Due to the distances travelled, several days involve longer travelling times than normal.

Day 1 (D) HOME PORTS, PERTH
Departing from various capital city airports we fly to Perth. Our Seniors Coach Tours coach captain or hostess will greet you at Perth Airport and arrange for your transfer to the city and our home for three nights, Comfort Hotel Perth City. Meet your fellow passengers as we enjoy dinner together.

Day 2 (B,D) PERTH
A relaxing day in this modern capital city. Take a tour of Perth including London Court, The Royal Mint and Kings Park with views overlooking Swan River and the city. Enjoy a walk in Kings Park with its many attractions and spectacular wild flower displays. Time in the city areas to browse.

Day 3 (B,D) FREMANTLE, HILLARYS BOAT HARBOUR
This morning we explore Fremantle, a fascinating city and a blend of old and new. We travel by ferry along the Swan River to Fremantle. Visit the WA Maritime Museum and see the victorious America’s Cup yacht, Australia II. Later drive along the spectacular beaches of Perth’s northern suburbs to Hillarys Boat Harbour.

Day 4 (B,L,D) PERTH, NORTHAM, MERREDIN, KALGOORLIE
From Perth we travel the Great Eastern Highway to Northam, home to Australia’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, and Merredin, established as a railway town on route to the goldfields and today centre of a large wheat growing area. On to Kalgoorlie, home for two nights, Best Western Hospitality Inn.

Day 5 (B,D) KALGOORLIE
A relaxing day as we enjoy a guided tour of this historic “gold” city. Time for a photo alongside the lifesize statue of Paddy Hannan, who discovered gold, maybe taste a drink from his waterbag. Visit the Mining Hall of Fame and Mt Charlotte Reservoir.

Day 6 (B,L,D) KALGOORLIE, BOULDER, COOLGARDIE, NORSEMAN
Visit the Town Hall, completed in 1908, and the Royal Flying Doctor base. At Boulder view Australia’s largest open cut mine. At Coolgardie visit the Railway Station Museum. During the afternoon we travel to Norseman. See a modern camel train (life size, corrugated iron style) and a bronze statue of Norseman, the horse for whom the town is named. Home tonight, the Norseman Eyre Motel.

Day 7 (B,L,D) NORSEMAN, BALLADONIA, COCKLEBIDDY, MADURA, EUCLA
An earlier start today as we travel east on the Eyre Highway to Balladonia. Visit the Cultural Heritage Museum where computer-driven technology recreates the story of the area. Drive 145 kilometres of straight road, the longest straight stretch in Australia, to Cocklebiddy, where ruins of an old mission are visible. During the afternoon we continue to Madura and the nearby Hampton Tablelands. Home tonight at Eucla is Eucla Motor Hotel.

Day 8 (B,L,D) EUCLA, BORDER VILLAGE, NULLARBOR, CEDUNA
View Eucla’s old jetty and the Old Telegraph Station, built in 1877. Into South Australia at Border Village. Spectacular views of the Great Australian Bight today. Bunda Cliffs form a perpendicular 80 metre wall above the water and viewing platforms are a great spot to see a migrating whale (not guaranteed). From Nullarbor we continue our eastward journey to Ceduna and Best Western Ceduna Foreshore.

Day 9 (B,L,D) CEDUNA, STREAKY BAY, COFFIN BAY, PORT LINCOLN
This morning enjoy a tour of Ceduna and the port area prior to departing along the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula to Streaky Bay with the only remaining sea lion colony on the mainland. Following lunch we continue south visiting Murphy’s Haystacks on route to Venus Bay and Coffin Bay. Home for two nights, the Hilton Hotel, Port Lincoln.

Day 10 (B,L,D) PORT LINCOLN
Enjoy this seaside city as we take in the sights, visit the Axel Stenross Maritime Museum and enjoy an aquaculture and sightseeing cruise, visiting a sea lion colony and the huge local tuna farm – hand feed the tuna if you wish. During the afternoon we visit Whalers Way, the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula and home to simply magnificent scenery. A photographer’s delight. Cliffs, blowholes, and golden beaches! Or, you may prefer browsing in town or walking along the Esplanade.

Day 11 (B,L,D) PORT LINCOLN, WHYALLA, PORT AUGUSTA
This morning we travel to picturesque Tumby Bay and Cowell, home of Australia’s only commercial jade mine. View local jade at Cowell Jade and Gemstones. Purchase if you wish. Then to Whyalla, where in the 1890’s BHP built an iron ore smelting works, refining ore carried from Iron Knob by tram line. During the afternoon we continue to Port Augusta, visit the award-winning Wadlata Outback Centre, view the development of the outback and the early Ghan railway. Home tonight, Standpipe Gulf Motor Inn.

Day 12 (B,L,D) PORT AUGUSTA, PETERBOROUGH, BROKEN HILL
We travel to Wilmington and Orroroo, located on the southern edge of the Flinders Ranges as we journey to Peterborough, famous as one of two places in the world where three railway gauges meet. During the afternoon we travel the Barrier Highway to Broken Hill and the Silver Haven Motel.

Day 13 (B,L,D) BROKEN HILL
Relax in the city which gave birth to BHP. Visit White’s Mineral Art and Living Mining Museum and the famous Pro Hart Gallery. Lunch overlooking the city at the Broken Earth Complex, gateway to the Miners Memorial to 817 men who have died working the Line of Load. Visit nearby Silverton, once a mining centre, then a ghost town, now home to several artists. Later visit the Living Desert, home to sculptures carved at a symposium honouring the late Fred Hollows.

Day 14 (B,L,D) BROKEN HILL, WILCANNIA, COBAR, BOURKE
Today we enter outback NSW as we travel to Wilcannia, once the third largest shipping port in Australia, and Cobar. Visit the Cobar Heritage Centre. During the afternoon we travel north to Mt Drysdale, a once thriving mining township, and Bourke, the eastern edge of the outback, hence the term “back of Bourke”. Home for two nights, Major Mitchell Motel (or similar).

Day 15 (B,L,D) BOURKE
A relaxing day as we explore this inland town, born in the 1860’s as pastoralists established huge sheep runs in the area. By the 1880’s Bourke was a major port and Cobb and Co stopover, and in 1885 when rail arrived it became an even more important transport hub. A local guide joins us as we visit the historic cemetery, a high tech citrus and grape farm and enjoy views from Mt Oxley.

Day 16 (B,L,D) BOURKE, WALGETT, MOREE
We continue east to Walgett, gateway to the Lightning Ridge and other opal fields and located at the Naomi and Barwon river junction. During the afternoon continue to Moree. Home tonight, the Bourke and Wills Motel.

Day 17 (B,L,D) MOREE, TENTERFIELD, LISMORE
Today we travel to Warialda, Delungra and Inverell, Gaelic for “meeting of the swans”, on the Macintyre River. The region is known for sapphires, national parks and the Gibraltar Range. During the afternoon we continue to Tenterfield, surrounded by the hills of the Great Dividing Range, close to the wineries of the Granite Belt and home of the “Tenterfield Saddler”, immortalised by Peter Allen. On to Casino (“beef capital of Australia”) and Lismore. Home tonight is Lismore Bounty Motel.

Day 18 (B,L) LISMORE, COOLANGATTA, BRISBANE
A shorter journey this morning as we conclude our journey west to east across Australia as we reach the east coast. Passengers flying home depart at Coolangatta Airport and Brisbane passengers depart at Roma Street Station. So concludes an enjoyable and memorable coach holiday across our vast continent.