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I bet when you were planning your trip in Aus, you weren’t planning seeing a magnificent herd of Texas Longhorns, right?
We all know everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas, especially when it comes to cattle? Maybe not so much anymore, thanks to Mick and Lynda Bethel of Leahton Park Ranch in Charters Towers, Queensland.
They’re aiming to become the biggest and the best experience of its kind and have won that accolade on two accounts.
Firstly, they’ve got the biggest herd of Texas Longhorns in Australia and have a breeding program to help other Australian farmers interested in raising historic Texas Longhorns.
Secondly, Mick and Lynda also have J. R, a long-horned steer who was the former Guinness World Record Holder in 2013 for having the biggest longhorns in the world, measuring 2.82 metres, or 111 inches tip to tip.
The Texans slipped on in there the next year to knock J. R from first place, but the good news is, J. R is young, so we reckon he’ll reclaim his place soon enough.
If you’re reading to embark on the journey of a life time, this is what to expect on the Original Longhorn Safari in Charter Towers, QLD.
Our Texas Longhorn Charter Towers Tour
The Texas Longhorn wagon tour at Leahton Park, Charters Towers is a unique Queensland outback experience about two hours west of Townsville.
You feel as if you have almost stepped into a western movie. There’s a slight drawl to Mick when he first introduces himself. His Texas hat and hand pistol accentuating the stories of the Old West he regales you with.
Some possibly as long as J. R horns, but entertaining nonetheless.
We were fascinated with their story and how they’ve created such an interesting and unique way of farming cattle in Australia AND creating a tourist experience around it.
The Bethels are a lovely family and clearly passionate about what they do.
We arrived at 9:30am to start our Covered Wagon tour and stay the night on this Queensland outback farm.
Traditional Aussie Smoko
One of my favourite feature of our North Queensland tour experiences have been eating damper and drinking billy tea around a fire.
It’s one of the few things I’ll break my no gluten rule for!
After a morning tea, it was time to start the Longhorn Wagon Tour. After, you’ll sit down to camp oven cooked damper/scones and billy tea plus Texas chocolate Brownies served from a genuine Texas Cowboy Chuck Wagon.
The damper was exceptional and an old family recipe of Lynda’s.
Mick will entertain you with hilarious stories of their venture into breeding Texas Longhorns and the story behind their farm and tours.
Everyone on the tour had many chuckles and there were no boredom yawns to be seen.
And one of the other locals, “Penny” a resident native Aussie wildlife, kangaroo, dropped by to hang out at smoko.
After the tea, we went over to the “Love Shack” to see how the cattles are bred (through artificial insemination) and the saddlery.
Chuck Wagon Ride
After smoko, we jumped on a western covered chuck wagon to ride out onto the farm and see the largest herd of purebred Texas Longhorns in Australia.
The traditional horse drawn carriage is the last horse drawn carriage experience in Australia.
And there they were, resting in the paddock, including the iconic steer, JR.
Those horns sure were big!
Mick talked about how the Longhorns are direct descendants of the Texas Longhorns that walked in great trail herds in the late 1800s!
As well as Longhorns, they also have Asian Water Buffalo, American Bison, Mexican Sardo Negro, African Ankole Watusi and Scottish Highland Cattle.
The girls had a great time and were allowed to sit up the front for a part of the ride and get up close with some of the younger cattle.
Bethel Saddlery
Apart from raising Texas Longhorns Mick is an artisan, working in his saddlery till late at night creating magnificent custom made saddles for Australian stockman – and a couple of those Texas cowboys too!.
The tour of the saddlery will give you some inside secrets into how these highly sought after saddles are made!
You can also buy hides and horns in the giftshop.
Stay overnight in a country cabin
We ended our Queensland outback experience at Leahton Park perfectly with a country cabin overnight stay. The kids had a ball chasing Mick and Lynda’s dog, Itsy.
We helped feed the horses while enjoying a pretty outback sunset.
Most enjoyable of all was relaxing on the porch, ice cold wine in hand, while reading a book, and quietly chatting to Craig as the cows moved on past to the back pastures.
The girls were entertaining themselves around the property and we could relax knowing they were safe and having fun.
After an amazing sunrise over the paddock we had a lovely breakfast with Lynda and Mick in the morning around their dining table and shared many more travel stories and laughs.
A stay in the cabins are best suited to couples, with a double bed and single in one cabin, but we made it work as a family.
There is no kitchen, but Charters Towers is only a 15-minute drive away. We enjoyed a light picnic dinner on the porch.
Final Thoughts
So for a unique Queensland Outback experience, head on out and meet the Longhorns in Charters Towers QLD.
The Longhorn Safari in Charters Towers is one of the most unique attractions in the region.
Not only can you step into the world of Old West cattle, immersing yourself in the rich history and culture of cattle ranching, but the wagon ride is a thrilling adventure that our kids loved. It was a highlight of our trip, and we’re sure it will be yours too.
Say G’day to Mick for us, his stories and wisecracks alone are worth the trip.