Noosa is the jewel in the crown of Australia's Sunshine Coast, located in sub-tropical south east Queensland. Noosa is an aboriginal word, meaning 'shady place' and many of the local towns and countryside reflect aboriginal names and pioneering origins of gold rush days, cattle and timber industry.
Today, Noosa is regarded as Australia's leading regional tourism destination, combining relaxed coastal living, pristine surfing beaches, and a marvelous bio-diversity of hinterland experiences from open grazing country to lush rainforest. Noosa and the Sunshine Coast have a dynamic energy, which has made it the enclave of artists, celebrities, leading restaurateurs and people seeking serenity of life outside major cities.
Horses and trail riding are popular activities with local residents and visitors to the region. The Noosa Council have created a special hinterland trail network which covers a range of mountain trails and rainforest tracks with spectacular coastal views and the opportunity to ride along a beautiful Australian surfing beach close to the world's largest sand island - Fraser Island.
We have put together the Australian Bush and Beach Experience for you to enjoy the range of sites and sensations this unique Australian region has to offer. Australian flora and fauna, including kangaroos, koalas, colorful parrots, eucalyptus and heritage rainforest are just some of the Australian icons you will see regularly on your rides.
Your guide for the week is triple Olympian, Alex Watson, who lives in the Noosa area.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: On arrival, you will be transferred from the Sunshine Coast Airport along a chain of surfing beaches and a river crossing to the Noosa North Shore. This eco-tourism resort is the home base for our wonderful Australian Stock Horses. Your first day will encompass a ride itinerary orientation and relaxation with possibilities for surfing, swimming, fishing or enjoying the shopping, fine dining and café experiences Noosa has to offer.
Day 2: Today we saddle up for an amazing beach and trail ride on the Noosa North Shore. You will experience the Noosa North Shore trails with an opportunity to ride your horse into the waves along this pristine surfing beach. The day also gives you the chance to enjoy the beach, the river and the sites and sounds of Hastings St, the glamorous 'main strip' of Noosa.
Day 3: Today, we transfer to the Noosa Hinterland region in the green rolling countryside and rainforest areas around Kenilworth. This town was once the center of a booming timber industry where some of the world's tallest trees and most valuable timber were collected by pioneering generations. Today this region is preserved as a conservation area with crystal clear creeks, mountain ranges and lush rainforest bordering green farming land. We will stay at the intimate Bellbird Lifestyle Retreat, where affordable, stylish accommodation is combined with facilities to massage and pamper you. Your hosts, Roger and Lyn, will prepare beautifully cooked Australian meals and our group will be able to relax in the lounge area, pool and spa.
The ride today will cross Booloumba Creek and travel the Kenilworth Ranges to the quaint hinterland township of Imbil. At Imbil, we will have a picnic lunch before the horses and guests are transported home to Bellbird Lifestyle Retreat.
Day 4: Waking up to the sound of birds at your accommodation, a hearty breakfast will be followed by a full day's riding over wonderful terrain. Your guides will be able to explain the unique Australian habitat and history and share a joke about some of the classic Aussie tales of local pioneering. The day will be completed by an optional massage and other special pampering treatments.
Day 5: Today we transfer to Kilkivan, home of the Great Kilkivan Horse Ride, an annual trail riding experience, which boasts a minimum of a thousand horses and riders. Kilkivan was actually the first Queensland town to discover gold and lead to a local gold rush. Today, the township is the only hamlet that sits along the Bicentennial National Trail, a horse riding and walking trail which extends from the very north to the far south of the eastern Australian seaboard. Kilkivan has the atmosphere of a frontier town. It is "Big Sky Country", arid with rocky ranges that offer scenery and horse riding trails that make you feel as though you are on top of the world, 'down under'. Among our guides are a local stock man, and even a published bush poet. Our Aussie stock horses will take you through the ranges and past unique glades of eucalyptus, white cedar and the amazing boab tree.
In the evening, it is back to The Left Bank, a boutique bed and breakfast facility, which was actually once a local bank. Your hosts, Rae and Bruce Hurley provide local cuisine and a variety of culinary experiences in a charming guest house atmosphere.
Day 6: We start the day at The Left Bank with a hearty country breakfast, before our stock man guides provide a team briefing on the cattle muster ahead. Once everyone has their instructions, the team saddles up and heads for a leading local cattle property to muster Aussie cattle on our stock horses. This is a really fun adventure, combining horse and rider competing against the longhorn herd. The day will be complete with an Aussie bush barbecue around the campfire with tales of the aboriginal past.
After a long day, we will relax again over dinner at The Left Bank.
Day 7: Today we transfer back to Noosa with a chance to take in the unique Eumundi Markets and perhaps a last swim on Noosa Beach before transferring you to the Sunshine Coast Airport.
2008 Dates: Sunday to Saturday February 3-9; February 17-23; March 2-8; March 23-29; April 13-19; May 4-10; May 25-31; June 8-14; June 29-July 5; July 13-19; July 27-August 2; August 10-16; August 31- September 6; September 14-20; October 12-18; October 26- November 1; November 16-22; November 30- December 6.
Meeting Point: Sunshine Coast Airport. Transfers are included. Brisbane Airport. Transfers are not included.
Saddles: English and Australian Stock (similar to western).
Other Activities: Surfing, fishing, sight-seeing.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
$2775 per person, shared.
$365 single supplement.
Price Includes:
- 6 nights guest house/hotel accommodation
- All meals
- 5 days guided trail riding
- Horse
- Tack
- Tax.
Also see tour packages in:
Australia and Oceania
Australia
Horse Riding
Ecotourism
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