Wilderness Challenge - 11 Day Gulf & Kakadu Drover

The Gulf & Kakadu "Drover" is a 11 day all overland accommodated safari through northern Australia between Cairns and Darwin - the epic Gulf Savannah region and the Gulf Country, the majestic outback vistas of the Northern Territory and the unique wetlands of Kakadu National Park.

Highlights:
Undara Lava Tubes Cobbold Gorge Georgetown Croydon Normanton Burketown Karumba Sunset Cruise "Plains of Promise" Burke & Wills Camp #119 Leichhardt Falls Lawn Hill National Park	Riversleigh Fossil Fields Barkly Tableland Mataranka Hot Springs Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park Kakadu National Park Nourlangie Rock Warradjan & Bowali Centres Ubirr

gulf and kakadu drover map

Rates are per person, inclusive of GST, and in AUD$. Rates are valid to 31 March 2012.

Tour is not suitable for children under 7 years of age, a fuel levy of $40.00 per person is payable on board.

Day 1 - (LD) Your adventure begins with a morning visit to Ubirr, famous for its Aboriginal rock art and stunning views of the East Alligator River floodplains. Onward to Cooinda where we stay for two nights.

Day 2 - (B) This morning we’ll visit Nourlangie Rock and the Bowali Centre at Park Headquarters for lunch (own expense). An opportunity to take a sunset cruise (optional) on famous Yellow Waters Billabong to see a myriad of birds and wildlife, including saltwater crocodiles. Overnight in Cooinda. Dinner is at your own expense this evening.

Day 3 - (BL) We leave Kakadu passing through historic Pine Creek before travelling to Katherine for lunch. An opportunity this afternoon to take a cruise (optional) on Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park. Travel to Mataranka where we can swim in the crystal clear thermal waters. Overnight at Mataranka. Dinner is at your own expense this evening.

Day 4 - (BD) A poignant visit to Elsey Cemetery of “We of the Never Never” fame this morning before continuing south on the Stuart Highway to lunch at Daly Waters (own expense). Continuing south we stop at the ghost town of Newcastle Waters to see “The Drover” memorial. Renner Springs is our overnight stop.

Day 5 - (BLD) This morning we cross Attack Creek named by explorer John McDouall Stuart. Now on the Stuart Highway we arrive in Tennant Creek and visit the historic Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) Station. Continue over the Barkly Tableland crossed by legendary drovers who moved huge mobs of cattle between The Kimberley, Northern Territory and Queensland. Overnight at Barkly Homestead.

Day 6 - (BLD) We leave the Northern Territory and cross into Queensland near Camooweal. Now we travel on to the World Heritage listed Riversleigh Fossil Fields, a treasure house of palaeontology recording the history of Australia’s mega-fauna of 25 million years ago. On to Adel’s Grove, gateway to Lawn Hill National Park. We stay here for two nights in permanent tent accommodation.

Day 7 - (BLD) Today the fabulous oasis of Lawn Hill Gorge National Park, set amid the semi-arid spinifex clad hills of the Constance Range. Towering red cliffs and silent waterways dotted with waterlilies, the gorge is a haven for an abundance of wildlife and a birdwatchers paradise. Here you can swim beneath the cooling waterfalls and rest under the palms. Paddling a canoe (optional) through the gorge is highly recommended. We stay at Adel’s Grove again this evening.

Day 8 - (BD) Onwards to Burketown for lunch (own expense) then across the “Plains of Promise” to Normanton stopping along the way at Leichhardt Falls and Burke & Wills Camp #119, the most northerly camp of their ill-fated 1860 expedition. Visit Normanton then travel to Karumba “on-the-Gulf”, Barramundi capital of the North. Overnight Karumba.

Day 9 - (BLD) On to the Gulf gold town of Croydon and its Historic Precinct. Through Georgetown on to Cobbold Gorge, a Savannah Guides Station, where we stay tonight.

Day 10 - (BLD) Cruise Cobbold Gorge’s secluded waterway surrounded by spectacular carved Hampstead sandstone, 135 million years old. After lunch at Mt Surprise we travel on to the famous Lava Tubes of Undara, the worlds largest lava tube system. An after dinner campfire before retiring to antique railway carriage accommodation.

Day 11 - (BLD) Breakfast in the bush then a tour of the lava tubes, a fascinating 190,000 year old geological spectacle. On to Millstream Falls before lunch in Ravenshoe. A visit to Mt Hypipamee (The Crater) National Park and the Atherton Tableland’s unique Curtain Fig Tree before descending to the lush green coastal plain and Cairns where we bid you farewell at the end of your adventure across Australia’s Tropical Savannahs.