Gulf Savannah Wanderer

Your North Queensland tour begins on a high – quite literally – as you depart Cairns along the Kuranda Range road, weaving upwards into the rainforest-shrouded Atherton Tableland. One of the key features of these dramatic highlands is Lake Barrine, its mirror-like expanse set in an ancient volcanic mar. As pretty as the waterway is, the stars of the show are the soaring ‘twin kauri pines’, these giants of the forest thought to be more than 1,000 years old and one of the earliest known species of rainforest tree. Talking of stepping back in time, Historic Village Herberton is a recreated tin mining town replete with shops, a pub, grocer, school and garage. There are more than 50 restored period buildings making this outdoor museum, all decked out with antiques and memorabilia. And you can visit them at your leisure – be sure to order a coffee in the Bakerville Tearooms.

If you’re looking for a reason to get up early this morning, make it a journey toward Mount Surprise. All aboard the 1960s Savannahlander train as it tracks towards Einasleigh in the Wet Tropics area of the Kuranda Range. You linger here with sufficient time to enjoy a cold one at the pub or visit Copperfield Gorge – remnants of an ancient lava flow that spewed from a now extinct volcano thousands of years ago – before the ‘silver bullet’ chugs on toward Forsayth, continuing northwest toward the sleepy village of Georgetown. 

The aquatic jewel of your Gulf Savannah tour, Croydon’s Lake Belmore is the region’s largest body of water, stocked with a mind-boggling variety of fish. Stretch your legs here before reaching Normanton, a delightfully quirky town with old-world charm to spare. Have your camera poised to snap shots of the legendary ‘Purple Pub’, historic Burns Philp General Store and a replica of Krys, the (late) 8.63-metre crocodile. More fish await at Karumba, at the mouth of the Norman River on the Gulf of Carpentaria. This pocket of tropical paradise is also a twitchers delight, as you’ll discover on a fiery sunset cruise. 

Spanning 310,000 square kilometres, the Gulf of Carpentaria is a rare modern example of a shallow sea on top of a continent – a feature much commoner at earlier times of the Earth’s geologic history. It’s a unique marine ecosystem that fosters all manner of fish, including barra, as you’ll learn at the Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre & Hatchery. The interactive and interpretive centre provides the history, stories, lifecycle and habits of these fish, and is the only place in the world to breed and hatch them. Feeling thirsty? Let’s head to Point Sunset for happy hour. Cheeers!

The Far North Queensland touring outback is beautiful. But 160+ years ago it was also harsh. Explorers Burke and Wills came through this part of the world while surveying the gulf. Campsite 119 was their most northerly post during their 1861 expedition. They didn’t make it to Mutton Hole Wetlands Regional Park, but you will, with time for croc- and bird-watching in this part of the largest continuous wetland in northern Queensland.

When the journey matters just as much as the destination, jump aboard the historic Gulflander RM93 train at Normanton’s handsome Victorian-era railway station. Your adventure through the savannah landscape crosses the Norman River to Critters Camp and on to Black Bull Siding before arriving in the old gold mining town of Croydon. As locals like to say, the train “travels from nowhere to nowhere”. But it sure is fun. Call in again at Georgetown and Forsayth en route to Cobbold Gorge.

Cobbold Gorge is the place to visit to put life in perspective – in the best possible way. This ancient geological landform is distinguished by its narrow, striated sandstone formations and humbling 10-metre cliffs. Waterways carved the gorge some 10,000 years ago, channelling through 135-million-year-old sandstone. Cruising here, the only sounds you’ll hear are the wind, wildlife and quiet hum of your boat. 

The outdoor antics of yesterday were likely draining. Sleep in – we’re in no rush today. Forsayth for lunch, then campfire entertainment before retiring to your accommodation in faithfully restored antique railway carriages.

The Undara Lava Tubes were created 190,000 years ago when a staggering 23 cubic kilometers of lava flowed into a river bed and kept flowing for 160 kilometers, making it the world’s longest lava flow from a single volcano. The result today? Huge caves, some over 21-metres wide and 10-metres high, have formed along the tubes; they’re never dark because they are gaping holes which can be entered by visitors on Undara Lava Tubes tours, accompanied by guides. It’s like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole, so surreal is this underground world. It’s a hard act to follow, but the heritage Curtain Fig Tree in the Atherton region puts up a good fight. Time to say see-ya-later to the Savannah. Make no mistake – this siren is one that will continually call you back for yet another Cairns tour.