Place to Visit in Pilbara / Coral Coast
DAY 1 MOORABBIN AIRPORT TO COOBER PEDY
Depart Moorabbin early morning for Coober Pedy via Mildura for fuel. Arriving at this opal town early afternoon you have time for a 2 hour tour of the area including an underground mine tour.
ACCOMMODATION: Coober Pedy Experience Motel
Flying 5hrs
DAY 2 COOBER PEDY – WARBURTON – NEWMAN – KARIJINI
An early breakfast the fly across the centre of Australia to Warburton for fuel. Lunch is at the local aboriginal community. Then at 1pm a 3.5 hr flight via Mt Newman and over the world’s largest open cut mine and on to Karijini. You fly along the Fortesque Valley on the edge of the Hammersley Ranges and then into Karijini National Park by mid afternoon.
ACCOMMODATION: Karijini Eco Resort
Flying 6 hrs
DAYS 3 & 4 KARAJINI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we start a 2 day tour of Karijini National Park. Visiting firstly Weanno Gorge for a walk then a visit to Oxer lookout where 4 rivers meet and an easy 1 hour walk along the ridge line to Joffe Gorge. Hancock Gorge and Handrail Pool is slightly more difficult with a small ladder section on the way down. Then a short drive to Kalamina Gorge via Knox Lookout and an easy walk and lunch at Kalamina Gorge.
Pilbara / Coral Coast
One of the main walks is after lunch at Dales Gorge. This is a walk into the gorge …near the top of Fortesque Falls and then around the pathway/ridge to Fern Pool. A quick tour of Tom Price town and some basic petroglyphs and then a drive into Hammersley Gorge with a swim and lunch and then a short drive into Rio Tinto Gorge.
ACCOMMODATION: Karijini Eco Resort
Flying 0 hours
DAY 5 KARIJINI – MILLSTREAM - EXMOUTH
An early departure again with Lestok tours for the 2.5 hr drive towards Millstream and Chichester NP. Your pilot will fly the plane to Millstream to join up with you. Millstream is more lush on the Fortescue River and has many pools with lilies, vegetation and birdlife. Two hours is all that is required at Millstream so then you drive another 1hour to Python Pool in the Chichester NP range. Eventually returning to Millstream for the one hour flight onto
Exmouth. The Exmouth gulf is a nursery for humpback whales, dugong and turtles. The west side of the tip is the home of Ningaloo Reef. The reef is 260 km long and is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass. It is known for its seasonal feeding concentrations of whale shark. The reef is also part of the migratory routes for dolphins, dugongs, mantra rays and humpbacks. The reef supports an abundance of approximately 500 species of fish. Depending on timing accommodation will be either at Exmouth or Sal Salis (Ningaloo Reef)
ACCOMODATION …Sal Salis or Exmouth
Flying 1.5 hours
DAYS 6 & 7 EXMOUTH – CORAL BAY
Assuming the previous night was at Exmouth it is then a 70 km drive down th coast to Sal Salis near Coral Bay. This is an exclusive safari camp situated 50 meters from the beach amongst white sand dunes. Here you enjoy 2 days of drift snorkling, just a few metres offshore reveals a wealth of life, with huge staghorn coral formations, anemones, clownfish, rays and sponge gardens. Two kilometres behind the camp is a walk up Mandu Mandu gorge which is a step back in geological history with fossil bearing limestone formations and spectacular views back to the coast. The history of 30,000 years of human habitation in this area is slowly unfolding from studies of artefacts, middens and rock shelters. A walk through Mandu Mandu gorge offers a great opportunity to spot the Blackfooted Rock Wallaby - these timid creatures tend to seek shelter on ledges along the gorge walls resting during daylight hours and coming out to feed later, in the cool of the night. There is always the opportunity to simply sit, enjoy the scenery and read a good book. Prior to dinner each night it is canapés on the deck as the sun sets over the horizon.
ACCOMMODATION: Sal Salis WildBush Luxury
Flying 0 hours
DAYS 8 & 9 CORAL BAY - KALBARRI
Drive back to Exmouth after breakfast and then fly 2 hrs south to Kalbarri. This is a coastal town in the mid west region of WA located at the mouth of the Murchison River. It is home of the Z Bend, Natures window rock formation. Kalbarri National Park covers 183,000 hectares and is located on the lower reaches of the Murchison River. Over many millions of years deep, horizontal bands of coloured sand were deposited. Today, this Tumblagooda sandstone can be seen as thinly bedded, red and white banded rocks, with ripples that were formed by waves moving over the tidal flats. The Park is home to western grey kangaroos, emus, ospreys and wedge-tail eagles.
Kalbarri was settled by miners and fishermen throughout the late 19th century. Until recently, few people lived in the area and it was known simply as the 'Mouth of the Murchison'. In the late 1960s people started to visit the area to see the wonderful wildflowers. Using a local tour operator you spend the 1.5 days touring the stunning park.
ACCOMMODATION: TBA
Flying 2 hours
DAY 12 ESPERANCE – FORREST - EUCLA
Today you fly via Forrest to Eucla on the Great Australian Bight. Forrest – In 2006 had a population of 18. It is on the longest stretch of straight railway in the world at 479 km from Rawlinna in WA to Ooldea in SA. The airport was the overnight stop on the first scheduled passenger air service between Perth and Adelaide from 1929 to 1934. This stop is to refuel the plane and have lunch then it’s onto Eucla. Eucla is the eastern most town in southern WA along the Eyre Highway. This is the home of the Albany to Adelaide telegraph line manual repeater station. You will get a chance to see the Telegraph Station and other sites along the coast
ACCOMMODATION: Eucla Roadhouse motel.
Flying 2.5 hours
DAY 13 EUCLA – CEDUNA – KINGSCOTE
An early start the you fly to Ceduna to refuel. Ceduna is the last major settlement prior to crossing the Nullarbor plain from east to west. Then it’s on to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island. We are met by the local tour operator and spend the afternoon touring Seal Bay, Vivienne Bay and other scenic spots.
At Seal Bay Conservation Park, you take a guided tour to see the endangered Australian Sea-lions in their natural environment of coastal vegetation, dunes and beach. Wander along the 800-metre boardwalk which meanders through the limestone cliffs and dunes to viewing platforms where you can observe the sea-lions surfing the waves or sunning themselves on the beach while you enjoy the stunning coastal scenery.
ACCOMMODATION: Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat
Flying 3.5 hours
DAY 14 KANGAROO ISLAND – MELBOURNE
Kangaroo Island is like a zoo without fences; little penguin colonies, sea lions, wallabies, koalas and an abundance of bird life call the island home. There are giant cuttlefish, sea horses and other marine life to meet off the coast.
You travel to the west of the island to explore Flinders Chase National Park. From wind-sculpted rock formations that sit atop a smooth granite dome known as Remarkable Rocks to Admirals Arch, a perfect sweep of rock under which the surf pounds and New Zealand Fur Seals play.
After lunch the trip is near an end as you depart Kingscote for Moorabbin with a fuel stop on the way. Arrival time back at Moorabbin would be around 6:30pm.
Flying 2.5 hours
Total flying time for your trip is 27 hours
- IncludedAll accommodation in the itineraryAll meals as stated in itineraryLocal English speaking tour guide
- Not IncludedInternational & domestic flightsOptional activitiesMeals not stated in itineraryTravel insurance
