OUTBACK QUEENSLAND – MAY 2020 Camberwell Probus Club presents Longreach and Outback Queensland plus The Gold Coast and Brisbane. $3784 per person twin/double share (Minimum 20 people) $3594 for a miinimum of 25 people $3476 for a minimum of 30 people and $3389 for a minimum of 35 people. Add $590 for guaranteed single room Add additional $889 Return for Business Class Upgrade – subject to availability. Monday 11 May to Wednesday 20th May 2020 Tour Highlights • 2 nights on the Gold Coast • Australian Outback Spectacular • Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary • 3 Nights at Longreach • QANTAS Founders Museum / Outback Hall of Fame • Winton & The Australian Age of Dinosaurs • Blackall and Roma • Brisbane and the Old Boggo Gaol Longreach is in the centre of a vast area known as the Central West, in the geographical heart of Queensland. There are some fascinating things to see and do in this part of the world – a region that attracted bush poets like Banjo Patterson and pioneeers, like the early post World War I pilots who formed the Queenland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. Itinerary Detail Day 1: (D) To the Gold Coast (Monday 11 May) What a tour we have ahead of us! this monring we transfer to Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport for our nonstop 2 hour flight to the Gold Coast. (Virgin Australia Flight VA739 departs Melbourne at 11.20am / Arrives Gold Coast 1.25pm – nonstop – to be confirmed). On arrival our Australian Road Journey's Touring Coach will be waiting. We take in the sights and check into our hotel with some free time before our very special, first night event, on tour. There is no place on earth like the Australian Outback… and no show on earth like the new show at the Australian Outback Spectacular – Heartland. It's an all new story with true Australian characters, Reg and Marge, who are battling a severe five year drought on their farm. This heart touching story will resonate with many as it delves into real world struggles that many Aussie farmers are dealing with today. With the help from some unlikely characters and friendships, the pair overcome the harsh realities of life in the Australian Outback. OUTBACK QUEENSLAND – MAY 2020 Prepare to embark on a vivid and spectacular ride into the heart of the Australian bush under the iconic red roof with a delicious three course dinner. What a fabulous night! (Meal inclusions: Dinner at the Ausrrealian Outback Spectacular). Day 2: (BLD) Gold Coast (Tuesday 12 May) This morning we take a short drive down the Coast to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to over 1400 birds, mammals and reptiles. We have the morning to experience the visitor programme including feeding the wild lorikeets or taking the miniature steasm train for Kangaroo Crossing and coming face to face with kangaroos, wallabies, and some not-quite-so-friendly crocodiles. From here we then head into the Gold Coast Hinterland to a little place called Wongawallan. The very British Fox and Hounds Hotel is the Gold Coast's only authentic English Pub (and the only pub in Australia) to have actually been trasnported from England! At Fox and Hounds why not sample a British Ale and some traditional fare such as Toad in the BHole, Yorkshire Pudding, Atlantic Cod and Beef & Guinness Pie weekend roasts. Day 3: (BLD) Gold Coast to Bundaberg (Wednesday 13 May) This morning we head to Yandina and the Ginger Factory on the Sunshine Coast. We will enjoy a tour tracing the life of ginger from planting to final use, see ginger growing in the patch and then view the factory from the observation deck to see production. After a light lunch we can visit the Gingertown shops and Nutworks. We can see the factory in operation and spend time in the retail shop. We then continue on through the National Trust town of Childers. The township is set on top of rolling hills of red soil framed by green fields of sugar cane. In 1902 a disastrous fire destroyed much of Childers but the subsequent rebuilding has given us the amazing variety of architectural styles still largely intact today. A great example is Gaydon's building (1894) in Churchill Street which is now the home of Childers Pharmaceutical Museum. We arrive into Bundaberg with time to freshen up before dinner. (Meal Inclusions: Breakfast and dinner in the motel/light lunch) – Country Comfort Bundaberg, 73 Takalvan Street, 07-41512365 - 1 night. Day 4: (BD) Bundaberg to Emerald (Thursday 14 May) An iconic attraction in Bundaberg is the Bundaberg Rum Distillery – and that is where we are heading this morning! This Australian spirit has been rolled out of the proeuction line for well over 100 years and today we are here for a self guided tour. We'll be able to look, feel and taste our way through the making process starting with the raw material molasses to the aromas of maturing spirit. We then head to Rockhampton, located on the banks of the Fitzroy River. Rockhampton is known as Ausrtralia's beef capital and sits astride the Tropic of Capricorn. After a relatively small gold rush, cattle soon became the big industry. Rockhampton is the regional capital of central Queensland and has a number of well preserved, riverside buildings within its business district. On arrival we have time to stretch our legs and biuy lunch before we join the Capricorn Highway travelling through Blackwater and onto Emerald (Meal inclusions: Breakfast and Dinner in motel). OUTBACK QUEENSLAND – MAY 2020 Day 5: (BLD) Emerald to Longreach (Friday 15 May) This morning we farewell Emerald and travel to Longreach. Before we leave we have time to take a look at the National Trust listed Railway Station. Built in 1900 and restored in 1986, the Station, with its wrought iron lacework and pillared portico, truly is a beautiful building. We can also view an ancient fossilised tree aged 250 million years outside the Emerald Town Hall. On the road again we will stop to enjoy our picnic lunches as we travel through the outback towns of Bogantungan and Alpha before travelling to Barcaldine. This town is steeped in the history of the early pioneers' struggles. Hear about the shearers strike in the 1890s and see the Tree of Knowledge, next to the Barcaldine Railway Station, which marks the spot where the Australian Labor Party was formed. We also visit the Worker's Heritage Centre, the only national attraction dedicated to celebrating the lives asnd proud heritage of everyday working people. The displays tell the storoies of the railway workers and blacksmiths, the farmers, nurses and teachers who shaped the nation. This afternoon we stop in Ilfracombe where we have time to wet the whistle at the famous Wellshot Hotel. The last leg of today's journey is to Longreach, a town which has played a signficiant role in the early development of Central Queensland and Outback Aussrtralia. We arrive in Longreach and after our days on the road we can settle in and unpack for the next three nights. (Meal Inclusions: Breakfast and Dinner in the hotel/ picnic lunch) Day 6: (BLD) Exploring Longreach (Saturday 16 May) On today's adventures we will uncover some national treasures, such as the historic 1922 QANTAS hangar, at the QANTAS Founders Museum. The historic photographs, memorabilia and multi-media displays bring alive the inspirational stories of one of the world's pioneering airlines. We then cross over to the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame where we have made a booking for the Outback Stockman's Show. The Show encompasses the modern aspect of being a stockman, as well as telling the tales of what it used to be like in the past. We have lunch here before spending some time in the Hall of Fame. (Meal Inclusions: Breakfast and Dinner in the motel / light lunch at the Stockman's Hall of Fame) Day 7: (BD) The Age of Dinosaurs (Sunday 17 May) Out towards Winton on the top of what the locals refer to as a Jump-up, is a fascinating attrraction called the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. It is located south of Winton on a rugged mesa plateau formation that stands 75m above the surrounding plains. We will have a clear view to spot any dinosaurs in the vicinity! The area surrounding Winton is full of archeological digs and today – at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs – we have the opportunity to take a tour and learn about this prehistoric phenomenon and see real dinosaur bones being prepared in the laboratory. The newly opened facility has won many awards for its design and content. From here we go into the township of Winton. It was in this area that Banjo Paterson wrote his famous poem about the swagman and the jolly jumbuck and Waltzing Matilda was first heard in a pub in Winton. The Waltzing Matilda Museum has been rebuilt after a fire destroyued it, so it is even bigger and better than it ever was, a must-see attraction in Winton. We then head back to Longreach. Tonight - on our last night in Longreach - we enjoy a sunset cruise and dinner on the banks of the Thomson River, a timeless waterhole. Relax on the top deck of the Longreach Explorer and OUTBACK QUEENSLAND – MAY 2020 take in 360 degree views of the Thomson River. Enjoy entertaining and informative commenary detailing river and cultural stories. Unwind with complimentarfy nibbles platters and purchase drinks from the licensed onboard cash bar. As the sunset fades into starlight, we dock at Smithy's Outback Dinner and Show for a night of great food and live entertainment under the stars.