September 1st to 11th 2012
Please note that expressions of interest are closed, as of 31.3.2012.
In the event of cancellations, some spaces may be available – please email an enquiry from May 1st onwards.
Here’s a great opportunity to explore the real Australian Outback with two highly experienced John McDouall Stuart experts as your guides.
More information
This eleven day Outback tour travels from Adelaide to the centre of the continent – Central Mt Stuart – and returns. It celebrates and commemorates the 150th anniversary of John McDouall Stuart and his Companions crossing the continent and returning without loss of life. This unique tour will visit exclusive ‘Stuart’ locations not normally available to the public; some of these will be memorable both for their beauty and their relevance to Stuart’s success. However, the tour is not fixated on Stuart, as we want to enjoy all aspects of touring the great Australian Outback.
Chambers Pillar. An overnight camp will be made here.
This trip is available as a fully catered camping tour. Swags are supplied, as are meals. One night will be spent in an Alice Springs motel with a tour members dinner (accommodation included; dinner at own cost) at the Overlander Steakhouse, which has a feature dish called Mr Stuart’s Tuckerbag. Cost for a fully catered passenger is $ 3,700.
The tour is also available as a self-drive tag-along tour, suitable only for high clearance 4WD’s. Self catered Tag-along cost is $1,200 per vehicle.
Participants can expect to be immersed in the magnificent outback environment. Recent years of extra-ordinary rainfall in Australia’s interior have created a botanical and wild life extravaganza, unlikely to be seen again in our lifetimes. A deep understanding of the historical environment will compliment the geographical, botanical, ornithological and land use aspects of the trip.
It will be led by Rick Moore, President of the John McDouall Stuart Society, and Dean Harris, the Vice President. Both have travelled this route many times and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the tour. They will avoid boring bitumen driving wherever possible and take tracks and roads less traveled. You’ll note this means the Stuart Highway is hardly utilised and that hectic, regular tourist haunts are avoided. This means you’ll have a fulfilling experience, understand more of what Stuart really did and feel more relaxed.
Dean Harris on a minor summit, with Central Mt Stuart above his left shoulder.
Registration and expression of interest
Please contact Rick Moore through the Contact section (under the menu heading ‘The Society’ on left hand side of any page).
You can also visit http://therealoutback.weebly.com/stuart-commemorative-tour-2012.html for a detailed itinerary.
