6 Day -
Lightning Ridge Easter Festival & Great Goat Races
Departure Date: Thursday, 1st April 2010
Tour Cost: from $1540 per person twin share
This Easter head "off the beaten track" for a classic true blue Aussie event, the Lightning Ridge Easter Festival. You'll be struck by the authentic laid back Australian Outback setting and bush characters and of course enjoy some great outback hospitality. We promise a holiday packed with fun, adventure, excitement and plenty of laughs.
The Lightning Ridge Easter Festival is in it's 34th year and is staged around three main events; the Lightning Ridge Black Opal Rodeo, Australian Goat Racing Championships (yes, you read it correctly) and the Lightning Ridge Horse Races. There will be something for everyone to enjoy! You'll revel in the contrasting scenery and inclusions in this Easter holiday package and a visit to the famous Cubbie Station is also included...what a highlight! Of course all the usual Lightning Ridge sightseeing is undertaken and gift giving solutions abound at Lightning Ridge - sparkling gemstones and fine opal jewellery at unbelievable prices. This promises to be a very happy Easter for those with a sense of fun and adventure!
DAY 1 HERVEY BAY—GOONDIWINDI (LD)
Thursday, 1st April 2010: A leisurely start for passengers joining between Hervey Bay and Caloundra. Brisbane and Gold Coast passengers join at Brisbane Roma Street Transit Centre at 11.00am. Travel west to Toowoomba for lunch (own cost), then continue on through the heart of the Central West of QLD along the Cunningham Highway to Goondiwindi on the Macintyre River for our first night on tour. Stay Goondiwindi Motel.
DAY 2 GOONDIWINDI—LIGHTNING RIDGE (BLD)
Friday, 2nd April 2010: Cross the border into NSW and tour south along the Newell Highway to Moree, centre of a prosperous agricultural shire. The dry climate allows for the production of a range of produce, including cotton, pecan nuts and olives. Travel west along the Gwydir Highway to Walgett for a picnic lunch. Walgett is a regional hub for the wool, wheat and cotton industries. It is the gateway to the New South Wales opal fields. The main crop farmed in the district is wheat, however the drought has caused an increase in the farming of lucerne and other good hay crops.
After lunch journey north to Lightning Ridge for a guided tour of the opal mine known as the Chambers of the Black Hand—a national treasure in the making. 11.2 metres underground, in a 100 year old mine, subterranean tunnels open into vast chambers. Walls are decorated with the hand carvings of artist Ron Canlin, the owner of this uniquely Australian attraction. Chambers of the Black Hand is both a collection of hand carvings and an informative and entertaining tour of an old opal mine. Complete our tour with a visit to the Black Opal Jewellery shop for some retail therapy before settling in to our motel. 2 Night Stay Wallangulla Motel.
DAY 3 LIGHTNING RIDGE EASTER FESTIVAL (B)
Saturday, 3rd April 2010: Today promises to be full of fun and entertainment, beginning with an early start at 7.30am for those interested in the purchase of our ‘Down Under’ goat for the Great Goat Racing Championships. For those who are a little more layback, the first heat will commence at 9.00am. Our motel is a short walk from the festivities which enables you to ‘go at your own pace’, as you wind your way through the many street stalls and exhibitions, listen to the street entertainment and watch the races. For the punters in our group the Lightning Ridge Horse Races begin at 12.00pm. So armed with your ‘Program of Events’ prepare to have a great day filled with lots of laughs and great times to remember.
DAY 4 LIGHTNING RIDGE—ST GEORGE (BLD)
Sunday, 4th April 2010: Farewelling our hosts, travel the Castlereagh Highway crossing the border into Queensland for morning tea at the Dirranbandi Motel. Our guide for our tour of Cubbie Station will meet us at the motel. Cubbie Station is the largest privately-owned irrigation layout in Australia covering over 200,000 acres. Cubbie Station has few rivals anywhere in the world, and its massive water storage has created controversy in a dry land.
The full extent of Cubbie's massive storage facilities are revealed during our tour with huge storage dams that stretch for 28 continuous kilometres down the trickle that is the Culgoa (or later Darling) River. Feeding this 12,000 hectares of water is a diversion channel wide enough to take a landing light aircraft, perched like an open mouth above a weir over the river. Cubbie Station has enough water capacity to more than swallow the waters of Sydney Harbour. Cubbie grows about 13,000 hectares of irrigated cotton and brings in about $50 million a year. After our awe-inspiring tour enjoy lunch back at the motel before continuing our journey to St George.
2 Night Stay Australian Hotel Motel.
DAY 5 ST GEORGE SIGHTSEEING (BLD)
Monday, 5th April 2010: After a leisurely breakfast, we make our way to the Balonne Sports Store to view ‘The Unique Egg’, a genuinely impressive and interesting collection of hand-carved emu eggs, illuminated from within. Created by Steve Margaritis over a period of more than 40 years, they have been displayed at World Expos but are now on permanent display in the store. Moving on to Riversands Winery, enjoy morning tea followed by a tour of the winery and the pleasure of tasting some very fine award winning wines made from locally grown grape.
After lunch at the winery move on to the Balonne Visitors Centre where we meet our guide for an informative town tour. At the St George Heritage Centre, enjoy afternoon tea and a browse through the fascinating collection depicting the heritage of the town, including the old gaol and courthouse before returning to our motel for a well earned rest and dinner.
DAY 6 ST GEORGE—HERVEY BAY (B)
Tuesday, 6th April 2010: Bid farewell to St George as we make our way homewards with memories of awe-inspiring moments, of excitement and laughter, fresh in our mind from our Lightning Ridge outback holiday. Travel home along the Moonie Highway to Dalby for lunch (own expense), then on through Toowoomba to Brisbane mid afternoon. North bound passengers stay onboard the coach for arrival in Maryborough and Hervey Bay early evening.