They unlocked the gate of the Historic Quantas hanger in Longreach at the Quantas museum where the airline had its start. Our pilot was waiting. We boarded and flew for almost two hours. Since there wasn’t any phone service at the airport the pilot flew low over the resort to announce our arrival.

The airstrip was an open area with long grass.

I hadn’t landed on a grass strip since I ridden with my Dad as a child. We all clapped when Gary brought the plane down on the bumpy field.

“Did they hear us?” We asked getting hungry and not wanting to spend the night on the plane out in a field. We couldn’t see any buildings or even a road, just grass and bush.

Soon a small bus came across the grass. We climbed in with our luggage and headed to the Kundara outback experience.

The setting for dinner was fantastic. The buildings were railroad cars linked together by beautiful boardwalks. A huge steel arch covered the dining area.

That evening after visiting with other travelers by the fire pit we retired to our railroad car. We had a suite to ourselves.

The next morning we were up early bush breakfast. The billy was heated on an open fire. Eggs cooked fresh on the grill. The kookaburras watched closely for any fall outs.

After we were well fed we boarded a bus to the lava tubes. Our guide explained their geological beginnings and how the provide a nurturing moist habitat for tropical plants. As we left the bus we were greeted by a broad leaf bottlebrush tree.

The bottlebrush tree stores water which can be gotten in a emergency.

We descended down beautifully crafted stairs made of jarrah hardwood that withstands water and heat.

As we continued down the path and I thought we might pass through the cave into the land of the dinosaurs.

It was a fascinating visit to a magical place. While we had lunch of barramundi they mowed the airstrip so we could take off safely. A 30 minute flight took us to Cains our next stop.