Everything you need to to know about Undara Experience

Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary outback experience in tropical Far North Queensland?

Unlike any other hotel or resort in Australia, Undara Experience is a wild adventure close to one of the world’s longest lava cave tube systems.

Easily accessible from Queensland's Savannah Way, Undara Experience is three hours by car inland of Cairns, and features beautifully restored railway carriages as deluxe rooms, air conditioned pioneer huts, homestead style rooms and powered caravan and camping sites.

Accommodation at Undara Experience

The Undara Experience offers guests a unique outback adventure.

Staying here is not like checking in at any other hotel, motel or resort. Undara accommodation puts you in the heart of the Australian Outback and provides an authentic escape in the bush.

Guests can choose from a range of accommodation options that cater to every budget and lifestyle.

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Railway Carriages

Beautifully restored turn-of-the-century railway carriages are our signature multi-award winning style of accommodation.

The carriages follow the path set by the original teamsters coach road, and sit under the shade of gum trees surrounded by native Australian wildlife. Our railway carriages were recently refurbished and have won Australian and Queensland Tourism Awards in the unique accommodation category.

 Pioneer Huts

Each Pioneer Hut is fully air conditioned with its own ensuite bathroom and private veranda.

Nestled amongst Savannah Woodland, yet close to Undara Central, these premium huts embrace intuitive design principles to ensure they are sympathetic to the local environment. 

Homesteads

The Homesteads are the most recent addition to the suite of Undara Experience accommodation.

Dedicated by way of name to six of the original pioneering homesteads in this region, each one provides a comfortable stay for guests who love being surrounded by the outback.

Swag Tent Village

Want to sleep out without having to bring your own tent? Undara Experience provides a range of permanent swag tents, complete with their own beds and linen.

Set amongst shaded bush, these spacious tents are close enough to all of Undara's modern facilities and central amenities block.

The nearby undercover camp kitchen with free gas barbeque, fridge, hot plates, picnic tables and chairs make this a luxurious camping experience.

Safari Shelter

The campground at Undara Experience is close to all lodge facilities and designed to cater to the needs of large groups. There is room for 30+ two-man tents and the site has its own separate amenities block.

Perfect for family-sized groups travelling by van or motor home, an undercover camp kitchen and private campfire are great places to get social in the outback.

Getting to Undara Experience

Undara Experience is easily accessible by car, 4WD or motorhome.

The road to Undara is sealed the entire way from Cairns, Townsville and Georgetown. Some sections of the road are narrow and drivers will be sharing the road with an icon of the Australian outback - road trains up to 50 metres long!

If you’re on a narrow or single lane section of road and you see one of these giants approaching, the safest thing to do is slow down and completely pull off the road until they pass.

While the road is fully sealed, PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY and keep an eye out for kangaroos and cattle on the road at all times. Early mornings and evenings are the times when local wildlife is at its most active.

Undara Experience Is Australia’s Accessible Outback

Undara Experience is Australia’s accessible outback destination for the whole family. While only a relatively short drive from Cairns and Townsville, the resort itself is isolated from other nearby townships.

As such, we’re pleased to provide guests with a range of facilities for their comfort and convenience while here.

Undara Experience Facilities

As well as a selection of award-winning accommodation options, tours and activities, our onsite facilities include quality food and beverage outlets, a billabong-style swimming pool and a shop stocking basic items, food and snacks.

Swimming Pool

Undara Experience loves its billabong style swimming pool as a spot to relax and unwind.

It’s an in-ground freshwater pool with a cascading water feature and shallow kids paddle area. Chairs and lounges are provided for your comfort.

Shop at Undara

Undara Experience has a small on-site shop which stocks a range of basic food supplies and snacks, including cold drinks. Open 7 days a week, you can also book tours at the shop.

Food & Beverage at Undara

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all taken care of at Undara Experience. Dine with us or cook your own at the free gas BBQs, camp kitchen or campground fire pits.

Authentic country cooking, wholesome fare and generous portions are some of the things to expect at Undara Experience. 

Bush Breakfast

Awaken your taste buds with our famous Bush Breakfast at the Ringers’ Camp.

Freshly brewed billy tea and a delicious selection of hot and cold food will go down perfectly with the morning chorus of Kookaburras, Currawongs and Magpies.

Fettler’s Iron Pot Bistro

Open for lunch and dinner, bookings essential.

Lunch and dinner is available daily at the Fettler’s Iron Pot Bistro. Here you can expect home style dining that will transport you back to simpler times.

How long since you’ve enjoyed “proper” corned beef, slow-cooked the old fashioned way? Or locally grown steak, cooked the way the grazier cooks it?

Fettler's also has Georgetown Sausages the size of a baby’s arm & desserts your grandma used to make. Don't ignore your sweet-tooth either, the dessert special is called the “Chocolate Volcano.”

Saloon Car Bar

Open daily for lunch and dinner. 

The saloon car bar is a fully licensed entertainment area offering relaxed conversation and top-notch outback hospitality.

Enjoy a cold drink, quality local coffee or a freshly brewed tea with cake.

Things to see and do in Undara

Our Tours & Guides

Close to the Undara Volcanic National Park, the huge lava tubes Undara is known for were created some 190,000 years ago when a sustained volcanic eruption spewed molten lava down a dry riverbed.

The outer layer formed a crust, and when the lava below drained away, a series of long, hollow tubes remained.

The lava flowed east to west over a long period of time, allowing the outer edge to cool, while the interior kept flowing. This is what created the tubes you can see today.

Worldwide, the Undara system is believed to be the longest of its kind and our tours are designed to provide the best and most interactive experience possible.

All are guided by highly skilled Savannah Guides, who are dedicated to providing an accurate history of the tubes and surrounding geology. 

Touring the Undara Lava Tubes

The Undara Lava Tubes are a delicate ecosystem that deserve our respect. To protect this environment, the National Park Management Plan prescribes that all tours of the park are guided.

Undara Experience offers a range of different tours on the park, all hosted by trained Savannah Guides. 

Tours operate subject to weather and climatic conditions.

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Archway Explorer

The Archway Explorer is an amazing introductory tour of the Undara Lava Tubes with reference to many other interesting environmental, geological and historical features of the region.

Fitness level: Easy

Wind Tunnel Explorer

A two-hour tour of the famous Undara Lava Tubes which runs from April – September.

Fully guided and suitable for people of moderate fitness, some scrambling over rocks is required in order to visit up to 3-sections of the entire lava tube system. Not appropriate for children under 5.

Wildlife at Sunset

Watch a golden sunset over the rolling Savannah grasslands with a glass of sparkling wine in hand and a cheese board at the ready. Then head in to a lava tube to watch schools of micro-bats emerge.

Get close to iconic Australian fauna like kangaroos and wallabies, cockatoos and lorikeets as well as other wild creatures in their natural environment.

Undara Outback Rock and Blues

Undara Experience is proud of its much loved annual event, the Undara Outback Rock and Blues festival.

Always held on or close to Anzac Day, 2023 will be no different, with the party set to rock from 21-23 April!

An amazing weekend of music set amongst the iconic landscape of outback Queensland, the Undara Outback Rock and Blues festival brings regional Queensland together every year.

Please call our reservations team on 1800 990 992 or email undara.events@discoveryparks.com.au to avoid disappointment.

Find out why they call it the biggest little festival in the Outback!

Undara Experience - Our History

Since opening in 1990, Undara Experience has aimed to preserve this unique national treasure for future generations.

Working together with state environmental agencies and the award winning Savannah Guides, we employ sustainable, low impact practices, which support the fragile ecosystem that surrounds Undara.

The Undara Experience has won dozens of awards for excellence, including an Australian Tourism Award for Unique Accommodation and the prestigious Queensland Environmental Tourism Award for best sustainable practices.

We invite you to share our Undara Experience as soon as you can. We're waiting to meet you here!

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