Small group tour of outback Queensland

Having made your own way to Dubbo and to our hotel we will meet later today as group to discuss the tour itinerary. You may wish to explore Dubbo for a couple of hours prior to the meeting.

In the late afternoon we’ll meet with the tour director for a briefing on the itinerary followed by welcome dinner at a local restaurant for you and your fellow traveller as a small group.

Leaving Dubbo smartly in the morning, our outback Australia tour itinerary follows the path of the iconic Cobb & Co. stagecoach, heading towards Cunnamulla via Brewarrina on the Barwon river. At Brewarrina, we stop off to see one of the world’s oldest surviving man-made structures: the Brewarrina Fish Traps.

Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps are heritage-listed Australian Aboriginal fish traps on the Barwon River at Brewarrina, Brewarrina Shire, New South Wales, Australia. They are also known as Baiame’s Ngunnhu, Nonah, or Nyemba Fish Traps.

The traditional Aboriginal fish traps at Brewarrina, also known as Baiame’s Ngunnhu [pronounced By-ah-mee’s noon-oo], comprises a nearly half-kilometre long complex of dry-stone walls and holding ponds within the Barwon River in north west NSW. The fish traps are the largest group recorded in Australia and are arranged in an unusual and innovative way that allowed fish to be herded and caught during both high and low river flows. According to Aboriginal tradition, the ancestral creation being, Baiame, generated the design by throwing his net over the river and, with his two sons Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda-mui, building the fish traps to this design.

Ngemba people are the custodians of the fishery and continue to use and have responsibilities for the fish traps. It is said that Baiame instructed these responsibilities to be shared with other Traditional Owner groups who periodically gathered in large numbers at the fish traps for subsistence, cultural and spiritual reasons. The place is extremely significant to the Aboriginal people of western and northern NSW for whom it is imbued with spiritual, cultural, traditional and symbolic meanings. The creation of the fish traps, and the laws governing their use, helped shape the spiritual, political, social, ceremonial and trade relationships between Aboriginal groups from across the greater landscape. The site was one of the great Aboriginal meeting places of eastern Australia.^[1]

A story from Cunnamulla.

From 1885 when the railway was constructed to Bourke in New South Wales, farmers at Cunnamulla and other parts of south-western Queensland began to send their wool to markets via Bourke rather than the Charleville, then the terminus of the Western railway line in Queensland, as the New South Wales Government offered more competitive rail freight rates than the Queensland Government. Queensland Railway Commissioner James Thallon responded by negotiating with the Carrier’s Union which carried goods to the Charleville railhead to make the cost of transporting the goods via Charleville more attractive. However, strikes by the carriers in support of the 1891 Australian shearers’ strike meant that goods continued to be travel via New South Wales, further encouraged by new lower freight rates in New South Wales announced in June 1893. The Queensland Government responded the following month by introducing the Railway Border Tax Act which taxed wool and sheepskins crossing the border into New South Wales to make it too expensive to freight the wool via New South Wales. However, this could only be a temporary measure as the anticipated Federation of Australia would likely include free trade between the states of Australia removing the ability to tax goods at the border crossing. Therefore, on 3 December 1895, the Queensland Parliament approved the construction of the 121-mile (195 km) extension of the Western railway line from Charleville to Cunnamulla.

During the construction of the railway line, there was a dispute over the location of the railway station at Cunnamulla. The original proposal was for the station to be to the north of the town to be above the flood level rather than within the town centre as was usual practice. However, the railway chief engineer Henry Charles Stanley visited Cunnamulla and decided it would be better to place the station in the centre of the town as it would be more convenient and better positioned for crossing the Warrego River when the railway line was further extended. However, the disadvantage of the town centre site was that it would encroach on the town’s cricket ground. The townsfolk were divided on the issue and many sent petitions to the government to demand one location or the other. The Queensland Parliament eventually decided to proceed with the original location north of the town. The railway line to Cunnamulla was opened on 10 October 1898. However, the hotel on the corner of John and Louise Streets in the centre of the town had already been named the Railway Hotel in anticipation of a town-centre station and retained that name until the 1970s, when it was renamed Trappers Inn.

We take a walk around Cunnamulla with a local guide to learn about the unique town character and the story behind many of the historical buildings and businesses including hotels, saddlery, Tonkin House, churches and The Warrego Watchman.

Then we then journey further into North Queensland to Longreach via Charleville, Tambo Blackhall, Emmet and Isisford. We break for lunch en-route before rechaing our final destination today, Longreach. We expect to arrive in the late afternoon.

Our Queensland outback tour spends two nights in Longreach, the home of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, which showcases the history and cultural experiences of life in outback Australia , perhaps this is the home of the Australian adventure.

We have a day in Longreach. Visiting the Stockman’s hall of fame, a escorted tour woth a local guide of Longreach and a visit to the Qantas founder’s museum.

Longreach was one of the founding centres for Qantas, technically QANTAS was founded in Winton.

With a mid afternoon finish, there is time to pause and relax or wander around longreach, stretching the legs. Our journeyNorth continues tomorrow.

Arriving in Winton, just in the late mid morning we spend the afternoon exploring Winton.

We visit the North Gregory Hotel, known as the ‘Queen of the Outback ‘, which has an impressive history. The first public performance of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was here on April 6, 1895 (the story of which is told at the Waltzin’ Matilda centre , the world’s only museum dedicated to a song) and in the 1920s clandestine meetings helped launch a little airline known as QANTAS …

During World War II, future American president Lyndon Johnson was forced to stay here in Winton, when forced to ditch his plane. The dining room – where you can enjoy a traditional outback dinner – features original etchings by acclaimed artist Daphne Mayo. Winton is also home to the red-browed pardalote, found across Queensland and the Northern Territory , and the elusive rusty grasswren , a small, long-tailed bird with reddish-brown upperparts (related to the Kalkadoon Grasswren , found in the Mt Isa region). We have a walking tour in the late afternoon to identify heritage buildings and more stories of the history of Winton before a group meal.

Winton is also the dinosaur capital of Australia .

Today is about Dinosaurs.

We visit the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum to learn about the Cretaceous sauropods that roamed the Winton area 95 million years ago. The dinosaurs were found on the property of a man named David Elliott – amazingly, in the form of an almost complete skeleton of a Sauropod! After our visit to the Dinosaurs Museum, we learn more about dinosaurs on a day trip to Lark Quarry, one of the most fascinating tourism centres in Queensland’s outback . 95 million years ago, Lark Quarry was part of a great river plain, with sandy channels, swaps and lakes brimming with freshwater mussels, lungfish and crocodiles. Rainfall was over a metre per year, so the surrounding lowland forest was lush and green.

This is an amazing day as a step back in geological time and should also include the opportunity to see some of the volunteers who travel to Winton to assist on the dig, cleaning fossils in the lab and cataloguing.

From Winton, we continue the dinosaur trail to Hughenden, a classic Queensland outback Australia town reflective of the local culture this far North, which owes its existence to the railway line and surrounding cattle grazing land. Its primary appeal is its position on the edge of Australia ‘s ancient land sea, which existed between 95 and 120 million years ago, and left a rich supply of fossils in the area. The most important fossil discovery has been of a Muttaburrasaurus, today displayed prominently in the Flinders Discovery Centre. The skeleton was the first whole fossil to be found in Australia .

Again in the late afternoon we have a tour of the heritage buildings and the stories of Hughenden guided by the groups tour leader.

Hughenden was first reached by Europeans in 1861-2 when William Landsborough and Frederick Walker arrived looking for Burke and Wills, who had disappeared in the bush the year before. The Hughenden Showgrounds are home to the historic Coolabah Tree, which is linked to two relief missions who went on search for Burke and Wills. We will visit these locations as part of this tour of the town.

On our second day in Hughenden the group itinerary has a day tour to Porcupine National Park . This national park covers over 55 square kilometres of coloured sandstone desert , vine forests, and deep permanent waterholes, which contrast strikingly with the savanna plains surrounding Porcupine Creek and Porcupine Gorge or canyon. Exploring on foot, we visit the Gorge on a moderate 90-minute walk over flat terrain. Depending on the weather, we will probably start early today to avoid the heat of the day.

Barcaldine The morning is spent travelling to Barcaldine.Hughenden was our most Northerly stop.

Barcaldine

is home to the Tree of Knowledge, which marks the birth of the labour movement in Australia . The tree grew outside the Railway Station for around 180 years until 2006, when sadly, it was poisoned by an unknown culprit. Today, the famous tree has been preserved and placed under an award-winning structure that gives the illusion of a canopy over the Tree. Head to the Tree at night for the best views, as the memorial is lit beautifully by special lighting.

In Barcaldine, we spend the afternoon on a excursion learning about the origins of the Australian Labour Party, and view the local culture and architectural curiosities, such as the masonic lodge – seemingly out of place in this small central west Queensland town. There are plenty of stories and cultural experiences to be shared here to hear as we explore the town.

Travelling back into the Australian outback, we head to Carnarvon National Park, where we spend two nights. Today is a travel day, we arrive in late afternoon, stopping as and when required by the group on the road.

Carnarvon Gorge is a rainforest oasis in the semi-arid heart of Central Queensland, and a major camping ground and centre of outbacktourism. Towering white sandstone cliffs form a spectacular steep-sided gorge with narrow, vibrantly coloured and lush side-gorges. Boulder-strewn Carnarvon Creek winds through the gorge. The gorge is home to a range of significant plant and animal species, many of them relics of cooler, wetter times.

Today, we have a full day exploring the park. Not only fauna and flora but the Aboriginal rock art. A Local guide will share their knowledge and stories with the group.

Carnarvon Gorge lies within the spectacular and rugged ranges of Queensland’s central highlands. Lined with vegetation and fed by the waters of numerous side gorges, Carnarvon Creek winds between towering sandstone cliffs. The gorge is a cool and moist oasis within the dry environment of central Queensland.

Recognised nationally for its outstanding natural and cultural values, Carnarvon Gorge protects unique and significant plants and animals—many of them relics of cooler, wetter times. Permanent springwater, cooler temperatures and low levels of direct sunlight provide the conditions that allow remnant rainforest to survive here in the dry central Queensland climate.

Carnarvon Creek always flows, even when it hasn’t rained for months. Water falling as rain in the high country slowly percolates down through the porous sandstone, eventually meeting an impermeable (waterproof) band of rock known as shale. Unable to continue its journey downwards, the water moves sidewards along the sandstone and escapes through breaks, seeping out at places such as the Moss Garden and at other springs within the gorge.

The springs and creeks of the gorge support a mosaic of habitats, home to an enormous diversity of life. Whether you choose to walk the main track or simply relax at the park visitor area, you will have many opportunities to encounter and discover the gorge‘s plants and animals.

Mornings at the gorge are colourful as the sunlight meets the cliffs and a symphony of birdsong fills the air. Kangaroos and wallabies can be found around the picnic area and at night echidnas can be seen strolling about. The call of yellow-bellied gliders, owls and the bush stone curlew are often heard after dark.

Steadily flowing water has carved this gorge out of ancient sandstone. The same water, still flowing from the rock, has drawn travelers to Carnarvon Gorge for many thousands of years. Aboriginal people have a long and continuing relationship with this dramatic landscape. While visitors to the park usually associate Aboriginal history with the park’s rock art sites, the connection for Aboriginal people is with the entire landscape. The dreaming says that the rainbow serpent Mundagurra created Carnarvon Gorge as he travelled through the creek system, coming in and out of the water, and carving the sandstone as he travelled.

The fragile art on the gorge‘s sandstone walls reflects a rich culture. Ochre stencils of tools, weapons, ornaments and ceremonial objects provide an insight into the lives of the gorge‘s first people. The gorge is often described by today’s Traditional Custodians as a place of learning – an area of great spirituality. This land still teaches, with many visitors to the park gaining a new understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal culture and history.

European arrival

Rugged ranges and rough terrain made this area difficult for early European explorers. Ludwig Leichhardt led the first European group into the region in 1844, passing to the east of the gorge. Two years later Thomas Mitchell and his party passed to the west. It is thought that Mitchell named the ranges after the Caernarfon Ranges of Wales.

European setters followed soon after, with grazing runs established in the area in the 1860s. A mix of resourceful and colourful characters sought a life in this hard, remote area. High country to the south was named ‘The Ranch’, possibly by cattle duffers, while side-gorges were perfect for ‘lying low’.

In 1932, a 26,300ha section of the gorge was declared as national park, after lobbying by the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland, which had organised expeditions into the area. The many sections of Carnarvon National Park now cover 298,000ha of the central highlands.

Cathedral cave lies at the end of the Main Track and the turn-off is only metres from the boardwalked site. Ample seating is provided along the multi-level boardwalk with interpretive signs pointing out key motifs. There are some motifs shared with the Art Gallery, such as the net patterns, but plenty unique to Cathedral Cave. See if you can find the stencilled rifle.

Based on archaeological evidence, Cathedral Cave was the main campsite for indigenous people using the Gorge whereas the Art Gallery appears to have been primarily ceremonial in nature. Cathedral Cave’s massive overhang certainly provides more shelter in adverse weather than the comparatively shallow overhang at the Art Gallery.

When the Gorge was still being used as a cattle lease, Cathedral Cave was where cattle were coralled while the Gorge was being mustered. Unfortunately, the cattle damaged some of the rock art whilst penned in.

We travel south from Carnarvon to Lightning Ridge, New South Wales for an afternoon half day tour of this unique Opal town. This small group tour has an overnight stay here.

We drive down to Dubbo today. our journey will take 4 – 5 hours. When we arrive in Dubbo the remainder of the day is free for you to rest or enjoy a walk around the town, take time to reflect on the history and cultural experiences seen and taken during this group tour.

We spend the morning at the Dundullimal Homestead, a heritage-listed former pastoral station converted into a cultural facility and house museum. The afternoon is at your leisure to explore Dubbo, before a farewell group dinner in the evening.

Our outback small group travel experience concludes after breakfast.