Tours
Charters
Destination Ideas
Aircraft
Company Profile
Bookings/Enquiries
Home
 
   
This selection of unique and tailor made itineraries have been tried and tested in the past by Reefwatch Air Tours customers. They are just a sample of the types of experiences that can be designed to suit your individual requirements. Reefwatch Air Tours works closely with professional ground operators to ensure that you receive the very best the region has to offer. You can choose from our AC500 or AC690 model aircraft - or if you have a small group we can quote alternative aircraft to meet your exact requirements.

Whether you have a special interest in bird-watching, fishing, gold fossicking, flora and fauna, or just want to see "the last frontier" that is Cape York, we have a folio of destinations that will suit any budget, anywhere!

 

Sample Itineraries
Top of Australia Tour and Cape York Adventure
  Top of Australia Tour
Day One - Cairns, Cooktown and Thursday Island
 
Check into the Reefwatch Air Tours terminal, General Aviation area of the Cairns Airport.
Take off from Cairns and track north along the coast over Port Douglas, the Daintree River, Cape Tribulation and Bloomfield where you can experience the contrast of cane-fields, rainforest and mountains. We also fly over the Great Barrier Reef, including Endeavour Reef where Captain Cook ran aground in 1770.

Arrival at Cooktown airport followed by the 20-kilometre drive into the township, crossing the Endeavour River on the way. Cooktown was once a thriving port and 100 years ago had a population of over 35,000 people. Cooktown is now home to around 1,200 people who enjoy a relaxed lifestyle revolving around fishing, tourism and a pleasant climate. After a tour of the township we visit the James Cook Museum, which used to be an old convent – now a National Trust Building – and houses a fascinating collection spanning almost two centuries of Australian History.

The afternoon is free for time to explore the shops, meet the locals or just relax.

Late afternoon, we depart for Horn Island, flying over the Hopevale community, Cape Flattery Silica Mine, Cape Melville National Park, Princess Charlotte Bay and the tip of Cape York.

Landing at Horn Island (the airport for Thursday Island) we take a short launch and bus to Thursday Island - or T.I. as the locals call it. From the moment you step ashore you will sense the slow and easy pace of life – TI Time. Check in at the very comfortable Jardine Motel where we will spend the night. There will be time to watch the sunset over the Torres Strait before drinks in the cocktail bar followed by dinner in the dining room.
 
Day Two – Thursday Island, Weipa
   
  After breakfast in the motel dining room, we leave the Jardine motel for a coach tour of TI. The Torres Strait islanders are a mixture of Torres Strait, Papua New Guinean, Samoan, Malaysian, Japanese, Philippine and Australian, which results in their unique way of life. Thursday Island is approximately 800 acres and is also the home of the Torres Strait pilots who have been guiding shipping through these and the Barrier Reef waters for over 100 years. The administrative and commercial centre for the 8,500 islanders of the Straits is also centred on TI.

There is a little free time to explore this northern outpost, before lunch back at Jardines Motel.

Mid afternoon we depart Horn Island and after a circuit of TI we fly over Possession Island where Captain Cook raised the flag in 1770 in the name of King George III. We continue over Seisia, Umagico, New Mapoon, Bamaga, Cowal Creek and so on to Weipa – to see the largest bauxite deposit on earth.

Arrival in Weipa and after a short bus trip into town we check into the Albatross Motel and there is free time to relax before dinner.
   
Day Three – Weipa, Cairns
   
  After breakfast we leave the Albatross Motel and go on an escorted tour of Comalco Mining and regenerated areas of Andoom and Weipa. A tour of the town is also made via the Nanum Shopping Centre.

After lunch we depart Weipa for a flight right across Cape York Peninsula, seeing the isolation, beauty and splendour and flying over Coen, various National Parks and the Great Dividing Range. A late afternoon tea will be served enroute in your aircraft, giving you time to relax and reflect on the top of Australia.

Late afternoon we arrive in Cairns and say our Goodbyes.
 
   
  Cape York Adventure
Day One – Cairns, Undara Experience
 
Departing Cairns, your scenic flight covers the islands, cays and Great Barrier Reef to the south east of Cairns, then inland over fields of sugar cane and the magnificent rainforest clad mountains near the Tully Gorge and Koombaloomba Dam. From there you will fly over the Atherton Tablelands and then merge into the vast expanse of Australian outback called the Gulf Savannah.

You cruise in air-conditioned comfort to Undara before landing at a remote airstrip on the edge of the One Hundred Mile Swamp near the Undara Lava Lodge. There is a good chance of spotting some Australian wildlife surrounding the airstrip such as kangaroos, emus and wallabies and it is here that you will meet your Savannah Guide for a fascinating half day Lava Tube Tour.

At Undara Experience, guests revisit a bygone era with authentic turn-of-the-century railway carriage accommodation that has been beautifully restored and now rest under tall shady gum trees alongside an old teamsters trail. At night, a campfire crackles nearby - after dinner is the perfect time to take part in fireside tales and sing-a-longs. In the morning, you can enjoy a true Aussie breakfast surrounded by the birds and the bush at the Ringers' Camp.

   
Day Two – Undara Experience, Escott Lodge
   
  Depart Undara for the direct flight to Escott Lodge, located near Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Escott Lodge is part of a fully operational cattle station established in 1884 and covers 256,000 hectares running 9,000 head of cattle. The Lodge, situated on the original homestead site, occupies an area of approximately 3,180 hectares and entertained its first guests in 1978. And what can you do there? Fishing is by far the most popular activity, however Escott Lodge also caters for birdwatching, bushwalking, historical tours and bike riding.
   
Day Three - Day Tour to Lawn Hill National Park from Escott Lodge
   
 

A short flight from Escott Lodge to Adels Grove, where you will launch your day tour of the Lawn Hill National Park. Lawn Hill National Park is both a treasure trove and showcase of Australia’s unique natural and cultural heritage. Within the boundaries of the park’s 12,282 hectares lies the Lawn Hill Gorge system with its sheer 60 metre sandstone walls. The Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service have built some 20 kilometres of marked pathways providing access to the more spectacular viewing areas around the gorge. Overnight is a short flight back to Escott Lodge.
 
Day Four – Escott Lodge, Weipa
  Today we depart Escott Lodge just before midday for the hour and a half flight to Weipa. Free time is available in the afternoon for you to have a look around this far northern mining town. Overnight is in the Albatross Motel…and cocktail hour happens just before dinner!
   
Day Five – Weipa, Bamaga
  We leave the Albatross Motel and go on an escorted tour of the Comalco Mining and regenerated areas of Andoom and Weipa. A tour of the town is also made via the Nanum Shopping Centre. After lunch back at the Albatross Motel, an afternoon flight takes us to Bamaga and the Pajinka Wilderness Lodge.

Pajinka is located just 400 metres from the northernmost tip of Cape York, and of Australia. The lodge offers a range of experiences found nowhere else in the world, including tours that introduce you to aboriginal culture and heritage, traditional food and medicine, specialised flora and fauna and areas of historical importance. Alternatively you might want to stay on Poruma Island, in the midst of the Torres Strait Island culture and heritage...
   
Day Six – Day Tour of the Torres Strait Islands including Poruma Island
  Depart Bamaga for a scenic flight over the numerous islands that make up the Torres Strait. The Torres Strait links the Coral Sea with the Arafura Sea to the west and its reefs and sand cays make up the most tropical latitudes of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The Torres Strait islands have had indigenous resident populations for many centuries. They are Australia's other indigenous people. There are 19 island communities in the Torres Strait with populations ranging from 80 to 750 residents. Land at Poruma Island where they will serve a lunch of fresh local seafood and fruits and introduce you to the local culture.
 
Day Seven – Bamaga, Horn Island, Lakefield National Park
  We leave the Pajinka Wilderness Lodge (or you might want to stay an extra night!) for a journey by boat to Thursday Island, or TI as the locals call it. The Torres Strait islanders are a mixture of Torres Strait, Papua New Guinean, Samoan, Malaysian, Japanese, Philippine and Australian, which results in their unique way of life. Thursday Island is approximately 800 acres and is also the home of the Torres Strait pilots who have been guiding shipping through these and the Barrier Reef waters for over 100 years. The administrative and commercial centre for the 8,500 islanders of the Straits is also centred on TI.

After lunch in one of the local hotels, we depart Thursday Island for Lakefield National Park. There are two choices of accommodation here – Lotus Bird Lodge (a birdwatchers paradise) or the more primitive and unique Jowalbinna Aboriginal Bush Camp. Morning, night and day tours are available.
   
Day Eight – Lakefield National Park, Cooktown
  After a day spent birdwatching at Lotus Bird Lodge or looking around the numerous rock art caves at Jowalbinna, we depart for Cooktown. Arrival at the Cooktown airport is followed by a 20-kilometre drive into the township, crossing the Endeavour River on the way. Cooktown was once a thriving port and 100 years ago had a population of over 35,000 people. Cooktown is now home to around 1,200 people who enjoy a relaxed lifestyle revolving around fishing, tourism and a pleasant climate. Overnight in the Sovereign Hotel.
 
   
Day Nine – Cooktown, Cairns
  A tour of the township takes us to the James Cook Museum, which used to be an old convent – now a National Trust Building – and houses a fascinating collection spanning almost two centuries of Australian History. A cemetery tour is also incorporated, taking you back to the gold rush days of the late 1800’s.

Take off from Cooktown and track south along the coast over Bloomfield, Cape Tribulation, the Daintree River and Port Douglas, where you can experience the contrast of cane-fields, rainforest and mountains. We also fly over the Great Barrier Reef, including the place where Captain Cook ran aground in 1770, before landing in Cairns at the end of our tour.
 
Website By Wild Lime