Nature-Bound Australia

Description

Nature-Bound Australia is owned and operated by Ros and John Thompson. Their custom-designed tours offer authentic experiences in the pristine environments of Australian National Parks and World Heritage-listed reserves. Journeys are adventurous, active and comfortable; their remit is a simple one – to help you discover the places that you would be unlikely to find on your own.
Enjoy guided walks personally researched by the Thompsons and tailored to meet your expectations. The trails are easy to moderate in grade and all provide a perfect window to a natural legacy of landscapes, geology, flora and fauna.
If walking is not your flavour on any day, then tours and destinations also promise a variety of relaxing leisure activities to offer some “time out”.
Nature-Bound Australia’s experienced guides choose to visit but not invade the natural habitats and remote local communities featured in each journey. Tailored journeys incorporate small resorts and mountain cottages in character settings, and dining is at quaint eateries offering fine local cuisine.
Depending on your interests, Nature-Bound Australia can design a journey to visit regions in and around Brisbane, Gold Coast Hinterland, Byron Bay and surrounds and throughout outback Queensland. Your adventure can include relaxed scenic travel between the national parks, along back roads and tracks unknown to mainstream tourism. Enjoy spontaneous stops and unusual insights into historic and contemporary Australia.

Location: Queensland Hinterland

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland – a city of sunny skies, river views and optimism. Its 1 million residents enjoy their food, their wine and their outdoor lifestyle (this is a city that’s literally criss-crossed with running tracks!) And they’re not afraid to try new things, revitalising their riverside CBD and getting behind the amazing South Bank development with its bars, cafes, galleries and manmade beach. Brisbane is now one of Australia’s most liveable cities and readily shows its visitors a good time.
The capital is 40 minutes from the Gold Coast, a beachside playground offering glitz, glamour and the country’s largest concentration of theme parks.
Two hours’ drive south of Brisbane and you’re under the wide skies of the Southern Downs, high country where people know that the good things of life aren’t meant to be rushed. At Warwick, the ‘Rose and Rodeo City’, magnificent sandstone buildings stand as monuments to its pioneer past. To the north, Allora and Clifton are similarly rich in pioneering history. To the south lies the Granite Belt and Stanthorpe, surrounded by orchards, vineyards and over 40 wineries.

Suitable/best for

Couples
Families
Small Groups

Individual tour description

Below is sample luxury itinerary. All itineraries are completely flexible and can be designed/altered to suit.

WOLGAN VALLEY TO BRISBANE
Day 1
Depart from Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa and travel north to Mudgee, where you will enjoy a relaxed vineyard lunch and overnight in a country B&B.

Day 2
Journey through authentic Australian history and folklore, visiting country villages such as Gulgong, Dunedoo, Coolah and Binnaway. Follow the Coolaburragundy and Castlereagh rivers through scenic valleys to an old village pub, setting for the classic Australian movie, The Shiralee.

Day 3
Take walks in the Warrumbungles, a landscape that dates back 180 million years. Then enjoy a trip to Australia’s premier space observatory at Parkes.

Day 4
Enjoy a leisurely-paced travel day across the heart of New South Wales with a visit to the Pilliga Pottery. Pass by Bingara, an old gold and diamond mining town, to reflect on the early conflicts between original Aboriginal communities and early settlers. Cross four legendary rivers all of them feeding into Australia’s greatest inland river, the Darling.

Day 5
Take a relaxed breakfast on the deck after an early roam with nature around the lodges. Then embark on an active day of walking through Girraween National Park to view the wildflowers and wildlife.

Day 6
Enjoy a stroll through the historic township of Tenterfield then to the summit of the largest granite monolith in the southern hemisphere for a 360 degree view into two states. Weather conditions permitting you will join a 4WD through the picturesque Condamine Gorge, there will be time for a short stroll by local waterfalls and viewing the colourful world of King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas, Satin Bowerbirds and Fairy Wrens to name a few.

Day 7
After enjoying stunning views over breakfast, wind your way down off the high country through picturesque valleys. Time for a country tea break or an alfresco lunch before travelling into Brisbane where your tour will conclude.