Welcome to Mature Traveller - Since 1984
omvits
  • Home
  • Travel
    • Destinations - Australia >
      • The Public Silo Trail WA
      • Santa Monica Sydney Pier One
      • The Calile
      • Hunter Gatherings
      • Pacific Hotel Cairns
      • Ibis Sydney Airport
      • Noosa Festival
      • 2019 Flinders Ranges Outback Tours
      • Anything But Ordinary
      • Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours
      • The Sunshine State
      • What's New in the Sunshine State
      • Discovering the Kimberley Coast
      • The Kimberley and Mitchell Falls
      • Forget Bali - Go Bush
      • Barcaldine
      • Tap and Go Sydney
      • Port Douglas
      • The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
      • Darwin
      • The Ghan
      • Grand Old Ladies
      • Brisbane to Townsville
      • Mudgee
      • Ancient encounters along the Kimberley Coast
      • Mudgee's Blue Wren Winery
      • Play and Stay in Uber Cool Brisbane
      • The Best Way to See Perth
      • Lord Howe - Return to Paradise
      • New Escorted Tour Flinders Ranges
      • SWEPT AWAY BY BROOME
      • The Hydro Majestic Hotel
      • O'REILLY'S
    • Cruising >
      • MSC Grandiosa Launch
      • MSC Bellissima
      • Ruby Princess
      • Port of Seattle
      • CroisiEurope Rhine River
      • Coral Adventurer
      • Captain Cook Cruises Fiji
      • MSC Magnifica Visits Australia
      • Silversea Ships meet in Sydney Harbour
      • Silversea Expedition Cruises
      • Captain Cook Cruises 2019 Murray River
      • Multigenerational Cruising
      • SeaDream 2020
      • Sunborn Yacht Hotel
      • Koningsdam by Holland America Line
      • CroisiEurope
      • Princess Cruises
      • Pacific Explorer’s 1st Birthday
      • Brisbane Cruise Terminal
      • PNG with P&O
      • Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam
      • SAILING MEKONG’s PAST IN THE PRESENT
      • MSC Seaside
      • MSC Opera
      • Norwegian Jewel
      • SeaDream A Seven-Day Dream
      • Silver Cloud
      • SeaDream Cuba
      • Silja Line
      • Cruising to St Petersburg.
      • ms Volendam
      • Sailing the Orient on msVolendam
      • A Day Trip to China
      • Regent Seven Seas’ Voyager
      • Crystal's 2019 Collection of Globetrotting Voyages
      • Sun Princess Northern Explorer
      • THE MIGHTY AMAZON’S MOST AMAZING ADVENTURE
      • P&O and Salt Grill
      • SeaDream Wins Again
      • Sailing on Emerald Princess
      • Silversea Expeditions
      • Pacific Jewel
      • Avalon Waterways
      • Blue Lagoon Cruises
      • Azamara
      • Norwegian Cruise Lines
      • Silversea Silver Discoverer
      • Silversea Silver Muse
      • P&O Cruises Funny Video
      • Volendam
      • Bordeaux and Riverboats
      • Riverboats
      • Rivers
      • msNoordam
      • CroisiEurope
      • Carnival
      • Star Clippers
      • Lake Geneva
      • More ladies
      • River Boating on the Rhine
      • Rhine page 2
      • Rhine page 3
      • Dreaming in the Mediterranean
      • SeaDream Visits Elba
      • SeaDream Milestone
      • SeaDream
    • Destinations - Overseas >
      • Ethiopia
      • Yorkshire
      • Flameback Eco Lodge Sri Lanka
      • Bryce Canyon
      • Macao
      • Taj Dubai
      • Return to Sri Lanka
      • 3 Sisters Adventure Trek Nepal
      • Grand Balkans Tour
      • Visit Planet Batuu on your next holiday
      • Being Mature does not mean you can’t be COOL!
      • The Falkland Islands
      • Souks In The City
      • Ganges Odyssey
      • Hokkaido
      • Würzburg
      • Seabreeze Resort Samoa
      • Tripura India
      • Park Lane Hong Kong
      • A Day in Hong Kong
      • Zagreb Croatia
      • Mercure Paris
      • Hotel Bonsol
      • Dubai
      • Back-Roads Touring Croatia
      • Flanders Beer and Chocolates
      • Settle to Carlisle
      • Wales
      • Festivals in The Philippines
      • To the Top of Europe
      • Morocco with Back-Roads Touring Part Three
      • Morocco with Back-Roads Touring Part Two
      • Ireland.. It’s just like the movies
      • Morocco The Adventure Begins
      • Milwaukee: Easy does it
      • Hong Kong The Peak Tram
      • AITTC
      • India's Golden Triangle
      • Peru's Colca Valley
      • Return to Paradise
      • Italian Treat
      • Morocco Bound
      • Jasper Canada
      • First to the Frozen Continent Antarctica
      • Old Malaya Kuala Lumpur
      • Cuba's New Revolution
      • Skeena
      • Samoa
      • British Columbia and Grizzly Bears
      • Winnipeg Canada
      • South Korea
      • City and beach options in Thailand
      • The Canadian
      • Lonna Island
      • Macao
      • Macao Fireworks
      • Hotel Katajanokka
      • The Vasa Museum
      • WILD BILL AND CALAMITY JANE
      • Helsinki: Europe’s new cool
      • My French Village
      • Alaska 101
      • Seabreeze Wins Again
      • See the historic wonders of Hội An, Vietnam
      • Rum - Smuggler's and Slavery
      • Brisbane to Cairns
      • Finding your own Oasis in Doha
      • Far East Hospitality - Oasia
      • Ottawa
      • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea >
        • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea cont
        • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea Cont2
      • Hong Kong
    • Good Deals >
      • Special Offer Paul Gauguin Cruises
      • Travelodge Hotel Perth
      • Grandparents and Captain Cook Cruises
      • The Havannah Vanuatu
      • Western Front Unique Battlefield Tour
      • Moroccan Culinary Tour with Lyndey Milan
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2020 brochure
      • Fort Worth USA
      • MSC Cruises Last Chance 2019
      • More CroisiEurope
      • Christmas in July
      • The Highlights Tour of Sicily
      • CroisiEurope
      • Captain Cook Cruise Fiji
      • SeaLink Kangaroo Island Cup
      • Rydges South Bank Brisbane
      • Ecruising
      • India Travel Specialists
      • Rockport
      • Back-Roads Touring
      • SeaLink KI
      • Adina Brisbane
      • Back-Roads Touring Film Locations
      • Helen Wong's Vietnam
      • Captain Cook Cruises Solo Special
      • Rail Plus
      • Australian Life
      • Pan Pacific Hotels
      • Novotel Century Hong Kong
      • Back-Roads Touring
      • More from Back Roads Touring
      • Murray Princess
      • Back Roads Touring
      • SeaLink Opal Card
      • Captain Cook Cruises
      • THE travel destinations for 2018
      • Eurail
      • Quest Tours
    • Up Up and Away >
      • Air Tahiti Nui
      • Support The Bush Fly REX
      • Cathay Pacific A350-1000
      • Win 12 flights with Scoot
      • Air Asia
      • Singapore Airlines Offered Exceptional Service
      • Cathay Pacific
      • AirAsia Wins AGAIN
      • Scoot Got to Go
      • Scoot to Berlin in 2019
      • New Menu for Cathay Pacific
      • Cathay Pacific Business Class
      • Scoot to Singapore
      • Scoot to Germany
      • Scoot to Berlin
      • Airbus A350 1000
      • Airbus
      • Scoot Sale
      • Scoot to Europe
      • Tigerair Australia
      • A350XWB
      • Finnair
      • Asiana Airlines
      • Flying Finnair to Europe
      • Business Class with Cathay
      • Finnair
      • Air France Business Class
      • Catalina
      • Business Class to Singapore with British Airways
  • Guest Writer
    • Sun Princess
    • Diamond Princess
    • 14-day Baltic cruise on the Celestial Eclipse.
    • A Few Ripples on Voyager of the Seas
    • Dawn Princess
    • Wild NZ with Silversea
    • Wild NZ part 2
  • Entertainment
    • School of Rock
    • KURIOS – CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
    • The Art of Banksy
    • Nancye
    • Chicago
    • The God of Isaac
    • The Music of Woodstock
    • West Side Story
    • Rock and Laughter
    • Jack and the Beanstalk
    • Sweeny Todd
    • Puffs
    • Red Joan
    • Book of Mormon Brisbane
    • DANGER CLOSE: THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN
    • Exit The King
    • Andre Rieu
    • Peter Pan Goes Wrong
    • Australian Museum Treasures Illuminated
    • The Jungle Book
    • Wind in the Willows
    • Exhibitionism The Rolling Stones Exhibit
    • The Seagull
    • Tales by Light
    • Wayne
    • Jersey Boys
    • Sleeping Beauty
    • The Book of Mormon
    • Event Cinemas
    • Mamma Mia
    • THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS
    • The Wizard of Oz
  • Lifestyle
    • What's New >
      • Vibe Hotel Darling Harbour
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2021
      • My Flight Hammock
      • Bamboo Bikes
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises New Moana Explorer Programme
      • New Vibe Hotel for Sydney
      • Citadines Sydney Airport
      • Rail Europe News
      • Back-Roads Touring Goes USA
      • Eurail New Free App
      • New Amenity Kit
      • Back Roads Touring Asia
      • Eurail 2019
      • My Life Book
      • Hush Puppies
      • Ancestry DNA
      • Samsonite
      • New $50
      • TFE Travelodge Auckland
      • New Look Capella Lodge
      • Targus for Fathers Day
      • Flanders
      • TravelComfort
      • Advanced Skipper
      • Sash & Belle
      • Back Roads Touring
      • AccorHotels Seoul Dragon City
      • New Adina for Brisbane
      • Victorinox
      • Canon shines a light on our human footprint
      • HANGables
      • Samsonite
      • Important News for ALL READERS
      • Henty CoPilot
      • Art Xtedia
      • Waddingtons Travel Poker
      • Ovation and Supercruising
      • Princess Cruises Australia
      • New from Paklite
      • PowerAll
      • Victorinox
      • Victorinox
      • Paklite
      • The New Paklite Collection
      • New from Samsonite
    • STRUTH >
      • Bowral NSW and Tulip's
      • Elephants never forget
      • Southern Highlands NSW
      • Eagle Squadron
      • PROVE TO THE WORLD YOU A WITCH
      • Why
      • Lucky Coins
      • Bonhams
      • CUBA A YESTER-YEAR MOTORING TIME WARP
      • BEDAZZLE LIKE A STAR
      • Thai Market
      • China's Trains
      • CARIBBEAN AIRPORT
    • Health & Fitness >
      • Enbacci
      • ThinOptics
      • EXYRA and Blue Light Dangers
      • Clean & Pure
      • Blend 11
      • Motion Potion
      • Amazing Oils
      • Pain Strike Oil
      • The Dangers of Blue Light
      • Summer Product Roundup
      • Resibo
      • Lonely Planet Wellness
      • Cromo-Fresh
      • Diabetes Recipes
      • Herbs + Heart
      • Herbs + Hearts
      • Nageze
      • Dessata
      • Oral-B GENIUS in Rose Gold
      • Firefly
      • Men's Skin Care
      • Healthy Aging with IsoWhey
      • Age with health
      • YaMate Insect Repellent
      • Tips for a Healthy Heart
      • IsoWhey for Healthy Weight Gain
      • Kickstart Your Libido
      • MySmart Bars
      • 30 Plus Nu Woman
      • Rigon Headwear
      • IsoWhey
      • Atkins Update
      • Boost Your Immune System
      • Fatigue
      • Sea-Band
      • NutriBullet
      • New Atkins and Health
      • 5 Suitcase Essentials for Arthritis Sufferers
      • Malaysia Medical
      • fitbit
      • TePe
      • Salin
      • Mature Traveller's ARE SEXY
      • Poo
      • Travellers Checklist
    • Wine and Food >
      • You Suck At Cooking
      • Food Artisans of Japan
      • BWS Rarest Six Pack
      • Penley Estate I Love SHZ 2017
      • Nossa Festival
      • Noosa Food and Wine Feastival
      • Puglia with Lyndey Milan
      • Japan with Lyndey Milan
      • Real Men Do Drink Rosé
      • Brilliant Cut Knife by Lyndey Milan
      • Conversations in the Kitchen
      • Lucio Pizzeria review
      • Lucio Pizzeria
      • Evoke from Morphy Richards
      • The Squire's Landing
      • Noosa Wine and Food Festival
      • Dinnerly
      • Cookie Doh
      • Flamin Hot Sauce
      • Fornetto Smoker
      • Fornetto Smokers
      • LODGE CAST IRON COOKWARE
      • Cebu Pacific
      • Barossa Valley Sophie Rosé 2016
      • Provencal Rosé Maison Charlotte
      • Yarra Valley Tea
      • BBQ Beer and BS
      • Ribs
      • Cuisines of France and Mexico
      • The Big Marn’s Barbeque Cookbook
      • Food of Naples
      • Wine with David Ellis
      • China Doll
      • Wine with David Ellis
    • Technology >
      • Flight testing the Focal Headphones
      • Listen Wireless Headphones
      • DYNAUDIO MUSIC 1
      • Canon EOS R
      • Microsoft Surface GO
      • ScamWatch
      • Canon EOS200D
      • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
      • Canon EOS M 50
      • Inflighto
      • Canon - PowerShot SX730 HS
      • Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III
      • Good Idea for Home and Travel
      • The Latest Moto Smartphones
      • Navman
      • LG Stylus DAB+
      • Motorola
      • Bose Next Generation >
        • Mandurah and Blue Swimmer's
      • Moto E
      • Bose
      • New From Nikon
      • New Camera from Samsung
      • Nokia Lumia 925- WOW
      • Sensational Pocket Digital and FM Radio
    • Books >
      • Miracle Mutts
      • Who Owns History
      • Lonely Planet Dark Skies
      • Latest Lonely Planet Kids
      • Lonely Planet The Universe
      • Win BIG with Lonely Planet
      • The Rescue Dog
      • Lonely Planet Kids’ Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts
      • Welcome to your period
      • Flight to Fame
      • Long Flight Home
      • The Daredevil’s Guide to Outer Space
      • Hush Hush
      • The Last Elephants
      • Home at Last
      • Lonely Planet Kids Stickers
      • Rome Precincts
      • The Ink Stain
      • Storm Boy
      • Muttshots
      • King of the Air
      • Steam Australia
      • More Lonely Planet Kids
      • Australian Birds
      • Lonely Planet Atlas
      • The Rescuers
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • Six Decades of Holden V Ford
      • Teida's Story
      • Take Back Australia Mark Latham
      • Hardie Grant Books
      • New Holland Publishers
      • The Pacific In the Wake of Captain Cook
      • Bill Lawry
      • Endeavour
      • In the Valley of the Blue Gums
      • Political Correctness
      • Heros of Hamel
      • Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports
      • The Last 100 Days
      • Against The Odds
      • How to win a Noble Prize
      • Child of Africa
      • Where the Murray River Runs
      • Moment of Thruth
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018
      • A Short History of Golf
      • Freedom’s Salesman
      • Mark Latham
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • A Hard Place
      • A Haunting Place
      • Big Boys’ Toys
      • Fly Fishing
      • Stealth Raiders
      • School of Rock
      • Hero or Deserter?
      • GOLF RESORTS OF THE WORLD
      • THE CHARGE
      • Gelignite Jack Murray
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF PIKELET
      • Fur-Ever Loved
      • Alicorn
      • Roped In from Hardie Grant
      • The Australian Bird Guide
      • The Mysterious Mr Jacob
      • The Rugby League Book of Records
      • The Kick of Stalin’s Cow
      • Rubbing Shoulders Around the World
      • Make Science Fun
      • Pawtraits
      • Gallipoli
    • DVD's >
      • Last Cab to Darwin
      • Arbitrage >
        • Offspring
  • Photo Gallery
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • Kakadu
    • Hotel Kurrajong
    • The Cook Islands
    • The Steamboats of Lake Geneva
    • Samsung in the Whitsundays
    • SAMOA images with a Nokia 925
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
  • Archives
    • Travel >
      • Destinations - Australia >
        • In awe of the Kimberley
        • Wine and Food in the ACT
      • Destinations - Overseas
      • Sir Donald Campbell Bluebird
      • Good Deals
      • Cruising >
        • Rum - Smuggler’s - Slavery
        • Mountain Designs
        • Sea Breeze II
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle >
      • Health & Fitness
      • Wine & Food
      • Technology
      • Books
  • Jasper
  • Cebu Pacific
  • New Page
  The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
Len Rutledge goes ‘down the tube’
Slam, bang, bif, pow! I awake to unfamiliar sounds and cautiously pull up the blind. Oh, it’s just two kangaroos having a ‘friendly’ stand-up fight just outside my window. There’s nothing unusual about that at Undara.
I’m rapidly discovering that very few things are considered unusual at Undara. The wildlife, the vegetation, the lava tubes and the railway carriage accommodation would all be considered very different elsewhere but here they are part of the amazing Undara Experience (www.undara.com.au ).
I am in North Queensland revisiting one of the most fascinating Outback destinations easily accessible from the coastal cities. I first visited Undara with cattleman Gerry Collins back in the late 1980s when he had a dream to develop this unique area into a tourist attraction. At the time he was battling the Queensland Government for approvals and was trying to save his land from compulsory acquisition.
In the end he succeeded with his dream and Queensland has a unique top quality experience for both local and international visitors. It is a wonderful destination from either Townsville or Cairns.
It takes awhile to sort out the Undara Experience. The whole package consists of accommodation, meals and facilities, tours and activities. You can cherry-pick bits and pieces but you will find that more is always better because this experience is very special.
For accommodation, we choose the beautifully restored one hundred year old railway carriages. These are set along the original Cobb & Co. coach road and are shaded by tall trees and a canopy roof. The rooms contain a very comfortable double bed, old railway seats ceiling fans, and a bathroom.
The carriages are unique, comfortable and romantic. We love them. Other options are the permanent swag tents, some of which have their own kitchen, the caravan park and camp ground, and self-contained air-conditioned Pioneers Huts.
After settling in we go exploring. We find the free tea and coffee that is always available and then relax in the deck chairs by the lagoon pool. This is perfect after the drive from Townsville. After recharging, we go on a self-guided bush walk. There are nine tracks ranging from 1.5km to 12km return. We climb a nearby knoll and gaze over the plateau towards some of the 164 old volcanoes in the province. There is no sign of human occupation as far as we can see.
We enquire about tours and are told about the Wildlife at Sunset trip that departs each day at around 5.30pm. Naturally we go on it. We watch the sunset while enjoying sparkling wine and cheese and then are taken to the entrance of a lava tube at dusk to see pythons and tree snakes capturing a meal of micro bats as they emerge from the darkness in their thousands.
Dinner at night is at the Iron Pot Bistro. The a-la-carte menu has beef, Georgetown sausages, chicken, fish, and vegetarian noodle stir fry dishes. Meals are large, delicious and filling. We linger over several glasses of wine and then share a ‘chocolate volcano’ dessert. After dinner, we relax around the campfire, enjoy the brilliant starry sky then wander back through the Australian bush to our railway carriage ‘home’ for a good night’s sleep.
It’s morning. The kangaroos have woken me so I watch nature’s world through the window. There are wallabies, wallaroos, parrots, kookaburras, currawongs and magpies all happily going about the business of eating. I guess it is time for our breakfast.
We wander off into the bush along a well-defined track and soon come upon the Ringers Camp. The fire is burning, the billy tea is boiling and the freshly brewed coffee spreads its aroma throughout the camp.
Cereal, fruit, sausages, baked beans, eggs, sautéed vegetables, bacon and a variety of juices make for a great breakfast. We toast bread over the coals of the fire and spread it with honey and jam. Why do I eat so much more when in a setting like this?
It’s 8am and we gather for the Archway Explorer tour. There are ten of us in the minibus as we drive to a lava tube. Lava tubes are the result of volcanic lava flowing down depressions. Eventually the surface cooled and formed a crust but underneath the lava continued to flow.
The eruption eventually stopped and lava flowed out of the far end of the tubes, leaving tunnels beneath the land. Eventually holes appeared when the roof collapsed on the tubes and rainforest sprang up in these dark, moist hollows.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
We enter one of these depressions and are surrounded by life. The dry savannah has given way to lush vegetation. Dozens of butterflies flit around our heads. We are in a different world. The huge entrance to a lava tube is straight ahead.
Entering the tube is a wonderful experience. We come face to face with 190,000 years of history. Timber walkways lead deep into the darkness. Our Savannah Guide gives us environmental, geological and historical information on the region.
We visit two other tubes. A long wet season has raised the water table and some tubes are part-filled with water. At one, we strip to our swimwear and bathe in the clear water. We’re told that this is a very rare experience, happening on average, once every twenty years!
While it is possible to experience the highlights of Undara by staying one night, a two-night stay is clearly better. This gives you time to take a second tour to a different section of the tubes, explore more of the walking trails and visit some of the other attractions in the area.
Words: Len Rutledge    Pictures: Phensri and Len Rutledge
Feature supplied by: www.wtfm.media.com.au
www.LenRutledge.com   
Images:
  1. Train carriage accommodation
  2. Breakfast is on the way
  3. Entry to the tube
  4. Inside the Lava tube
  5. Scenic viewpoint
Travel
  Destinations
  Good Deals
  Cruising

Entertainment

Lifestyle
  Health & Fitness
  Wine & Food
  Technology
  Books  DVD's

Whats New
 
Photo Gallery

Contact Us
© 2013 Mature Traveller. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Osborne

Publisher and Managing Editor 
Sydney 
NSW Australia 

Phone: +612 9663 1373 
Mobile: +61 408 168 961 
Skype: mature888
Email: email us