The only Outback Full-Day Tour! Explore the Chillagoe Caves, Granite Gorge and other gems of the Australian Outback on this full-day tour. With a naturalist guide, you'll travel by 4WD vehicle through the McAllister Ranges, the Great Dividing Range and the Australian Outback while listening to informative commentary about the region’s wildlife, history and Aboriginal culture. Take a guided tour through the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park with a local ranger, drive near the wetlands to spot Australian native wildlife, see historic mining towns, and enjoy morning tea at the local Skybury Coffee Plantation and lunch at a classic Chillagoe Pub during this small-group tour limited to 19 passengers.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 14.
Pick up by your driver guide from the Cairns area. (Port Douglas and Northern Beaches transfers are available but for an additional cost, please book with reservations before travel and Southside accommodation - please make your way to the tour operator's office to join tour.)
The heart of one of Australia’s most diverse and richest food bowls Skybury Tropical Plantation has grown the country’s best coffee and tropical fruit for the past 30 years. Enjoy morning tea, with coffee, tea and sweet treats.
Explore the Chillagoe Caves. Follow your guide through the fossilized remains of the ancient coral reefs over 400 million years old. Once an inland sea, these limestone labyrinths are a spectacular sight to see.
Here we delve into the history of the Chillagoe copper smelters, whose old chimneys dominate the western horizon. We visit the remains of the once-mighty smelters to ponder what it was like working there.
Visit Balancing Rock for an iconic photo opportunity. Then, see Aboriginal Rock Art and learn about some Dreamtime stories with your guide.
Enjoy lunch at a true Australian Outback Pub for lunch in the heart of Chillagoe town. Please advise of any special dietary requirements before travel.
A privately owned nature park near Mareeba with stunning scenery as you walk along the short circuit navigating massive boulders. Striking scenery and wildlife galore. The big drawcard at Granite Gorge is the rock wallabies. This colony is an endangered species that is unique to the Mareeba area. Plus, you’ll see other native wildlife.
Port Douglas & Northern Beaches transfers incur an additional cost (once booked, please book with reservations before travel). Southside accommodation - please make your way to the tour operator's office to join the tour.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Chillagoe Caves and Outback Day Trip from Cairns lasts about 11h 30min. The itinerary has 7 stops.
Prices start at $170 per person for this Cairns and the Tropical North experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, starting at 6:30 AM.
Children aged 4–16 pay from $127, adults from $170.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Port Douglas & Northern Beaches transfers incur an additional cost (once booked, please book with reservations before travel). Southside accommodation - please make your way to the tour operator's office to join the tour. Pickup points include Mercure Cairns, Mantra Trilogy Cairns.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 19 participants.
Specialized infant seats are available
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 235 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Billy Tea Safaris.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
This was a very informative tour. It was well planned/timed with stops to get out and stretch or take photos. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and it was enjoyable listening to him rattle on about the history of the area, wildlife, etc. the stops were well chosen. The cave tour was very interesting too! I would definitely recommend this tour to others.
Very long day of bus driving, but worth the journey. Scenery was amazing and storytelling was interesting. From city to outback in one day.
Lots of driving - BUT - totally worth it to see so much in one day. There was plenty of time at all the stops - and enjoyed every stop. Great tour!
The Chillagoe/Outback tour on August 19 was great! Definitely (as is clear upfront) this is a LONG day, but stops are well spaced and all the activities and food hit the mark. If you want a chance to see the fringes of the outback plus some cool history and nature, this is the choice. Shout out to Rowen as well who was an excellent guide.
Expect a long day but it’s well worth it. The scenery is wonderful and the self-lit caves are different from typical limestone caves.
Michael was a great guide. He knows so much about Australia and the Outback/bush. The caves were spectacular and we loved feeding the wallabies at the end of the day.
Chillagoe caves are average limestone caves by the many we haave seen worldwide. I loved Balancing Rock and surrounds, including the termite mounds. Morning tea was at Skybury papaya plantation with plenty of samples to try. [ I live on the Sunshine Coast and Skybury are always my preferred papaya] . Scones with jam and cream. Excellent local coffee to rival the best. No diabetic option for my husband regarding food but we were prepared with our own snacks. The mine ruins wasn't interesting to us. Very little to see and would prefer extra time at the last stop, Granity Rocks and rock wallabies. Lunch was at the Chillagoe pub. I had the fish with chips and was surprised how good it was. My husband was also happy with a naked burger and salad. His wasn't on the menu but Billy Tea Safaris were able to get a suitable option for him.
👏👏👏 excellent king day tour yum morning tea at Sky Bury Mareeba then outback drive to Chillagoe caves with tour of caves much bigger than we expected followed by Balance rock back to Chilladoe pub for lunch then a visit to Granite Gorge tour guide Michael was a wealth of knowledge we would never have experienced these without Billy Tea tour a long day but well worth it and the price for what we got was great
It's a very long day. A few stops throughout the day however the majority of the time is spent in the vehicle travelling. The trip felt rushed and you didn't spend as much time as indicated on the itinerary. Lunch ended up being approx 20 mins. The tour company was good as was the tour guide/driver. We had a 6yo with us and apart from the short time in the cave and feeding the rock wallabies, was fairly bored.
The caves are worth the long drive. It’s the highlight of the day. Balancing Rock is pretty cool but a very brief stop. The wallabies are a hit with children and tourists. The two drawbacks of the day to be aware of are the long long stretches of time in the bus and the lunch stop. Few options available for the included lunch and not great quality. Pack your own lunch and snacks if this will affect you. If you’re travelling with kids and they don’t handle travel and/or boredom well, this is not for you.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillagoe Caves and Outback Day Trip from Cairns | 11h 30min | 4.7 (235) | $170 | |
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