Kununurra · Ivanhoe Crossing ‐ Ord River ... Kununurra is a town in far northern Western...
Transcript of Kununurra · Ivanhoe Crossing ‐ Ord River ... Kununurra is a town in far northern Western...
Oasis of the Kimberley Oasis of the Kimberley
7 DAY FULLY INCLUSIVE TOUR
23rd July ‐ 29th July, 2020
Kununurra
Kununurra Oasis of the Kimberley
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Kununurra Mirima National Park ‐ Hidden Valley Argyle Homestead Museum Lake Argyle Lake Kununurra The Ord River Scheme Sandalwood Showroom
Ivanhoe Crossing ‐ Ord River Kimberley Ornamental Stonecraft Zebra Mine Tour Argyle Diamond Mine Bastion Range ‐ “5 Rivers Lookout” Wyndham Museum Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve Telegraph Hill
THURSDAY 23RD JULY TO WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY, 2020 Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley approximately 37 kilometres from the Northern Territory border.
The town was purpose built in 1961 to support building of the dams for the Ord Irrigation Scheme and farmers who arrived to cultivate crops on the newly irrigated land. Kununurra’s name derives from an aboriginal word said to mean “black soil”.
The town is situated in among the scenic hills and ranges of the far north‐east Kimberley Region, having an abundance of fresh water, conserved by the Ord River
Diversion dam and the main Ord River Dam.
Now even closer with direct flights to Kununurra, so take advantage and join us on this wonderful tour to the “Oasis of the Kimberley”.
As a thank you for travelling with O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours, you will automatically receive a saving on the total tour price for your second and subsequent tours. O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours will match single travellers who wish to twin share with another single traveller of the same gender. However, if this is not possible, you shall be provided with single accommodation at the twin share fare (no additional cost).
COACHBOATNEW TOUR
NEW
CRUISES
Lake Argyle Cruise
Wetlands Cruise ‐ east side of Lake Argyle
MULTIPLE NIGHT STAYS
6 nights in Kununurra
STAY PUTFLIGHT
TOUR INCLUSIONS Complimentary chauffeur driven transfers. Pick up from and return to your home from Greater Melbourne, Bendigo, Torquay, Ballarat, Geelong, the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, selected areas of Gippsland and Phillip Island.
Return Flights. From Melbourne Airport to Kununurra with Alliance Air through Virgin Airlines.
O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours Touring Coach. Travel by O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours Luxury Touring Coach. Features include comfortable reclining seats with ample leg room, arm and foot rests, seat belts, large panoramic windows with blinds, overhead parcel shelf, onboard rest room, Road Cam TV Screens which display the view ahead in real time, a kneeling (coach lowering) device, a second door for ease of entry and disembarkation and full air suspension for a smooth and quiet ride.
Tour Director. Dedicated O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach crew (tour directors) on board to ensure your travel experience is memorable.
Best Available Quality Accommodation. Ensuite motel accommodation each night. Attractions. All tours and interest venues as per itinerary. Meals. Full cooked breakfasts, morning tea and two course restaurant dinners daily, and most lunches ‐ 2 lunches at your own expense as per itinerary.
TOUR COSTS
Twin Share Room: $ 4,995 per person
Twin Share Repeat Traveller 2 ‐ 10 Tours: $ 4,945 per person
Twin Share Repeat Traveller 11 ‐ 20 Tours: $ 4,920 per person
Twin Share Repeat Traveller 21+ Tours: $ 4,895 per person
Single Room Supplement: $ 490 per person
DEPOSIT $200pp UPON BOOKING
MELBOURNE TO KUNUNURRA
This morning our chauffeurs will be waiting to take us to Melbourne Airport to join our direct flight to Kununurra in the wilds of Western Australia! The town was established as the residential and administrative centre of the Ord River Scheme ‐ a huge irrigation scheme that was developed in the 1970s. We’ll be hearing a lot about the Ord River Scheme and Lake Argyle in the next few days! On arrival our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew will be there to meet us. Our first visit on tour is to the Mirima National Park, also called Hidden Valley. The small park is just two kilometres out of town. The sandstone formations here resemble the domes of the famous Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park), which is why they are sometimes called Mini Bungle Bungles. Returning to town we’ll check in to our hotel, home for the next 6 nights.
Lunch at own arrangements and cost / Refreshments on flight OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
DAY 1 Thursday 23rd July, 2020
THE ORD RIVER SCHEME
We can’t actually visit the Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles) properly on a day tour from Kununurra but we can take a scenic flight over it! Early morning today is the time to do it – this is an optional flight. For those of us who choose not to fly this is the perfect opportunity for a sleep‐in! Mid morning, when the flyers return, we drive towards Lake Argyle, stopping enroute to visit the Argyle Homestead Museum. The homestead was originally built in 1895 by the Durack family on Argyle Downs Station (now mostly submerged by the lake). The famous pioneering Durack family home became known far and wide as one of the social gathering places of the East Kimberley. Constructed of handcrafted limestone blocks with crushed termite mounds used as mortar, it was a magnificent building for its time. During the early 1970’s a decision was made to remove the homestead before Lake Argyle began to fill in order to preserve this magnificent building for all time. The homestead was dismantled stone by stone with every stone coded in such a way so as to be able to be rebuilt with every stone back in its original position. The homestead now lives on as a museum dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack Family. We travel on to Lake Argyle where we enjoy a fish ‘n chip lunch at the Tourist Village. One of the many highlights of our tour to the East Kimberley will be our cruise this afternoon from below the massive wall of Lake Argyle into Lake Kununurra, 55 kilometres downstream. The Ord River Scheme was a progressive and far sighted move to develop the tropical north of Western Australia. During “the wet” the rivers of the East Kimberley become raging torrents. At times the Ord River can empty 50 million litres a second into the Cambridge Gulf!
OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
DAY 2 Friday 24th July, 2020
DAY 3 Saturday 25th July, 2020
KUNUNURRA
First stop is the Sandalwood Showroom where we’ll learn about the soil‐to oil process in one of the world’s most prized fragrant timbers. We can view a video, then move to the showroom to feel samples of the wood in its various stages – from log to wood powder – and smell the sandalwood oil that has been an important ingredient in perfumery since Egyptian times. After lunch, we now head out to Ivanhoe Crossing which is the place where Ivanhoe Road crosses the Ord River. This used to be the main and only road to Wyndham in the old days... We continue our sightseeing, passing by mango orchards, citrus, melons and sandalwood plantations. Next stop is Kimberley Ornamental Stonecraft which shows stone art and jewellery skilfully handcrafted from gemstones and unique Kimberley rock including the fine banded Zebra stone. We’ll have plenty of time to look through the gallery.
OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
ZEBRA MINE TOUR
This tour is one highlight after another – but today will be one to remember! Mid‐morning, we make our way to the actual Zebra Mine where we spend the rest of the day. Lunch will be freshly caught Silver Cobbler and they say the lunch hits a 10 on the “fish ‘n chip‐odometer”!! We’ll take a tour of the mine then enjoy our afternoon tea. It’s now time to board our Wetlands Cruise; the wetlands are situated on the eastern side of Lake Argyle where the many creeks feed into the dam. We’re sure to see a huge variety of birds, in particular, Mr and Mrs Osprey and nest, Brolgas, Cormorants, Ibis, Egrets, Darters, Corellas, Herons, Whistling Ducks, Magpie Geese, Sea Eagles – just to name a few! We might see a few Johnston Freshwater Crocodiles too. How does some sparkling wine and nibbles sound as we watch the sun set over Lake Argyle (the only place this can be experienced!). Following dinner, we return to Kununurra – quite late but what a fantastic day!
OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
DAY 4 Sunday 26th July, 2020
DAY 5 Monday 27th July, 2020
THE ARGYLE DIAMOND MINE
This morning we travel to the Argyle Diamond Mine where we meet a guide for a tour of the mine. The Argyle Diamond has put Australia on top as the world's biggest diamond producer. It is Australia's only major diamond producer, producing the extremely rare and valuable pink diamonds, as well as fine whites and intriguing champagne and cognac diamonds. This diamond mine is one of the most technologically advanced mines in the world. After the mine tour and lunch, we meander back to Kununurra with time for a dip in the pool!
OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
DAY 6 Tuesday 28th July, 2020
WYNDHAM & PARRY’S LAGOON
Today we head up the Great Northern Highway to Wyndham. One hundred kilometres north of Kununurra, Wyndham is a small frontier town that typifies the character of the Kimberley. Established near the tidal waters of the Cambridge Gulf, the port town is guarded by the thrusting summit of the Bastion Range, towering 1,100 feet above sea level at its highest point. Many people say the “5 Rivers Lookout” from the top of the Bastion is one of the finest in Australia! It’s here we stop for our morning break. In the township of Wyndham, we’ll take in the sights including the giant concrete crocodile and the Port area ‐ the Kimberley’s oldest town has had a turbulent history of boom and bust that, along with the striking surrounding landscape, has shaped it into a destination more interesting than many may think! We learn about the history of the area when we visit Wyndham Museum. Located in the old Court House, the museum provides an insight into the aviation, shipping, pastoral and meat processing industries of past pioneers. Journal records, photographic displays of times gone by and unique memorabilia amalgamate to form a truly fascinating experience. Make sure you have your camera ready as we now drive to our lunch venue. The birdlife will take your breath away as we enjoy lunch at Parry Creek Farm. The farm is located at the Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve, an important water bird feeding and breeding area. It is also a stopover point for more migratory waders, some of which travel from as far afield as Siberia. As the wet subsides and the billabongs and lagoons shrink to their semi‐permanent and permanent dry season courses, the barramundi, mullet and tarpon left in the pools provide a year‐round food supply for fish eating birds of prey, pelicans and jabirus and the occasional crocodile. Both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles inhabit Parry Lagoons, so stay well back from the water’s edge! After our visit, we see a great 360 degree view from the lookout at Telegraph Hill and be amazed at the number of boab trees on our way in and out from the highway. Returning to Kununurra we’ll have some more relaxation time!
OVERNIGHT: The Kimberley Grande, KUNUNURRA
DAY 7 Wednesday 29th July, 2020
HOMEWARD BOUND
What an exciting trip it’s been! We’ll be transferred this morning to Kununurra Airport where we join our direct flight back to Melbourne. On arrival as always, our chauffeurs will be waiting to transfer us back to our very door!
Lunch at own arrangements and cost / Refreshments on flight
Any special passenger requirements must be notified to O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours upon booking. No passenger will be permitted to embark on or continue the tour while their physical or mental condition
is, in the opinion of any representative of O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours, such as to render them incapable of caring for themselves, or whereby they become objectionable to other passengers, or they become a hazard to themselves or other passengers. Whilst on tour with O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours should a passenger require medical attention, discharge papers must be provided to a representative of O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours before you are able to re‐join the tour.
O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours will not be responsible for expenses resulting in such persons being precluded from completing the tour for any such reason. No refunds or transfers will be given on any unused portions of the itinerary.
It is a requirement of O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours that each passenger is able to negotiate coach steps without the aid of the coach crew or other passengers.
Any passenger who requires assistance for any of the above is required to travel with a companion capable of providing all necessary assistance.
Passengers who are smokers, have a CPAP machine or snore, unless travelling with a companion, will be required to pay the single supplement premium for the sole use of a room.
Items of a personal nature such as medical expenses, mini bar, beverages, laundry service, room service, internet usage, telephone calls, and any optional extras are not included in your tour price.
All passengers are required to co‐operate with the seat rotation program determined by O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours tour directors.
O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours reserves the right to vary any accommodation, price or other features of the tour at any time at their own discretion.
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Deposit is fully refundable until 46 days prior to departure date.
Cancellation 45 to 8 days before tour departure date 20% Refund of Tour Cost
Cancellation within 7 days of tour departure date No Refund
On or after tour date departure No Refund
Travel Insurance is not compulsory, however is highly recommended and available from our office. Contact us on 1800 354 352 to arrange a quote for you.
PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY
CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL
Toll Free: 1800 354 352
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O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours