Travel Dates
Departing 25th Feb 2020
Package Provider: AAT Kings
Package Type: Package
Region: Australia
Duration: 12 Nights
A legendary train and an unforgettable Australian adventure. Travel aboard The Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin on the all-inclusive Outback Spirit journey.
Cruise ancient waterways, hike to magnificent waterholes, discover the rich Ord River Valley and enjoy an exclusive dining experience at a fragrant sandalwood plantation. Revealing rugged red cliffs, cobalt blue waters and vast pastoral leases, this outback journey also provides opportunities for observing teeming wildlife, and relaxing while taking in a magnificent Cable Beach sunset in Broome.
Book this AAT Kings tour and receive 241 on The Ghan!
Your Tour & Rail Package Includes:
The Ghan:
Highlights & Inclusions:
Itinerary:
Day 1 – Adelaide
Departing Adelaide, what lies ahead is rugged, beautiful and spectacular – through the Red Centre to the tropical north of Australia. Settle into your cabin and watch the rolling pastoral lands of South Australia from your window, or meet your fellow travellers in the lounge car. Before long some of the oldest rock formations in the world, the Flinders Ranges, come into view. As darkness envelops the rugged outback, it’s time to indulge in a regionally-inspired dinner and all-inclusive fine wines and beverages.
Day 2 – Alice Springs
Begin with a freshly brewed coffee or juice as the day dawns at Marla, an outback outpost in the remote reaches of South Australia. It is here, deep inland, that you will enjoy a one of a kind experience, as you watch the desert come to life at sunrise. All aboard for brunch as you make your way through the MacDonnell Ranges to Alice Springs where a choice of Off Train Excursions awaits. Alice is an iconic Red Centre outpost. 1,500 kilometres from the nearest major city, it may be remote, but offers plenty to explore – home to doctors who fly, rivers that run dry, and a cast of colourful characters. Your time in the ‘capital out of the outback’ offers numerous opportunities to explore its historic legacy and unique environment.
Day 3 – Katherine & Darwin
Your day dawns in the tropical north. The pristine wilderness of Katherine is stirring and powerful, and you’ll have the chance to explore it from the water or land with your choice of off train experiences. Cruise the jaw-dropping Nitmiluk Gorge, learn more about its ancient Indigenous rock paintings and gain insight into the culture of the traditional owners of Nitmiluk, the Jawoyn people, or discover authentic outback life on a cattle station. As evening falls, arrive in Darwin to complete your epic Australian journey.
Untamed Kimberley:
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Highlights:
LOCAL CONNECTION
Discover the importance of sandalwood to Kununurra as you dine on local produce at the Sandalwood Factory.
INSIDER KNOWLEDGE
Take a local cruise down the Ord River from Lake Argyle to witness the setting sun in Kununurra.
CULTURAL IMMERSION
Support local Aboriginal artists with a visit to Mangkaja Gallery in the Kimberley, to understand culture sustainability through art.
SUSTAINABLE FOOTPRINTS
National Park fees contribute toward the protection of local marine life and local habitat areas, and fund land-protection projects.
Itinerary:
Day 1 Welcome to Darwin
Life in cosmopolitan Darwin, Australia’s only tropical capital, is vibrant but unhurried. Take an afternoon tour of the city, then enjoy a Welcome Reception and dinner this evening with your Travel Director and fellow travellers at a restaurant that affords spectacular waterfront views.
Hotel: Mantra on the Esplanade
Included Meals: Dinner with wine
Day 2 Darwin – Katherine
Travel south along the Stuart Highway today, stopping at Adelaide River’s poignant War Cemetery. This afternoon, travel via Katherine to Nitmiluk National Park, where a tranquil cruise along the spectacular Katherine Gorge will allow you to sense the spirituality of the land. Catch glimpses of wildlife and learn about the history and culture of the local traditional owners, the Jawoyn people. Later on you’ll meet Tom Curtain during his entertaining show at the Katherine Outback Experience.
Hotel: Paraway Motel
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine
Day 3 Katherine – Kununurra
Watch the landscape transform dramatically as you journey across vast pastoral leases and Aboriginal homelands into Western Australia. Pause at the historic Durack Homestead, built in 1895. Later, cruise along the Ord River, which supports an abundance of native fish, birds and marsupials. Experience a magical sunset over the water before your arrival in Kununurra.
Hotel: Kununurra Country Club Resort, 2 nights
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine
Day 4 Kununurra
Today you may choose between an optional experience early-morning scenic flight over the spectacular beehive-shaped towers of the Bungle Bungle Range or a full-day 4WD tour of the Bungle Bungles. Otherwise tour Kununurra with your Travel Director. This evening, dine on locally-grown produce at a privately hosted Be My Guest dinner in the heart of Kununurra’s sandalwood plantations.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest dinner
Day 5 Kununurra – Emma Gorge
This morning, take a guided tour of an Ord River rum distillery before travelling on to the Gibb River Road to your safari-style tented cabin nestled in an oasis of native pandanus and palms at the foot of the red-hued Cockburn Ranges in the El Questro Wilderness Park.
Hotel: Emma Gorge Resort, Tented Cabin with private facilities, El Questro, 2 nights
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine
Day 6 El Questro Wilderness Park
Awake to the calls of native birds, and after breakfast, explore El Questro Wilderness Park followed by a cruise on Chamberlain Gorge, an extensive waterhole fringed by tropical vegetation and soaring escarpments. Enjoy a free afternoon, perhaps taking a dip in the pool, relaxing with a good book on your cabin’s veranda, or joining your Travel Director for a hike to Emma Gorge and a dip in its crystal-clear waterhole.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine
Day 7 Emma Gorge – Halls Creek
Today join a local Indigenous guide for a tour of the famous Argyle Diamond Mine, the world’s largest source of coloured diamonds. Continue south to the historic town of Halls Creek.
Hotel: Kimberley Hotel
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with wine
Day 8 Halls Creek – Fitzroy Crossing
Travel on to the remote township of Fitzroy Crossing this morning, stopping en route at Halls Creek to visit an art gallery with a chance to meet Indigenous artists. This afternoon, cruise with a local guide through magnificent Geikie Gorge, watching for freshwater crocodiles, fruit-bats and wallabies as the 30-metre walls of the gorge tower above you.
Hotel: Fitzroy River Lodge
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with wine
Day 9 Fitzroy Crossing – Broome
Travel through spectacular landscapes today en route to the former pearling outpost of Broome. Enjoy a town tour with your Travel Director, visiting the fascinating Japanese Cemetery and nearby Gantheaume Point, whose rugged red cliffs rise in stark contrast to the cobalt blue waters. Relax with a drink while the sun sets over the Indian Ocean.
Hotel: Cable Beach Club Resort, 2 nights
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 10 Broome Free Time
Today is yours to explore this tropical hideaway. Enjoy a leisurely stroll along the pristine sands of Cable Beach and swim in its turquoise waters, or wander through Chinatown and shop for pearls. Tonight, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Day 11 Farewell from Broome
Say farewell to your new-found friends when your holiday comes to an end after breakfast.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Conditions apply. Subject to availability and change without notice. Full supplier conditions apply. Valid for new bookings only. Prices valid at the time of publication. Prices are per person based on twin share occupancy unless otherwise stated and displayed in AU$. Member savings are calculated using the original advertised price.