Spirit of the Outback

Day 8 Friday 23rd July
Day 9 Saturday 24th July
Day 10 Sunday 25th July
This morning we begin with a stroll into
the centre of the city, (about ten minutes
from our motel) to visit the tourist
information centre located in the most
outstanding historic building in
Rockhampton - the former Customs
House on Quay Street, now classified by
the National Trust. This beautiful classical
revival style building with a rounded
portico and impressive dome was built
between 1898 and 1901 in pale yellow
sandstone. It exemplifies the importance
of Rockhampton as a major regional city
at that time. We will also walk to the old
railway station, now the Archer Park
Museum. (Charles Archer was the first
settler in the Rockhampton district in
1855.) Admission is included and the fee
includes a ride in a 1909 tram which runs
on Sunday morning only. The museum
depicts the story of the historic railway
station built in 1899 and the railway history
of Rockhampton. Next we will catch a city
bus (at your cost, about $2) to the
Rockhampton Botanic Gardens. Buses
depart from the city and take 10 minutes
to reach the Botanic Gardens. The café
here is an ideal place for a casual lunch.
These beautiful gardens were established
in 1869. Here you will see some grand old
tropical specimen trees and palms. The
Botanic Garden specialises in cycads and
palms. There is also a Japanese garden,
a huge fernery, a Cenotaph for the
soldiers killed in World War One and the
Murray Lagoon. This was Rockhampton’s
first water supply, but today it provides a
habitat for fish, birds, native turtles
(tortoises) and eels. It was declared a
fauna sanctuary as long ago as 1902.
Make sure you see the huge Banyan with
its massive aerial roots. You can return to
the city at your leisure
Breakfast
Overnight Rockhampton
This morning we catch a bus from
Rockhampton to Rosslyn Bay on the
Capricorn Coast about 40kms away. At
Rosslyn Bay Marina we board a
Supercat which transports passengers
across to Great Keppel Island. We will
spend the day on the boat cruising the
islands of the Keppel Group. There are
opportunities for snorkelling, glass
bottom boat coral viewing, swimming
and boomnetting. Morning and
afternoon tea and a barbecue lunch are
served on board. The Keppel Islands
are mainly National Parks and they form
the most southerly part of the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park. Great Keppel
has a resort which is currently closed
and being rebuilt. The islands and
turquoise surrounding waters provide a
habitat for turtles, sea birds such as
terns and cormorants and dozens of
colourful and tropical fish. There are 16
islands in the picturesque group.
Vegetation on the islands ranges from
heath lands to low rainforest with ferns
and palms. Aboriginal occupation of the
islands has been dated back to 45,000
years ago.
Breakfast ● Lunch
Overnight Rockhampton
A final free day to enjoy the warmth and
sights of Rockhampton. Make sure you take
a walk down the historic Quay area along
the mighty Fitzroy River as it is well known
for its historic buildings. It is one of the best
nineteenth century streetscapes in Australia
with dozens of National Trust classified
buildings lining the way. The buildings date
from the port days of Rockhampton when it
was the major port for gold discoveries in
the hinterland, including Mount Morgan
which began with its major gold rush in
1882. This was the period when
Rockhampton was booming and the inland
railway focused growth on the town. The
railway line from the port of Rockhampton
reached Barcaldine in 1886 and Longreach
in 1892 thus opening up the hinterland to
pastoralism and mining. With around
100,000 people in the district the city has a
good shopping centre and numerous other
tourist attractions. We will check out of our
accommodation in the morning but leave
our luggage at the motel until the mid
afternoon when we transfer to the airport.
We take a flight via Brisbane arriving in
Adelaide in the late evening.
Spirit of the Outback
Longreach & Rockhampton
16—25 July 2010
Breakfast
“Thank you for offering great
affordable tours for people to
E.&.O.E.
WEA Travel
TTA 183
EDUCATIONAL and CULTURAL TOURS
T (08) 8223 1272 ● F (08) 8232 3690 ● E [email protected]
www.wea-sa.com.au
223 Angas Street, Adelaide SA 5000
WEA
Travel
TTA183
...enriching lives through cultural exchange
Brisbane ● Spirit of the Outback Train
Longreach ● Rockhampton ● Keppel Islands
E
xplore the outback of central Queensland in comfort on
the Spirit of the Outback which travels1326 kms from
Brisbane to Longreach. After a day of sightseeing in
Brisbane you can relax end enjoy the scenery on your
way up the Queensland and across The Great Dividing Range to
Longreach. In this outback oasis you will visit the famous
Stockman’s Hall of Fame and The Qantas Museum. Take in the
quintessential Australian landscape of Coolabah trees, native
wildlife and vibrant sunsets on a cruise down the Thomson River
and enjoy a sundown campfire dinner on its banks. Back on the
Spirit of the Outback train you will travel back to Rockhampton,
which sits right on the Tropic of Capricorn. Here you discover the
historic Quay Street precinct, stroll around the delightful Botanic
Gardens with its tortoise filled lagoon and spend a full day sailing
around the turquoise waters of the Keppel Island group, the most
southerly part of the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkelling and glass
bottom boat coral viewing are included in this wonderful day. This
tour is a delightful ten days of trains, planes, boats and historical
walks.
Today we walk the 10 minutes to the
Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Admission is
included and 6 hours are recommended to
explore the site! This large complex was
opened by the Queen in 1988 as a tribute
to stockmen and those who live and work
in the outback. The galleries are divided
into five major themes dealing with
explorers, pioneers, stock workers,
pastoralists, and Aboriginal people. To
complement the exhibitions there is an
indoor multi-media sound and light show.
For an additional fee (at your cost) you
can also attend one of the twice daily
Stockman’s Shows which involve
stockmen, dogs, horses, mules and
sheep. This is a fascinating museum, well
worth spending a day at. We meet again
for dinner at the motel.
Breakfast ● Dinner
Overnight Longreach
admission fee (but donations welcome).
You need to be back well before 4:30 (or
perhaps a town centre pick up can be
arranged) as we head off on a leisurely
boat cruise along the Thomson River in a
river paddle boat. See the large
Coolabah trees and ponder the story of
Waltzing Matilda! Dusk is an excellent
time for viewing the birdlife and wildlife
along the river banks. Nibbles are served
on the boat but you must bring along
your own drinks if required. After sunset
we settle around a camp fire on the river
bank for a dinner of damper, camp fire
beef casserole, apple Danish and Billy
tea.
Breakfast ● Lunch ● Dinner
Overnight Longreach
Day 5 Tuesday 20th July
Tour Leader: Dr Denis Binnion is regular historical tour leader for
WEA one day courses and past leader of WEA tours on The Spirit
of the Outback , Ghan to Darwin and many overseas tours. He has
interests in landforms, geography and history.
Tour Includes: Return airfares ● First class sleeper on Spirit of
the Outback train ● 7 breakfasts, 4 dinners, 1 lunch ● Transfers
and tours as per itinerary ● Escorted sightseeing ● pre and post
tour get-togethers ● Comprehensive tour information pack
10 days $2980
Day 4 Monday 19th July
Twin Share
Single supplement $480 Balance due 7th May 2010
Day 1 Friday 16th July
Day 2 Saturday 17th July
Day 3 Sunday 18th July
You depart Adelaide Airport early this
morning on a direct flight to Brisbane. You
take the Airtrain to the centrally located
Holiday Inn. In the afternoon your tour
leader has planned a public ferry trip down
the Brisbane River (fare is about $6, cost
not included). North Quay, where we join
the ferry is about ten minutes walk from
your hotel. From the ferry you will see the
Brisbane skyline, Parliament House, the
Old Treasury Building, the beautiful city
Botanic Gardens, some of the historic
buildings on the edge of the CBD and you
will travel under the famous Storey Bridge.
We will return back up the river and alight
near Parliament House. From here people
can walk around the centre of Brisbane, go
shopping in the mall, walk through the
Botanic Gardens, visit the impressive City
Hall or return to the hotel for a rest.
Overnight Brisbane.
After breakfast we check out and you have a
free morning before we walk next door to
Roma Street Station for our 1 pm departure
on the Spirit of the Outback train. You are
booked on a first class sleeper for the 24
hour trip north along the lush Queensland
coast, before we head inland into the dry
interior. Cabins have basin facilities but
toilets and showers are at the end of each
carriage. The 1,326 km train trip passes
through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, rich
with sugar cane fields and pineapple
plantations and by dusk it reaches
Bundaberg. The train departs Rockhampton
around 11 pm for an overnight trip across
the Great Dividing Range and into the true
outback. Meals are not included but the train
has a dining car and snack meals are
available.
Breakfast ● Overnight on train
We arrive in Longreach just after 1 pm
and transfer to our motel for the next four
nights. The motel has a swimming pool,
extensive lawns and some Australian
wildlife. You can relax in the afternoon,
walk into the town centre about a
kilometre away or rest. We will meet in the
evening for a two course dinner.
Longreach is about 700 kms from the
coast and surrounded by cattle country.
This forms the backbone of the economy
of the town along with tourism. The town
sits right on the Tropic of Capricorn beside
the Thomson River which meanders into
Cooper Creek before it disappears into
Lake Eyre.
Dinner ●Overnight Longreach
“Excellent, well organised and
great fun. Would certainly travel
with WEA again and recommend
them to everyone”
It’s just a short walk to the Qantas
Founders Museum, which is hosed in the
original 1922 hangar. Admission is
included and it is recommended to allow
between two and five hours to cover the
museum. Our admission will also include
a guided tour with the secrets of the 747
Jumbo Jet tour. There are other optional
tours (at your cost) that you can take to
explore other aircraft in detail. This
includes the recently returned first 707 jet
that Qantas used to fly. Qantas was
established in Winton in 1921. The
museum tells the story of the history of
Qantas, of outback life, the Royal Flying
Doctor Service, the principles of flight and
the Great Air Race of 1919 between
England and Australia. You can return at
your leisure to the motel. If you return
early you might want to walk (about 20
minutes) or take a taxi into the centre of
town to look at the shopping centre or visit
the Powerhouse Museum ($8 admission)
which covers machinery, agricultural and
town life. Or visit the Jackson’s Weapons
Museum which also opens at 2 pm, no
Day 6 Wednedsay 21st July
Today is a totally free day so that if you
choose to go on any tours organised by
the tour operators in the district, you can
without having to be back at the motel
early. Options include helicopter rides
and tours to working cattle stations but
for something different you can ride an
old Cobb and Co. style carriage on a
Kinnon and Co coach tour. It departs at
9:00 am and 2:30 pm and costs around
$48 including scones and tea and other
entertainments. For $8 you can arrange
a tour of the Australian Agricultural
College or for $5 you can tour the School
of Distance Learning (formally the school
of the air) between 9 and 10:30 am. All
of these tours and more can be arranged
at the Visitor Information Centre in town.
You may wish to explore the shops, go to
the movies or watch the locals in the main
street. We meet up in the evening for our
final dinner in Longreach.
Breakfast ● Dinner
Overnight Longreach
Day 7 Thursday 22nd July
After an early breakfast you transfer to
the railway station for departure on the
Spirit of the Outback. We have coach
class sitting seats for today as we watch
the landscape roll by. At Barcaldine
Station you can see the famous Tree of
Knowledge under which the Australian
Union movement was founded. We do not
arrive in Rockhampton until around 8:20 in
the evening so we see all the country and
towns that we missed during the night on
the way to Longreach. Keep your eyes
open around 3:45 pm for the charming
and historic Emerald railway station,
erected in 1900 and now classified by the
National Trust. Meals are available in the
snack bar area of the train during the day.
Upon arrival in Rockhampton we transfer
to our motel for the next three nights.
Breakfast
Overnight Rockhampton