North West Loop Tour

tarting out in Cairns, the expedition takes in such iconic locations as Undara Lava
Tubes, Cobbold Gorge, Normanton and Karumba. We’ll also check out Burketown,
Cloncurry, and Charters Towers before winding down in Townsville.

After mustering, greeting, and partaking of a special Welcome Dinner, the tour proper
will begin by exploring Kuranda, the village in the rainforest. Kuranda Heritage Markets
will be just one of the attractions we’ll visit there, before heading to Mareeba and then
onto Atherton and the glorious Crystal Caves. Our next stop, The Undara Lava Tubes, is
no less spectacular, being the largest lava tube system on the planet. You will be amazed
at what you see and learn as you wind through the tubes on a 2-hour guided tour.

The following day sees us heading for Cobbold Gorge. Here you will be treated to a
3-hour tour of the gorge, after which you’re very welcome to spend the afternoon
relaxing in the pool.

Next stop is Normanton on the Savannah, home to the Purple Pub and Kris the
crocodile. Our activities here will include a 40-minute ride on a charming vintage
railmotor, the RM60,built in 1931. From Normanton we travel up to Karumba. Nothing
beats standing on a beach there to take in a magnificent sunset over the Gulf of
Carpentaria.

The Barramundi Centre in Karumba is another must-see. You will have a day
to yourself to explore this wonderful town, or maybe you would prefer to hop aboard a fishing charter. If you do, there’s a very good chance you’ll bring home something delicious for dinner.
Travelling on to the west, our next stop is Burketown, named after the ambitious explorer Robert O’Hara Burke. A very special evening will be spent here, star-gazing while listening to Dreamtime stories from the Gangalidda people.

What goes up must come down – or south in this case, and after a night at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse, we leave for Cloncurry, looking forward to viewing the wonderful exhibits at the John Flynn Museum and Cloncurry Unearthed Museum.

From Cloncurry, we head for Richmond. Here we’ll discover the wonders of the prehistoric world at Kronosaurus Korner. If you think dinosaurs aren’t your thing, maybe some bush tucker and bird watching at Lake Fred Tritton will fit the bill.

Our next stop is Charters Towers,where we explore the wonderful buildings this romantic old mining town has to offer. Later we’ll visit the Venus Gold Battery, a national treasure which is described as the biggest and best-preserved battery relic in the country.

End of the road is Townsville, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Here we will visit the Reef HQ Aquarium, the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium, before sitting down to a farewell dinner together.