This morning, we meet our local guide who will introduce us to Moree. The main streets are lined with beautiful heritage buildings which we will discover along with the rich history of the town. We then visit a Pecan Farm where we hear how one man’s dream of creating the first commercial pecan operation came into fruition and taste for yourself why this exotic nut is so sought after. After time in town to purchase lunch, we visit the Mehi Gallery. Formed by a group of Aboriginal (Murri) students from the Moree TAFE Campus, the founders wanted to set up an environment where aboriginal students could study their culture and express it through art and craft and provide an essential opportunity for people to meet with, interact and hear the Murri’s share their stories of their life. We then have the rest of the day at leisure.

Our touring today takes us to Lightning Ridge. With its stark and scarred landscape, this town has a peculiar fascination for visitors. Famous for magnificent opals, the town is home to the unique black opal, a rare and luminous gem mined from the surrounding plains. It is the only place in Australia (and one of the few places in the world) where the precious and highly prized Black Opal is found. On arrival we meet our local guide for a town tour which will include the Bore Baths and Coopers Cottage, an authentic miner’s camp. We enjoy lunch before a visit to Chambers of the Black Hand, where we’ll be captivated by local artist, Ron Canlin, who has created the most amazing paintings and sculptures 11.2 metres underground. There is the Last Supper, the Chinese Terracotta Warriors and the Egyptian Chamber including a replica of a tomb. The second level is a mine that has been worked for over 100 years, and all the old shafts and drivers that were used by the old miners are still there. With time permitting, we finish the day at John Murray Art Gallery. Wandering around the gallery, John’s artistic talent becomes apparent with his pieces filled with light and humour. Its clear he likes to make people smile with his creations!

Today we travel to Cranky Rock Nature Reserve where you’ll find a jumble of giant boulders heaped in interesting positions by a past volcanic upheaval. There are a number of short walks available here and for the more active passengers, enjoy a walk to the viewing platform. Re-joining the coach, we travel to Inverell, a historic town by the Macintyre River. Rich diamond and gem quality sapphire deposits were discovered in the 19^th century, giving Inverell the title of Australia’s Sapphire City. Here we visit the Inverell Pioneer Village, a unique village as all the buildings featured have been collected from Inverell and the surrounding districts and represent the lifestyle and pioneering spirit of bygone days. We visit the Information Centre and embark on a guided tour before heading back to Moree.

Today we cross the NSW border into Queensland to visit Goondiwindi. The region produces wheat, cotton, beef and wool. With around 30,000 hectares of cotton in the area grown under irrigation, it is worth about $100 million and is the biggest contributor to local wealth. We discover Goondiwindi’s agricultural links to the land as we are taken behind the scenes for a guided tour of the town and a visit to Goondiwindi Cotton’s working farm – Alcheringa. Discover the history of cotton production in Australia and the evolution from field to fabric. Our tour will also include a visit to Customs House Museum, an authentically restored building which houses a rich and colourful collection of mementos of yesteryear. Visit the pioneer shed which contains the history of the growth of wool and agriculture in the region, see a display of early tools, blacksmiths workshop and the story of Chinese in Goondiwindi. Late afternoon, we return to Moree.

With our bags packed full of memories, we begin our journey home. We stop for convenience breaks and to purchase lunch before arriving back in Sydney from a wonderful tour away.