Today we begin our Southern Outback and Silo Art adventure as we head across to St George stopping along the way at Warwick, Yelarbon and Thallon. We travel south-west to the Rose and Rodeo township of Warwick for a nice country cuppa before continuing through Inglewood and onto the small township of Yelarbon to see the Graincorp Silo’s – named “When the rain comes”. It depicts a young boy at play, cooling off in the Yelarbon Lagoon. Hear the story as we marvel at such a unique set of silos. The artwork was created by Jordache Castillejos and Jordon Bruce of Brightsiders and Steve Falco from Procreative. We then head to the Oasis Hotel to enjoy lunch before travelling through Goondiwindi to our next stop on the silo trail, Thallon. The giant grain silo’s feature the spectacular “Watering Hole” mural painted in July 2017. Enjoy the magnificent artwork from the viewing platform before a quick stop at the Giant Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat statue. The last leg of the journey allows us to visit Nindigully Pub known as “The Gully” situated right on the banks of the Moonie River and established in 1864. We arrive in St George and settle in before dinner is served in the motel restaurant.

Overnight St George: Riverland Motor Inn

This morning we visit the Unique Egg - the world’s only display of hand carved, illuminated emu eggs, which have been gifted as far as the White House! Then join our local guide for a heritage tour of St George including a visit to one of the most lovingly restored heritage buildings in the shire - Anchorage Homestead with morning tea. Continue to Riversands Vineyard for a tour and personal wine tasting where we will meet the owners and enjoy a lovely lunch in the gardens. This afternoon we will meet a local cotton farmer to learn how cotton is grown, irrigated and harvested while we tour the farm. Later, we return to the motel to freshen up before joining a leisurely sunset cruise on the Balonne River - meet our captain Brett and learn all about the river and wildlife that abounds in this beautiful area. After our cruise we return to our motel for dinner in the Rivers Restaurant.

Overnight St George: Riverland Motor Inn

Departing St George, we travel further west this morning via the little town of Bollon and onto Cunnamulla. Taking a slight detour we visit Charlotte Plains Station and meet the owner, a well-known grazier in the area, Robyn Russell. Established in the 1860’s this family run property is home to Merino Sheep and Dohne Rams. See the magnificent historic bore that still brings the property its valuable water supply straight from the artesian basin. We continue travelling on to Cunnamulla and the Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Information Centre. We meet the team, and have lunch before a self-guided tour of the Artesian Time Tunnel enjoying the interactive displays with time afterwards for a very informative video on how the Artesian Basin was formed and how the modern world has had its affect. We arrive at our accommodation to check in and relax before our town tour with a fourth generation local, Peieta Mills followed by sunset drinks and nibbles.

On our tour we see the Cunnamulla Water Tower Art by Guido van Helten. The mural represents the significance of the rivalry between Cunnamulla and Charleville twice a year with their sport. Enjoy a campfire dinner tonight under the stars and hear some more local history and stories.

Overnight Cunnamulla: Warrego Motel or Club Boutique Hotel

Say goodbye to Cunnamulla today and travel west to Eulo - “The Montville of the Outback” - enjoy the quaint little town and see the opals and jewellery at Telegraph House Gallery, pick up hand-crafted leather goods at Paroo Patch and then meet Col at the Eulo Queen for morning tea and hear all about the saga of the Eulo Queen. Just out of town we visit the Artesian Mud Springs; built up over centuries these mud springs were the original release valves for the Great Artesian Basin. We continue to Thargomindah and arrive at the Thargomindah Visitor Information Centre for lunch in the café and a town tour. Explore the first town in Australia, and the third in the world to produce hydro-electric power for street lighting. The tour also includes the Old Jail and Old Thargomindah Hospital courtesy of life-size holographics and interactive experiences. After checking in to our motel, wander down to the Bulloo River or just relax before our local guide takes us for a tour and demonstration of the original Artesian Hydro Power Plant, then step out on the viewing deck for a spectacular outback sunset with nibbles. We then return to the motel where a lovely dinner awaits.

Overnight Thargomindah: Oasis Motel

We head off nice and early today and drive along the Cooper Developmental Road with a slight deviation for morning tea at the historic Noccundra Hotel in Nockatunga. The beautiful sandstone walls of the 1882 construction were quarried in New South Wales and transported by camel train to its present location. From here we continue to Eromanga - home of the state of the art Eromanga Natural History Museum. Enjoy lunch followed by a one hour tour of the laboratory and collection centre, meet Cooper and George the Titanosaur Sauropods, the largest dinosaurs to have ever been found in Australia. Our guide will demonstrate how to prepare fossilized bone and we will see the incredible Eulo megafauna’ fossils. If we are lucky we might bump into the owners, Robyn and Stewart Mackenzie - it is a truly amazing story and equally amazing is the commitment they have made to create such a fantastic museum for everyone to enjoy. The next township in the channel country is Quilpie - home of the Boulder Opal. Settle into our motel before enjoying dinner at The Heritage Inn known as ‘The Brick’.

Overnight Quilpie: Quilpie Motor Inn

This morning we meet at the Quilpie Information Centre and Gallery where our guide boards our coach for a town tour. Discover the unique history and unique landscapes of Quilpie town including Baldy Top Lookout, St Finbarrs Opal Altar and Quilpie Airport’s mini museum where we will learn about Amy Johnson, the first women to fly solo from London to Australia. We return to the motel to freshen up before a day at the Races - The Annual Quilpie Cup. We enjoy drinks and nibbles at the Presidents Welcome before mingling with the locals and watching the races and horses parade – the Race Committee look forward to seeing you there. After a fabulous day and hopefully backing a few winners, we return to the motel to wind down, before we meet Dan and Louise at “The Lake”, a working cattle and sheep station, to watch another magnificent sunset, enjoy a drink and a camp oven dinner under the stars.

Overnight Quilpie: Quilpie Motor Inn

Today we head east on the loop and arrive in downtown Charleville mid-morning in time to enjoy the Stories and Lunch tour of the famous heritage listed Hotel Corones. Learn about the history which dates back to 1929 during Charleville’s wool industry boom and the story of local character Harry Corones, hear about his rags to riches story and how he shaped the local area. Lunch is served in the Heritage Listed Dining room. Afterwards browse through the local shops before a visit to Charleville Water Tower Art by Guido van Helten featuring the youth of Charleville intertwined through sport with their rivals Cunnamulla. Next stop is our motel to check in and relax. This afternoon we travel a short distance to the Cosmos Centre for a tour of the USAAF Top Secret sites. Find out why Charleville was selected for this top secret site in WWII as we visit intriguing historical sights and learn about their lives and also see the highly classified……. well we will have to wait and see! We return to the Cosmos Centre and Observatory, take the opportunity to go through the new Interpretive Centre before joining the Big Sky Twilight Tour. See an amazing night sky brought into focus with the help of powerful Meade telescopes and listen to captivating stories from their experienced sky guide. Dinner tonight is back at the motel before a good night’s rest.

Overnight Charleville: Mulga Country Inn

After breakfast and check out we are off to Roma. Along the way, we stop at Mitchell for morning tea and a visit to the Great Artesian Spa - as the locals say, a soak in their mineralized water is relaxing for the body and therapeutic for the soul. Dry off and change in the private bathrooms before continuing onto Roma, the heart of beef country. With a local guide, enjoy a tour of the town and learn about the colorful history and characters of Roma. Hear how the town began the industries it supports, discover Heroes Avenue, the Biggest Bottle Tree and the Roma Bush Gardens. Time to check-in and relax before we transfer to the Roma Visitor Information Centre for a browse.

Then join our Roma Rigger guide to celebrate the triumphs of our pioneering oil and gas industry. See the towering (EMSCO) 1920’s steam-driven rig, listen to captivating stories and toast the sunset with a delicious regional Port before taking our seats for the Sound and Light Show. We return to the motel and enjoy dinner after another wonderful day.

Overnight Roma: Roma Explorers Inn

Enjoy breakfast then feel the energy and excitement of a real cattle auction at Australia’s largest cattle selling facility, Roma Saleyards. On any given day up to 7,000 head of cattle are brought to sale. Join a retired grazier for an insider’s view of the saleyards and then see the new multi-media Interpretive Centre. It really is not to be missed! Next stop is the picturesque township of Surat just south of Roma. We stop at the Cobb and Co Changing Station Museum located at the original site of the Cobb and Co Store, see the 25,000 litre freshwater aquarium, the Social History Museum and Regional Art Gallery. Enjoy lunch on the grounds and see the original Cob and Co Stagecoach before wandering up the Shire Hall and then meander along the river and see the weir before travelling back to Roma. Relax in the motel and freshen up before we experience some authentic country hospitality at Mount Hope, a 34,000 acre working cattle station. A family host will board our coach at the station entrance for a guided tour of this Droughtmaster cattle property. Enjoy sunset nibbles and drinks followed by our farewell dinner, a delicious camp oven dinner in a magnificent setting of green lawns and gardens marvelling at the stars before returning to our motel.

Overnight Roma: Roma Explorers Inn