|
Date: April 2004
Location: Outback Queensland Australia
When you travel on the legendary Gulflander, don't be surprised if somewhere between
Croydon and Normanton your train suddenly
rolls to a halt in the middle of nowhere.
Your driver might just want to show you his favourite fishing hole or where a pair of finches have nested. Or, as happened recently, he may have stopped for a woman from a nearby station, who has magically appeared with a tray of freshly made lamingtons.
Such is outback hospitality. And the trip aboard the adorable old Gulflander,
still going strong since the 1890s, is a highlight of the "Nine Day Gulf Savannah
Wanderer Accommodated Safari" run by Cairns-based tour operator, Wilderness
Challenge.
This particular tour is primarily for those who can spare nine days of well-earned
holiday time to taste the Outback on an eye-opening exploration of the Gulf Savannah
region of North Queensland.
It's an accommodated safari, meaning tour members can stay overnight comfortably beneath a roof. But make no mistake about the places visited - they are all part of the real Outback.
Highlights of the trip include visits to Weipa, Wenlock River, Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Dorunda Hunting & Fishing lodge, overnight accommodation at Burke & Wills camp #119, and a visit to Lawn Hill Gorge National Park.
Wilderness Challenge's company executive, Russell Boswell, describes Lawn Hill Gorge as "sensational".
"This massive, spring-fed gorge is a lush, wet area in the middle of a vast, dry savannah of rock and spinifex," Russell says. "It's a favourite with everyone who visits it."
For bird watchers, this is paradise and these waterways, beautified by colourful water lillies, support an abundance of animal life.
The area also has a rich history of Aboriginal culture and a visit to ancient rock art sites is a must for safari members. So too is a cooling swim or a paddle by canoe across the lily-covered waters.
The tour also comprises a trip to the lava
tubes of Undara, an incredible geological marvel experienced on the safari.
Around 190,000 years ago, a crater in the McBride Volcanic Province erupted, blowing
molten lava down a dry river bed. The top layer cooled quickly to form a crust
while the lava flow beneath streamed outward, leaving a series of long hollow
tubes. A Savannah guide escorts tour members on an enlightening inspection of
this phenomenon.
After dinner at Undara, there's campfire entertainment and accommodation in faithfully restored and quite luxurious antique railway carriages.
On the eighth day, Cobbold Gorge
is approached. This beautiful, secluded waterway is surrounded by fascinating
colours and shapes of ancient sandstone sediments. For more than 135 million years,
they have been moulded and polished by water. Safari members enjoy an electric
motor cruise here and a leisurely stroll around the perimeter, following the footsteps
of early cattlemen and gold prospectors.
The trip on the Gulflander train catches the real spirit of the Outback. This may not be the fastest iron horse around, but it does provide one of the most scenic rail journeys in the country.
The 9-day accommodated safari to the Gulf Savannah operates from May to November.
Wilderness Challenge Guides and Awards
A feature of this tour and all other Wilderness Challenge adventures is the standard of guides on whom tour members must so heavily rely. Guides within this operation are fortunate as company executive, Russell Boswell also heads the Heritage and Interpretive Tourism certificate course at Cairns TAFE College. This involves six months full-time study with a curriculum that covers environmental management, environmental landscape studies, campsite preparation, personal communication, history and geography.
Not surprising, perhaps, that Wilderness Challenge is a winner of coveted North Queensland Tourism awards and that all of its tours and safaris have received National Ecotourism Advanced Accreditation classification.
This highly sought recognition is only awarded to tour operators who consistently satisfy a range of stringent ecotourism standards. These include ensuring tours focus on personal experience in natural areas in ways leading to a better appreciation and understanding of our environment, contributing to ongoing conservation of natural areas and being sensitive to different cultures, particularly indigenous culture.
Wilderness Challenge is very much a family affair with Principals Tom and Di Warnes at the helm, daughter Samantha in charge of administration and Russell (Sam's husband) heading sales and training of guides.
Russell Boswell said the company's aim was to allow as many people as possible to see and enjoy the real Australia and be aware of the need to preserve our natural environment.
"Our trips also aim to combine adventure with exploration and having fun," Russell said.
Other Wilderness Challenge Tours
The "14 Day Overlander" tour, which visits Kakadu
National Park is also very popular. Among the Overlander tour's highlights
are some spectacular camp sites like Katherine
Gorge and Waterfall Creek in Kakadu. There's also opportunity for an optional
cruise on Kakadu's renowned Yellow Waters Billabong with its prolific birdlife
and salt-water crocodiles.
For many who take this Top End overland adventure, the most memorable and mysterious destination is a little known region called the Lost City. This is an optional extra and access is by helicopter with a trained Savannah guide.
Here an assortment of weirdly shaped sandstone karsts point skywards at what could
be described as the territory's
equivalent of Western Australia's better known Bungle
Bungles.
"There's something quite eerie about the Lost City and you feel it the moment you arrive," Russell Boswell says. "It's a spiritual place for Aboriginal people and once you experience it, it's easy to understand why."
Capping off the Overlander adventure is a visit to Ubirr to absorb the same breathtaking
views that were featured in the movie Crocodile Dundee.
This tour can be taken in reverse direction, Darwin
to Cairns if preferred.
For more information:
Wilderness Challenge
Tel +61 7 4035 4488
Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Tel +61 7 4031 7676
- By Neville Allen
|
|
