100 Things To Do You’ve Never Heard Of #010 Hear a great set of outback pipes

Opera comes to the Queensland outback at Undara every October.

“A PREHISTORIC WONDER PAIRED WITH PERFECT PIPES? HOW LOVELY . . .” – Catriona Rowntree

If the soundtrack to Priscilla wasn’t your thing but the landscape was, you may want to book out the third weekend in October – that’s when Undara Experience hosts the Opera in the Outback, adjacent to the fascinating Undara Lava Tubes.

Sitting out under the stars in the amphitheatre for two one-hour sets while the sun sets, you’re mesmerised by five professional opera singers in this unexpected setting. Food and wine tasting are to opera what bees are to honey, so local providores are on hand for some nibbling at cheeses and other condiments, with a winery offering tastings and bottle sales.

There are two performances over consecutive nights with a different theme for each, so most people stay for two nights. It’s the most pleasant way to spend a weekend in the savannah country of Queensland.

WHERE // Undara Experience is 275km west of Cairns, the last three kilometres of which are on a well-kept gravel road. Friday night performance is $85, Saturday night $110 (www.undara.com.au).

DID YOU KNOW? // A section of the Undara Lava Tubes (the main attraction in the area) known as “The Wall” is the closest geological example on Earth of basaltic ridges on the Moon, which were also formed by lava flows.