An Antipodean travel company serving World Travellers since 1983
Queensland, Australia
Located in Australia‘s Northeast, Queensland is the second largest, and third most populous state in Australia. Covering an area about 7 times the size of the U.K, or roughly the size of Mexico, Queensland has a rich and diverse landscape, featuring lush rainforest, beautiful beaches, coastal islands, deserts, the world famous Great Barrier Reef, as well as the metropolitan cityscape of its capital Brisbane. The state’s long coastline stretches along the east coast of Australia, running from Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the south, all the way to Cape York and Thursday Island at Australia‘s northernmost point. The immensity of Queensland and its landscapes shapes the climate of the state, with a cooler subtropical climate towards the south, and rainforest, monsoon, or savanna type climates as you head towards far north Queensland. Queensland’s appeal lies foremost in its natural heritage, with countless miles of unspoiled wilderness and coastline making for one of the richest natural ecosystems in Australia, and creating the perfect destination for those seeking adventure.
To short break in Queensland’s Outback is a small group tour taking for a glimpse of the landscape and history of the state. We you to learn about the Carnavorn Gorge, and also we travel high up into North Queensland to see the Dinosaurs of Winton and incredible Aboriginal rock art at Cathedral gorge.
Small group tour of New South Wales, Queensland & South Australia deserts, from Broken Hill. Learn about the history of the people who explored the deserts, from indigenous communities to Europeans, as well as Burke and Wills, visit White Cliffs, Birdsville, Maree.
Small group tour touring most of the Australian territory, travelling through the outback and visiting many of the famous sights as well as off the beaten track locations, giving you the opportunity the explore and meet our people in the most remote locations. Learn about the history of the people who explored the deserts, from indigenous communities to Europeans, as well as Burke and Wills, visit White Cliffs, Birdsville, Marree and far north Kakadu and the Kimberley.
Small group tour of New South Wales, Queensland & South Australia deserts, from Broken Hill. Learn about the history of the people who explored the deserts, from indigenous communities to Europeans, as well as Burke and Wills, visit White Cliffs, Birdsville, Maree.
Originally inhabited by Australia‘s indigenous aboriginal peoples, the origins of the colonial state of Queensland can be traced back to the mid 19th century. At this point in history much of the Australia and New Zealand region were integrated into the greater British colony of New South Wales, which spanned across every major state and territory in both countries, save for Western Australia or the ‘Swan River Colony’ as it was known at the time. As the mid 19th century progressed many of these territories opted to separate from New South Wales and become their own self governing states, Queensland was one of these states, becoming formally independent in the year 1859. Queensland’s economy boomed in the later 19th century, which like New South Wales and Victoria, experienced a boom due to successive gold rushes, which brought an accompanying influx of migrants which aided in the growth of the state. Today Queensland is the country’s third largest economy, being an important part of the mining, agriculture, and tourism sectors.
Map of the Australian Continent.
Travelling to Queensland
A tour of Queensland can offer a wide variety of experiences, landscapes, and climates, ranging from rainforests to reefs, beaches, outback plains, deserts, and even more. Queensland is a truly vast area, with its natural heritage being breath-taking both in its sheer scope as well as in its diversity. A good place to start on a tour of Queensland is its capital city Brisbane. Located in the south-eastern corner of the state, Brisbane lies in the sheltered Moreton Bay, relatively close to the famous Gold Coast beaches as well as the border with New South Wales. This part of the state has some of the most temperate climate, with slightly cooler weather year round than the majority of the state. Off the coast of Brisbane lie three of the largest sand islands in the world, Moreton Island, Bribie Island, and North Stradbroke Island. Together these islands shelter Brisbane‘s Moreton Bay, becalming the waters of Brisbane‘s coastline, and are also popular attractions for camping, or tobogganing down the immense sand dunes. The Bay is also a marine hotspot, playing host to many different species of whales, dolphin, and even dugong. Further north, just past the idyllic Sunshine Coast is the largest of the world’s sand islands, Fraser Island. Inscribed as a world heritage site since 1992, Fraser Island is home to a huge number of birds, amphibians and reptiles, even playing host to the occasional saltwater crocodile. It also contains over 100 freshwater lakes, which contain some of the cleanest fresh water found anywhere on earth.
Cityscape of Brisbane skyline, with Story Bridge during sunset.
Heading further afield to North Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef begins along Queensland’s coastline, with towns such as Port Douglas making excellent jumping off points for an exploration of one of the planets richest ecosystems. Whether you choose a cruise off the coast, snorkelling, or scuba diving, the Great Barrier Reef is truly one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, being the world’s largest coral reef by an order of magnitude, as well as being the only living organism visible from space. Nearby you can also find the islands of Hamilton Island, as well as WhitsundayIsland, which are notable for having a bright turquoise water, and some of the purest white silica sand in the world. The national park on WhitsundayIsland is a popular destination for travellers, with Whitehaven Beach on WhitsundayIsland being voted Australia‘s number one beach by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ choice beaches awards.
Aerial view of Great Barrier Reef in Whitsunday’s Queensland Australia, famous love heart reef.
As you reach far north Queensland, you will find a more tropical climate, characterised by warm humid weather and an abundance of biodiversity, and is an ideal spot for those exploring Australia‘s unique flora and fauna. Cairns is the gateway to far north Queensland, and is the most popular destination for travellers to Australia after the major capitals, attracting a large amount of international tourists each year. From Cairns it is a short day trip to Daintree National Park, lying just north of the Daintree River, its tropical rainforest is the oldest rainforest on earth, with flora dating back all the way to the age of the dinosaurs. This lush rainforest also houses a tremendous amount of biodiversity, with over 30% of Australia‘s frog, reptile, and marsupial species, 90% of its bats and butterflies, and 7% of its birdlife in an area accounting for just 0.2% of Australia‘s landmass. The rainforest also runs parallel with the Great Barrier Reef along the coast, and even meet together at Cape Tribulation, marking the only place on earth where two world heritage sites meet side by side. Heading inland, Outback Queensland is a great way to capture the quintessential spirit of the Australian bushland, as well as the pioneer spirit that shaped Australia as a nation, Outback Queensland is full of gems such as Longreach, or Winton, famous for its dinosaur fossils, as well as home to Australia‘s unofficial anthem of ‘Waltzing Matilda‘. One of the best way to experience what Queensland has to offer is with a small group tour. Odyssey specialises in this kind of tour, offering an engaged and intimate tour of Queensland ideal for senior, solo travellers and couples heading to Australia and New South Wales.
Windmill in the countryside of Queensland, Australia.
Explore and learn about the Victorian history of Melbourne over a week. For the senior traveller, a small group tour holiday package to Melbourne city, limited to 12 travellers.
Discover the World Heritage Sites of the southern states of Australia travelling in a small group tour. A journey of learning around the southern edges of the Murray Darling basin and up to the upper southern part of this complex river basin north of Mildura. We start and end in Adelaide, stopping in Broken Hill, Mungo National Park and other significant locations.
Escorted program for couples and single travellers visiting Hobart, Launceston through the Tamar Valley along the rugged coastline of the north coast and heading back south to the pristine wilderness around Cradle Mountain and then on through Strahan, Queenstown and past Lake St Clair, before arriving back in Hobart. This 18 day small group tours to Tasmania for mature and senior travellers interested in the colonial history of Tasmania. We follow the footsteps of the colonists, visiting the churches where they worshipped, the houses in which they lived, the taverns where they drank and some of the mills in which they worked.
Small group tour of New South Wales, Queensland & South Australia deserts, from Broken Hill. Learn about the history of the people who explored the deserts, from indigenous communities to Europeans, as well as Burke and Wills, visit White Cliffs, Birdsville, Maree.
This 16 dayescorted small group tour of Victoria for the senior or mature travellerwho enjoys learning whether as a couple or solo traveller explores an area of central Victoria that is rich in historic houses, gorgeous gardens and some amazing art.
Spend a week in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney exploring the historic homes and gardens of the region over a week. For mature and senior travellers. This small group tour visits 13 very different homes and gardens during the Autumn.
Explore on a Motorbike tour in the Outback and learn about historic Alice Springs, The MacDonnell ranges, and Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park. This escorted small group Motorbike tour for mature and senior travellers, travelling as a couple or solo travellers also visits the Hermannsburg Lutheran mission plus Henbury meteorite site learning about the Aboriginal outback and contemporary art.
Explore and learn about historic Alice Springs, The MacDonnell ranges, and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. This escorted small group tour for mature and senior travellers, travelling as a couple or solo travellers also visits the Hermannsburg Lutheran mission plus Henbury meteorite site learning about the Aboriginal outback and contemporary art.
To short break in Queensland’s Outback is a small group tour taking for a glimpse of the landscape and history of the state. We you to learn about the Carnavorn Gorge, and also we travel high up into North Queensland to see the Dinosaurs of Winton and incredible Aboriginal rock art at Cathedral gorge.
This small group tour to the Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, and the Gawler Ranges is designed for mature and senior traveller or solo traveller to discover the hidden gems of South Australia. Visiting the lesser-known western half of South Australia to explore the pristine coasts of the Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula – often strikingly underdeveloped compared to the East Coast of Australia – and the rugged landscapes of the Gawler Ranges. Delve deeper, and you’ll find a fascinating and often unexpected local history.
Escorted small group tour of the Kimberley. We explore and visit Cape Leveque, The Bungles, Bell Gorge, Mitchell plateau & Halls Creek in the dry season. Amazing landscapes intertwined with Aboriginal communities resident for some 45,000 years. We also view the Wolfe Creek meteorite crater.
Small group tour exploring the the North East region of New South Wales for mature and senior travellers. Travel, learn and explore about New England’s history, the coast, National parks and regional towns in a time capsule surrounding Mudgee.
Small group tour touring most of the Australian territory, travelling through the outback and visiting many of the famous sights as well as off the beaten track locations, giving you the opportunity the explore and meet our people in the most remote locations. Learn about the history of the people who explored the deserts, from indigenous communities to Europeans, as well as Burke and Wills, visit White Cliffs, Birdsville, Marree and far north Kakadu and the Kimberley.
Explore and learn on an escorted small group tour of key places to visit in NSW including the Southern Highlands and Canberra. Program for mature and senior travellers limited to 12 people for couples and solo travellers.
Escorted small group tour for senior and mature travellers as a couple of solo traveller. Upto 12 people of WA’s Wildflower regions including Esperance and the Fitzgerald river National park. Local guides and program leader share knowledge about this fascinating region whilst in bloom.
Outback Queensland is hiding a number of unforgettable indigenous experiences on this small group tour for senior travellers. Especially at the Brewarrina Fish Traps, and Carnarvon Gorge, for example where you can experience and learn about dreamtime creation stories, age-old cultural practices and traditions, and Aboriginal art.
A small town in outback Barcaldine played a role in Australian history as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party. This small group tour for mature and senior travellers to Outback Queensland incl Longeach & Winton also visits Barcaldine
An icon of the Australian Outback. See and learn about the history of the outback both British settlement and aboriginal history out in the heat of the Australian desert! Small group package tours for mature and senior travellers couples for singles show you this often harsh environment full of stories.
The Simpson Desert, Australia Sand dunes, desert flora, and splendid isolation: the Simpson Desert is one of the great wildernesses of outback Australia. Crossing the borders of South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory, the…