Chillagoe Caves and Outback

Tour Details

Operator

Billy Tea Safaris

Destinations

Mareeba and Chillagoe

Departs From

Cairns, Port Douglas, Mareeba, Palm Cove, Kuranda, Cairns Beaches, Trinity Beach, Thala Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Lake Placid, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach, Machans Beach and Holloways Beach

Tour Description

Your naturalist guide will meet you at your accommodation and after introductions all round, we’ll ascend the McAllister Ranges and head west through Mareeba embarking on a remarkable journey back to prehistoric times, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Our first stop is Mareeba Wetlands for morning tea and a twenty minute cruise in an environmentally friendly and quiet electric boat. Birdlife is plentiful on the wetlands. From here we travel through the back blocks of this wetland area viewing wallabies, emus and other wildlife and then along the irrigated agricultural paddocks of this fertile area, eventually crossing over the Great Divide and into the Western watershed. Travel through historical towns and rolling hills rich in minerals eventually giving way to towering limestone karsts scattered around Chillagoe.
Here we delve into the history of the copper smelters, whose old chimneys dominate the western horizon. We visit the remains of the once mighty smelters to ponder what it was like working there….. Now it’s time for a wonderful lunch and scrumptious salad before setting off for our National Parks cave tour. The fossilized remains of the ancient coral reefs with hidden limestone labyrinths give a portal to a lost world just like our own Great Barrier Reef. Millions of years in the making, the limestone formations are nothing short of spectacular.
After the cave tour, we head back towards the east coast, stopping at ‘Mt Uncle Distillery’ – Mt Uncle Distillery is the only Distillery north of Bundaberg, you can enjoy a delicious coffee and scones or possibly a wine or beer, or try the Spirit and Liqueur Tasting of their own wonderful Liqueurs and Spirits, these are award wining (own cost). The tour then returns back down the range to Cairns.

A reasonable level of fitness is required for this tour as there are steps into the caves.

The tour may be closed or itinerary changed due to the wet season where conditions may close roads and access to the caves.


Not Included:-
• Afternoon tea and drinks
• Personal Expenses
. Northern Beach and Port Douglas transfers are an additional cost. From the 1st April 2012 Pickups from Northern Beaches are included. Addittional Transfer fee applies still for transfer Ellis Beach north and Port Douglas.