Inland Explorer

Departing Brisbane Coach Terminal aboard our luxury ‘Diamond Class’ coach, we travel through the rich fertile area of the Lockyer Valley, breaking at Picnic Point in Toowoomba for a cuppa. Our afternoon takes us through country towns arriving at St George.

This morning, we make our way to Riversands Vineyards were we are joined by a local cotton farmer to showcase the towns irrigated agriculture and wine growing industry. On tour you will learn about cotton planting, growing, irrigation, harvesting and marketing. Afterwards, we break for lunch, followed by a wine tasting before we leave St George making our way into Lightning Ridge.

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Our local guide leads us through hidden gems of the town, starting with Fred Bodel’s Hut and the Historic Three Mile Flat. We return for morning tea and an opal cutting demo before visiting Lunatic Hill to learn about old opal mining techniques. After lunch, we explore Amigo’s Castle, Bevan’s Cactus Gardens, and the ‘Chambers of the Black Hand’, a unique treasure in a 100-year-old mine shaft. The day ends with a relaxing soak in thermal baths and a visit to the Australian Opal Centre.

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Our travels today take us through Walgett a regional hub for the wool, wheat and cotton industries. We break at Coonamble before making our way to Dubbo, visiting the Taronga Western Plains Zoo for lunch followed by a guided wildlife tour.

Leaving Dubbo we travel through the prosperous cattle and sheep farming region of Nyngan on the Bogan River. We then traverse the Barrier Highway to the copper mining town of Cobar. We take a town tour with a local guide, then pay a visit to the Great Cobar Heritage Centre, built to commemorate those who lost their lives in the town’s mines.

On the highway for the first part of our day today, we break at Emmdale Roadhouse then break for lunch in Wilcannia, before continuing to Broken Hill. We arrive at Broken Hill in the early afternoon.

Enjoy a locally guided tour of Broken Hill, exploring heritage architecture and famous art galleries. Visit Silverton, a near-ghost town and movie set, then return via the Mundi Mundi Plains to the Pro Hart Gallery. Explore the Living Desert Sanctuary and watch the sunset over the stunning ‘Living Desert Sculptures’.

We leave Broken Hill, heading south on the Silver City Highway to Wentworth, where the Darling and Murray rivers meet. After visiting the historic Old Wentworth Gaol, we cross the Murray River to Mildura.

We travel following the Murray River, stopping at Robinvale and Tooleybuc before heading to Swan Hill for a guided tour and lunch at the Pioneer Settlement. We continue through Lake Boga, ending the day in Echuca.

After breakfast, a local guide takes us on a tour of Echuca, highlighting the history of the Murray River and its paddle steamers. We then enjoy a paddle steamer cruise along the river before heading to Melbourne for our final night.

After breakfast this morning we make our way to Melbourne Airport for our respective flights home.