AAT Kings A-List Access

A-LIST ACCESS - Introducing our Small Group Tours in Western Australia & Queensland

• AAT Kings • Season 3 • Episode 3

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Smaller groups, bigger experiences! Join us as we pull back the curtain on AAT Kings' exciting new range of small group tours across Australia's most spectacular regions. With departures limited to just 24 guests (averaging 16), these carefully crafted journeys deliver the intimate, personalised experiences today's travellers crave.

Our product expert John Navarro takes us on a virtual journey through Western Australia's breathtaking Kimberley region, where the new seven-day "Broome and Kimberley Highlights" tour offers the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. Imagine sipping craft beer at Spinifex Brewery as Broome's famous camel trains amble past, witnessing the magic of pearl cultivation at Willie Creek, and soaring over the ancient Bungle Bungle ranges on an included scenic flight. The pinnacle? An exclusive gourmet dinner under the stars at a secret outback location – an experience only possible with smaller groups.

The conversation shifts to AAT Kings' commitment to authentic cultural experiences through their "Make Travel Matter" initiative. From walking with Robert Dan, a local Nyul Nyul man who shares Dreamtime stories and concludes with didgeridoo performances (impressive enough to have played for Pope Benedict!), to the Djavin Ghoul Cultural Experience in Cape Naturaliste, these genuine interactions create meaningful connections between guests and Australia's First Nations peoples.

Looking ahead to 2026, John unveils the new nine-day "Tropical Queensland" journey from Brisbane to Cairns. This coastal adventure features multi-night stays on K'gari (Fraser Island) and Hamilton Island, plus exploration of the only place on Earth where two World Heritage sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest.

Ready to experience Australia's iconic landscapes in a more meaningful way? Listen now to discover how these thoughtfully designed small group tours are redefining Australian travel with exclusive access, cultural depth, and unforgettable moments you simply can't find anywhere else.

Michael:

Welcome everybody to the AAT Kings A-List Access podcast series. This year, we're shaking things up a little and giving you more discussion-based content, where you'll have the opportunity to tune in and eavesdrop, as it were, picking up valuable tidbits and intel on a range of AAT Kings Group topics. My name is Michael Woods. I'm the Industry Partnerships and Marketing Manager for the AAT Kings Group, so let's get this episode underway. Welcome back everybody. As you know, we've recently announced the launch of a new range of small group tours, limited to groups of up to 24 guests per departure, with an average of just 16. And they're designed to provide a more intimate and personalised experience for travellers. So today I want to talk about just a few of these tours with an expert. So let me introduce our head of product and contracting, john Navarro, another one who's been working night and day to get our WA and Queensland new season tours out and ready. Hi, john. Welcome to A-Listers.

John:

Thanks, Michael, really excited to be here. Appreciate you having me.

Michael:

No problem. Okay, so let's dive right in Western Australia. For starters, let's start with the Kimberley. What's going on up there with our tours?

John:

Yeah, so really excited about this one. So our team has worked really hard. In WA, we've just launched a new small group itinerary called Broome and the Kimberley Highlights, and it's a great option for travelers who want to experience the Kimberley without committing to a long full-on adventure. It's a one-week trip, so it's seven days. It covers a lot of ground but in a way, still feels very relaxed, and it really gets to showcase and highlight the contrast between, you know, the Broome's coastal vibes and really the rugged outback feel and scenery around Kununurra. So an added bonus is that guests only have to unpack twice, as we spend three nights in each location. So, yeah, so it all starts off in Broome, where guests will enjoy the warm tropical climate and laid-back feel that it's known for, and we kick things off with a private tasting and a tour at Spinifex Brewery, which is a local favorite.

Michael:

Oh no.

John:

Yeah, so it's a great place for the trip to kick off. Guests get to just sort of relax in their courtyard and if they're lucky, they may even be able to spot the camels trotting on by from their sunset tours along Cable Beach. So it's a really fun way to ease into the trip.

Michael:

Sounds like quintessential Broome yeah exactly.

John:

It's a real welcome to Broome moment, yeah, yeah. And then another highlight here is a visit to Willie Creek Pearl Farm. So it's such an interesting experience. So you get to behind the scenes, look at how pearls are grown, get to jump on a creek cruise and then finish off with a live demo masterclass where guests will actually get to see the opening of an oyster, where you get to see a pearl, yeah, and actually get a chance to appraise a pearl in real time in front of the group. So it's a really fun mix of hands-on learning experience and a bit of a wow factor. Oh, yeah, it tends to be. It's good, it's going to be a uh, a hit there, I think that's good.

Michael:

So homework for the product team. You get to keep the pearl?, yeah exactly, exactly.

John:

That's the next step. Uh, and then we also include a guided Broome highlights tour with the local indigenous guide. It's a great cultural introduction to the area which we may have. I might be able to talk a little bit more if we talk about some make travel matter experiences. But from there, how we then head on to Kununurra and this is where the scenery really completely changes. It's one of the biggest moments of the trip is a scenic flight that we include over the Bungle Bungle ranges. So it's a two-hour flight that gives you this incredible aerial view of the beehive domes, of Lake Argyle and the old diamond, argyle diamond mine and the pilot will also give live commentary throughout. So it's both stunning and informative. So it's a real bucket list experience, and so I think, for anybody who envisions the Kimberley or envisions you know what a trip there might look like, yeah, Bungle Bungle is always one of the first things that you think about, absolutely.

Michael:

And, if anybody gets the chance, even jump on our website and have a look at some of those photos of the Bungle Bungles.

John:

It's just incredible, absolutely, and from that perspective you really get a sense of how vast and how massive the area really is. So there's also time to explore Miramil National Park as well, which is sort of for lack of a better description a little mini bungle bungle, so it's really beautiful and really easy to access. So we've included some strong cultural elements here. We'll join a local indigenous guide here as well and hear more Dreamtime stories, learn about native bush foods and medicines and get a deeper understanding of the land and culture in this part of the world All right.

John:

Another favor that we'll do. Their three-night stay in Kununurra is also a sunset cruise on Lake Argyle, so just a really peaceful way to wind down some incredible days and really take in the vastness of the landscape Nice way to end the day. But probably one of the things that we're really excited about is an exclusive just for AAT Kings, a new experience that we've supplied, that we partnered with, to deliver our guests a gourmet, authentic Outback dinner experience. So it's a private dining experience held at a secret location out in the bush, about half an hour outside of Kununurra. So the setting is just stunning, surrounded by red cliffs, open skies. The tables are set up just like a fine dining restaurant, beautifully, and they they're styled and there's multiple courses, and throughout our guests will also get a demonstration and some more information about the local produce and all the native flavors that are used. So it's the kind of experience that you really wouldn't get with a large group. So we're an intimate experience.

Michael:

Exactly, exactly what we're after with these new small groups.

Michael:

Yes, absolutely, and that's all indigenous local cuisine.

Michael:

You say?

John:

Correct. Yeah, so it's all locally sourced, a lot of native flavors and ingredients. So, yeah, and overall, you know this is a fantastic itinerary. It's, you know, seven days, but it really gives people a mix of nature, culture and some really really memorable experiences and some bucket list items along the way. That sounds incredible, absolutely.

Michael:

Cool, all right. And then I hear you've also introduced a few new Make Travel Matter experiences in some of our other WA tours.

John:

Yes, definitely. So we've put a lot of effort into expanding our Make Travel Matter experiences, not only across WA, but all across the country, but WA in particular. It's something that we're really proud of, because it gives our guests a chance to connect more deeply with the places that we're visiting, and it also supports the local communities and cultures along the way. That's great.

Michael:

Yeah.

John:

So one of the standout new ones that we're really proud of is In Broome, which I sort of referenced earlier. But guests will get a chance to have a guided tour led by Robert Dan, who is a local new mule man. It's a small group experience that feels really personal. So Robert takes you around key landmarks around Broom, places like Cable Beach, chinatown and the town jetty. But really the magic is in the stories that he shares. So he talks a lot about Broome's pearling history, his own family experiences growing up and what it was like to grow up as an indigenous man in the area, and the cultural significance of different bush plants and all the foods, and he'll even let our guests taste some of those things. Yeah, and fun fact, is also a great didgeridoo player as well. He's actually performed in front of Pope Benedict when he visited Australia a few years back.

Michael:

Oh, okay, yeah.

John:

And so he wraps the tour up with a little bit of live music, which is always a hit, wow.

Michael:

You know it's so important. These new experiences are exactly what we should be known for, continue to be known for, isn't it?

John:

Absolutely, and there's a lot of pride and a lot of care that goes into developing these, and so further south, we've actually introduced another experience called, which we've titled, the Davin Ghoul Cultural Experience. So it's in Cape Hologrand National Park, so it's featured on our Western Wonderland and Southwestern Escape tours, so it's also run by a local indigenous family-owned business, and then it starts with a traditional spoken ceremony, then there's a short walk through coastal landscape where the guides share stories about seasonal plants, bush medicines, local wildlife, and it finishes up with casual afternoon tea in Denver, right by the beach. So it's a simple but really impactful experience, beautiful.

Michael:

Mm-hmm.

John:

And so, yeah, I think you touched on it a little bit, michael what makes these experiences so special is how genuine they are. So it's, you know, it's real people sharing their culture, their connection to country and, because we're in smaller groups, it really feels like a proper conversation, and so that's really. Yeah, the whole point of our Make Travel Matter experiences is to create some of these moments that leave a lasting impression on our guests and, at the same time, give back to the people and the places that we visit and that develop these experiences.

Michael:

It's a win-win for everybody, really, absolutely Okay. So leaving WA behind. John, I hear you also look after Queensland, so is there any news from up north? Well, we're in Sydney, it's up north anyway. So what are some of the major changes and news from the Sunshine State?

John:

Yes, so we I'm glad you asked about this one because we've put a lot of time in sort of re-imagining this program as well, which has been getting some really positive feedback from the trade, which is great. So we've launched a new small group itinerary called Tropical Queensland, brisbane to Cairns, and it really is a great one.

John:

So it's a nine day trip up the East Coast that really captures Queensland's natural highlights. So you think your island stays, your rainforest, your reef and plenty of sunshine along the way. So the trip starts in Brisbane, heads straight up the coast, stopping in Noosa before ferrying over to K'gari, or you might know it as Fraser Island, for two nights. So K'gari is an incredible place. It's the world's largest sand island where rainforest grows really out of the dunes, so spectacular landscapes. So guests explore it by four-wheel drive. They get a chance to visit Lake McKenzie and learn about its ecology and its indigenous significance to the region.

John:

Yeah, and then from there we continue north to Rockhampton and then on to Airlie Beach where we have another island stay on Hamilton Island. We take a short ferry over to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, where they spend two nights there and get a little bit of flexible, a little bit of flexible free time in their holiday as well, so they can just relax and enjoy their time at the resort. Or they can choose to do an optional experience like visiting Whitehaven Beach or maybe taking some reef flights, which were always a popular option. Yeah, there's so many options out Hamilton Island, aren't there? Yeah, absolutely Just stunning.

John:

So I think guests are really going to enjoy that multi-night stay on the island. And so then from there we make our way up to Cairns, where guests will get to experience two world heritage sites the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest, which is actually the only place in the world where two world heritage sites converge and meet. It's a fun little fact there for you. And so, yeah, there we have a full day out on the reef, plus a visit to Kuranda Rainforest with the Skyrail cableway over the rainforest. So that's a really great trip that we've built in some flexibility and we have multiple night stays along, so it's a nice balance of experiences and some free time, a bit of downtime as well, yeah, absolutely.

Michael:

And when does that one kick in, John?

John:

That one has departure starting with 2026. 26.

Michael:

Fantastic. Oh, that's good Something to look forward to. Yeah, absolutely All right, john, that's great. Thank you so much for joining us today. Really appreciate your time filling us in on all the latest from those states. So next up, we'll be heading over the ditch or the Tasman to New Zealand to chat with our resident Kiwi expert and contracting guru, Angela Mount. So we'll talk to you again very, very soon. Thanks everyone for listening in today and please get in touch if you have any questions about this episode or any other AAT Kings related topic. And, of course, to make it bookie, we'll be back with another episode of our AAT Kings A-List Access podcast series real soon.