple but wish to have single cabins on the Inlander, please indicate this on your booking form. There is no extra cost for these cabins.

Queenslander class on the Sunlander Dining There is separate special Queenslander class dining car and a lounge car which are only available to Queenslander class guests. The train conveys a maximum of 32 guests in Queenslander class.

Sleeping berth cabins on the Queenslander Queenslander class does not convey single berth cabins however Insights Tours can offer a limited number of the double cabins for sole use single accommodation and this is included in the published single supplement.

If you need a lower berth on the Queenslander and don’t have a travelling companion who wishes to occupy the upper berth, the supplement for sole use is $445. All other accommodation during the tour would be on a twin share basis.

Below are diagrams of the sleeping berth arrangements.

Twin Sleeping Berth - by day / night

Single Sleeping Berth - by night / day: these cabins are on the Inlander only

Single accommodation Single accommodation is available for an additional cost of $1210. This will include sole use of a double Queenslander cabin and a single berth cabin on the Inlander.

Coach Insights Tours has chartered an air-conditioned coach for all road travel and a bus for transfers at Cairns.

Fitness Insights Tours recommends that to fully enjoy this tour you would be comfortable walking up to 500m. Please be aware that medical facilities will be extremely limited during large portions of this tour.

Water Insights Tours will provide complimentary bottled water on the coach.

Luggage Please limit your luggage to 1 suitcase and 1 piece of hand luggage per person. Porterage of luggage can be provided as a special service however we request that you apply for this at the time you make your booking

Guides Insights Tours has engaged our own proficient guides wherever we have advertised a guided tour in the itinerary.

Insights Tours Insights Tours is a boutique tour business operated by Paul and John Tuckerman. We arrange tours which utilise coaches, aeroplanes and trains and provide our guests with spacious and comfortable accommodation. Our philosophy is to arrange tours with a spectrum of interesting visits, inspections and conveyances.

Each tour is uniquely arranged to encompass the most interesting sights of the regions visited. Insights Tours engages our own guides to ensure that our guests have the best insight into the location being visited.

Guest numbers are limited to ensure a commodious travelling experience and to ensure that visits and guided tours are of maximum benefit. This tour is for a maximum of 32 guests.

Each of our tours is personally escorted ensuring you can relax in the confidence that all of the pesky administrative details and arrangements are being taken care of. This tour will be escorted by John Tuckerman.

Changes to the itinerary There is always the chance that our itinerary could be delayed or curtailed in some way beyond our control. Except for prolonged or unexpected events, the tour will be conducted as closely as possible to the itinerary stated above. Every reasonable endeavour will be made to conduct the advertised itinerary however we reserve the right to alter the itinerary in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

If you would like more details about any aspect of the itinerary or facilities, please contact Paul at Insights Tours:

Insights Tours Telephone: (61) 02 42 672535 Facsimile: (61) 02 42 675530 Email: [email protected] Postal: PO Box 180 Thirroul NSW 2515

In person: 14 Allenby Parade Bulli (please make an appointment to ensure our office is attended when you visit) BOOKING FORM

4 Trains in Far North Queensland

Saturday 2nd August to Tuesday 12th August 2014

Insights Tours Travel agents licence no. 2TA5859

Telephone: (61) 02 42 672535 Facsimile: (61) 02 42 675530 Post: PO Box 180, Thirroul NSW 2515 Web: www.insightstours.com.au Email: [email protected] Office: 14 Allenby Parade Bulli NSW 2516

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Room type: please circle your choice: Twin (2 beds) Double (1 large bed) Single (supplement is $990 and includes sole use of a Queenslander class cabin)

We require a lower berth on the Queenslander (sole use of the cabin). Supplement is $225 per guest

Deposit

Cheque enclosed. (please make cheques payable to Insights Tours)

Electronic / bank transfer. Our account details are:

• Name of account: Insights Tours client travel account • BSB: 062 607 • Account number: 1013 1313

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