Best Buys

Gulf Savannah Wanderer

9 Day Guided Vacation | Cairns Return

This Cairns tour transports you back in time – in more ways than one. Over the course of a week’s looping journey, there are villages that remind you what life was like in the Queensland outback in early colonial times. Trains that nod to yesteryear. Monuments that speak of pioneering explorers. And natural wonders that wind back the clock millennia: steel yourself for epic Undara Lava Tubes tour and a visit to Cobbold Gorge.      

*Please note, this tour is operated by a third-party*   

Prices From CODE: QGS

$3413

Adult Twin i A person 16 years and over (note a person 16–17 years must be accompanied by a person 18 years and over). All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2024-05-22 departure

$4126

Single i A person, who must be 18 years and over, travelling alone, must pay the single room price. All prices are per person, land only unless otherwise indicated.
Above lowest price is based on 2024-05-22 departure
Prices above are per person in USD
Single rooms are limited and subject to availability
Child prices may be available on request

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Trip Details

trip-details-whats-includedWhat's included


  • Highly experienced Travel Director/Driver
     Accomodation
     National Park entrance fees

trip-details-diningDining

  • • 9 Lunches
  • • 8 Dinners
  • • 8 Full Breakfasts

trip-details-flight-infoFlight Information

  • Day prior – flights to arrive anytime into Cairns Airport
    Day 9 – We recommend that guests fly out the day after
    the tour returns to Cairns, as it may be delayed getting
    back into Cairns.
    Flights are not included in the holiday price.
    This holiday is operated by Heritage Tours.
    Visit aatkings.com for details.

trip-details-what-to-bringWhat to Bring

  • • Comfortable walking shoes
  • • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  • • Water bottle
  • • Warm layers in cooler months
  • • Camera

trip-details-fitness-level-requirementsFitness Requirements

    High level of fitness required

    If you have any mobility issues or over 80 years of age, it is a requirement to complete the “Fit to Travel & Mobility Questionnaire” and return these to Heritage Tours. A doctor’s clearance may be required before booking can be confirmed.

Itinerary Generating PDF...

image map

Your journey begins on a high – literally – as you depart Cairns and weave north into the Atherton Tableland. There are lakes, record-breaking pines and Historic Village Herberton, a recreated tin mining town replete with shops and a pub.

  Hotel: Malanda Lodge Motel

  Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner

All aboard the 1960s Savannahlander train as it tracks towards Einasleigh in the Wet Tropics. Order a cold one at the pub or visit Copperfield Gorge before the ‘silver bullet’ chugs toward Georgetown.

  Hotel: Latara Motel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

The aquatic jewel of the Gulf Savannah, Croydon’s Lake Belmore is the region’s largest body of water. Karumba sits at the mouth of the Norman River on the Gulf of Carpentaria; it's a twitcher's delight, as you’ll discover on a sunset cruise.

  Hotel: Karumba Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

The Gulf of Carpentaria is a rare example of a shallow sea on top of a continent. It’s a unique marine ecosystem that fosters all manner of fish, as you’ll learn at the Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre & Hatchery. Feeling thirsty? Enjoy happy hour at Point Sunset.

  Hotel: Karumba Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Explorers Burke and Wills came through this part of Queensland while surveying the gulf. Campsite 119 was their most northerly post. They didn’t make it to Mutton Hole Wetlands Regional Park, but you will, with time for croc- and bird-watching.

  Hotel: Gulfland Motel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

When the journey matters just as much as the destination, jump aboard the historic Gulflander train. As locals like to say, “it travels from nowhere to nowhere”. But it sure is fun.

  Hotel: Cobbold Gorge Cabins

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

This ancient geological landform is distinguished by its narrow, striated sandstone formations and humbling 10-metre cliffs. Cruising here, the only sounds you’ll hear are the wind and wildlife.

  Hotel: Cobbold Gorge Cabins

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Sleep in – we’re in no rush today. Forsayth for lunch, then campfire entertainment before retiring to your accommodation in antique railway carriages.

  Hotel: Undara Lava Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

The Undara Lava Tubes were carved by the world’s longest lava flow from a single volcano. Huge caves have formed along the tubes, creating a surreal underground world. Time to say see-you-later to the Savannah.

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.


Gulf Savannah Wanderer

Best Buys

9 Day Guided Vacation

Cairns Return

This Cairns tour transports you back in time – in more ways than one. Over the course of a week’s looping journey, there are villages that remind you what life was like in the Queensland outback in early colonial times. Trains that nod to yesteryear. Monuments that speak of pioneering explorers. And natural wonders that wind back the clock millennia: steel yourself for epic Undara Lava Tubes tour and a visit to Cobbold Gorge.      

*Please note, this tour is operated by a third-party*   

Highlights

Flexible Vacations

Take a trip back in time at your leisure exploring Croydon’s Historic Precinct, circa 1800s, and the Historic Village Herberton, replete with 50 restored period buildings.

Iconic Sites

One of Australia’s great rail journeys, the Savannahlander traverses the Wet Tropics region of the Kuranda Range. The 1960’s ‘silver bullet’ cuts a striking form en route to Forsayth.

Natural Wonders

Feel your spirit soar gazing at the striated sandstone cliffs of Cobbold Gorge, an ancient geological landform carved by rivers more than 10,000 years ago.

Accommodation

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort.
The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:

Trip Details

trip-details-whats-includedWhat's included

  • Highly experienced Travel Director/Driver
  • Accomodation
  • National Park entrance fees

trip-details-diningDining

  • • 8 Full Breakfasts
  • • 9 Lunches
  • • 8 Dinners

trip-details-flight-infoFlight Information

  • Day 1: Flights to arrive day prior into Cairns Airport
  • Day 9: Flights to depart after 9:00pm from Cairns Airport (recommended next day)
  • Airline schedules may change at short notice. Please consider possible flight disruption when booking your flights.​

trip-details-what-to-bringWhat to Bring

  • • Comfortable walking shoes
  • • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  • • Water bottle
  • • Warm layers in cooler months
  • • Limit luggage to one small soft travel bag (approximately 300mm x 300mm x 700mm and preferably without wheels) and a small daypack (cabin baggage) per person. Definitely no hard bags or suitcases. Couples bring two smaller bags as opposed to one large one
  • • Camera

trip-details-fitness-level-requirementsFitness Requirements

  • • Heritage Tours - High level of fitness required
    If you have any mobility issues or over 80 years of age, it is a requirement to complete the “Fit to Travel & Mobility Questionnaire” and return these to Heritage Tours. A doctor’s clearance may be required before booking can be confirmed.

Itinerary    Download Itinerary

image map

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.

  Hotel: Malanda Lodge Motel

  Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner

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. 

  Hotel: Latara Motel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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. 

  Hotel: Karumba Lodge, 2 Nights

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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!

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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.

  Hotel: Gulfland Motel

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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.

  Hotel: Cobbold Gorge Cabins, 2 Nights

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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. 

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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.

  Hotel: Undara Lava Lodge

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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.    

  Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.


Gulf Savannah Wanderer

Best Buys

9 Day Guided Vacation

Cairns Return

This Cairns tour transports you back in time – in more ways than one. Over the course of a week’s looping journey, there are villages that remind you what life was like in the Queensland outback in early colonial times. Trains that nod to yesteryear. Monuments that speak of pioneering explorers. And natural wonders that wind back the clock millennia: steel yourself for epic Undara Lava Tubes tour and a visit to Cobbold Gorge.      

*Please note, this tour is operated by a third-party*

Highlights

Time For You

The Historic Village Herberton is like a movie set. Explore more than 50 restored period buildings at your leisure, and re-live the romance of yesteryear.

Iconic Sites

One of Australia’s great rail journeys, the Savannahlander traverses the Wet Tropics region of the Kuranda Range. The 1960’s ‘silver bullet’ cuts a striking form en route to Forsayth.

Sustainable Travel

Plastic, what? We’re on a mission to reduce waste and leave no trace, with reusable crockery, utensils and cups all the rage when you dine outdoors.

Natural Wonders

Feel your spirit soar gazing at the striated sandstone cliffs of Cobbold Gorge, an ancient geological landform carved by rivers more than 10,000 years ago.

Accommodation

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort.
The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:

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