June 27 - July 11, 2019
15 Days
Tour Status - Available
Experience the Pilbara, the awakening giant of Western Australia’s north. Join our inaugural tour to this region and experience some of the world’s ancient natural landscapes dating back three billion years and stretching over 500,000 square kilometers.
This tour is operated by one of our Tour Partners {Quad}
What’s Included:
All land travel in the exclusive use of modern coach – some of the days will include lengthy travel
Specialist Quadrant tour escort – with practical knowledge and experience within the northern cattle and agricultural industries
Sightseeing, special events and technical visits as outlined in itinerary
Hotel/motel accommodation as detailed (or similar)
Meals shown in itinerary as BLD. B=Breakfast, L=Lunch and D=Dinner
Commonwealth Goods & Services Tax (GST) – 10%
Tour kit including tour booklet
Click Image to Enlarge
Tour Highlights
Not Included
Visit traditional cattle stations and progressive grazing properties
Immerse yourself in the Pilbara’s ancient landscapes
Attend the Marble Bar Cup
Visit Rio Tinto Iron Ore mine, one of the world’s largest
Experience the rich biodiversity of Karajini National Park
Relax in the pearling capital of Broome
Airfares or any other fares, taxes or charges not specified
Meals not shown in the itinerary
Travel insurance
Expenditure of a personal nature; i.e. alcoholic beverages, laundry, mini bar or phone calls
Tips/gratuities
01 | ARRIVE KARRATHA THU 27 JUNE
Individual travel arrangements to arrive at your accommodation in Karratha (no transfer included). The city is known as “the powerhouse of the Pilbara” and is the largest township of this area. Evening welcome dinner and overview of the tour program. Meals: - - D Overnight: Comfort Inn & Suites (or similar)
Bill Dunlop - Tour Manager
Bill Dunlop has been involved in agriculture for many years, predominantly in the cattle industry.
A long association with the Charolais cattle breed started in Western Australia on properties that were predominately cattle with some cropping and sheep.
Bill then travelled and worked in South Africa, the UK and Europe, with the majority of his time based at Avoncroft Cattle Breeders in Worcestershire. He spent much time collecting semen from bulls all around the country in preparation for export, as this was where the first Charolais bulls were based that had semen exported around the world.
As the need came to focus more on the seedstock industry, Bill moved to New South Wales where he ran comprehensive AI and ET programmes. Additionally, he held the position of World Charolais President for a number of years, which provided a great opportunity to travel and meet producers worldwide.
Bill’s cropping practices include wheat, barley, cereal rye and oat crops as well as canola and lupins. This production, combined with pasture improvement and Landcare involvement, led to Bill’s nomination for Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2006.
In recent years Bill spent three years in Brisbane as General Manager of Santa Gertrudis Australia.
Bill has been involved with leading tours through England, Scotland and Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Scandinavia, the USA, Canada and Australia.
02 | KARRATHA FRI 28 JUNE
This morning visit the major industrial port town of Dampier. The port is the largest tonnage shipping port in Australia and is primarily used for the export of iron ore from Rio Tinto mines, LNG and salt. Next travel east to the town of Cossack, where the immaculately restored bluestone buildings offer a rare insight into the area’s past. The town was an early hub for gold prospectors and a port for pastoralists in the Pilbara and the original port of pearls before the luggers moved north to Broome in 1886. Continue to the mining town of Wickham, which boasts pristine sandy beaches and excellent fishing spots. Today’s final visit is to the peninsula town of Point Samson, known for its heritage buildings, beautiful beaches and coral gardens. Return to Karratha.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Comfort Inn & Suites (or similar)
03 | KARRATHA - ONSLOW SAT 29 JUNE
Depart Karratha and travel south to Mardie Station. Owned by mining company, Citic Pacific, this 225,000-ha station runs a largely Droughtmaster herd and has been supplying beef to a Perth restaurant in a bid to shore up their domestic client base. See the homestead and woolshed, both with historical significance, as Mardie was one of the early sheep stations in the region. Lunch at the Fortescue River Roadhouse then travel southwest to visit Minderoo Station on the Ashburton River, established by the Forrest brothers and Septimus Burt in 1878. After a short spell outside family ownership, Andrew and Nicola Forrest bought the station back in 2009 and have since focused on improving the pastures, herd genetics and infrastructure. Late afternoon arrival into Onslow – a town gazetted in 1885 and the most southerly town in Australia to be bombed by the Japanese in World War II.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Onslow Beach Resort (or similar)
04 | ONSLOW – TOM PRICE SUN 30 JUNE
Depart Onslow and travel through the spinifex plains of the Cane River Conservation Park to visit the 350,000 ha - Mount Stuart Station near Nanutarra. In the ownership of the Avery family since 1994, at which time it had Brahman/ Shorthorn cross cattle, Mount Stuart introduced Santa Gertrudis bulls and cows to build up the herd and produce the cross bred cattle they have today. Afternoon arrival into Tom Price an attractive purpose-built town, once owned by the Rio Tinto mining company, with tree-lined streets, modern facilities and a relaxed country-town atmosphere.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Tom Price Hotel Motel (or similar)
05 | TOM PRICE MON 01 JULY
Visit Rio Tinto’s Hamersley Station, one of six pastoral stations owned by the company in the Pilbara region. Depart Hamersley and head for Coolawanyah Station – a 310,000 ha station that has been in the Parsons family since 1922 and is currently running 4,000 head of Santa Gertrudis cattle. The Parsons have had some outstanding results with steers on feed for the domestic/export market.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Tom Price Hotel Motel (or similar)
06 | TOM PRICE - NEWMAN TUE 02 JULY
Morning guided tour of the Rio Tinto Iron Ore mine to understand the enormity of the world’s largest open cut mine. Next, visit the Hamersley Agricultural Project (HAP) which comprises 16 centre pivot irrigators; an innovative use for excess water from the nearby Marandoo mine. Crops grown include perennial Lucerne and Rhodes grass, along with annual oat crops, which are turned into hay and purchased by cattle stations across the Pilbara. Travel through the impressive and spectacular landscape of Karajini National Park to Newman with a packed lunch en route.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Seasons Hotel (or similar)
07 | NEWMAN WED 03 JULY
Today’s options include either a guided ground tour of the BHP Billiton Mt. Whaleback mine – the biggest single-pit open-pit iron ore mine in the world, or a helicopter flight (own expense) for an aerial view of the mine pit and surrounding area. After lunch in Newman, visit BHP’s Ethel Creek Station with a carrying capacity of about 10,000 head, currently running 8,000 Droughtmaster and Santa Gertrudis cattle. The country is mostly alluvial flats that support a variety of grasses, with about 160 kms double frontage to the Fortescue River.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Seasons Hotel (or similar)
08 | NEWMAN THU 04 JULY
A full day driving today northeast of Newman to visit Balfour Downs. At 6,395 sq kms, it’s one of Australia’s largest cattle stations. Purchased by Chinese businessman, Xingfa Ma in 2014, it currently runs around 25,000 head of predominately Red Brahman cattle, which includes 15,000 breeding females. The mineral-rich grazing country includes extensive watercourse and channel country and opens on to large floodplains covered with Mitchell, Flinders and Buffel grasses. The development of 35 ring dams has created excellent water storage.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Seasons Hotel (or similar)
09 | NEWMAN – BONNEY DOWNS FRI 05 JULY
Depart Newman and travel north on the Marble Bar Road to Bonney Downs Station, passing more spectacular, unique Pilbara scenery. Spend the day at Bonney Downs, located on the Nullagine River, which has a commercial herd of Santa Gertrudis and Droughtmaster cattle. See the heritage-listed Bonney Downs original homestead – a log cabin built by an excellent axe man, who built the house out of Mulga logs and Bloodwood uprights using a method no longer practised today.
Meals: B L D Overnight: Bonney Downs (or similar)
10 | BONNEY DOWNS – PORT HEDLAND SAT 06 JULY
Today enjoy the Marble Bar Cup, a picnic race day that has been held annually since 1893 on a track surrounded by red hills and spinifex. Lunch at the races then travel north-west to Port Hedland.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Ibis Styles (or similar)
11 | PORT HEDLAND – PARDOO STATION SUN 07 JULY
Depart Port Hedland and travel east to the Bettini family’s De Grey Station, where the focus has been on improving pasture efficiency, an enhanced human resource program and watering infrastructure implemented for their Brahman cross herd. Travel on to Pardoo Station; a 200,000 hectare working cattle station, owned by Pardoo Beef Corporation, and the hub of a $200 million development to establish a world-class West Australian Wagyu beef industry.
Meals: B L D Overnight: Pardoo Station (or similar)
12 | PARDOO STATION MON 08 JULY
Full day’s drive to the privately – owned Warrawagine Station, located southeast of Port Hedland on the Oakover and Nullagine Rivers. With 1.2 million acres, it has a vast variety of land types and runs approximately 30,000 head of Droughtmaster and Droughtmaster Cross cattle, selling into both the live export and domestic markets. Warrawagine is complemented with the backgrounding property Wallal Downs on the Great Northern Highway. The centre pivot irrigation on Wallal allows for the production of hay and value adding up to 1,500 head of cattle per year. Enjoy some quality Pilbara grass fed beef with your hosts today at a BBQ lunch.
Meals: B L D Overnight: Pardoo Station (or similar)
13 | PARDOO STATION - BROOME TUE 09 JULY
A full day’s travel north on the Great Northern Highway with a stop for lunch at the Sandfire Roadhouse. After lunch, pass Eighty Mile Beach which forms the coastline where the Great Sandy Desert approaches the Indian Ocean and later Lagrange Bay. Travel on to the ‘romantic’ pearling town of Broome.
Meals: B L - Overnight: Mercure (or similar)
14 | BROOME WED 10 JULY
Broome is an interesting town steeped in history. This morning see some of the local sights and visit Paspaley, the nation’s leading pearl company – perhaps an opportunity to purchase world-renowned South Sea pearls! Free afternoon which could include an optional (own expense) camel ride on stunning Cable Beach. Farewell Dinner tonight.
Meals: B - D Overnight: Mercure (or similar)
15 | BROOME - HOME THU 11 JULY
Tour ends after breakfast. Own arrangements home or onward travel. Why not consider some more time in Broome to relax or explore other parts of the Kimberley?
Meals: B - -
PER PERSON, DOUBLE - from $5,970.00 (Land only)
Single Occupancy - add $1,465.00
Plus Gov't Taxes
INITIAL DEPOSIT - $2,000.00 at time of booking
FINAL PAYMENT due prior to March 31, 2019
