5 Day Toowoomba & O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat

Departing: Monday 19th August 2024

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Fitness Level: M – Easy / Moderate

Meals: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

DAY 1 - HOME to TOOWOOMBA     (LD)

Monday 19th August:  Welcome to our five day getaway to the fabulous Scenic Rim and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. With everyone on board we journey inland to Ipswich for a visit to the Workshops Rail Museum. Steeped in history – it was once the workplace of over 3000 employees and offers a historic and interactive journey to the birthplace of Queensland’s Railways. After lunch here, leave Ipswich then arrive at Pohlmans Nursery nestled in the picturesque Lockyer Valley. Jump aboard the Garden Valley Express Train to explore the largest wholesale nursery on the eastern seaboard. Find out how they use cutting-edge technology and industry best-practice to produce consistently high-quality plants. Continue to Toowoomba – our home for the next two nights.

Stay: Potters Toowoomba, Toowoomba

DAY 2 - EXPLORING TOOWOOMBA    (BLD)

Tuesday 20th August:  This morning visit Spring Bluff Railway Station and its magnificent gardens of poppies, ranunculus, snapdragons, petunias and many other annuals bursting into colour under the warm sunshine. Next, Peacehaven Botanic Park, set in the leafy suburb of Highfields and home to more than 400 different species of native plants and scores of birds and wildlife. Enjoy lunch in Cabarlah at The Farmers Arms Tavern, the oldest pub in Queensland, first licensed in 1863. Back in town, visit the Downs Steam Heritage Rail for afternoon tea, a tour of the facility including a look at the spectacular Dreamtime Journey Coach, representing the traverse of a day, painted by an indigenous inmate of the Westbrook Correctional Centre as part of his prison rehabilitation program. Before heading back to the hotel, stop to admire the stunning views of the Lockyer Valley and Tabletop Mountain from Picnic Point Lookout perched on the edge of the Great Dividing Range. What a fantastic way to end the day and time here in Toowoomba. 

Stay: Potters Toowoomba, Toowoomba

DAY 3 - TOOWOOMBA to O'REILLY'S     (BLD)

Wednesday 21st August:  Farewell Toowoomba and descend the range to the area known as the Scenic Rim. At Summer Land Camel Farm the camel story will come alive. We’ll meet the camels and learn about the history of camels in Australia and the powerful immune proteins that are contained within their milk. Our visit extends to lunch, enjoyed on the Queenslander-style verandah. Continue through to O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyard for a delightful wine tasting before entering the Lamington National Park. Four years after the arrival of the O'Reilly Family, Lamington National Park was declared, thus effectively isolating the O'Reilly's from the outside world. While Lamington wasn't Queensland's first national park, it is the most significant, regularly referred to as 'Queensland's National Park. World Heritage status was bestowed on Lamington in 1994 in recognition of its high biodiversity. It now includes 20,200 hectares of varying forest types, from temperate Antarctic Beech Forest high on the border ranges to sub-tropical rainforests and the dry Eucalypt Forest of the northern escarpment. On arrival settle into our accommodation and enjoy the O’Reilly’s hospitality and the stunning scenery surrounding us. 

Stay: O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat

DAY 4 - EXPLORING O'REILLYS    (BLD)

Thursday 22nd August:  After breakfast spend the morning at leisure enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounds O’Reilly’s. There are a number of short nature walks, including the famous Tree Top Walk or the Early Morning Bird Walk. Lunch will be provided before our afternoon 4WD tour where we visit Moran’s Falls, the Wishing Tree and Pats Bluff. After an exhilarating day in the mountains - we relax and enjoy dinner together before we board a 4WD bus, this time we are in for a guided rainforest tour to the mystical Glow Worm grotto. We perch ourselves beside the secluded gully, home to millions of ancient glow worms, illuminating the cliff face in a blanket of twinkling stars. 

Stay: O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat

DAY 5 - O'REILLY'S to HERVEY BAY     (B)

Friday 23rd August:  After breakfast we set our sights on home. With our bags packed full of memories and with comfort stops along the way we head towards Brisbane to arrive mid afternoon and Wide Bay early evening. 

* All itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times / days of some attractions.  We cannot be held responsible for changes due to closures or inclement weather.