State: Victoria
Operator: KIRKHOPE AVIATION
Minimum Price: AUD $ 0

When time is limited, travel on a charter air tour to remote outback places of Australia. All tours depart from Melbourne. Small group tours ensure personal service. If you have your own group of friends, structure the holiday to your own individual interests or time frame. Travel South & Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania ,New South Wales and of course to Pungalina Station.

Day One: Melbourne - White Cliffs - Avington Station Departing Melbourne at 8am, the flight is 3 hours and so arrival at White Cliffs is around 11am. This is an interesting Opal mining town. A brief tour of the town and then to "Jock's Place" and enjoy his excentric underground charm. Then at 12.00 we have a light lunch at PJ's Underground motel. Departing at 1pm we fly 2.5 hours to Avington station arriving around at 4pm. A tour on the Barcoo river for sunset drinks or a drive around the property in your own 4 wheel buggy to view all the different vegetation and wildlife are two of the options before a great meal with outback station hospitality ACCOM: AVINGTON STATION....homestead http://www.avington.com.au/ Day Two: Avington Station - Chillagoe - Jowalbinna After a great breakfast in the homestead kitchen we depart at 9 am for a 2.5 hr flight to Chillagoe. This town is famous for it's limestone caves and so we venture down the Donna Cave for a fascination 1 hour tour. After the tour lunch is served at the local motel and then we depart at 3.00 pm for Jowalbinna. arriving at about 3.30pm. The drive from the airstrip is about 30 minutes to the camp site. The accommodation is twin share tents and an outback bush shelter kitchen/dining room. Showers and toilets are typical bush facilities. ACCOM JOWALBINNA BUSH CAMP Day Three: Jowalbinna - Horn Island his is Steve Tresize's bush camp and there are many great aboriginal rock art sites to view. In the morning we drive out to the Giant Wallaroo and a number of other rock art sites. This requires about 2 hrs of walking. After lunch we depart for Horn Island . This is a 2 hr flight arriving at 4.30pm. We transfer to our motel and relax for the evening ACCOM GATEWAY TORRES STRAIT RESORT/MOTEL Day Four: HornIsland - Coconut Island In the morning we are taken by Vanessa on a fascinating tour of Horn Island. There is much to see and of particular interest are all the war relics around this island. Vanessa is very knowledgeable and at the end of the tour we have time back at the motel to peruse the museum before we depart for Poruma Resort on Coconut Island. This is a 30 minute flight and plan to land at midday and then transfer to our cabins in time for lunch at 12:30. Coconut Island is only the length of the airstrip. The only tourists on the island are the people staying at the resort ( maximum of about 8) so you are made to feel very special by the local Torres Strait community. After lunch a relaxing afternoon and depending on the tide, a swim may be possible right in front of the cabins or for the keen maybe a fishing expedition in the small boats off the beach. Drinks that evening are in front of the cabins for a magnificent sunset and then another great seafood meal. ACCOM: PORUMA RESORT CABINS...... http://www.poruma.com Day Five - Six: Coconut Island - Two days are spent at the Island resort. One full day will be a boat trip on the Northern Blue 40 ft vessel. The destination depends on the weather and could include Bird Island or Roberts Island ( 2 of about 8 in the area). We do some deep sea fishing and trolling on the way. Snokelling and swimming on the island beaches are a must. Lunch will be provided on the boat during the day. We return , with our catch, at about 5pm in time for another swim and then sunset drinks on our verandahs before another seafood extravaganza. The second day is negotiable depending on preferences. It may be another full boating day or just a half day or may be more relaxing just around the locality of Coconut itself. ACCOM: PORUMA RESORT CABINS Day Seven: Cocunut Island - Horn Island - Inkerman Station Departing after breakfast at 10am we return to Horn Island for fuel and then fly down the western coastline of the Cape York Peninsula to Weipa and on to Inkerman station. Arriving in time for lunch at 1pm at the homestead on this huge working cattle station, we then take a 4 wheel tour of the property , ending up at the coast yet again for another magnificent sunset. Dinner this night is in the homestead. ACCOM INKERMAN STATION....homestead Day Eight: Inkerman - Sweers Island After breakfast depart at 10 am for Sweers Island via Karumba for fuel. This takes about 1 hour and on arrival at Sweers it is a short 5 minute drive to the resort. Sweers Island, is in the Gulf of Carpentaria, approx. 23 miles off the coast. There are miles of golden beaches, blue waters, a wealth of history, a huge variety of birdlife, and as well as being a fisherman's paradise it has enjoyment for everyone. The nearest neighbours are the local aboriginal people, very friendly and helpful people who often take visitors on their turtle or dugong hunts. Here we are accommodated in share cabins/cottages. Once settled we meet at the open air bar/dining room for lunch and decide the afternoon's activities. Options include boat fishing ( which is what Sweers Island is famous for) or maybe a drive around the island and walks and swimming on some on the local safe beaches. Ray will no doubt dish up a fabulous seafood meal that evening in the open air eating area overlooking the setting sun on the ocean. ACCOM: SWEERS ISLAND RESORT...cabins http://www.sweers.com.au/ Day Nine: Sweers Island - Pungalina In the morning a 1 hour flight gets us to Pungalina Station. Pungalina is an outback wilderness safari camp which is situated on a 500,000 acre property. The camp accommodates only 10 people so this is a place where you are on your own. A vehicle takes us a short drive to the camp where we can have a refreshing swim and "book in" before lunch. In the afternoon we begin exploring Pungalina. Maybe a fish , a walk, a canoe ride or visit a limestone cave. Accommodation at Pungalina is in twin share tents on a lovely grass common. Dinner is in the open air or a special dining tent next to the bubbling stream. There is a flushing toilet and two showers with plenty of hot water. ACCOM: PUNGALINA SAFARI CAMP Day Ten - Eleven: Pungalina The nest two days are spent on whatever activity is preferred. Pungalina is 40 kms south of the coast and just west of the NT/QLD border. At this wilderness location there are many things to do and so we tailor the activities to the groups preference. A full day can be spent driving up towards the coast , occasionally having a swim, lunch at the lily covered billabong, driving along the edge of the Calvert river and viewing the many changes in the vegetation. On the property there are many sink holes and some that are accessible. Of particular note is the limestone cave. This is very hot but well worth visiting to see the stalactites and stalagmites. For the keen fisherman, the Calvert river offers amongst other types....the Barramundi and Sooti Grunters There are a number of fishing locations and a pleasant afternoon could also be spent boating and trolling the Calvert River. There are many walks particularly for the keen bird watcher and often a swim is possible. Canoeing the Calvert River, the Crocodile Hole and or the lagoon are three more alternatives. The first is a 3 hr trip down shallow areas of the Calvert and over areas of simple rapids and is a very pleasant trip. The second is more leisurely where small freshwater crocodiles can be seen. The third is a large permanent lagoon with many birds including sea eagles. A must to do is to drive out to the Calvert Gorge one late afternoon for sunset drinks. This is a spectacular location with towering cliffs some 200 meters high. Once again the drive over the rugged country is fascinating in itself due to the varied vegetation. Another evening would be pre dinner drinks out at the local billabong watching the birdlife gather. Pungalina borders Robinson River , which is a local Aboriginal community. It may be possible to arrange a visit of the Aborigines to show the use of bush tucker and any artefacts they may have to sell.As it has established itself as one of Australia's premier fishing spots, and as it is surrounded by thousands of acres of reef, mostly rock but with some coral, fishing is a popular choice -but by no means compulsory! ACCOM: PUNGALINA SAFARI CAMP Day Twelve: Pungalina - Lawn Hill In the morning after breakfast we depart Pungalina for a 1 hour short flight to one of the most spectacular gorges in the Gulf country - Lawn Hill Gorge. Luxurious tropical rainforest-like vegetation, surrounded by flat barren countryside, with sheer red cliffs and unusual green water. Its waterfalls, natural bubbling spas, swimming, canoeing and beautiful walks are of enormous appeal to all who visit. Arriving at about 9am, we drive to the gorge and then spend 2 hrs canoeing and swimming in this fabulous stretch of water. A climb up the gorge to the lookout is easy and well worth it. We have lunch at the gorge and another walk around the spectacular Island Stack before returning to the camp site for a late afternoon swim and drinks before dinner. Dinner is on the open air balcony of the kitchen / dining area , overlooking the Frenchman's garden of Adel's Grove ACCOM: ADEL'S GROVE - LAWN HILL NATIONAL PARK....twin share tents http://www.adelsgrove.com.au/ Day Thirteen: Lawn Hill - Birdsville In the morning depart the beauty of Lawn Hill for Birdsville. This is a three hour flight and after a refreshing beer at the pub and lunch, we take a tour out to "big Red", the well known sand dune on the edge of the Simpson desert. If time permits a tour of the Birdsville Working Museum is something outstanding. Here we see a fabulous collection of working outback memorabilia. The last dinner and night is spent at the Birdsville hotel. ACCOM: BIRDSVILLE HOTEL Day Fourteen Birdsville - Innamincka - Melbourne After a leisurely breakfast, depart for Innamincka. This is 1 hour south of Birdsville. A tour of the restored Inland Nursing Mission at Innamincka and a boat cruise down the majestic Coopers Creek brings our trip to a close. After lunch at the Cooper Inn we depart at 2pm for our final leg to Melbourne via Broken Hill. We arrive in Melbourne around 7 pm

Notes:
Special Departure Dates: On clients application
Trip Duration: 14 days
Departs from: Melbourne
Tour Ends: Melbourne
Departure Time: 7.00 a.m
Return Time: 7.00 p.m
All Prices: On clients request