Lake Eyre & Opals Tour

We depart, 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, John Murray Art Gallery, and even view an opal-cutting demonstration while enjoying scones with jam and cream for morning tea.

In the afternoon, venture underground for an immersive art experience viewing 900 sculptures which were hand carved into the sandstone walls. The detail and variety of each piece, spread throughout 26 chambers, is an amazing experience. You will also be taken on a fully guided tour of a 100-year-old opal mine. Hear about the wins and heartbreak from those who have gone on the ‘endless search’ for opals.

Our next flight takes us over the NSW remote towns of Brewarrina, Bourke and Wilcannia, as we follow the Darling River to Broken Hill.

Overnight Ibis Styles – Deluxe Room

After breakfast, you can learn more about the incredible history of Broken Hill. Our local guide will take you on 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 visit The Palace Hotel which was used as a stop-over for the characters in the 1994 Australian iconic movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Many favourite scenes from the movie were filmed in and around Broken Hill and throughout various locations within the Palace Hotel.

Overnight Ibis Styles – Deluxe Room.

Departing Broken Hill, we head north-west and fly over Lake Frome and the Flinders Ranges on our way to view the Marree Man from the only place where the size can be fully appreciated, from the air. This feature ‘stands’ at 4.2 kilometres tall, measures 28 kilometres around its perimeter, and depicts a hunter with a stick. To this day, there is still no credible information known about the individual responsible for creating the world’s second largest geoglyph, located just on the outer banks of Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre.

As we start our Lake Eyre scenic flight, we fly directly over Lake Eyre South and see where it joins Lake Eyre North at the Goyder Channel (15km long), and into the Madigan Gulf. From this vantage point you will have an appreciation of the sheer size of Lake Eyre as it spans over 8430 sq km, or 144km long.

The southernmost part of Lake Eyre North is where an abundance of wildlife thrives in the salt-rich shores. It holds most of the lake’s annual rainfall, and its deepest part has been recorded at 15 metres below sea level. The colours are ever changing as the salt loving algae begins to transform the landscape from deep blues and greens to pinks and oranges.

From Lake Eyre we arrive in William Creek for lunch, where you will be amazed by the history of the (once) boarding house. The William Creek Hotel began its life back in 1887, providing a place to eat and sleep for the labourers on the Old Ghan Railway.

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 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.

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.

Enjoy some free time after lunch before being 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. Enjoy a champaign and nibbles as the sun sets over the vast desert landscape in this fascinating area of Australia.

Overnight Desert Cave Hotel – Underground Room.

We depart Coober Pedy and pass over the lake that has the longest place name in Australia, Lake Cadibarrawirracanna.

We fly over the incredible Lake Eyre region again, as we head to our next destination Birdsville. We follow the Diamantina River all the way into town which has been transformed from the recent flood event with an abundance of flora and fauna.

As we arrive back in the state of Queensland, we have the opportunity for lunch at the iconic Birdsville pub as well as a look around town. After lunch take a 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, flying over the vast Channel Country, with Cooper Creek at its centre.

After checking into our accommodation and dinner we are transferred to a place ‘out of this world’ The Cosmos Centre. You 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. Your premium stargazing experience allows you to view the universe with one of the largest Dobsonian telescope in Qld. – The 30” Cannon. Your private guide will point out many interesting facts during the evening viewing.

Overnight The Rocks Motel – Deluxe Room.

Our day in Charleville is spent with our local guide who will show you some of the highlights of the town and visit many of the unique attractions.

Your morning starts with a visit to the Outback Date Farm, which is an Australian, family run enterprise, on a fully working date plantation. Enjoy a delicious date loaf morning tea while admiring rows of magnificent palm trees. Be inspired by the farmer who turned a long-term dream into reality. Learn how dates grow, and how reclaimed water came to be used for this environmentally friendly project. And best of all – find out how incredibly healthy dates are for you!

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.

Departing late afternoon, after covering over 4,154 kilometres, and visiting the best of three states, our last leg departs Charleville. Homeward bound with many cherished memories of the incredible Lake Eyre and the unique opal towns of the Outback.