'Outback Pub Crawl'

Sling aboard your swags, pack your panadols and bring your beroccas - we're running an aerial 'crawl' of Australia's most famous outback pubs!

Wilcannia, NSW (Optional)

First stop, and only long enough for the non-pilots of the group to moisten their tonsilsand grab a bite. The town's heyday was in the 1880s when it boasted no less than 13 hotels and, most importantly, the first brewery built in Australia by the famous beer baron Edmund Resch. The brewery still stands and we'll get the chance to sample one of his latter-day 'works of art'.

White Cliffs, NSW

Welcome to White Cliffs, home of rare 'white' opal and a place where one can avoid the law for long periods of time. Although there's only half-a-dozen 'professional' miners (all of whom will tell you they are going broke) there are a lot more part-time miners who escape the big city blues and just like digging holes in their backyard because, well, you just never know if you might hit some 'colour'. If we get time, our tour will also stop by Mad Jock's dugout, for a bit of a bit of a chat...

Tibooburra, NSW

The Family Hotel Est. 1883 in Tibooburra is famous for its murals, painted by famous Australian artist Clifton Pugh, Russell Drysdale and Rick Amor. It seems back in the swinging 70s they all did quite a bit of that, and the paintings are reputed to be, well, interesting. Just down the street is the Tibooburra Pioneer Park which is dominated by a 27ft long whale boat which was dragged across inland Australia by early explorer Charles Sturt to row across our inland sea.. not surprisingly, he never found it but left the whaleboat here.

The Dig Tree, SA

There's no pub at the Dig Tree so any drinks will be strictly carry-out, and judging from the area, they're most likely to be XXXX. Although lacking liquid facilites, we reckoned it was a top chance to drop by and see what Burke & Wills found when they got back here in April 1861. Because they stopped to bury one of their companions on the way back from the Gulf of Carpentaria, they missed the rest of their expedition by 6 hours and didn't survive long on what meager provisions were left for them. Burke’s face was carved into the Dig Tree tree by John Dickins in 1898, and is still clearly visible.

Innamincka, SA

Although Burke & Wills missed their party at the Dig Tree, they wandered along the river and it was close to Innaminka before they actually kicked the bucket. Innamincka is on the banks of the Cooper Creek, which is sometimes a fast flowing river and at other times a dusty creek bed. We're unlikely to find much water when we get there, so we've passed on the river cruise, but there's no shortage of other liquids to quench our thirst in a salute to the brave explorers.

Mungerannie, SA

Mungerannie is half-way up the famous Birdsville Track, consisting of a pub, a hot water spring and an airstrip. Mungerannie is at the junction of 4 deserts and is Australia's answer to a Sahara oasis complete with hot water bubbling up into a natural, outdoor spa. Mind you, the hot 'spa' bubbles are caused by sulphur but beer is an excellent dampener on your sense of smell! The place is run by colourful local characters John and Jennifer, along with their daughters and a small herd of (relatively) tame camels.

William Creek, SA

Sited just off the western side of Lake Eyre North, the flight across from Mungerannie will take you right over this huge, salty expanse. There's some interesting aircraft and missile wreckage from the nearby Woomera rocket range and the most colourful bar you've ever seen where we have an excellent chance of meeting up with other long-distance travellers. William Creek is on the Oodnadatta track up from Adelaide to Alice Springs.

Silverton, NSW (Optional)

We're on the home stretch now so we can afford to slacken the pace at our next stop at Broken Hill. Here, we can drive up the highway to historic Silverton, which was oOnce a thriving mining centre. Now its virtual ghost town of about 50 inhabitants with a number of historic buildings, several art galleries and museums. Silverton has been used for films as diverse as Wake in Fright, Mad Max 2, A Town Like Alice, Hostage, Razorback , Journey into Darkness and Golden Soak. One prominent feature in many of these films is the Silverton Hotel, built in 1885 to house the town's postal service which was established in 1883 and which positively oozes character.

WHEN?

Friday 8 August - Sunday 10 August, 2005

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

• All flying and ground transfers
• Minibus tours of Wilcannia & White Cliffs
• Twin-share accomodation at Tibooburra and William Creek
• Breakfast & Dinner each day but NOT lunch or drinks

HOW MUCH?

Only $1,200.00pp, subject to a minimum party of 6.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

Click here to check out some of the photos from our most recent crawl!

Call us at Lilydale Air Services, 03 9739 1211 7 days a week in daylight hours.

Email us at info@lilydaleairport.com.au