UNIQUE SCIENTIFIC XPEDITIONS

Explore and discover the oldest evidence of life on planet earth – 3.5 billion year old stromatolites, hosted in rocky outcrops in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Join world renowned scientist Prof. Martin Van Kranendonk, Geologist UNSW, to discover why Australia’s stromatolites are so important to origin of life research, and to the search for life on Mars and beyond.

BQXpeditioners will 4WD to an abandoned mining camp four hours south of Port Hedland, deep into the Australian outback, where we stay at our research camp. Our Xpeditions take us to the stromatolite sites and to other points of interest including recently discovered Aboriginal petroglyphs, the breathtaking Shaw River and gold fossicking sites.

The final days include staying in Marble Bar, reputedly the hottest inhabited town in the world, with a visit to the historically significant IronClad hotel. An insiders tour of Port Hedland, the largest port by tonnage in the world, concludes the BQXpedition.

OCTOBER 2022

Itinerary details are still being curated for this BQXpedition. Register your interest to receive further information on this expedition and to find out how you can make a difference in the world of scientific endeavour.

Embark on an astronomical journey as we visit some of the world’s most powerful telescopes in the Atacama Desert, north of Chile.

This unforgettable experience introduces the wonders and mysteries of the universe with astrophysicist Prof John Webb, University of Cambridge renowned for his observations from Keck and VLT telescopes.

We start our Xpedition in Santiago, time to relax, as we discover the sights of city, ready for our accent into altitude.

As we travel north to the coastal town of Antofagasta, we hear mixed stories of mining towns in the desert and visit the Chacabuco Saltpeter Office, one of the many abandoned nitrate towns, with its grand era and dark history.

Our special access to scientific observatories at ALMA, Cerra Tololo and Paranal provide an insight to their projects with state-of-the-art technology such as the VLT (Very Large Telescope) and soon to be constructed ELT (Extra Large Telescope) to research the universe.

Discover how these powerful telescopes have opened our eyes to the universe and allowed scientists to peek back in time to try and understand the mysteries of dark energy.

Our next four nights are in Atacama, high in altitude and one of the driest deserts on earth. Each day is an adventure and kaleidoscope of colours as we explore the salt flats, geysers, and deep blue lagoons. The rocky formations and dunes of Moon Valley and the Salt Mountains create mystical sunsets in the evenings. As the stars begin to appear, and the skies come to life, this is a perfect setting for star gazing at night.

Our Xpedition heads back to Elqui Valley, where we stay in Vicuna, crowned the capital for astronomy observation with its ideal climate. This pocket of land is lush with orchards, pisco vines and wineries and clear skies. We finish our Xpedition with a farewell lunch & Pisco Sour, having discovered the wonders of the universe.

Embark on an astronomical journey as we visit some of the world’s most powerful telescopes in the Atacama Desert, north of Chile.

This unforgettable experience introduces the wonders and mysteries of the universe with astrophysicist Prof John Webb, University of Cambridge renowned for his observations from Keck and VLT telescopes.

We start our Xpedition in Santiago, time to relax, as we discover the sights of city, ready for our accent into altitude.

As we travel north to the coastal town of Antofagasta, we hear mixed stories of mining towns in the desert and visit the Chacabuco Saltpeter Office, one of the many abandoned nitrate towns, with its grand era and dark history.

Our special access to scientific observatories at ALMA, Cerra Tololo and Paranal provide an insight to their projects with state-of-the-art technology such as the VLT (Very Large Telescope) and soon to be constructed ELT (Extra Large Telescope) to research the universe.

Discover how these powerful telescopes have opened our eyes to the universe and allowed scientists to peek back in time to try and understand the mysteries of dark energy.

Our next four nights are in Atacama, high in altitude and one of the driest deserts on earth. Each day is an adventure and kaleidoscope of colours as we explore the salt flats, geysers, and deep blue lagoons. The rocky formations and dunes of Moon Valley and the Salt Mountains create mystical sunsets in the evenings. As the stars begin to appear, and the skies come to life, this is a perfect setting for star gazing at night.

Our Xpedition heads back to Elqui Valley, where we stay in Vicuna, crowned the capital for astronomy observation with its ideal climate. This pocket of land is lush with orchards, pisco vines and wineries and clear skies. We finish our Xpedition with a farewell lunch & Pisco Sour, having discovered the wonders of the universe.

Explore the remote Isua belt of Greenland and discover stromatolites that are considered to be oldest on the earth – over 3.7 billion years old.

Join world renowned geologist Professor Allen Nutman from the Univ of Wollongong, as he takes you through his discovery of these fossils and understanding of earliest life on earth.

Our Xpeditioners will meet in Copenhagen for the night in preparation for the flight to Nuuk.

Once we arrive in Greenland, this large country with a small population already gives way to being in a remote part of the world.

Our adventure begins with a helicopter flight to our BQX research camp based near the ice sheet. Over the next four days we hike and explore the rugged terrain & rock outcrops with Prof Nutman and his fieldwork. Discover the controversial stromatolites of the Isua Greenstone Belt.

On our return to Nuuk we have time to enjoy the city, and see old traditions merge with the new, visiting the Colonial harbour and the middens of an abandoned settlement of the early Inuit.

We finish our Xpediton taking in the spectacular scenery of the Fjords and colourful houses on the coastline with a cruise.  Our trip concludes with a return flight to Copenhagen.

Itinerary details are still being curated for this BQXpedition. Register your interest to receive further information on this expedition and to find out how you can make a difference in the world of scientific endeavour.

Itinerary details are still being curated for this BQXpedition. 2022 departures available now.

Itinerary details are still being curated for this BQXpedition. Register your interest to receive further information on this expedition and to find out how you can make a difference in the world of scientific endeavour.