Chillagoe Caves and Outback Day Trip: Explore Australia's Natural and Historic Gems from Cairns

Embark on a full-day adventure from Cairns to explore the Chillagoe Caves, Granite Gorge, and other natural and historic gems of the Australian Outback. Discover the region’s wildlife, history, and Aboriginal culture while enjoying morning tea at a local coffee plantation and lunch at a 100-year-old pub. Limited to 14 people for a personalized experience.

Duration: 11 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Cairns - Your driver guide will pick you up from the Cairns area. Transfers from Port Douglas and Northern Beaches are available at an additional cost; please book with reservations before traveling.
  • Skybury Cafe & Roastery - Located in the heart of one of Australia’s most diverse and rich food bowls, Skybury Tropical Plantation has been…
What's Included
  • Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park Guided Tour with a local ranger
  • Granite Gorge National Park and see local rock wallabies
  • Return transfers with local driver guide and live commentary
  • Morning Tea at Skybury Cafe and Roastery with tea, coffee and sweet treats
  • Visit the Chillagoe Smelter Ruins
  • Visit Balancing Rock and see Aboriginal Rock Art
  • Lunch at a classic Aussie pub in Chillagoe
What's Not Included
  • Port Douglas & Northern Beaches transfers additional cost (book with reservations before travel)
Additional Information

Experience the ultimate Outback Full-Day Tour! Discover the Chillagoe Caves, Granite Gorge, and other treasures of the Australian Outback on this comprehensive day trip.
Accompanied by a naturalist guide, journey in a 4WD vehicle through the McAllister Ranges, the Great Dividing Range, and the Australian Outback, all while enjoying insightful commentary…

Location
Cairns
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(211 Ratings)
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Michael_b
Mar 28, 2026
good taste of the outback - Rowan was a terrific guide and provided lots of good info. He was an extremely careful and safe driver and an all round good guy. This is a great tour to get a feel for the outback if you are staying in Cairns. We actually decided to take this tour instead of driving out there ourselves because it looked like driving out to Chillagoe on narrow and sometimes gravel roads would be risky and also Billy Tea tours takes care of arranging the cave tour which is necessary to see the caves. The tour definitely got us more interested in life in the outback.
Review provided by Viator
Astepforever
Mar 25, 2026
A long day, but is well worth the time! - Loved our guide + driver Rowan! He has always kept us informed of whats going to happen when and managed our expectations. He is very knowledgeable and shared a lot of info in a fun way while he was driving. Also a very caring person. The tour itself is absoutely content rich - from caves to smelter site to rock wallabies - you have the outback of cairns packed in one day. A nice escape from the humid coastline and tourist packed city center.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashley_s
Mar 20, 2026
Thank you! - Absolutely fantastic experience! Every part of it was beautiful. The guide was incredible and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend to anyone!
Review provided by Viator
Allan_w
Mar 11, 2026
Chillagoe - Worth the time, but it is a long day. All parts of the tour are excellent, tour guide & rangers are very knowledgeable
Review provided by Viator
Caroline_b
Feb 15, 2026
This is an amazing... - This is an amazing experience! I had such a friendly and informative guide and the stops we made were fantastic.
Review provided by Viator
Stephanie_b
Jan 14, 2026
Perfect tour if you want... - Perfect tour if you want to see the bush. Food at the Skybury Cafe was incredible and had a beautiful view. The park ranger at the cave was very knowledgeable and the rock wallabies were precious. We were lucky to go on an overcast day, but definitely bring water, sunscreen and a hat.
Review provided by Viator
Sharon_w
Dec 24, 2025
Worth it - It's a really long day but very interesting and informational. Fun stops and great guides! Gets you out of the rainforest and into the bush.
Review provided by Viator
Miloandfallon
Dec 3, 2025
A fantastic day - Great to go inland rather than staying on the coast. It was a great day and we saw a lot. Rowan our driver and tour guide was very knowledgeable, respectful and attentive to our needs. An excellent tour allowing us to experience some of Queenslands history, produce, Australia’s beautiful landscape and wildlife. I would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
James_m
Nov 21, 2025
A different experience to the coast, driver James was great, plenty of stops to check out. - Go with the flow and drink plenty of water, worth the time to see an amazing country, very different to the coast
Review provided by Viator
Amandapa8657pw
Nov 25, 2025
TERRIBLE AUDIO - I’ll start with the good. Staff was helpful coordinating pick up locations. Tour was great for first 20 minutes when we could hear the guide. The speaker was completely garbled the rest of the day. I understand glitches happen, but when asked if the system could be adjusted it was stated as “a known issue”for that particular bus. It’s not fun for the guide nor any of the paying clients if communication isn’t clear. Bummed I missed out on the history and agriculture of the area. Please do better
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $165
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).