great divide

country:	Australia
location:	Queensland, New South Wales
trip type:	Moderate walking holidays
departures:	2009: 18 Sep
price:	AU $5580 (13 days) excluding flights. This price is fixed and is all inclusive, please see below for details
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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Holidays in Australia

Walking holidays

New South Wales holidays

introduction to great divide

Join our small group guided journeys from the border ranges rainforests of tropical Queensland to the high tableland country and deep rugged gorges of the south, visiting a diverse selection of 13 National Parks.

This is a soft adventure, active holiday for the discerning collector of authentic experiences, including inspiring day and half day guided walks in grand granite boulder strewn landscapes, pristine beaches and coves, misty mountain forests, along sandstone cliff face passes, tortuous gorges and canyons, through wilderness heath and the world heritage Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world with its magnificent forests and perched lakes.

Discover the world heritage Central Eastern Rainforests NP clinging to the slopes of Australia’s most influential land form, The Great Dividing Range. Experience the abundance of unique wildlife and wildflowers, colourful birds, endangered species and ancient Antarctic Beech trees remnant of the super continent Gondwana, 50 million years ago.

You’ll follow the pathways of bush legends and revered larrikin bushrangers and visit affluent pastoral and wine growing regions and historic limestone caves.

From the very room where an impassioned speech gave birth to our nation, to dining in boutique family wineries, this tour offers a back track exploration of Australian regional life few mainstream tourists have ever ventured to explore and international guests are surprised to discover, a fully accommodated tour with all meals, experienced guides and many entries, for an all-inclusive price.

7 and 6 day sections of the ultimate 13 day tour are also available involving an additional regional flight connection. The tour is also conducted to a reverse itinerary.

Price includes: Quality accommodations, meals and tea breaks, on tour transport, transfers and guides, park fees, special entries and side tours as advertised, tour briefing function and concluding dinner, wine with dinner, thoughtful tour memento and travel treats, access to reference library and field equipment, pre and post tour travel advice, contributions to carbon offset tree planting programs in Australia.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	We travel from Brisbane to the seaside village and iconic holiday retreat of Noosa, enjoying an early walk and climb in the Glass House Mountains National Park with its landscape of volcanic plugs. A beachside café lunch then short stroll through unique Wallum heath-land with its extraordinary Australian flora and colourful Honeyeaters and later a sunset walk over the headland of Noosa National Park to Hell’s Gate visiting various cosy scenic coves. A delightful dinner overlooking the beach seems an appropriate setting.
Day 2:	We join a full day, unique 4WD beach safari, to the world heritage Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island adorned with pristine forests and lakes and coloured sands. Time to swim in a crystal clear freshwater lake and perhaps eye off a Sand Goanna or Dingo, to roam in towering forests growing in sand and view primitive King Ferns supported only by water.
Day 3:	We leave the Pacific coast and travel from Noosa to the regional garden city of Toowoomba, to join the Great Dividing Range. Lunch at a boutique winery and then a delightful walk in the palm filled rainforest of Ravensbourne National Park. Time permitting some free roaming through the Toowoomba parks and gardens to end the day.
Day 4:	We travel from Toowoomba to Girraween National Park through the home country of three Australian bush legends who, by their deeds and character, shaped the perception and image of Australia, internationally. A short walk in the birding haven of Queen Mary Falls National Park with panoramas of the world heritage peaks of the Border Ranges, Main Range and Scenic Rim, then crossing the State border and on to Bald Rock National Park, including a summit walk of the giant monolith, the second largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Day 5:	A full day of delightful walking in Girraween National Park amidst clusters of precariously balanced granite boulders, tors and monoliths, abundant wildlife and seasonal wildflowers. We’ll visit and climb such features as Castle Rock, The Sphinx, Turtle Rock and The Pyramid for exceptional views of the rugged Inselberg landscape and dine this night at a local boutique family winery.
Day 6:	We travel from Girraween National Park to the prosperous regional centre of Armidale visiting historic Tenterfield, the birthplace of our nation, a quiet country town with a number of internationally renowned sons. Time permitting we will choose a walk in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park – Gara Gorge, or bird viewing at local high country wetlands or visiting the National Trust property of a wealthy pastoral dynasty, the Saumarez Homestead.
Day 7:	Today we visit New England National Park and the nearby Waterfall Way. Walking in this world heritage park offers an outstanding range of vegetation and wildlife habitats and from amidst snow gums, 70km distant views to the Pacific Ocean, ancient Antarctic Beech trees of the Gondwana era, precipitous escarpments and an exposed plateau created 45 million years ago by volcanic action. Following lunch we’ll walk in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park – Wollomombi Gorge and Falls / Chandler Falls, for outstanding cliff top views down into tortuous gorges and perhaps overhead, we’ll catch the flights of our largest Eagle cruising the thermals 2000m on high. End of 7 day Brisbane-Armidale section of tour with regional airline connections from Armidale. Start of 6 day section Armidale—Sydney, and continuation of ultimate 13 day tour.
Day 8:	We travel from Armidale to Gloucester via the townships of Uralla and Walcha, through the bushranger, Thunderbolt’s territory and in more recent times prosperous sheep and cattle grazing country. Walks in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park – Dangers Falls and Apsley Falls may reveal the amazing flights of the Peregrine Falcon, the quiet retreat of the endangered Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby before we take a remote late afternoon drive through forests and grand scenic descents to Gloucester, nestled beside the Bucketts Range.
Day 9:	A mid tour day to relax and some light walking in the Gloucester Tops / Barrington Tops National Park, enjoying pristine forest scenery, river crossings, a picnic lunch and sighting of the extraordinary Superb Lyrebirds
Day 10:	We travel from Gloucester to Blackheath through the Hunter Valley wineries and manicured horse studs, one of Australia’s most productive and wealthy regions. Time out also to explore the convict built village of Stroud. Our destination The Greater Blue Mountains National Park where time permitting we will celebrate our arrival on the precipitous overlook of Pulpit Rock gazing down into the Gross Valley wilderness where the birth of the national park took place.
Day 11:	A full day of walking in the world heritage Greater Blue Mountains National Park including an historic cliff top walk, cliff face staircase and the National Pass. Some compelling lookouts on the tourist beat may be included, in contrast to the serenity of the wilderness walks.
Day 12:	Today a shorter walk in the Greater Blue Mountains National Park including the wilderness trails of the Gross Valley and/or Grand Canyon. Time to visit the National Park Heritage Centre, some inspirational lookouts, famous galleries and villages in this historic destination.
Day 13:	We set out early for a guided walk in the underground wonderland of historic Jenolan Caves then travel a short distance to walk and lunch on the Kanangra Walls wilderness gazing down into The Deep of Kanangra Boyd National Park. We conclude our journey with a scenic country drive back to the Blue Mountains and then the freeway run into central Sydney. End of 13 day journey.

how this holiday makes a difference

We’ll partner with a local operator for an extraordinary visit to the World Heritage Fraser Island, the greatest sand island in the world.

Your lodge at the Girraween Environmental Lodge was developed by visionary conservationists in a natural setting from recycled building supplies, all with the protection of the bush and wildlife in mind.

In her home country we’ll recount the life of Judith Wright, Australia’s finest woman poet and passionate campaigner who was instrumental in the saving of The Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island as outstanding World Heritage sites and who fought though to her death for the reconciliation of Australian Aborigines.

You will have various opportunities to chat with local people about the Birth of our Nation, birds and wildlife in the areas we visit. In Australia many local naturalists do not see enough people or activity to become professional and earn a living from their expertise or hobby. The cost of obligatory public liability insurance makes their establishing a business and sub-contracting their services rather prohibitive. We do not conduct sufficient departures or visits to support them in establishing a business or employing them but we find ways of rewarding them for their expenses and time. Where another organization is involved and they are community volunteers we pay entry fees, make purchases and create economic revenue.

All our guests receive a written brief, pre-tour, in which they are referred to our Travel Ethic, minimising the tour impact on the environments we visit.

Compliance with the Travel Ethic and the values of Responsible Travel form part of the Terms and Conditions, when booking.

You will also receive a questionnaire, pre-tour, in which you can profile your expectations of the tour, your special interests and declare the importance of sustainable tourism and the environment to you.

Our pre-tour “meet and greet” briefing includes references to the Travel Ethic and Responsible Travel and values are highlighted spontaneously throughout the tour.

Your tour is extensively researched for local content and “authenticity” and where available local guides are engaged in support. In addition your tour leader imparts a much broader study of Australia’s evolution, land management and conservation issues and knowledge drawn from research on other tours, by the company.

Our tours also provide an extensive library of nature based field reference books, background information on local features, indigenous culture, conservation and history plus select DVD’s on these subjects for special viewings.

Glaringly orchestrated and themed, mainstream tourist traps are not featured or included in our tours.

Through annual and access fees to national park authorities we provide revenue essential to the protection and maintenance of the parks we visit. We comply with the management plans of each park and assist by reporting adverse events or special findings to the park management.

We collect and thoughtfully dispose of any rubbish sighted in the parks visited. We retain and dispose of our own rubbish in a similar manner.

We minimise the use of disposable packaging and recycle all catering items where possible.

We conduct limited departures to any one tour or destination so minimising our impact on any one pristine environment.

All catering is arranged or purchased locally or home made.

In most instances quality accommodation is chosen on the basis of local family ownership and small business management and with added practices in place, particularly saving of water and energy.

Our tour group sizes are limited to 8 to 15 people maximum, to minimise any negative impact on the environment, the enjoyment of other people, the capacity of community services, the safety and stress of wildlife. We encourage the practice of low noise bushwalking and special solo activities making our guests at one with the environment.

We minimise the use of our tour vehicle in preference for walking, travelling only on formed roads and tracks, applying the annual recorded mileage to a carbon offset program.

Vehicle fuel and service requirements are purchased locally.

We conduct our operations from a minimalist city office under a policy of recycling paper and clerical supplies, minimising power and water usage in a current drought affected environment and engaging a network of expert small business services as required.

Our operation is working toward a carbon neutral status with some proceeds from each tour directed to accredited tree planting programs to offset unavoidable CO2 emissions as well as the regeneration of degraded lands and enhancement of wildlife habitats

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

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Holidays in Australia| Walking holidays| New South Wales holidays