Desert Edge Tours Corner Country Stories – camping & accommodated

6 Days/5 Nights ex - price on application Meet the storytellers and characters of on a journey from Charleville to . Be mesmerised by the Cosmos Centre Twilight Show and visit the Save the Bilby Experience. Hear tales of local larrikins and the Eulo Queen. Learn of the Geo Dynamics Hot Rock Installation and spot birdlife on a cruise. Retrace Burke and Wills’ final days in the harsh and beautiful environment where the meets the desert.

NB: Teachers – We recommend downloading apps, Skywalker Astronomy Guide and geocaching. Day 1 – Brisbane to Charleville

Journey: Flight Brisbane to Charleville...... (QantasLink, Rex Airlines) Highlights: Cosmos Centre and Observatory; Save the Bilby Experience

Afternoon: On arrival in Charleville we’ll join an afternoon tour of the Save the Bilby Experience where the dedicated volunteers will share their knowledge and passion for the preservation of this delightful marsupial. Evening: Tonight be mesmerised by the Cosmos Centre Twilight Show as we explore the night sky with the aid of the powerful Meade telescopes. Accommodation: Bailey Bar Caravan Park, 196 King Street, Charleville. Ph: (07) 4654 1744 Day 2 – Charleville to

Journey: Charleville to Thargomindah...... approx 417km / 5.3hrs Highlights: Robbers Tree; Opal cutting demonstration; Eulo Mud Springs & Eulo Queen stories; Lake Bindegolly National Park Morning: Departing Charleville, we’ll follow the to Cunnamullla which came into being as a Cobb and Co. coach stop. See the famous ‘Robbers Tree’ and hear the story of the unfortunate local station hand who robbed the local bank at gunpoint. Watch a demonstration of opal cutting and polishing. Afternoon: Discover the quaint township of Eulo, hear the tales of Isabel ‘The Eulo Queen’ and learn the story of the Eulo Mud Springs. We’ll call in at Lake Bindegolly National Park, which conserves one of the most important wetland systems in south-west Queensland. Huge numbers of waterbirds can be seen on the lakes. Travel to Thargomindah and discover the historic electrical street lighting story. Accommodation: Explorer Caravan Park, Thargomindah. Ph: (07) 4655 3307

Lake Bindegolly Sunset

Outback Queensland Education Handbook | Outback Education Products and Travel Itineraries 1 Historic Hotel

Day 3 – Thargomindah to Innamincka

Journey: Thargomindah to Innamincka...... approx. 400km/4.5 hrs

Highlights: ; Geo Dynamics Hot Rock Installation; King’s Marker; Cooper Creek cruise; Australian Inland Mission Morning: We travel west to Noccundra on the banks of the Wilson River, contained in the pastoral holding of . Tour the Noccundra Hotel, an important Cobb & Co. coach stop, built in 1882 from sandstone quarried in NSW and transported by camel train. Pass by large cattle stations and travel through the heart of the oil and gas fields to Innamincka on the banks of the Cooper Creek in north-east . Afternoon: Learn about the Geo Dynamics Hot Rock Installation harnessing the energy from the earth’s natural hot granites deep beneath the surface. Explore the restored Australian Inland Mission building. Spot local wildlife and see King’s Marker on an afternoon cruise on the Cooper Creek. Accommodation: Innamincka Trading Post, Innamincka. Ph: (08) 8675 9900

Day 4 – Innamincka to Birdsville

Journey: Innamincka to Birdsville...... approx 417km / 6hrs

Highlights: History of Burke and Wills; Cadelga Ruins; ; the iconic Dig Tree Cooper Creek punt cruise; Possible Geocaching competitions en route Morning: Follow the through flood plains, sand dunes and gibber country. Visit the site of Burke and Wills’ Depot Camp and see the iconic Dig Tree, a reminder of Australia’s pioneering spirit. Afternoon Journey through changing environments, following the Burke and Will’s trail from Innamincka. We visit the heritage-listed Cordillo Downs shearing shed – Australia’s largest – where a record 85,000 sheep were sheared in the 1880s. See Cadelga Ruins, hear stories of early pastoralists and the hardships they endured. Arrive into Birdsville and our campsite, late afternoon. Dinner under the stars tonight! Accommodation: Birdsville Caravan Park, Birdsville. Ph: (07) 4656 3214

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