Courting Queensland Via Rail

A selection of travel opportunities to the land Down Under--Australia:

A Sunshine Rail Experience with seniors in mind is being promoted by the Australian state of Queensland, which boasts a land area 2 1/2 times the size of Texas. The six-day tour in air-conditioned, nonsmoking rail cars covers 1,000 miles in segments of not more than five hours each day along the historic and scenic route on the Queensland coast. Scheduled overnight stops in coastal cities are in hotels or resorts. Tours run year-round beginning in Brisbane headed north or from Cairns traveling south. There are stops for motor-coach tours along the way. Two tour managers accompany each tour.

All meals are included throughout the trip aboard the train or at lodging stops, and tea service is included each morning and afternoon. The trip, with lodging and side trips, is priced according to season from $867 to $902 per person, double occupancy. Tipping is not required. Air transportation to Australia is not included.

You can also book pre- or post-rail tour extensions, which may include a stay at one of the coastal island resorts, cruising along the Great Barrier Reef, sightseeing in the Outback or the rain forests, or visiting the cities of Brisbane or Cairns.

For information on the Sunshine Rail Experience, call the Queensland Tourist Office in Los Angeles at (310) 788-0997.

Three moderately priced tours in Australia are available through Cosmos Tourama. One of the trips, “The Boomerang,” is an escorted 15-day tour that begins in Sydney and visits Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Boomerang package includes round-trip air from Los Angeles, tourist class hotels with private bath and shower, a complete day-by-day program of sightseeing of many of Australia’s forests, national parks, coastline sights and daily continental breakfast, baggage handling, tips and service charges. Lunches and dinners are not included except for in-flight meals. The tours depart from Los Angeles every Saturday through 1994. Prices range from $2,275 to $2,559 depending on choice of departure dates. The land-only price is $1,048.

Additional escorted tours are available to Australia, which include New Zealand and Fiji with slight variations in the Australian portion of the itinerary. Tours include:

* Down Under Discovery, 19 days with 12 days in Australia and seven days in New Zealand. Friday departures from Los Angeles are from $3,073 per person ($1,658 land only).

* Highlights of the South Seas include Fiji, New Zealand and Australia for a total of 21 days, departing LAX on Saturdays. Prices range from $2,739 to $3,195 per person. ($1,608 land only.)

On escorted tours, Cosmos grants a 10% discount off the land tour price or 5% on air-inclusive prices for children or grandchildren between 8 and 18 when accompanied by an adult.

For a brochure, see a travel agent or call Cosmos Tourama at (800) 851-0728.

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Skiers are invited to join the Over the Hill Gang, an organization for people over 50 who are interested in all types of outdoor activities. A year-round schedule of events includes skiing, cycling, golfing, fishing, scuba/snorkeling, sailing, hiking and white-water rafting. Typical activities are golf in Scotland and Ireland, rafting the Grand Canyon, a pack trip by horseback in Wyoming, biking in Cape Cod and spring skiing in the Chilean Andes. Packages include meals, lift tickets, transportation and accommodations. For information, write: OTHG, 3310 Cedar Heights Drive, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80904; tel. (719) 685-4656.