About Us

Swagalong Tours is a family business based in Far North Queensland. Husband and wife team Ben & Cassie own and operate the business from their home in tropical Cairns. Ben leads our tours whilst Cassie looks after the office.

Fortunate to live in what we think is the most beautiful part of the country, we want to show you the best there is to offer. With a strong knowledge of the history, geography and flora & fauna of The Cape, you can be assured we will share this with you!

Our other favourite place to be is in the desert! With frequent requests from our guests to tour the Simpson Desert, it was obvious that we should share this arid environment with them too!

We know time is precious. We've spent years exploring and touring and have refined our itineraries to provide you with the best possible experience.

We want to help you enjoy the experience and will share our 4WD knowledge with you to get you across all the challenges we encounter. Whether you’ve just bought your first 4WD or are an experienced four wheeler, we want to help you improve your skills and confidence in our beautiful landscape.

Swagalong Tours is the ONLY tagalong tour operator who tours exclusively in Cape York and the Simpson Desert!

We're not spread thin across the country. We aren't asking you to fund our lap of the 4WD adventure tracks. We don't split our time between you and passengers in our cars.

We focus exclusively on the Cape and the Simpson because we absolutely love them. We know them inside out and back to front and we want you to benefit from our experience.

Our two guides have over 50 years of guiding experience between them. We both live in Far North Queensland and have 20+ years experience travelling in Cape York and 10+ in the Simpson Desert..

Safety is our number one priority. All staff are fully trained in advanced first-aid and CPR. We carry a full first-aid kit, a defibrillator (AED), as well as fire extinguishers. There is a full mechanics kit in our lead vehicle and we can fix most issues roadside or in camp. We also carry satellite comms and a PLB (EPIRB) so we can raise help no matter how remote we are.

We are proud to be accredited members of several local and state tourism bodies as well as partnering with environmental protection organisations. We have operator permits for the National Parks we visit. We operate with a "Leave it better that you found it" ethos and take pride in keeping our landscapes in pristine condition.

We want you to have such an amazing experience that you will want to travel with us again!

Meet Your Guides

Ben

Exploring the world on both two and four wheels for over 25 years, Ben’s driven through over 50 countries on 6 continents and, together with Cassie, has explored most of Australia in four wheel drive. With an aversion to bitumen, he will always seek out the dirt, mud and sand tracks to travel the more adventurous route.

With a love of adventure, he's a keen scuba diver, pilot, motorcyclist and, of course, four wheel driver.

A 4WD trainer and assessor, he gains immense satisfaction from seeing people improve their driving skills and gain confidence over the length of a tour.

Ben volunteers for the emergency services where he trains in several areas including 4WD skills. He is qualified in search and rescue, remote first aid, rope work, post cyclone storm recovery, and many other skills that he hopes never to need on tour!

Mark

Mark has been in the tourism industry for over 30 years. He has not only been a tour guide but also a tour operator, tourism trainer and even a trainer of tour guides. And, of course, he has more travel and guiding qualifications than he can count.

He has taken tours all over Australia in both 2 and 4 wheel drive, in cars and coaches, and relishes being in the bush.

Highly qualified and experienced, he also has a broad and deep knowledge of Cape York which he will passionately share with his guests.

With interests in fishing, Australian history and outdoor activities, its no wonder he enjoys his job so much!

"Thank you so much for making us feel safe and comfortable on our big adventure. We felt we were in very capable hands and you helped achieve the dream of a lifetime."

Peter & Susan, TAS

“Swagalong were the best. Not only was the cape trip amazing but they helped us before and after. We needed to arrange storage for our van whist on the trip and when we got back we needed a service on the cruiser – the office helped us arrange both out without batting an eyelid. Above and beyond, thank you.”

John and Vanessa, WA

“What a fantastic adventure. The kids had the time of their lives and so did we.”

The Ryan Family, QLD

“We have done 3 trips with Ben and can’t wait for the next one!”.

Frank Kearny, SA

“From the day we left Cairns until the day we got back we had a blast. Ben’s knowledge of Cape York was shared with such enthusiasm that there was never a dull moment. As the leader of our "pack” he got us through some very wet and boggy terrain with ease even though our cars were completely covered in it! We had an issue with our wheel bearings but Ben rolled his sleeves up and helped us fix it so we could continue on our trip. The evening campfires were always a good laugh and we made so many friends that we will be keeping in touch with. We are already all talking about booking another trip so we’ll see you soon......”

Paula & Andy, ACT

“Without doubt this was the best trip we have done. We saw so much but felt extremely relaxed. The pace was just right for us and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We would have no hesitation in recommending Swagalong Tours to anyone who wants to visit Cape York.”