Bourke And Beyond Including Menindee Lakes

Day 1

Home - Adelaide - Peterborough
Your tour begins with a flight to Adelaide where your crew will be waiting to greet you. Enjoy lunch before travelling to Burra, a pastoral centre and historic town in the mid-north of South Australia. Take a short break before continuing on to Peterborough for our overnight stay.

Day 2

Peterborough - Broken Hill
This morning after a hearty breakfast, travel the Barrier Highway through the outback towns of Oodla Wirra, Yunta, Manna Hill, Olary and Cockburn before arriving in Broken Hill. This unique town sits in New South Wales but operates on South Australian time. Visit the Palace Hotel, made famous in the 1994 iconic Australian movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert, to learn the history of the building prior to lunch. This afternoon, a local guide will provide a tour of Broken Hill before we visit the Pro Hart Gallery. Late afternoon, settle into our accommodation for the next four nights.

Day 3

Broken Hill - Menindee
Today we visit Menindee Lakes and Kinchega National Park. These naturally occurring series of shallow wetlands located along the lower Darling River are typically dry, but have seen a lot of water over the past couple of years, and are sure to provide some spectacular scenery. This afternoon, return to our motel with time to freshen up before dinner.

Day 4

Broken Hill Day
Ignite your sense of nostalgia and your taste buds as you step back in time with a visit to Bell's Milk Bar. Beginning as a confectioner in 1892, this Broken Hill icon has maintained its 1950s architecture, unique interior murals and experience. Les Bell Jr. inherited the shop in 1953 and added modern ingredients to his mother's old-fashioned recipes and today you will have the opportunity to purchase your own morning tea and enjoy the drinks that are made from his famous secret recipes. Next, visit the Royal Flying Doctors Visitor Centre, located within the working RFDS Base at Broken Hill Airport. Enjoy a tour of the base, view the aircraft in the hanger and see the interactive museum celebrating the doctors, nurses and pilots of the RFDS. After lunch, discover the displays at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery and the Silver City Mint and Art Centre before enjoying drinks and nibbles while watching the sun setting over the desert from the Living Desert Sculpture Site.

Day 5

Broken Hill - Silverton
This morning visit Silverton, the once thriving town where miners came to seek their fortune. The landscape now inspires a new generation of artists and film makers and some of you will recognise the scenery from various films, television shows and commercials. Enjoy a cuppa while taking in the view from Mundi Mundi Lookout before returning to Silverton where time will be allowed to purchase your own lunch. This afternoon, visit the Silverton Gaol and Museum before returning to our motel for dinner.

Day 6

Broken Hill - Bourke
Today we farewell Broken Hill, travelling along the Barrier Highway to Wilcannia. Stop for a cuppa in this once thriving river port where wheat and wool were transported via paddlesteamer. Continue on via Cobar, stopping along the way for a picnic lunch, before arriving in Bourke for the next two nights.

Day 7

Back O' Bourke Day
The Darling or Baaka River begins at the confluence of the Culgoa and Barwon Rivers, roughly halfway between Bourke and Brewarrina, and meanders for approximately 1600km down to Wentworth, to join the Murray River. This morning we will take a cruise along the Darling River onboard the paddlewheeler "Jandra". Later visit the Back O' Burke Information and Exhibition Centre, surrounded by native gardens and River Red Gums where you can purchase your own morning tea from the café. The centre offers interactive installations and visual displays that will allow you to immerse yourself in stories of the Australian Outback from early exploration, poets, local bush rangers and outback legends. This afternoon a local guide will provide a tour of the area before we return to our motel for dinner.

Day 8

Bourke - Moree
Our journey today takes us along the Kamilaroi Highway as we travel to Brewarrina. Visit the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum overlooking the Barwon River, and learn about the Baiame's Ngunnhu (Brewarrina Fish Traps), a complex arrangement of stone walls. Continue on to Walgett to view the water tank art created by local hero, Jimmy Little. After lunch, continue on through Collarenebri before arriving in Moree for our overnight stay. Our accommodation tonight has an in-house thermal pool, so be sure to pack your swimwear.

Day 9

Moree - Yelarbon - Home
This morning we cross the border into travel on the Newell Highway, crossing the border into Queensland at Goondiwindi. Enjoy morning tea before continuing on via Cunninghams Gap to Warwick for lunch, taking time to reflect on the many highlights we have experienced across the three states. This afternoon, on arrival back in Brisbane, our crew will arrange transfers home for our Brisbane passengers and check in for our NSW travellers to fly back to the Hunter.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner