Carnarvon Gorge & The Great Inland Way Bike Tour
BOOKING FEE
$500.00 incl. GST per person
TOUR DURATION:
9 Days: 9 Nights
Departure date:
3rd June 2024
From (GST inc)
- $5,280 pp twin share
- $6,205 single
Cycling across the roof of Queensland
Soak up the natural and cultural diversity of inland Queensland on this exclusive bicycle tour along the Great Inland Way.
This tour normally starts in St George, riding to Surat on Day 2, however due to an increased amount of work being done on the Surat Basin Gas Project, there is no accommodation available in Surat. So for 2024 we have amended the tour to start from Roma rather than from St George, with a total tour length of 9 days instead of 10.
Daily Overview
- Day 1: Roma
- Day 2: Surat to Roma - 79km
- Day 3: Roma to Injune - 92km
- Day 4: Injune towards Carnarvon Gorge - 85km
- Day 5: Towards Carnarvon Gorge - 65km
- Day 6: Carnarvon Gorge
- Day 7: Carnarvon Gorge
- Day 8: Carnarvon Gorge to Springsure - 72km
- Day 9: Springsure to Emerald - 81km
About This Tour
On this fascinating journey you’ll cycle through some of Australia’s most spectacular landscapes, past sandstone cliffs, through ancient cycad forests and alongside rolling grasslands.
You’ll also spend two full days exploring Carnarvon Gorge, a cool lush oasis in the outback complete with one of Australia’s finest examples of Aboriginal stencil rock art, breathtaking vistas, and plenty of wildlife.
From Murray Darling Basin country, across the Great Dividing Range and into the Fitzroy Basin, you’ll be amazed at the variety of landscapes and the intriguing stories they have to tell.
You’ll be struck by the Mulga difference. All of our bike tours are achievable by the average cyclist with a focus on the journey, not on the clock.
What Is Included
- Accommodation in 3 or 4 star properties
- All meals (except dinner on Day 2 in Roma)
- End of tour dinner
- Day and night walking tours at Carnarvon Gorge
- Hot/cold drinks and copious snacks from the support vehicle
- Support vehicles provided every day - ride as much or as little as you please
- Custom built support trailer for careful and safe carriage of your bike and luggage
- Luggage transfer between your accommodation
- UHF radio link between yourself and the support vehicle
- Mechanical support (limited spares)
- Tour guides - the owners of Mulga Bicycle Tours are with you every day
Travel Connections
Find out ... How to get to and from Roma and Emerald.
Payment Methods:
Payments can be made via Visa, MasterCard or electronic funds transfer.
Highlights:
Explore diverse outback landscapes from flat floodplains to remnant rainforest. Follow the route of Australia’s last Cobb & Co service. Explore magnificent Carnarvon Gorge staying at Breeze Holiday Parks Carnarvon Gorge.
Start/Finish locations:
Start: Roma, Queensland
Finish: Emerald, Queensland
Tour Grade:
Grade 2
Find out how we grade our tours
Total distance:
474km cycling
Daily distances:
Average 79km.
Ranges from 65km to 92km per day with 2 non-riding days.
Weather:
Use these links to gain an understanding of the weather at this time of the year.
Day 1/2 - Roma
Day 3/4 - Injune
Day 8 - Rolleston
Day 9 - Emerald
E-Bike and Bike Hire:
If you do not wish to bring your own bike, you can hire a standard pedal bike from us for $500 or an E-bike (limited numbers) for $820. Please select your desired "Bike Hire" option when completing the booking form. For more information on our hire bikes click here.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Answers to our most commonly asked questions can be found here - Multi day tours - FAQ
Included:
Accommodation; all meals (except dinner on Day 2 in Roma); drinks and snacks from the tour support vehicle, tour guides, daily maps and itineraries; use of support vehicles as required; day and night tours at Carnarvon Gorge.
Excluded:
All drinks at dinner and alcoholic drinks at lunch; alcoholic drinks, food, beverages, and other personal items you purchase; room service and mini bar charges; telephone calls made from the telephone provided in your accommodation (see note on credit card pre-authorisation in Important Information); laundry costs; parts required to repair your personal bicycle and repairs to your personal bicycle undertaken by Mulga Bicycle Tours or in a third party’s bicycle shop.
Transfers:
Guests are responsible for transfers to and from the tour.
To get the best available fares we recommend you book as early as possible.
Find out more about travel connections to Roma and Emerald.
Bike Boxes:
Due to limited space we are unable to carry bike boxes of any kind. If you are flying into Roma with your own bike we recommend you use an airline cardboard bike box and bubble wrap to transport your bike to Roma. At the conclusion of the tour cardboard bike boxes are available from Qantas Baggage Services at Emerald Airport. See our web page on The Great Inland Way Travel Connections for more details.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Roma
The tour begins in Roma – “Where country meets the outback”.
Incorporated in 1867, in Roma is sometimes referred to as the Gateway to the Outback and is home to the largest yard sales in the southern hemisphere. Here, over 12,000 head of cattle can be sold in a single day. Roma is also the birthplace of Australia’s oil and gas industry. With the growing demand for natural gas you’ll see evidence of strong industry development throughout the region.
We’ll meet at the Roma Mid-Town Motor Inn on Monday afternoon for our pre-tour checks and briefing and then, before dinner, we’ll pack the bikes in the trailer ready to drive to Surat in the morning.
Accommodation
Day 2: Surat to Roma - Cycling Distance 79km
No need to pack your bags this morning as we’ll be returning to Roma late this afternoon to stay another night.
We’ll begin the day with a drive to Surat where we’ll have breakfast before heading off on the bikes. Travelling through grasslands and open woodlands we’ll see plenty of Queensland Bottle Trees, all impressive, but wait until you see the size of the one in Roma!
Accommodation
Day 3: Roma to Injune - Cycling Distance 92km
Continuing on the Great Inland Way we’ll take a gentle climb to Injune, also known as the Gateway to Carnarvon. The route is brimming with signs of the region’s thriving industries; timber, oil and gas, and of course cattle. Keep an eye out for the stock routes crisscrossing the highway.
Injune is a quaint yet flourishing country town, full of fascinating history, spectacular views and beautiful landscapes. Tucked at the foot of the Carnarvon Range, it’s also an ideal base for exploring the magnificent terrain leading towards Carnarvon Gorge.
Accommodation
Day 4: Injune towards Carnarvon Gorge - Cycling Distance 85km
There are 151 kilometres between Injune and Carnarvon Gorge, so we’ll cycle about half way today before returning to Injune in the support vehicles.
You’ll be captivated by the area’s outstanding natural beauty, with its picturesque grasslands, woodlands and forest. And we’ll finish on a high, the last 18km is mostly downhill through sandstone cliffs and bluffs, open eucalypt and ancient cycad forests.
We’ll then return to Injune in the support vehicles to complete the journey to Carnarvon Gorge tomorrow.
Accommodation
Day 5: Towards Carnarvon Gorge - Cycling Distance 65km
Our morning begins in the support vehicles to return to where we left off yesterday.
Once on the bikes, we’ll leave behind the red and orange sandstone cliffs and journey across the relatively flat plains towards Carnarvon Gorge National Park.
With its towering white sandstone cliffs, winding gorges, ancient rock art and remnant pockets of rainforest, Carnarvon Gorge is a natural and cultural paradise, one we’ll explore on foot over the coming days. We’ll finish at our accommodation, Breeze Holiday Parks Carnarvon Gorge.
Accommodation
Day 6: Carnarvon Gorge - Cycling Free Day
Today is an all-important rest day. Say hello to the resident wildlife, take a walk or you could choose to do nothing at all.
And when night falls, it’s time for another adventure. The Carnarvon Night Safari Tour. With help from Australian Nature Guides, and with binoculars at the ready, we’ll look high and low for the Gorge’s nocturnal wildlife. This includes gliders, owls, frogs, microbats and possibly platypus.
Accommodation
Day 7: Carnarvon Gorge - Cycling Free Day
Lace up your walking shoes and get set to further explore the Gorge (this time in daylight!).
Australian Nature Guides will lead us on the Lower Gorge Explorer Walk, an easy 14km walk along the Gorge floor. Crisscrossing Carnarvon Creek on stepping stones, this tour includes the very best of Carnarvon Gorge. Marvel at the awe-inspiring Amphitheatre, a hidden grotto within towering sandstone walls. Take a breather at the Moss Garden, a hidden waterhole which looks as if it’s straight from a fairy tale. Discover the meanings behind the Gorge’s 4,000-year-old rock art, one of the finest examples of Aboriginal stencil art in Australia.
Accommodation
Day 8: Carnarvon Gorge to Springsure - Cycling Distance 72km
We’ll start the day in the support vehicles and drive back to the Carnarvon Highway and then on to Rolleston where we'll stop for morning tea at the quirky Coffee Cart in Beazley Park.
After unloading the bikes we’ll farewell Rolleston and the Carnarvon Highway and continue riding north-west on the Dawson Highway. We’ll pass the Rolleston Coal Mine and then journey through naturally treeless plains, also known as Bluegrass Downs Grasslands.
These grasslands were once a beckoning proposition for pioneer graziers. And whilst many have been overtaken with pasture grass, we’ll see some excellent examples of the grasslands in their original glory - including some rare plant species - as we head into Springsure.
Accommodation
Day 9: Springsure to Emerald - Cycling Distance 81km
The final leg of our tour takes us from Springsure to Emerald.
Leaving Springsure we’ll be in prime position to admire the landscape, the volcanic peaks and domes of Minerva Hills National Park.
Passing through scrub and farmland on the Gregory Highway, we’ll make our way into Emerald, stopping on the way at Lake Maraboon for lunch. Emerald is a service town for many industries in the region including cotton, grain, coal and even gem mining.
We’ll finish the day with an end of tour celebration dinner.
Accommodation
Emerald
Today your tour ends at checkout.
There are a few options for your return home:
- Fly – QANTAS or Virgin Australia.
- Train – Spirit of the Outback
- Mulga Bicycle Tours offers a transfer back to Roma after spending a day in Emerald at the end of the tour. Transfer includes an extra night in Emerald (accommodation only) and a one-day drive back to Roma on Thursday 13 June, arriving in Roma about 5pm. Cost: $247.50 per person twin share; $325.00 single. Select "Stay an extra day with transfer back to Roma" when booking.
We recommend you book early to get the cheapest fares.
Or if you just can’t get enough, you are welcome to join us for the next Queensland tour on our schedule: a 10-day biking journey from Cairns to Karumba. With even more spectacular scenery, intriguing wildlife and fascinating stories, this is another incredible cycling adventure.