Carnarvon Gorge Canyons & Heron Island Coral Cay

We depart from Brisbane Coach Terminal on our opulent ‘Diamond Class’ coach, ensuring responsible travel with 100% offset flight and coach emissions. We travel through Toowoomba stopping at Picnic Point for morning tea. We continue through Dalby, breaking for lunch at Chinchilla, then make our way to Roma.

We depart Roma this morning, making a stop in Injune before arriving into Carnarvon Gorge National Park. Carnarvon Gorge is an oasis hidden in the rugged ranges of Queensland’s Central Highlands featuring towering white sandstone cliffs, spectacular scenery, incredible bushwalks, pockets of rainforest and amazing diversity of flora and fauna. On arrival at Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge, we enjoy some lunch before an orientation talk and cabin allocations. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy the tranquil surrounds.

We have an early start this morning to meet our representatives from Australian Nature Guides who take us on a walk to discover the local birdlife and vegetation. We enjoy a brief overview as we make our way to the Moss Garden, where water drips constantly from the sandstone walls supports a lush carpet of mosses, ferns and liverworts. Beneath tree ferns straining for sunlight, a small waterfall tumbles over a rock ledge into an icy pool. We stop and enjoy a packed lunch surrounded by beautiful wilderness.

The Moss Garden walk is an approximate 3 hour walk with a lunch break and is suited to those with a higher physical rating.

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Departing Carnarvon Gorge National Park this morning, we head east stopping for a cuppa at Rolleston, before breaking at Greycliffe Homestead for lunch and a tour. This heritage-listed homestead is the original family home of the Nott family, local pastoralists who owned and operated Greycliffe Station. Our afternoon takes us to the harbour city of Gladstone where we bed down for the night.

Days 5/6

This morning we make our way to Gladstone Marina to board the Heron Island fast cat. Located in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island is a haven for nature lovers and is surrounded by pristine beaches and brilliant blue waters. Enjoy two nights at Heron Island Resort, where we join naturalist eco guides for daily activities discovering the birdlife, reef walk the coral cay formations, and discover native flora and fauna. We check-in to our Reef Rooms, which are located near the beach and offer reef views. At low tide, we take a reef walk that will expose some of the most fascinating creatures found on the coral reef.

Fast cat transfers take 2 hours and are in open waters. Those who suffer motion sickness are advised to take the necessary precautions. Optionally, at additional expense you may like to organise return helicopter transfers from Gladstone.

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We enjoy a leisurely morning on beautiful Heron Island, before an early afternoon departure on the fast cat ferry. Back on the mainland, we take a short journey to the Town of 1770.

This morning we set out on the Pink Amphibious LARC. The Paradise Tour takes us along the coastline of Eurimbula National Park, where we are given commentary on wildlife and the history of Bustard Bay. We cross four tidal creeks and take a 4WD tour up the steep climb to the historic Bustard Head Lightstation. After our exciting day we return to Lagoons 1770 Resort & Spa.

Homeward bound this morning, we break at historic Childers taking time to visit the Palace Backpackers Memorial. After lunch at the Dingo Creek Vineyard, we make our way back to the Brisbane Coach Terminal arriving late afternoon.