Chillagoe Caves and Outback Day Trip from Cairns
Description
The only Outback Full-Day Tour! Explore the Chillagoe Caves, Granite Gorge and other gems of the Australian Outback on this full-day tour. With a naturalist guide, you'll travel by 4WD vehicle through the McAllister Ranges, the Great Dividing Range and the Australian Outback while listening to informative commentary about the region’s wildlife, history and Aboriginal culture. Take a guided tour through the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park with a local ranger, drive near the wetlands to spot Australian native wildlife, see historic mining towns, and enjoy morning tea at the local Skybury Coffee Plantation and lunch at a classic Chillagoe Pub during this small-group tour limited to 19 passengers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pick up by your driver guide from the Cairns area. (Port Douglas and Northern Beaches transfers are available but for an additional cost, please book with reservations before travel and Southside accommodation - please make your way to the tour operator's office to join tour.)
The heart of one of Australia’s most diverse and richest food bowls Skybury Tropical Plantation has grown the country’s best coffee and tropical fruit for the past 30 years. Enjoy morning tea, with coffee, tea and sweet treats.
Explore the Chillagoe Caves. Follow your guide through the fossilized remains of the ancient coral reefs over 400 million years old. Once an inland sea, these limestone labyrinths are a spectacular sight to see.
Here we delve into the history of the Chillagoe 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.
Visit Balancing Rock for an iconic photo opportunity. Then, see Aboriginal Rock Art and learn about some Dreamtime stories with your guide.
Enjoy lunch at a true Australian Outback Pub for lunch in the heart of Chillagoe town. Please advise of any special dietary requirements before travel.
A privately owned nature park near Mareeba with stunning scenery as you walk along the short circuit navigating massive boulders. Striking scenery and wildlife galore. The big drawcard at Granite Gorge is the rock wallabies. This colony is an endangered species that is unique to the Mareeba area. Plus, you’ll see other native wildlife.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Port Douglas & Northern Beaches transfers incur an additional cost (once booked, please book with reservations before travel). Southside accommodation - please make your way to the tour operator's office to join the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Please wear closed-toe shoe and bring a light jacket or sweater in the cooler months (June - August)
- A reasonable level of fitness is required, as there are steps and uneven terrain leading into the caves
- Port Douglas & Northern Beaches transfers additional cost (once booked, please book with reservations before travel)
Reviews(223)
Wallabies were great, be prepared for a lot of driving and sitting though. Appreciate the door to door service
A great day out with as many experiences as they can realistically fit in. Our driver Rohan was extremely knowledgeable and provided great commentary throughout the day. We are Aussie and enjoyed every aspect. Overseas visitors would not be disappointed. A great way to see a different part of Australia - just a bit farther out of Cairns and the more common rainforest tours. The caves at Chilligoe are well worth visiting. The trip was as described, communication from the office was excellent. It is a long day but Rohan never made us feel rushed nor did we miss anything from the published itinerary. Well done to everyone at Billy Tea Safaris !
AJ was very knowledgeable! We appreciated his ability to answer any question. We enjoyed seeing this area.
Rowan was a great host, very knowledgeable would highly recommend the tour, was well worth the moneytri
Absolutely an amazing tour. The driver. Mark, was interesting, informative, and had a good sense of humor. The rock wallabies were the highlight of the day. Highly recommend!
This tour was excellent. Rohan, our guide, provided us with lots of information about our destinations and what would happen at each stop. He also knew when to be quiet so we could nap on our way back from Chillagoe to Mereba. The itinerary was well planned. We had a long drive to Chillagoe but stopped for morning tea. We went to the caves and then had lunch. Activities were planned near Chillagoe. We visited the smelter ruins, balancing rock and Aboriginal Rock Art. All these involved short walks. We then travelled back to Cairns, stopping at Granite Gorge. This broke the journey and was a wonderful place to hand feed rock wallabies. The morning tea and lunch were both excellent. Skyberry Cafe was really nice and lunch was served in a typical outback pub at Chillagoe. I was very happy with the guide, the tour itself and the places we visited.
It's a fair time spent on bus, but worth it for the scenery, stunning contrast, red earth, falling rocks, caves and wallabies
It would be wrong to visit Australia without seeing the outback. Snakes, wallabys, kangeroos, Achidna, and rock wallabys all in one day. The real Australia.
The caves were amazing to see and very interesting. We had a great stop on the way home where we could hold animals and feed wallabies which I loved. Be aware that the day involves a lot of driving (think it was around 3 hours there and back). There's not really any commentary or engagement during the drive.
I had a very valuable experience on the tour and it was a good memory. The most impressive part was the cave. It is a very mysterious place that you cannot see in Japan, and I was impressed. For caves, there are small areas, so comfortable clothing is recommended. White is better avoided. The drivers and the people who took part in the tour were all friendly and very fun. Finally, we go to an ice cream shop, which pays for itself because it is not included in the tour price. There is a wide variety of ice creams. Even if you don't speak English well, the staff will be there to help you. Travel time is long and it gets cold on the bus, so you should bring something with long sleeves.
