Chariots of Thunder tour – August 2022
Sorry, sold out already for 2022.
But if the Darwin Speedway Club keep doing Chariots of Thunder, we'll keep taking a tour there.
If it's on again in 2023, then so are we. Keep an eye on this web page for details as soon as we know.
In the meantime, if you want your name on the list, let Peter Physick know on 0419 264159, or use the Contact Us link.
We are offering this tour again in 2022, in addition to our USA Best of the Best tour which leaves in June. If you would like to travel on both trips, as some are currently considering, then please be advised that (just in case) we have factored in a 14 day quarantine period back in Australia before heading off to Darwin for Chariots of Thunder (CoT). It may be that the Australian Government will reduce, or eliminate, the minimum quarantine period in weeks to come. If this happens, we are offering a week’s extension to the Best of the Best USA tour accordingly. See separate USA itinerary at this link.
We have finalised the costing of CoT 2022 and the final itinerary, inclusions and pricing are shown below. The 12 night tour price is marginally higher than in 2021 owing to increased accommodation and speedway admittance costs. To sweeten the pot however, we have added in a night on Global Speedway Tours when we pick up the tab at the Fan Appreciation night on Day 9 at The Precinct.
Please review the 2022 itinerary below and if you are interested in travelling, please call Peter Physick on 0419 264159, or use the Contact Us link to send an e-mail to get your name at the top of the list for next year. The 12 night tour will leave your nearest capital city on Wednesday August 17th and you’ll be home on the afternoon of Monday August 29th.
Please note that in 2022 an optional five extra nights can be added to the start of the itinerary, to enable you to also take in the Northern Territory Sprintcar Title on Saturday night August 13th. Full details of the extension are shown below.
2022
Getting tired of having been cooped up in lockdown and missing your weekly dose of methanol madness? Well, why not let the tropics fix that by making a trip to Darwin for 13 days to experience all four nights of the Northline Speedway’s Chariots of Thunder extravaganza from August 17th through to the 29th?
The itinerary is below and this whole page sets out the tour storyline day by day, along with the inclusions.
Don’t forget to click on every piece of underlined orange text. It’s a hyperlink with loads more info for you to read.
If you would prefer a printable version in PDF format, please click here.
Day 1 – Wednesday August 17th 2022
Depart (your home capital city) for Darwin and the 2022 Chariots of Thunder (CoT) tour. Hopefully we can get you on a direct flight, otherwise be prepared for a stop along the way somewhere. Also be aware that many flights arrive and leave Darwin just after midnight, with these generally being cheaper than in the daytime. On arrival in Darwin you will be met by your tour hosts and transported via courtesy buses to the Ramada Suites by Wyndham Zen Quarter (the Zen) in the Waterfront Precinct.
With people arriving at different times, there are no official events planned for the balance of today, other than an optional evening meal together in the hotel’s rooftop garden, or at a venue nearby. Maybe it could be the Cavenagh Hotel? Or check out these two links which will also help for other days. The 20 best restaurants in Darwin and Tripadvisor’s guide to restaurants in Darwin.
Day 2 – Thursday August 18th
On every morning of your stay in the Zen Ramada, an included ala carte breakfast is available in the Horizen Café. Even though you have cooking facilities in your apartment, we have included breakfast every day. Our 2021 tour members were delighted with the offering from the Zen and unless otherwise noted in the day by day descriptions, all other meals on the tour are a personal expense.
Midday today is our first group excursion when we wander the six blocks down close to the waterfront, not just for lunch, but for the official Chariots of Thunder motorcade with sprintcars firing up to take a trip along Mitchell Street. As you’ll see though from the CoT official video, they are tethered behind the push cars. But with motors running …. a great sight to see.
Sunsets in Darwin are legendary and here are five places to watch them from. Be mindful however that next Tuesday you will be out on the harbour watching from a chartered boat, so please don’t do that one just yet. We recommend that tonight as a group you make your way to the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, a great place to eat, drink and watch the sun drop from the sky. Global Speedway Tours will have tables and chairs set aside in the Sunset VIP area on the lawn for our official tour welcome drinks, seeing as how some of our guests are likely to have only arrived late last night. You won’t have any difficulty in finding any variety of food that takes your fancy. Take a look at this list! And we’ll give you $20.00 of Mindil Money to put towards your dinner. Not only that, the GST eskies will be available and stocked up for complimentary drinks. It will be a super night.
Day 3 – Friday August 19th
For the entire duration of the tour we will have the use of two 12-seater mini-buses at our disposal. Primarily they are to get us to and from the speedway every night it’s on, but they will also be available on an almost “on-call” basis to get you to where you need to go in and around Darwin.
We will leave the Zen for the track each race day at 4.00pm, so between 9.30am and 3.00pm on each of today and tomorrow, the buses will be available to transport guests to selected tourist spots. Once we know who and how many are travelling on the tour, we will canvass the views of everybody to determine what are the most popular destinations. We can then make the calls on where the buses will go each day.
They will not be available to travel to the long-distance destinations of Kakadu or Katherine Gorge, just simply in and around Darwin as well as to Litchfield National Park for a whole day next Tuesday. (See further comments on that day’s description.) So, please do some homework on what you would like to see in Darwin for when the vote takes place prior to the tour. Some suggested websites to look at are shown below.
- Darwin and surrounds
- Visit Darwin
- Darwin: Top 10 tours and activities
- Darwin cruises and boat tours
- Fishing charters Full / Half day – Darwin Harbour
Whatever is done in the morning and afternoon, all guests must be back at the Zen ready to leave on the buses at 4.00pm to the 7Mate Northline Speedway.
15 or so minutes later we’ll be at the track and getting off with us will be the famous GST eskies ready for some popular car park tailgating. Sadly however, $1 beers and $2 bourbons are not possible in Australia, so we’ll have to deal with $3 beers and $5 bourbons on this trip. Regretfully we need to pay for ice, which we never have to in the USA thanks to the hotel ice machines!
For every night at the speedway, we have admittance tickets to the Chariots Lounge, an indoor air-conditioned area with cash bar and access to catered food and toilets, plus an alfresco area on a large outdoor balcony allowing you dual viewing choices to suit your preference. Or at times, maybe just wander off around the complex and meet the locals.
Admittance to the track and the Chariots Lounge are included as part of the tour price, however drinks and additional food over and above the catered supply, are your own expense. In 2021 the track provided some finger food to put a lining on your tummy ready for the night’s racing. That will happen again in 2022, but with an improved offering …..
Day 4 – Saturday August 20th
The morning and afternoon are free to take advantage of the mini buses again up until 4.00pm when we will again use them to get us back to the speedway. We will work out where they take us at a later date, once we know final numbers. As with any Global Speedway Tours offer, you are assured that a big effort will always be made to fulfil every sightseeing request.
Night 2 sees all three categories of winged sprintcars, sedans and speedcars (midgets for the traditional amongst us) return after last night’s racing. The format for the winged cars at least is similar to the World of Outlaws in the USA. This story by Jacalin Ekins might be of interest.
Global Speedway Tours will run a sweep on each night’s winged sprintcar feature race. Seeing as how there will be 20 cars starting each night’s A Main and we have 24 folks on the tour, we will need to either run two sweeps, or find two of our group who, along with hosts Peter and Adam, will stand aside from the draw.
$5 will buy you a number between 1-20, drawn out of a hat at our tailgating drinks each afternoon. The number you draw and now own, will be the car which starts in that position in the feature. Given that the pool will be $100 per night, then we will offer 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizemoney.
First $45.00
Second $15.00
Third $10.00
And to give those who draw a high number a reasonable chance to win as well, the first car to flip in the feature will pay $30.00. Jackpotting to the next night, if not won. If there is a multiple simultaneous flip, the prize will be split. And finally, if there is no flip on the final night’s feature, it will be donated to someone, or something, at the tour host’s discretion.
Day 5 – Sunday August 21st
Today we get involved in the official Chariots of Thunder Street Party conducted at the Cavenagh Hotel by the Northline Speedway. Just a mere seven-minute walk from the Zen will see you relaxing at the venue ready for whatever happens at a Darwin street party!! Given it’s Darwin, that could be anything. At least it’s not far to get “home”.
The whole day is yours at the Street party, or some sightseeing around town. Or a few hours at the party and then relaxing at the Hotel in the pool, or taking it easy in the rooftop lounge.
The Zen’s swimming pool was welcomed every day by our 2021 tour members.
The Zen’s third floor Horizen outdoor area awaits you …..
Day 6 – Monday August 22nd
Today is set aside for you to consider a full day tour to somewhere like Kakadu National Park, or Katherine Gorge. Both are massive full day tours with a 6.30am pick up from the Zen. In some cases, you do not return to the Hotel before 8.30pm.
The following links will be helpful for you in deciding firstly if you want to take a tour, and if so, to where and which one. There are quite a few options and the two links we have shown here are by no means the full complement. We do know however that these two tours are running on Monday August 22nd, 2022. You may find other tours that you prefer after talking with friends who have been to Darwin before, or by browsing the internet.
If you do decide to take a tour, let us know which one, so a group booking can be obtained if possible.
One day Kakadu National Park Explorer (D4) with AAT Kings.
One day Cruise to Katherine Gorge & Edith Falls (D11) with AAT Kings.
If the Tour company you choose does not offer the Ramada Suites by Wyndham Zen Quarter as a Hotel pick up option, then we will get you to where you need to be.
If you choose not to travel on a commercial tour, then the whole day and night in Darwin is free of any organised events today.
Please note that Wednesday is set aside for us to travel to Litchfield National Park in the mini buses. It is only 145 kilometres down there and the same to get back, so is easily doable in a small coach. See Day 8, August 24th for details.
Day 7 – Tuesday August 23rd
If you toured yesterday, you’ll need the majority of the day to restore your energies. Cos there is still plenty to get done before leaving this city next Monday. Hence there is nothing planned for the hottest part of today. Perhaps you could ask nicely and the bus will take you to monstrous
But at 5.00pm the buses will leave the Zen for Stokes Hill Wharf because tonight is party night with fish and chips for dinner. With a twist. You have to board a boat for 90 minutes and travel out into Darwin Harbour with Sea Darwin’s Sunset Cruise. If we have a minimum of 20 on the tour, we’ll have the whole boat to ourselves. The cost is included within the overall tour price, so we expect a full house. The boat is a very powerful one and I’m sure that the speedway fans on board will entice the skipper to give you some thrills! Here’s their pledge for you!
Skip will use his local knowledge to take us to the best place to enjoy the delightfully warm breeze, an exquisite tropical sunset and a harbour full of intrigue. The tide, wind, weather and the season will be considered as the Captain goes with the flow.
If the tide is in our favour, we may experience taking a chair out onto a Fannie Bay sandbar to eat, or maybe enjoy the meal amongst a pod of frolicking dolphins, or dugong. Sometimes he takes the boat to the Sadgroves bird sanctuary and on other occasions he’ll just cruise around the glistening harbour, taking in nature’s extraordinarily coloured sky at this time of day – it’s like a giant work of art.
You get to keep the glass or stubbie holder that came with your first drink. The rest are at your expense. At the conclusion of our cruise the boat will let us off either at the Mindil Beach Casino, or at the Stokes Hill wharf where we boarded. The buses will be available to make trips back to our hotel several times if required.
Just like getting home from Dingus when you think about it …..
Day 8 – Wednesday August 24th
Instead of a commercial tour, such as has been suggested for Kakadu and Katherine Gorge, Litchfield National Park is doable in the 12-seater mini buses, given it is only a 145 km trip there and the same back. We do way more than that every day when touring the USA, but we won’t have the benefit of an experienced guide as you will on the commercial tours. Nevertheless, it will be very cost efficient.
Firstly, here are some links that will introduce you to Litchfield and various day tours there.
Litchfield National Park Destination Guide
Litchfield Tours
Litchfield Day Tour From Darwin | Batchelor, Berry Springs. Litchfield Park
Litchfield Park Tour & Jumping Crocodile Cruise
A Guide to Litchfield National Park | Bookmundi
The cost for today has not been included in the overall CoT tour price, as it rightly should be considered as an optional tour, like the ones to Kakadu and Katherine Gorge. However, we believe that we can do the whole day for $30 per person. There are no additional park fees to be incurred, just your lunch and fluids. Don’t forget your bathers, cossies or swimmers. And a camera. And watch out for slippery rocks.
Lunch will be at the Wangi Falls Café at some point of the tour! If we can fit the eskies on board, we will. No doubt they will assist with regular hydration.
Seeing as how we are down in the vicinity of the famous Humpty Doo Pub it would be cruel if we didn’t stop in for at least one and maybe have an early dinner there as well.
You will be asked to indicate on the Booking Form if you want to do this tour and if so, payment is to be made to Peter while in Darwin. It’s a magnificent day of sightseeing and fun …..
Day 9 – Thursday August 25th
Again the buses will be sitting patiently waiting to take us somewhere today, so whatever you choose to do can, within reason, be managed. For what it’s worth, one bus will be heading to the Darwin Military Museum, voted the #1 attraction in the city. Open from 10.00am ‘til 3.30pm, it is recommended you allow 90 minutes to view it. Entry price is $20 / adult, or $15 for those with an interstate senior’s pass.
Maybe you had a relative, like my Dad, who was in Darwin when it was bombed in WW2. He survived thank goodness, but I’ve never seen where he may have been when 188 Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin 80 years ago on February 19th 1942.
To get there we might replicate the route around the city trail taken by the open top Double Decker Hop On Hop Off Buses just to make sure we haven’t missed anything in the last week!!
At around 4.00pm the buses will drop you off on the doorstep of the official CoT Fan Appreciation night at the Precinct. Or you can return to the Zen and make your way later on to the Precinct. It’s only a 12 minute or so walk.
The Precinct Tavern on the Darwin Waterfront is a magnificent setting against the stunning backdrop of Darwin’s harbour. Tonight is a Global Speedway Tours funded night with dinner and drinks to the value of $50 / person available to have some fun. Our table has already been reserved, along with 20% discount cards to help the night flow.
Day 10 – Friday August 26th
So much has been done so far, but probably not much washing, e-mailing, or phoning home, so today you can do all that stuff right up until 3.59pm because one minute later “Friday night is Speedway night”. At 4.00pm we load everyone up and tackle the gruelling 15 minute drive to Hidden Valley for night 3 of Chariots of Thunder.
Whether we find a tree like we do when tailgating at Knoxville and Volusia remains to be seen, but that is Russell’s job to see if he can make a tree pop out at us.
The Volusia, Florida tailgating tree (Yet another shameless cross tour promotion)
Back in the Chariots Lounge the clay will once again fly high up onto the deck with dirt in the bottom of your beer glass …. or down your cleavage. (Hi Jane!) The sprintcar sweep is on again and sweep numbers will have been drawn under the shade of Russell’s tree.
Day 11 – Saturday August 27th
Mini-bus transport will be with us all day for ferrying folks around. One thought from left field is a Global Speedway Tours Grand Prix at Darwin Kart Hire. If there is sufficient interest and we have plenty of notice, a group booking could be made for 10.00am to test the nerves of loved ones who aren’t there to watch! Not sure how fast the hire karts are, but the website speaks highly of them as you would expect. Here’s some video to make an assessment. You can tick a box on the Booking Form to indicate your interest.
At 4.00pm we’ll once again head out along the quaintly named Tiger Brennan Drive, via the lookout at Charles Darwin National Park, to Hidden Valley and the final night of Chariots of Thunder. If you’re tired of track food at this stage, there’s a Subway at Berrimah we can stop at for supplies. Or we can get the chefs at the Zen to make up some delicious wraps and rolls for us to take to the track.
Hope you enjoy the biggest night of the year for Northline Speedway as they bring their season to a close for 2022.
Day 12 – Sunday August 28th
On our Month of Money USA tours, the departure from Knoxville is always delayed by 24 hours because we prefer to factor in a rain date. There’s no point in going at all if you’re going to miss the event you travelled all that way for. I asked Jacalin Ekins whether they would have Sunday as their standby day in the event of a rain out on Saturday.
Her response was “Due to the time of year we hold racing, it is extremely unlikely we would receive rain in August; it’s almost unheard of. However, we would look to race on the Sunday should that become an issue.”
We could go home today but we won’t, preferring to stay one more night just in case. Besides there will be more seats on departing planes on the Monday.
So, we will have the buses again today and the whole day is free to double up on that favourite place you liked, or catch up on something you missed.
We’ll make the afternoon and dinner tonight a group function, so we can farewell Darwin in style. And the place to do that is the incomparable Darwin Trailer Boat Club. Here’s the menu and here’s the live cam of the beach at the front of the Club. If you’re reading this in January or February ignore what you see. It’s probably raining!
Day 13 – Monday August 29th
Sadly, it’s now time to say your goodbyes to old friends and new and get ready to leave Darwin for all ports south. There will be various times of departure today ranging from (very) early am to late afternoon.
We will arrange for you to be transported to the airport at the appointed time to ensure you are ready for check-in and boarding.
Good luck and thanks so much for travelling with Global Speedway Tours …..
Peter Physick
e-mail: peter@globalspeedwaytours.com.au
mobile: 0419 264159
Please contact Peter at Global Speedway Tours via this link if you would like to accompany us on this excellent tour. The 24 spots will go very quickly.
We will be taking a maximum of 24 people on the main tour.
See below for descriptions of the four accommodation options.
Pricing per person: (Will include a $700.00 air fare credit in each category. If you want to buy your own airfare ticket, use points, or already have one, please deduct $700.00 from each price shown.)
| Harbourview apartment | $3,795.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Deluxe Junior Suite | $3,995.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Twin apartment | $4,195.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Two-bedroom apartment | $4,795.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
Inclusions in your tour price are: 12 night’s accommodation, breakfast every morning, an airfare credit of $700.00, (any less you get a refund – any more and you pay the extra), airport transfers, ground transport (as comprehensively described in the itinerary), welcome drinks in the VIP area and Mindil Money on Day 2 at the Sunset Markets, four night’s track admission and passes to the Chariots’ Lounge at Northline Speedway, access to the GST $ eskys, the Chariots of Thunder Motorcade, Fan Appreciation night, (including meal and drinks to the value of $60.00) the Street party, the Fish and Chips Sunset cruise, opportunity to go on a commercial coach tour to Kakadu or Katherine Gorge, Global Speedway Tours’ mini bus day trip to Litchfield National Park ($30 optional extra), tour clothing and tons of fun that comes for free …..
The optional five additional nights to also take in the NT Sprintcar Title on Saturday August 13th commence with your arrival into Darwin on Friday August 12th. We expect that this will be a mid-afternoon arrival time, but it might be midnight on the 12th, depending on where you are flying from.
There is no organised sightseeing for these five days, but one minibus and driver will be available to take you around the city and of course to the speedway. Accommodation and breakfast at the Zen is included, as is admission to the Chariots Lounge for the Title.
The additional cost of the optional extra five nights to take in the NT Sprintcar title is as follows:
| Harbourview apartment | $1,015.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Deluxe Junior Suite | $1,075.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Twin apartment | $1,215.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
| Two-bedroom apartment | $1,415.00 per person | (based on twin share) |
The rider for the additional five nights option is that there must be a minimum of eight people who want to do it and a maximum of 10. If there is, then full tour facilities will apply and a tour guide with transport will be present. The above pricing in blue will apply. If there are less than eight people, then those who want to take the extension option can still do so and be accommodated in the Zen Apartments with breakfast, plus have tickets and access to the Chariots Lounge at the speedway, but ground transport in Darwin and other sightseeing excursions for those five days will be at their cost. A $300 per person refund will apply if that is the case.
The 5-night pre-tour extension is only available as an add on to the 12 day tour.
Note: We are offering a choice of four room types in the Ramada Zen, all of which are serviced hotel apartments. All rooms contain a full kitchen, washing machine/dryer and cooking implements. Please click this self-contained Hotel Room Types at Ramada Suites Darwin link which will show you all seven apartment configurations. For simplicity, we have chosen four separate types and negotiated rates accordingly. All include breakfast.
Here is the layout of an Executive Harbourview apartment: Very suitable for married couples and the most economical option.
Deluxe Junior Suite: At 64 sq metres they are larger than the Executive Harbourview apartment, boasting a bigger lounge / living area and a separate bedroom and ensuite.
Twin apartment: Also suitable for married couples, but mainly for sharing with someone “you don’t wish to sleep in the same bed with”! Has a separate bedroom with a queen bed and a single bed.
Two-bedroom apartment: Suitable for two individuals who want their own bedroom and privacy. As the name implies this apartment has two separate bedrooms each with a queen bed. Hence the most expensive price.
As a result, there are four different tour prices. Your Booking Form will reflect this and you will be asked which option you want. If you are travelling on your own and are happy to be sharing with another single person who wants the same option, please indicate whether you want to be in a Twin Room, or a Two Bedroom Apartment. We will do our best to match you up. If we can’t, we’ll talk to you about an outcome.
If you’d like to see 590 photos from past clients of the Zen, please click here.
The Ramada Zen breakfast menu. You have up to $18 credit each morning to spend. You can have more, but the balance will finish up on your room account.
Click this link for the official 2021 Chariots of Thunder Fan Guide. We will post the 2022 version when received from the track.
