Surveillance Mission Air Tour
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Imagine - You are a flight crew member on a surveillance mission patrolling the incredible Great Barrier Reef... So much more than just a scenic flight...your REEFWATCH Air Tour is a mission! Every sortie carries only four people and provides an aerial perspective over the most spectacular and remote sections of the outer Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage Listed coastal Rainforest. Now, you can see more in half a day than most visitors will experience in a week. Departs daily 0930am and 1230pm.
The Experience - As Flight Crew on patrol, you not only enjoy a once in a lifetime experience, you are helping ensure this pristine wilderness remains intact for future generations. A pre flight mission briefing covers information on Marine Park preservation zones, daily flight route, expected sightings, points of interest and all safety requirements. Crews wear specialist flight suits and caps while the radio headsets enable communication between aircrew during flight.
The Itinerary - The flight patrols 300km along the Cairns Northern Beaches to Port Douglas, out to Low Isles, then across to the Daintree River. We fly over spectacular waterfalls and mountain streams in the unspoilt World Heritage Rainforest on our way to Cape Tribulation. Here you witness an area unique to the region, as the Reef meets the Rainforest at the waters edge. Leaving the coast, we head north to the famous Endeavour Reef and over the very spot Captain Cook grounded his vessel. The flight then tracks to the true outer reef at Escape and Agincourt, then south over all the spectacular reefs and cays including St Crispin, Opal, Tongue, Norman, Saxon, Hastings, Michaelmas, Oyster and Arlington Reefs before returning to our Cairns base via Green Island.
Inclusions
• 1½ hours flying time covering 300km of coastline, rainforest and reef
• Accommodation transfers from Cairns and the Northern Beaches
• Pre flight briefing at Reefwatch
• Souvenir Reefwatch Crew Cap
• Souvenir 17 Minute Video
• Flight Certificate
Reef, Rainforest and Outback Undara Tour
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The Flight - Your scenic flight covers the islands, cays and Great Barrier Reef to the south east of Cairns, then inland over fields of sugar cane and the magnificent rainforest clad mountains near the Tully Gorge and Koombaloomba Dam. From there you will fly over the Atherton Tablelands and then merge into the vast expanse of Australian outback called the Gulf Savannah. Upon landing at the remote airstrip, you will be transferred to the Undara Lava Lodge, where you will meet your Savannah Guide for a fascinating half day Lava Tube Tour.
Undara Experience - The word "Undara" is an aboriginal word meaning "a long way". Some 190,000 years ago, when this major crater in the McBride Volcanic Province erupted, its molten lava flowed down a dry river bed. As the top layer quickly cooled and crusted, the fiery flow below drained outward leaving a series of long, dark and hollow tubes. Ancient roof collapses created fertile pockets of rainforest which are now the habitat to rainforest plants, animals and insects.
The Half Day Lava Tube tour visits three to four sections of the Lava Tube Line. Your tour starts atop a granite bluff where your Savannah Guide will point out numerous volcanic craters in the area and other features of interest.
Inclusions
• Return flights to Undara over coastline, reef, rainforest and outback
• Accommodation transfers from Cairns and the Northern Beaches
• Half Day Lava Tube Tour with a Savannah Guide
• Buffet Lunch and Morning or Afternoon Tea
• Overnight options available
• Departs daily 0700am and returns 1530pm
Cooktown Heritage Tour
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The Flight - Your flight to Cooktown takes you over two World Heritage Areas, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Daintree National Park. This is the only place in the world where two separate World Heritage Areas exist side by side. Flying from Cairns to Cooktown you will see Port Douglas, World Heritage Daintree rainforest, Cape Tribulation and Black Mountain. On the return flight to Cairns, we fly over the famous Endeavour Reef and then track down the reef sections to Low Isles onto the Northern Beaches into Cairns. See more in a day than most will see in a week, three tours in one.
Cooktown - Cooktown was founded as the port for the Palmer River goldfields more than a century after Captain Cook spent 48 days on the banks of the Endeavour River repairing his ship in 1770. Every June the town celebrates its status as Australia's first, if brief, European settlement at the Endeavour Festival which includes a colourful re-enactment of Cook's landing. James Cook Museum, built in 1888 as a convent school run by Irish nuns, covers Cook's voyages, Aboriginal and natural history, the gold rush days and their Chinese legacy. Upon arriving into Cooktown, travel on a guided air-conditioned coach tour visiting such places as Cook's Landing, Grassy Hill Lookout, James Cook Museum, Cooktown Cemetery and many other historical places of interest and enjoy a sumptuous lunch.
Inclusions
• Return flights to Cooktown over coastline, reef and rainforest
• Accommodation transfers from Cairns and the Northern Beaches
• Cooktown historical tour
• Entry fees into the James Cook Museum
• Lunch and morning or afternoon refreshments
• Departs daily 0800 and returns 1630 (approx)
Outback Experience Tour
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Don't have enough time to visit Australia's Red Centre? If you're already visiting Cairns to see Australia's Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage Rainforests, why not include the wonders of Tropical North Queensland's great Aussie Outback and Gulf Savannah as well in an adventurous overnight tour.
West of tropical Cairns, the rugged Gulf Savannah region offers visitors the opportunity to hear the stories of locals who have lived in the outback for generations, discover historic gold rush towns, see amazing geological formations, and encounter unique Australian wildlife. Designed to maximise your time and showcase the very best of Australia's Outback, this exclusive package combines charter flights throughout with Reefwatch Air Tours.
The Flight - Your flights to Dimbulah and to Undara on the first day of the itinerary are direct flights at altitude, with your aircraft remaining with you overnight. Your scenic flight on the return leg of the journey is low level over the vast expanse of the Australian Outback, over the fertile land of the Atherton Tablelands, and to the coast over the magnificent rainforest clad mountains near the Tully River Gorge and Koombaloomba Dam. From there we cover the islands, cays and Great Barrier Reef to the south east of Cairns including Green Island.
Tyrconnell Outback Experience and Historic Gold Mine - Immerse yourself in the quiet beauty of the Australian bush, and experience the region's rich gold mining history at this 120 year old heritage listed gold mine. Perched on a hilltop with magnificent views and surrounded by tree studded ranges, Tyrconnell is home to Cate Harley and Andrew Bell, who mined the site for gold in the 1980s but is now focussed on preserving the rare buildings and machinery. You will be picked up from Dimbulah airstrip and taken into remote and rugged country for a personalised tour of the mine site and a delicious lunch in Cate and Andrew's original mine cottage.
Undara Experience - The word "Undara" is an aboriginal word meaning "a long way". Some 190,000 years ago, when this major crater in the McBride Volcanic Province erupted, its molten lava flowed down a dry riverbed. As the top layer quickly cooled and crusted, the fiery flow below drained outward leaving a series of long, dark and hollow tubes. Ancient roof collapses created fertile pockets of rainforest, which are now the habitat to plants, animals and insects. One of the lava flows from Undara extends 160 kilometres (or 100 miles) making it the longest lava flow from a single volcano on our planet. Award winning and highly qualified Savannah Guides conduct the Lava Tube tours, offering a unique insight into the geology, ecology, local history and bushcraft of the region.
Your accommodation is in authentic turn of the century rail carriages, which have been lovingly restored to their former glory and now lie beneath tall shady gum trees. The siding decks are the perfect place to watch the wildlife or relax quietly to the restful sounds of the bush. A saloon car and dining carriages surround Mitchell's Deck, a place for dining, reading or making new acquaintances.
Itinerary
Day One - 0900am - Transfers from hotels to the Reefwatch Air Tours departure lounge for a 0930 flight. Depart Cairns for Dimbulah airstrip in your air-conditioned, twin engine AC500 aircraft. On arrival our Savannah Guides from Tyrconnell Outback Experience and Historic Gold Mine will collect you for your tour, followed by lunch in an original mine cottage. At 2pm we depart Dimbulah airstrip for a short flight to Undara Experience where on arrival you will be shown to your accommodation with a few hours at leisure to explore the lodge and its surrounds. At 5.30pm you join your Savannah guide for a Sunset Tour, complete with champagne and a fruit and cheese platter followed at 7.45pm by dinner before joining other guests around the campfire for evening activities.
Day Two - 0830am - After a campfire breakfast, join your Savannah Guide for a half-day tour of 3-4 sections of the Undara Lava Tube line. At midday you will return to the lodge for lunch and time at leisure. Departure is at 2pm for your Scenic Flight over outback, rainforest and reef to Cairns where you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Inclusions
• Accommodation transfers from Cairns and Northern Beaches
• Charter Flights from Cairns to Dimbulah and Dimbulah to Undara Experience
• Scenic flight from Undara Experience to Cairns
• Transfers, tour and lunch at Tyrconnell Outback Experience and Historic Gold Mine
• Accommodation in the Lava Lodge (rail carriages) at Undara Experience
• Transfers, Sunset Tour and Half day Lava Tube Tour with Savannah Guides
• Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast at Undara Experience
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