Itinerary
- Day 1
Horn Island to Thursday Island to Cape York
Your trip kicks off with a scenic flight heading toward Horn Island, and you'll get incredible views flying over the Great Barrier Reef on the way. Once you land, a ferry takes you across to Thursday Island, which is the main hub of the Torres Strait Islands. You'll have a guided tour to get oriented with the local culture and history, then settle into your accommodation in one of Australia's most northern towns. It's quite remote up here, so you're really at the edge of the continent.
- Meals
- Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Thursday Island
Landmarks/POIs Great Barrier Reef Horn Island Thursday Island - Day 2
Cape York Peninsula
Today you're heading to Cape York, the northernmost tip of mainland Australia. You'll visit Somerset, an old European settlement from 1864 that's now abandoned, where you can see the ruins and check out historic rusted cannons and tombstones. Lunch happens on Anchorage Beach, a quiet palm-lined stretch with views across Albany Passage. It's a remote spot but worth the experience just for the geography alone.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Served on palm-fringed Anchorage Beach overlooking Albany Passage), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Cape York (mainland top)
- Guided tour of Somerset settlement
Landmarks/POIs Cape York Somerset Anchorage Beach Albany Passage - Day 3
Jardine River to Fruit Bat Falls to Bramwell Station
After crossing the Jardine River, you're heading to Fruit Bat Falls, which is known as one of Far North Queensland's top attractions. You'll have lunch there and time to swim and relax in the waterhole, which is safe from crocodiles. From there, it's a drive south along the Old Telegraph Track until you reach Bramwell Station, Australia's northernmost cattle station, where you'll be staying for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch served at Fruit Bat Falls), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Fruit Bat Falls
- Swimming at Fruit Bat Falls waterhole
Landmarks/POIs Jardine River Fruit Bat Falls Old Telegraph Track Bramwell Station - Day 4
Weipa
Morning is relaxed at Bramwell Station before you drive to Weipa, a small mining town built around bauxite extraction. In the afternoon, you get to choose how to spend your time. You can either take a tour of the bauxite mining operations to see how the rocks are processed for aluminum production, or go on an optional wildlife cruise around the harbour and Embley River. Either way, make sure you're around for sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is worth staying for.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Visit to bauxite mining operation
- Weipa Wildlife & Eco Cruise around harbour and Embley River to Hay Point
Landmarks/POIs Weipa Gulf of Carpentaria Embley River Hay Point - Day 5
Coen
You'll head to Coen today, a historic gold rush town with real outback character and red dirt everywhere. Your base for the night is at Musgrave Roadhouse, which used to be the Musgrave Telegraph Station back in 1887. The landscape around here is distinctive with red earth and green scrub, and it genuinely looks otherworldly in places.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Explore historic gold town of Coen
Landmarks/POIs Coen Musgrave Telegraph Station - Day 6
Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park to Quinkan Country to Cooktown
This morning takes you into Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, one of Queensland's largest wilderness areas. The billabongs here are massive and covered with waterlilies, and you'll see lots of bird life around them. You'll drive through to Lakeland and then into Quinkan Country, where there's one of Australia's best-preserved rock-art sites near Laura. By evening, you arrive in Cooktown, the historic gold port with real frontier history.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park
- Explore Quinkan Country rock-art site
Landmarks/POIs Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park Quinkan Country Laura Cooktown - Day 7
Black Mountain to Bloomfield Track to Cairns
Your final stretch starts at Black Mountain, which locals call the Bermuda Triangle of Australia. After that, you'll stop at the Lion's Den Hotel for a drink before tackling the rugged 4WD Bloomfield Track. The track crosses the Bloomfield River near the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal. Then you drive from Cape Tribulation down to Cairns, traveling between two World Heritage areas the whole way, the Wet Tropics rainforest on one side and the Great Barrier Reef on the other.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Black Mountain
- Visit to Lion's Den Hotel
- 4WD journey on Bloomfield Track
- Crossing of Bloomfield River near Wujal Wujal
Landmarks/POIs Black Mountain Lion's Den Hotel Bloomfield Track Bloomfield River Wujal Wujal Cape Tribulation Wet Tropics of Queensland
