Lake Eyre & Opals Tour

We depart from Brisbane, heading southwest to Lightning Ridge for our first look at opal country. Lightning Ridge is the home of the rare and most valued type, the Black Opal.

Black Opals differ from other opals, as their colours are accentuated on a dark background.

You will have the opportunity to visit the Lightning Ridge Bottle House and Museum, Historic Three Mile Flat Miners’ Settlement, Amigo’s Castle, and even view an opal-cutting demonstration while enjoying scones with jam and cream for morning tea.

We depart in the afternoon to our next opal destination of White Cliffs.

Having left the Black Opal region, we will now head to the home of the rarer Pineapple Opal. Here at White Cliffs, you will have the opportunity to tour a private dugout.

This dugout has been described by our guests as a ‘true highlight’, and boasts some of the most interesting and unique artwork, from a 1 tonne gumtree in the kitchen, to the tooth of a megalodon set amongst a circle of other unique pieces.

We depart White Cliffs late this afternoon for our final destination of the day, Broken Hill.

Overnight Ibis Styles – Deluxe Room.

After breakfast, you can learn more about the incredible history of Broken Hill. Take a bus tour around town and visit the old Power Station, and the ‘Line of Lode Miners Memorial’ where 700+ men had died since mining started back in the 1800’s. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Pro Hart Art Gallery, and the ‘The Big Picture’, the world’s largest acrylic painting on canvas painted by a single artist.

After Morning Tea, we will be travelling by road to the famous town of Silverton. This town has the setting of an outback ghost town, which is contrast to the once-busy mining town of long ago. Many movies have been filmed here, including: Mad Max, A Town like Alice, and Dirty Deeds, and has been ‘home’ to famous Aussie actors such as Mel Gibson, Guy Pearce, and Bryan Brown – although only for a short time!

Visit the Mad Max 2 Museum where you will see original props and vehicles used in the production of the film. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Silverton Jail and Municipal Chambers.

Returning to Broken Hill, we may have the opportunity to visit the 12 sandstone sculptures of the Living Desert (weather dependant).

Overnight Ibis Styles – Deluxe Room.

After departing Broken Hill, we head west and fly over the incredible Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountains in the heart of the Flinders Rangers National Park. It was used for grazing from the mid-19th century to the early 20^th century until its tourism potential was recognised in 1949. 

Leaving Wilpena, we head north-west arriving in the small outback town of Marree in South Australia. Marree is a fascinating historic watering hole and railway town on the edge of the vast desert area of Central Australia. To the north lies the Tirari Desert, to the northeast is the Strzelecki Desert, and to the northwest lies the vast saltpan, Lake Eyre. Marree is a true desert settlement, receiving an average annual rainfall of only 125 mm. 

After Morning Tea at the Marree Hotel, we continue our tour as we head to Coober Pedy, with Lake Eyre South visible out to our right, and crossing over the famous Oodnadatta Track. We will also have the opportunity to view the Marree Man from the only place where the size can be fully appreciated, from the air. 

As we fly further west to our next destination of Coober Pedy, you can take in more of the stunning scenery this area has to offer. The signature opal found in this region is the more commonly known White Opal. 

On arrival, we will check-in to our hotel accommodation which was carved out of a sandstone hillside using opal mining machinery and was opened in 1988. 

Late afternoon you will be taken out to Kanku National Park where you will be able to appreciate the unique physical features of the area with explanations from our local guide. We visit both the famous ‘Moon Plains’ and ‘The Breakaways’. 

‘The Moon Plains’ is a mineral expanse bearing witness to millenniums gone by. The flat stones often with rounded edges originated in the Flinders Ranges and were transported, reshaped, and polished by glacial activity. It only needs a good rain, and the place is transformed with a carpet of little yellow flowers which resemble for some, the green hills of Scotland.

When you reach the Breakaways, there is the impression that the ground has fallen away in front of you, as an endless plain stretches out, studded with rocky outcrops.  

Overnight Desert Cave Hotel – Underground Room. 

After breakfast, you will have the opportunity to join our local guides to explore the town on a bus tour of Coober Pedy to see some highlights of the region. You will visit an Opal Mine and Museum, an underground home and a church, as well as one of the most unique golf courses in the world. Learn about mining and living underground, enjoy a stone cutting demonstration and journey deep into the earth. See how Coober Pedy residents live with a walk-through of an underground house, and one of the oldest mines in the town centre. There is also an extensive range of opal stones and jewellery for sale during the tours.

Late afternoon you will be taken to the highest point in Coober Pedy, the Big Winch for an Outback Cinematic Journey. This unfolds in an experience that immerses and surrounds visitors deep into the heart of the landscape. Coober Pedy’s Big Winch 360 is the Outback’s newest world-class attraction and is home to Australia’s first permanent  360º Circlevision cinematic experience.

Overlooking the vast landscape and watching the sun set over the horizon you will be provided with drinks and a three-course meal before heading back to spend our last night under the ground.

Overnight Desert Cave Hotel – Underground Room.

Continuing our tour, we depart Coober Pedy for William Creek, passing by the lake that has the longest place name in Australia, Lake Cadibarrawirracanna.

Our arrival into William Creek almost doubles the town’s population which is usually around ten! After morning tea, we fly over the incredible Lake Eyre again, as we head to our next destination Birdsville. Back in the state of Queensland we have the opportunity for lunch at the iconic Birdsville pub.

After lunch take a quick bus tour and learn about the unique history of the pub and town, as we head out to the famous Birdsville Racecourse. We may even get the opportunity to head out to the famous Big Red Bash sand hills, located just outside Birdsville. Here you will have panoramic views of these incredible dunes, as you walk through the red, wind formed landscape. (Weather dependant).

Departing Birdsville, we fly northeast to Charleville where we check-in to our accommodation. This evening’s tour will take us through the Cosmos Centre, where we will do some stargazing and learn some amazing facts about our solar system. On a moonless night, you will be able to see the Milky Way in all its glory.

Overnight The Rocks Motel – Deluxe Room. 

The morning is spent with our local guide who will explain some of the highlights of Charleville.

You will experience for yourself what life was like for the 3500 United States Army Air Force personnel stationed in Charleville, as you visit the World War II Secret Base with its interactive displays. Some displays include ocean voyages, Top Secret information, classified missions, wartime romances, command a bombing raid, and much more.

You will also be able to partake in the must-see ‘Charleville Bilby Experience’. Join a tour of the nocturnal house (where they have altered the timing so that the bilby’s night is during our day) and see some super cute bilbies during their night-time activities. After an engaging talk by one of the keepers, you will understand more about the plight of this delightful eco-engineer and exactly why they are worth saving from extinction.

The rest of the afternoon can be spent at your leisure before retiring to the motel for the night.

Overnight The Rocks Motel – Deluxe Room.

Leaving Charleville we head to our last tour destination, Roma. Here you will enjoy the ‘Explore Roma Town Tour’, hearing about the town’s history, local industries, pay a visit to the famous Roma saleyards, and Roma’s best-kept secrets, like Lake Never Fill, Hero’s Avenue, Roma’s biggest bottle tree and the Roma bush gardens. Learn about the hidden treasures of the overflow, local legends, and sporting heroes. 

A guided tour of the Oil Patch Museum you will stand beneath the rigs and gain an understanding of the hope, ingenuity and mateship that shaped the Australian oil, gas and energy industry. 

Learn about the trials and tribulations that our pioneers endured whilst trying to strike it rich with Roma oil and in the evening ignite your interest in sabotage and drama whilst you enjoy a glass of Outback port and an original short history film under the stars in our outdoor theatre.

Early afternoon, after covering over 4,154 kilometres, and visiting the best of three states, our last leg departs Roma bound for Brisbane. Returning home with many cherished memories of the incredible Lake Eyre and the unique opal towns of the Outback.