~~ 01-Apr-2024 to 31-Mar-2025~~Valid for 01APR24-31MAR25:
Your naturalist guide will meet you at your accommodation and after introductions all round, you will ascend the McAllister Ranges and head west through Mareeba embarking on a remarkable journey back to prehistoric times, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Your first stop is for morning tea (Coffee and Cake). From here travel through the back blocks of this wetland area viewing wallabies, emus, and other wildlife and then along the irrigated agricultural paddocks of this fertile area, eventually crossing over the Great Divide and into the Western watershed. Travel through historical towns and rolling hills rich in minerals eventually giving way to towering limestone karsts scattered around Chillagoe. Your first stop is the National Parks Cave tour. The fossilised remains of the ancient coral reefs with hidden limestone labyrinths give a portal to a lost world just like your own Great Barrier Reef. Millions of years in the making, the limestone formations are nothing short of spectacular. You then delve into the history of the copper smelters; whose old chimneys dominate the western horizon. You visit the remains of the once mighty smelters to ponder what it was like working there, visit Aboriginal Rock Art and then it’s time for an Aussie pub lunch. After lunch and a visit to the local souvenir shop, You head back towards the east coast, stopping at Granite Gorge where you can feed wallabies and hold other indigenous animals. The tour then returns down the range to Cairns.~~~~
~~ 01-Apr-2025 to 31-Mar-2026~~Valid for 01APR25-31MAR26:
Picking up at your accommodation in a Billy Tea Safaris custom 4WD vehicle, discover the accessible Australian Outback on this unique and immersive full-day tour from Cairns. Travelling inland, witness the transition from coastal rainforest clad mountains to dry-tropical woodland, mixed-use farming land and the spectacular karst landscapes of the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park. The tablelands region around Mareeba is a valuable food-bowl generating a wide variety of produce such as avocados, mangoes, limes, lychees, table grapes, sugarcane and cotton. Morning tea is served on the scenic deck at Skybury Café, Australia’s leading producers of sweet red-papaya and some outstanding Arabica coffee! We drive on towards Chillagoe across the bed of a former inland sea, on the lookout for majestic Wedge Tailed Eagles, Kangaroos and Emus while your guide points out other distinctive flora and fauna. Small outback communities and historic mining towns contrast with modern-day wind turbines visible on the nearby Emerald Range. On arrival at Chillagoe, join a ranger guided tour through one of the regions remarkable limestone caves, 400-million years in the making. With torch in hand, learn about the formation of the caves impressive decorations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and brilliant sparkling crystals. This cool, dark environment is home to a range of illusive creatures, including echolocating micro-bats, white-rumped swiftlets, and the harmless spotted python whose ability to prey using heat sensing pits is perfectly adapted to life in a low light environment. Back above ground, enjoy a photo opportunity at the extraordinary Balancing Rock before a short walk to the neighbouring Wullumba Rock Art Site providing a glimpse into more than 37,000 years of local indigenous occupation. The Chillagoe Smelters employed over 1000 people in it’s prime, processing Copper, Lead, Silver and Gold contributing significantly to the regional economy. Ceasing operations in 1943 these eerie abandoned structures stand as a testament to the regions mining heritage. Say g’day to the locals as we refresh with lunch and a cold drink at a fair-dinkum Aussie pub before our final stop at Granite Gorge with the opportunity to hand-feed the rare and endangered Mareeba Rock Wallabies in their natural habitat.~~~~ |
1300 730 039 
