Luxury Lodges of the Far North

Mt Mulligan

Day 1-3: Cairns to Mt Mulligan. Upon arrival in Cairns, take a helicopter flight between Cairns and Mt Mulligan Lodge for your three-night stay. Situated on a 28,000-hectare cattle station in Queensland's outback, offers an exclusive retreat steeped in history and natural beauty. Surrounded by the dramatic Mount Mulligan, this luxury lodge provides a unique blend of comfort and rugged adventure. The lodge features just a handful of spacious, elegantly designed accommodations, ensuring an intimate and personalized experience for each guest.

Guests can explore the breathtaking landscape through various activities, including guided tours of the historic Mount Mulligan coal mine, ATV adventures, and scenic helicopter flights that showcase the area's stunning escarpments and ancient landscapes. The lodge also offers fishing, kayaking, and hikes, allowing guests to connect with nature at their own pace.

Wildlife enthusiasts will appreciate the rich biodiversity surrounding the lodge, with ample opportunities for birdwatching and spotting unique Australian wildlife, such as kangaroos and cassowaries. Dining at the lodge emphasizes local and seasonal produce, offering gourmet meals that reflect the flavours of the region. With its blend of luxury, history, and adventure, Mt Mulligan Lodge provides an unforgettable outback experience in one of Australia's most remote and captivating settings.

Accommodation: Mt Mulligan

Day 4: Mt Mulligan Lodge to the Daintree. Your FNQ Nature Tours private guide will meet you at the lodge after checkout for your private tour through the Atherton Tablelands, a landscape teeming with wildlife and diverse ecosystems. Known for its ancient high-altitude vine forests, you will traverse farmlands where raptors are commonly seen, culminating in the stunning savannah escarpments of outback Queensland.

This region, home to over 450 avian species, including 13 endemics, is a birdwatcher's paradise. Your expert guide will help identify numerous bird species along the way. Regular sightings might include Magpie Geese, Black Swans, Cranes, Bustards, Jacanas, Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburras, as well as Bee-eaters, Dollarbirds, and various Honeyeaters. 

Accommodation: Silky Oaks Lodge

Silky Oaks

Day 5-6 Silky Oaks Lodge. Nestled in the heart of Queensland's Daintree Rainforest, offers a luxurious escape into one of the world's oldest living rainforests. Perched along the Mossman River, this eco-lodge blends seamlessly with its lush surroundings, providing guests with an immersive nature experience without sacrificing comfort. The treehouse-style accommodations feature elegant interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private balconies that overlook the serene river or dense rainforest.

Guests can indulge in gourmet dining at the Treehouse Restaurant, where dishes are crafted from locally sourced ingredients, or relax with a treatment at the Healing Waters Spa, inspired by ancient Indigenous traditions. The lodge offers various activities, including guided rainforest walks, river snorkelling, and yoga, allowing guests to connect with nature. Whether you're seeking adventure or relaxation, Silky Oaks Lodge provides a tranquil retreat in a stunning natural setting, offering an unforgettable experience in the Daintree Rainforest.

Accommodation: Silky Oaks Lodge

Day 7: Cairns to Darwin. After a morning transfer from Silky Oaks to Cairns airport, take your flight to Darwin.

Accommodation: Flexible Options Available*

Davidson's Safari Lodge

Day 8: Arnhem Land. Your journey begins with an 8 am pickup from your Darwin accommodation, heading towards the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and into the culturally rich Arnhem Land, where access is restricted to a few tour operators. Lords Safaris, with over 30 years of experience, provides an immersive experience in this unique region, where Indigenous culture remains dominant despite centuries of external influences.

In Arnhem Land, you'll visit the Injalak Arts and Crafts Centre, a nonprofit social enterprise owned by the Kunwinjku people. Here, you can witness traditional art being created, inspired by ancient Dreamtime stories and rock art galleries. The centre offers a range of artworks for purchase, including paintings, carvings, and fibre works. The journey continues to Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris, located in the northwest corner of Arnhem Land. This safari lodge, accessible by 4WD or flight, offers a serene retreat in a pristine wilderness. The lodge features communal spaces, a dining area, a bar, and an outdoor deck overlooking a sandstone-paved pool, providing a perfect blend of comfort and natural beauty.

Accommodation: Davidson's Safari Lodge

Day 9: Arnhem Land. Today is spent exploring and enjoying the incredible unique environment around Davidson's Arnhemland Safaris.

This location at Mt Borradaile is a registered aboriginal sacred site in an exclusively leased 700-square-kilometre area nestled against the Arnhem Land escarpment. Its rugged ranges, fringed by idyllic billabongs, floodplains, paper bark swamps and monsoonal rain forests, form an amazingly beautiful wilderness. Mt Borradaile is still owned and managed by its traditional custodians, the Amurdak people, whose inhabitation of the area dates back for 50,000 years. The story of their ancestry is evident in the many tools, ceremonial grounds and rock art paintings visible – and still being uncovered – today. Valleys, overhangs and caves offer magnificent galleries of rock art as well as occupation and burial sites. While at Davidson's, enjoy a range of activities and attractions, such as fishing, viewing Aboriginal art, and a billabong cruise.

Accommodation: Davidson's Safari Lodge

Bamurru

Day 10: Bamurru. After lunch, you'll head to Bamurru Plains, an exclusive wildlife experience at Swim Creek Station. With a footprint of ten safari bungalows and two larger safari private retreats, the African-style luxury camp offers access to a stunning 3,000 km² property rich in wildlife, reptiles, and birds. The freestanding bungalows are designed to immerse you in the natural surroundings, with screened walls that let in the sounds of the floodplains. Amenities include a large dining area with panoramic wetland views, a 10-meter infinity pool, and a library.

Bamurru Plains is all about connecting with the environment. Each safari bungalow blends seamlessly with the bush, allowing guests to experience the calls of Whistling Kites, the dawn chorus of Blue-winged Kookaburras, and the splash of buffalo in the nearby floodplains. The camp's namesake, tens of thousands of Magpie Geese, create a morning symphony that's unforgettable. The day concludes with a dramatic sunset over the floodplains, accompanied by a glass of wine.

Accommodation: Bamurru

Day 11: Bamurru. A morning airboat adventure on the floodplains is an exhilarating and perfect start to the day and the only way to truly experience the amazing environment around Bamurru Plains. While at the camp, you can enjoy a variety of activities. The floodplains of the Mary River region form one of the most significant ecosystems in Australia. Dominated by the climatic extremes of the tropical monsoon, the wetlands and savannah woodlands that fringe the coastal regions between Darwin and Kakadu National Park harbour an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna. This place is home to thousands of Magpie geese, Plumed whistling ducks, egrets, ibis and a host of other birds, not to mention wild buffalo and wallabies.

Accommodation: Bamurru

Day 12: Darwin. Before returning to Darwin, guests will have the opportunity for a leisurely breakfast whilst listening to the morning chorus of tens of thousands of Magpie Geese, after whom the camp is named. The Mary River catchments are home to some 236 species of bird, many of which are found at Bamurru Plains.