Off the Main Road – Australian Travel Blog

The Runways You Drive Past

Cameron — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:36:45 +0000

Most people do a hundred and thirty past them without a second glance. We have done it ourselves, more than once. (Well, 100 in the moho!) You are watching the road, the fuel gauge, the shimmer up ahead, and a flat strip of old bitumen slides by in the scrub with a faded sign and maybe a cut-out aeroplane standing where a real one used to. Then it is gone, and you are thinking about the next fuel stop.

But once you know what they are, you cannot unsee them. Strung along the Stuart Highway up to Darwin is a chain of WWII airstrips, the front line of the air war over northern Australia, and most of them sit close enough to touch as you drive north.

We had passed them a few times before we finally started stopping. This is the story of the two we explored, and the ones we still pass by, adding to our ‘must stop one day’ list.

Why are they here?

After the Japanese bombed Darwin on the nineteenth of February 1942, the thinking was simple and urgent. Keep the aircraft in one place, and one raid could destroy the lot. So the RAAF spread them out. Under the Aerodrome Development Program, strips were carved into the bush all the way down the highway, far enough apart that no single attack could take them all.

They did not mess about. Between 1942 and 1944, more than forty airstrips were built along the North-South road, most of them in the Top End. At first, they were named plainly by their distance in miles from the Port of Darwin. The 27-Mile. The 34-Mile. Later, one by one, the numbers were traded for names, and almost every name belonged to a pilot who had been killed. Drive the highway today, and you are reading a roll call of the dead, dressed up as roadside stops.

Two of them we have properly stopped at. The rest we have watched slide past, meaning to pull over one day, the way you do.

Strauss, the 27-Mile

Strauss is the most intact of the roadside fighter strips, and it sits right beside the highway, a short run south of Noonamah, with cut-out planes on the old runway and interpretive boards that are genuinely worth a read.

It was built in a hurry, between March and April of 1942, by the United States Army’s 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion. A single runway, five thousand feet long, with taxiways and dispersal bays scratched out of the bush beside it. It flew American P-40 Kittyhawks first, then RAAF and RAF Spitfires later in the war. Locals also knew it as the 27-Mile, or the Humpty Doo Strip.

The name it carries is Captain Allison Strauss, an American Kittyhawk pilot of the 8th Pursuit Squadron. He was killed over Darwin Harbour during a raid on the twenty-seventh of April 1942. He was twenty-something, a long way from home, and the strip has worn his name ever since. Standing on that quiet bit of bitumen with the road noise behind you, it is hard not to feel the weight of that.

Wander off the strip, and you find the war has not entirely been cleared away. Rows of rusting fuel drums still sit in the scrub, slumped and holed and sloww the colour of the dirt around them, with an interpretive sign nearby explaining the endless guard duty that came with a place like this. It is a small thing, a heap of old drums, but it does more to conjure the war than the cut-out planes do. Someone stacked those, once, and stood watch over them.

Gorrie Airstrip

Gorrie is the other one we made the effort for, and it astonishes in a different way. Ten kilometres north of Larrimah, a dirt track runs west off the highway for about a kilometre and then opens out, without much warning, onto a runway. You are suddenly standing on the largest aircraft repair base the Territory had in the war, and by some accounts, the biggest air force base in the country.

At its peak in late 1943, Gorrie held more than six thousand people. It was less an airstrip than a town. There was an open-air picture theatre that seated two thousand, a boxing ring, four tennis courts, and grounds for football and cricket. All of it out here, in a country that today has a pub, a few buildings and a famous pink panther at Larrimah, and not much else. It is named for Flying Officer Peter Gorrie of No. 2 Squadron RAAF, from Peterborough in South Australia, whose Hudson bomber was shot down over the Netherlands East Indies in January 1942. None of the crew was found.

Walk the old runway now, and it is just cracked bitumen, parked-up campers, concrete slabs where the great igloo hangars stood, and a lot of sky. But stand still for a minute and try to picture six thousand people, a picture theatre and a boxing ring.

The ones we haven’t visited yet

Between Gorrie in the south and Strauss in the north, the highway passes a string of others we have driven by but not yet visited. We will get to them.

Hughes was a Hudson bomber base established in May 1942 that survived three air raids without losing a single life. Livingstone, the old 34-Mile, was the first strip finished in early 1942 and took its name from an American pilot, Lieutenant John Livingstone, who crash-landed after a fight over Darwin. Further south, McDonald was built by American engineers who first called it Burkholder, before it was renamed for a Wing Commander killed in 1941. And Fenton, out to the west, was the big offensive base, a piece of America dropped into the outback, launching long-range bombers against Japanese targets through 1943 and 1944.

Each one is a slightly different story. Some are little more than a widening in the scrub now. Others, like Strauss and Gorrie, have been looked after. All of them were loud, crowded places once, and all of them are very quiet and peaceful now.

Final thoughts

The thing we carry away is not the runways themselves. It is a reminder about the war cemetery at Adelaide River, up the same highway, where a lot of these names are not on signs but on headstones.

It is easy to treat the roadside strips as a nice leg-stretch, a cut-out plane, a photo, and back in the moho. And they are a good stop, genuinely. But they are also the reason a whole generation of young men, Australian, American, British, came to this hot, remote country, and the reason some of them never left it. The strips are named for the ones who did not make it home. Worth pulling over for. Worth reading the boards. Worth a quiet minute before you get back on the road.

What's nearby

These strips thread through the country we have travelled in for months. To the north, the highway runs down to Darwin and out to the coast at Dundee Beach. To the south, it continues toward Three Ways, then either south to Adelaide or west to Queensland. Adelaide River, with its war cemetery, sits right on the road between the two and is well worth the stop for anyone following this history properly.

We share the road as we find it, the quiet history as much as the big country, through our Travel Dispatch. If that is your pace, you can join usHERE

The Stuart Highway Airstrips

The airstrips run the length of the Stuart Highway through the Top End, with more as you get closer to Darwin. They were the dispersal fields of the air war, built to scatter aircraft away from Darwin after the 1942 bombing. Some are now heritage-listed and interpreted with boards and model planes. Others are little more than a widening in the scrub, slowly going back to bush. The two best to visit are Strauss, the most intact of the roadside fighter strips, and Gorrie, once the largest airbase in the country.

How to Get There

The strips sit along the Stuart Highway between Three Ways, at the Barkly junction, and Darwin. You do not need to plan a special trip. If you are driving north to Darwin, you are already passing them. Strauss is the easiest to visit. It sits right beside the highway, a short run south of Noonamah, roughly 45 kilometres south of Darwin, with a car park, interpretive boards, and cut-out planes visible from the road. You cannot really miss it once you are looking. Gorrie takes a little more effort, which is part of its appeal. It is about 10 kilometres north of Larrimah. A signed dirt track runs west off the highway for around a kilometre before opening out onto the runway. The track is fine in the dry but should be left alone after rain, and it is worth checking conditions before you take anything large down it.

What to See and Do

‍ ‍What we did:‍

Stopped at Strauss to walk the old runway and read the interpretive boards.
Drove the dirt track into Gorrie and stood on the airstrip of what was once the biggest airbase in the country.

Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

Hughes Airfield, a Hudson bomber base that came through three air raids without losing a life.
Livingstone, the old 34-Mile, the first strip completed and named for an American pilot lost over Darwin.
McDonald and Fenton, further south and west, the latter a major long-range bomber base.
The Adelaide River War Cemetery, on the highway between the strips, where many of these names appear on headstones.

When to Visit

The dry season, roughly May to October, is the time to visit. The weather is stable, the strips are easy to walk on, and the Gorrie track is firm. The wet season brings heat, storms and the risk of a boggy track, and the dirt run into Gorrie in particular is best avoided after rain. Early morning or late afternoon is best for walking the open runways, as they retain heat.

Final Thoughts

The thing we carry away is not the runways themselves. It is the cemetery at Adelaide River, up the same highway, where a lot of these names are not on signs but on headstones. The strips are named after those who did not make it home. Worth pulling over for. Worth reading the boards. Worth a quiet minute before you get back on the road.

What's Nearby

To the north, the highway runs down to Darwin and out to the coast at Dundee Beach. To the south, it continues toward Three Ways, then either south to Adelaide or west to Queensland. Adelaide River, with its war cemetery, sits right on the road between the two and is well worth the stop for anyone following this history properly.

We share the road as we find it, the quiet history as much as the big country, through our Travel Dispatch. If that is your pace, you can join us HERE

Dundee Beach, NT

📍 Approx 100km West from Strauss Airstrip

Dundee Beach is beautiful — and absolutely not for swimming. Timor Sea sunsets, the tavern, fishing, and what to know before the 120 km drive from Darwin.

Read the full story ->

Fast Facts

Location: Stuart Highway, between Three Ways and Darwin, Northern Territory
Key stops: Strauss Airfield (south of Noonamah); Gorrie Airfield (10km north of Larrimah)
Strauss: Built Mar–Apr 1942; most intact roadside fighter strip; interpretive boards and model aircraft roadside
Gorrie: Territory’s largest wartime repair base; held 6,000+ personnel at its 1943 peak; runway accessible via 1km dirt track (dry season).
Informal, unofficial camping on the old airfield. No facilities, leave no trace.
Access: Strauss is roadside and sealed; Gorrie is a short dirt track, dry weather only.
Best Time to Visit: Dry season, May to October
Dog Friendly: Yes, outdoor sites (on lead)1080 baiting in the area near Gorrie Airstrip, dogs must be kept on lead

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The highway itself: Road trains, long distances, wandering stock. The strips are right beside a fast road, so pull off properly and watch the kids and the dog near the bitumen.

The Gorrie track: Fine in the dry, boggy and best avoided after rain. Don’t take the moho down it without checking conditions.

The heat: Open runways, no shade. Hat, water, sunscreen.

Snakes: Old overgrown strips are good snake country. Watch where you step in the long grass.

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Bynoe: Airboat Adventures

Cameron — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:33:00 +0000

Our airboat trip with Northern Territory Airboats, out near Bynoe, turned into one of the more memorable mornings we had in the Top End. It’s fast, loud and surprisingly calm in between. The boat skimmed across the surface as soon as the fan kicked in, gliding over shallow water and twisting channels that would stop a normal vessel immediately.

Once we settled into the rhythm, the crocs appeared first. A few saltwater crocodiles were sunning themselves along the banks, keeping their distance but making their presence known. Seeing them out here feels different to spotting them near towns; quieter, a bit more ancient, and clearly at home.

Birdlife was the real standout. Our guide, Josh, pointed out species we would’ve missed on our own, adding enough context to make the wetlands feel alive rather than just scenic. The airboat itself helped; it moves quickly but doesn’t churn up the shallows, letting us slip close without disturbing much.

Most of the time, the only sounds were the fan winding down, the calls of birds across the floodplain and the water settling behind us. It was an easy way to experience the wetlands without needing a big day trip or a long drive into the national parks.

If you enjoy these quieter wildlife encounters mixed with a bit of speed, join our Travel Dispatch

northernterritoryairboats.com.au

Northern Territory Airboats (Bynoe)

Northern Territory Airboats offers guided airboat tours across the Bynoe wetlands, with a focus on birdlife, crocodile spotting and the ecology of the floodplains. Tours operate seasonally, with experienced local guides leading each trip.

Website: northernterritoryairboats.com.au
Phone Number:0428 474 710

How to Get There

Bynoe is roughly 70–90 minutes southwest of Darwin via sealed roads until the final approach. Northern Territory Airboats provides clear directions when booking.

What to See, Tours and Activities

What we did:
• Joined a guided airboat tour with Northern Territory Airboats.
• Spotted saltwater crocodiles relaxing on the banks.
• Watched birdlife across the floodplains.

Other highlights you might explore:
• Fishing charters operating out of Bynoe Harbour.
• Mandorah and Cox Peninsula drives.
• Dundee Beach for sunsets and long horizons.

When to Visit

Dry season (May–October) offers clearer conditions and easier access. The wet season brings dramatic skies and active wildlife, but tours may vary with water levels.

Final Thoughts

Northern Territory Airboats gave us an easy way to see a different part of the Top End. A mix of wetlands, wildlife and open space without needing a full-day adventure or long hike. A good option if you’re already exploring the coastline between Darwin and Dundee.

What’s Nearby

Bynoe sits between Darwin and Dundee Beach, making it a convenient stop to combine with Berry Springs, Cox Peninsula or a run out to Dundee Beach for sunset.

Dundee Beach, NT

📍 Approx 33km West from Bynoe

Dundee Beach is beautiful — and absolutely not for swimming. Timor Sea sunsets, the tavern, fishing, and what to know before the 120 km drive from Darwin.

Read the full story ->

Berry Springs, NT

📍 Approx 55km East from Bynoe

Visit Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs near Darwin. A spacious, walkable wildlife park showcasing Top End animals, ecosystems, and conservation in a calm, family-friendly setting.

Read the full story ->

Fast Facts

Location: Bynoe Harbour, NT
Distance: 70–90 minutes from Darwin
Traditional Owners: Larrakia People
Access: Mostly sealed roads; final access varies
Facilities: Parking and tour meeting point
Walking Track: None; tours are boat-based
Dog Friendly: No
Best Time to Visit: Dry season

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

Saltwater Crocs: They run the place. Stay in the boat. They WILL kill you!

Sun: Wide-open wetlands and limited shade…hats on, water up.

Wind: Airboats move fast. Secure your hat or wave it goodbye.

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Fogg Dam: Birds, Crocs and Breakfast

Cameron — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 21:25:24 +0000

We drove out to Fogg Dam expecting a quiet look at a bit of water and a few ducks. We came away having seen more birds than we could name, two saltwater crocodiles, a sleepy freshwater croc, and a pair of tourists we are fairly sure we saved from becoming breakfast. Not a bad haul for a morning.

Fogg Dam sits on the Adelaide River floodplain, out past Humpty Doo on the road toward Kakadu. It was built in the 1950s to water a grand rice-growing scheme that never quite worked, and when the rice failed, the wetland quietly took over. What was meant to be a paddock is now one of the best birdwatching spots in the Top End, with a couple of hundred species recorded and one of the highest predator-to-prey ratios of anywhere on earth, thanks to a famous population of water pythons and the dusky rats they live on. Nature, it turns out, made much better use of the place than we did.

We headed out early, which is the only sensible way to do it. The birds are busiest in the cool of the morning, the light is soft, and the tour buses have not arrived yet. Zoe stayed home for this one, having a lie-in back at the moho with the air con going, which was the right call. Dogs are not permitted in the reserve, and in any case, a wetland full of crocodiles is no place for a curious staffy!

The birdlife was the first thing to stop us. Egrets and herons stalking the shallows, jacanas trotting across the lily pads on those ridiculous long toes, ibis, cormorants, and, somewhere out over the floodplain, hidden from us, a jabiru, Australia’s only stork. Cameron’s new copy of Birds of Australia earned its place in the day, coming out every few minutes as we tried to put names to what we were seeing. There is a particular satisfaction in flipping to the right page and going, there, that one, that is what that is.

And then the crocodiles, which is where Fogg Dam stops being a gentle birdwatch and reminds you where you are. We spotted a freshwater croc first, small and sleepy, chilling just under the water, the sort you can look at with mild affection. The two salties were another matter. You do not look at a saltwater crocodile with affection. You look at it with respect and a firm intention to stay in the vehicle. The dam wall here is officially closed to walking for exactly this reason, and the signs are not subtle about it.

Which brings us to the tourists. Partway along, we came upon a couple who had decided the closed dam wall looked like a nice spot for a stroll, out on foot, right beside the water, precisely where the salties live. We pulled up and had a quiet word, pointed out the closure signs and the very good reason for them, and turned them gently back toward their car. They had no idea. We would rather be the ones who told them than read about it later. Consider it a public service, delivered before nine in the morning.

We had timed our run well right up until the moment three tour buses arrived at once, and the quiet morning became a car park. That is the risk out here, and the argument for getting in early. We had already had the best of it, so we were happy enough to hand the place over and move on.

There was one more thing that caught our Neil’s attention on the way. Out along the Arnhem Highway near Humpty Doo stands a great circular array of radio masts, the Humpty Doo transmitting station. Neil, who cannot drive past an antenna farm without wanting to know what it does, had questions, so we looked it up. It turns out to be a Navy site, built in 1982 after Cyclone Tracy wrecked the old transmitting station closer to Darwin. It is still going, still owned by Defence, and it is the transmitting half of a high-frequency communications system that reaches out across the north. All those masts, humming away in the scrub, sending signals over the horizon while the egrets fish in the shallows next door. The Top End is full of these odd overlaps if you keep your eyes open.

If you like a stop where the wildlife outnumbers the people, our Travel Dispatch is full of them. You can sign up HERE

Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve

Fogg Dam is a wetland reserve on the Adelaide River floodplain, about 70 kilometres east of Darwin and a short run past Humpty Doo. Built as part of a failed 1950s rice project, it is now one of the most accessible wetlands in the Top End and a renowned birdwatching site, open all year. The reserve sits on the traditional lands of the Limilngan-Wulna people, who are active in its management. A causeway runs across the dam with viewing platforms and bird hides, and there are walking trails through the surrounding monsoon forest and floodplain. The dam wall itself is closed to walking because of crocodiles.

How to Get There

Fogg Dam is an easy day trip from Darwin, roughly 70 kilometres and under an hour by sealed road. Head east out of Darwin on the Arnhem Highway, through Humpty Doo, then turn off onto Fogg Dam Road and follow the signs. The roads are sealed and suitable for all vehicles, and the reserve is open year-round with all-weather access. There is no public transport, though several Darwin-based tour operators include Fogg Dam on wetland and wildlife day trips. An NT Parks Pass is required.

What to See and Do

What we did:‍ ‍

Arrived early to catch the birds at their most active and beat the tour buses.
Watched egrets, herons, jacanas and ibis working the shallows and lily pads.
Spotted a freshwater croc and two saltwater crocodiles from the safety of the vehicle.
Turned a pair of tourists back off the closed dam wall before the crocs got a look at them.

Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

The Monsoon Forest Walk and the Woodlands to Waterlilies Walk, easy flat trails through the forest and onto the floodplain.
Pandanus Knoll Lookout, excellent at sunrise or sunset over the wetlands.
The Humpty Doo transmitting station, the Navy radio array visible from the Arnhem Highway.
The Adelaide River jumping crocodile cruises, further along the highway.

A Note on the Crocodiles

Fogg Dam is home to both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, and the saltwater ones are the reason the dam wall is closed to walking. This is not a technicality or an overcautious sign. Salties move silently, travel long distances underwater, and can remain submerged and unseen for extended periods.

The water looks calm, and the lily pads look lovely, and that is exactly the trap.

Stay in your vehicle where the signs tell you to;

Do not walk the closed dam wall;
Keep well back from the water's edge on the viewing platforms;
Do not let children wander toward the water. Be crocwise!
The birds are worth the trip. Becoming a cautionary tale is not.

When to Visit

The birds are at their best from around the end of December through to July, when the water lilies are in bloom and the wetland is full. The dry season, from May to October, gives you easy access and stable weather. Whenever you come, early morning is the golden window: the birds are active, the light is beautiful, the heat is bearable, and you will have the place largely to yourself before the tour buses roll in around mid-morning. Bring binoculars, a bird field guide, insect repellent and dull-coloured clothing, and go slowly and quietly so as not to startle the birds.

Final Thoughts

We turned up at Fogg Dam expecting very little and left thoroughly won over. There is something about a place that was meant to be one thing, a rice farm, and quietly became something far better, a wetland alive with birds and crocs and the low hum of insects. We drove out feeling rather pleased with ourselves, both for the bird spotting (who knew we liked birds!) and for the two people who will never know how close they came to a very bad morning.

What's Nearby

Fogg Dam sits in the rich wetland country east of Darwin, an easy pairing with a run out along the Arnhem Highway. To the west, the road runs back into Darwin and out to the coast at Dundee Beach. Keep heading east and you are on the road to Kakadu. Closer at hand, the Adelaide River cruises and the pubs of Humpty Doo make an easy add-on to a morning at the dam.

We share stops like this one, the wildlife and the quiet corners, through our Travel Dispatch. If that is your pace, you can join usHERE

BERRY SPRINGS

Berry Springs, NT

📍 Approx 55km West from Fogg Dam

Visit Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs near Darwin. A spacious, walkable wildlife park showcasing Top End animals, ecosystems, and conservation in a calm, family-friendly setting.

Read the full story -> DUNDEE BEACH

Dundee Beach, NT

📍 Approx 137km West from Fogg Dam

Dundee Beach is beautiful — and absolutely not for swimming. Timor Sea sunsets, the tavern, fishing, and what to know before the 120 km drive from Darwin.

Read the full story ->

Fast Facts

Location: Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Adelaide River floodplain, near Humpty Doo, Northern Territory
Distance: About 70km east of Darwin, under an hour by sealed road
Traditional Owners: Limilngan-Wulna people, active in the reserve’s management
Access: Sealed roads, all vehicles, open year-round. NT Parks Pass required
Facilities: Causeway, viewing platforms, bird hides, walking trails, picnic areas. No camping
Wildlife: 200+ bird species, saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, water pythons
Swimming: No. Crocodile habitat
Best Time to Visit: Birds best December to July; early morning any time of year
Dog Friendly: No. Pets are not permitted in the reserve

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)(or Might)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

Saltwater crocodiles: The real reason the dam wall is closed. Stay in the vehicle where signed, keep back from the water, and do not walk the wall. This one genuinely could.

Complacency: The water looks calm and pretty. That is the point. No croc in sight does not mean no croc.

Mosquitoes: The wetland teems with them, worst at dawn and dusk. Cover up and use repellent. They carry more than an itch up here.

The heat: Little shade on the causeway. Hat, water, and go early before it bakes.

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Finding the Lost City

Cameron — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:05:51 +0000

The ‘curse’ lifted the moment we left the ground. Which is to say, we broke it by cheating and flew.
To find out more about the curse, check out our previous story: The cursed road to Heartbreak

There are a few ways to reach the Lost Cities around Cape Crawford. Some you can drive to, if you have the vehicle and the nerve for the roads. Our moho was not the vehicle and after our previous journey our nerves weren’t up for it either.

The Lost City we came for sits on private land, on McArthur River Station, and the only way in is by helicopter. So the morning after we limped into Heartbreak Hotel, dusty and cursed and still faintly itchy, we handed ourselves over to Lost City Helicopters and a bright yellow chopper with no doors.

No doors. Worth repeating, because Cameron would like it on record that he is not a fan of the whirly birds at the best of times, let alone strapped into one that has decided doors are optional. We buckled in, held on tight, and lifted off over the scrub with the wind coming straight through the cabin. Thirty minutes of flying, and somewhere in the first five minutes, the nerves gave way to something better.

Because from the air, the name finally makes sense. Sandstone towers rise straight out of the savannah in their hundreds, pillars and spires and blunt-topped blocks standing in rows and clusters like the ruins of a city nobody remembers building. Streets, almost. Laneways between the towers. You understand, looking down, why the European explorers who came through here reached for the word city.

We put down in a clearing among the towers, and then it was just us. Us, the pilot, the yellow chopper, and an hour and a half on foot through the formations with not another human in sight. No boardwalks, no railings, no signs telling us where to look. Just the guide, the two of us, and the strange stone rising overhead. It felt, as much as anything ever has, like walking into a place for the first time.

Our guide knew the country well, and not just the rocks. Every few minutes, there was something to stop for. A plant that flowers only after fire, a bird call placed before we could find the bird, the small signs of how much life holds on out here. We came for the towers and left knowing a little of what lives among them.

It is worth saying plainly that this is Gudanji, Yanyuwa, Garrwa and Mara Country, and has been for many thousands of years. We were visitors here for a morning. The people of these nations have held a connection to this land and these waters across a span of time that makes the word ancient feel small, and that connection carries on today. We did not set out to retell stories that are not ours to tell, and we came away thinking the best way to hear from the Traditional Owners is directly from the Traditional Owners themselves. In Borroloola, up the road, Waralungku Arts shows work by Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gudanji artists, and it is a good place to start.

We made it back to Heartbreak with a ton of photographs and a day we will be talking about for a long while. Cameron even conceded, on solid ground, that the doorless chopper had been worth it. (Do not tell the pilot)

The next day, we kept our feet on the ground and drove out toward Borroloola and King Ash Bay, an easy day trip north from the hotel and a good way to see the Gulf side of this country. Borroloola sits on the McArthur River, a small town with a big fishing reputation, and King Ash Bay, a little further on, is where much of that fishing actually happens: a cluster of camps and boat ramps run by a club on the riverbank. It is barramundi country, and even for a pair who came for rocks rather than rods, there is something to the quiet pull of all that brown water heading out to the sea.

The thing that stops you on the way, though, is the mine. The McArthur River zinc and lead mine is one of the largest deposits of its kind in the world, and you feel its scale long before you can see much. The open pit runs to more than four hundred metres deep, and a couple of hundred hectares across, and the overburden has been piled into mountains that were not there before. To reach the ore, which lay directly beneath the river, the operation diverted five and a half kilometres of the McArthur River from its course. Take a moment with that...They shifted the river. It is a genuinely staggering sight to drive past, and, we will say plainly, it is also the same river the Traditional Owners have gone to court over, most recently in a ruling that recognised lasting cultural harm from the mine’s expansion. Both things are true at once, the sheer engineering nerve of it and the cost carried by the people whose Country it sits on. We drove past quietly and left it at that.

If you would like the next stretch of the road delivered straight to you, our Travel Dispatch is where we keep the stories coming. You can sign up HERE

The Lost City at Cape Crawford

The Lost City we visited sits on private land on McArthur River Station, and the only access is by helicopter from Cape Crawford. It is one of several such formations in the region, all made of the same ancient sandstone, but this one has no road in and no crowds, which is a large part of why it feels the way it does.

Lost City Helicopters

How the Lost Cities Were Formed

The short version is a very, very long time. The sandstone here began as sand on the floor of an ancient sea more than a billion years ago, among the oldest rock of its kind anywhere on Earth. Over millions of years, that sand was buried, compacted, and cemented into solid stone, then slowly uplifted into a plateau.

Then the plateau began to break. Cracks opened along lines of weakness in the rock, and water and wind went to work on those cracks, widening them into crevices, then gullies, then narrow gorges. What was left standing between the gaps became the towers. Everything you see rising from the plain is simply the hardest stone, the parts that resisted longest while the rest weathered away around them. The stone itself is almost pure silica sand, held together by a crust of iron and minerals, which is what gives the towers their deep rust colour in the right light. And because it began as seabed, there are no fossils in it. It is older than the creatures that would have left them.

Other Lost Cities You Can Drive To

The Lost City we visited was the ‘helicopter one‘, but it is not the only Lost City out here. Limmen National Park, north and east of Cape Crawford, holds both the Southern Lost City and the Western Lost City, and both can be reached by road rather than air. Access is via the Nathan River Road and the side tracks off it, all unsealed, somewhat rough, and best tackled in a well-prepared four-wheel drive. The Southern Lost City has a camping ground close to the formations and a loop walk that runs right along the base, which would be a fine way to see them at dawn. There are no services in the park to speak of, so anyone heading in needs to be fully self-sufficient with fuel, water and supplies. It is not a drive to take lightly, but for those set up for it, you can walk among the towers without leaving the ground.

When to Visit

The dry season, roughly May to September, is the window to travel. but always check the NT Roads App or NT Parks website. The roads into Limmen close with the wet, and helicopter flights depend on the weather too. The cooler dry-season months make the walking bearable, and the light on the stone is at its best early and late in the day, when the low sun casts the towers in glowing light.

Final Thoughts

We had chased these towers a long way, up a ‘highway’ that did its best to stop us, and for a while it felt like the country did not want us to arrive. Then we flew in over the top of it all and understood what the fuss was about. Standing among stone older than almost anything else on the planet, with no one else for miles, is a quiet sort of feeling. Small, in the way the outback is good at making you feel small. Curse well and truly broken!

What's Nearby

We reached the Lost City from Heartbreak Hotel at Cape Crawford, at the end of the long haul up the Tablelands Highway from Barkly Roadhouse. From here, the road carries on north through Borroloola and out toward the Gulf, or west into Limmen National Park and the drive-in Lost Cities, either one a fair reward for making it this far. Daly Waters is ready to greet you at the end of the Carpentaria Highway heading east out of Cape Crawford.

Daly Waters, NT

📍 Approx 390km West of Cape Crawford

Daly Waters blends quirky outback fun with deep NT history. From the iconic pub to Stuart’s Tree and the WWII airfield, it’s a stop packed with character. A classic place to slow down on the Stuart Highway.

Read the full story →

The Road to Heartbreak

📍 Approx 380km North of Barkly Roadhouse

Every expedition needs a curse, and ours began the moment we left Mount Isa chasing the Lost Cities. Plagues of bugs, biblical rain, a brutal road, and a mysterious rash.

Read the full story →

We send updates from the road out as we travel it, quietly and without the hype, through our Travel Dispatch. If that is your pace, you can join us HERE

Fast Facts

Location: Lost City, McArthur River Station, near Cape Crawford, Northern Territory
Access: By helicopter only, from Cape Crawford (Heartbreak Hotel). The Southern and Western Lost Cities in Limmen National Park are reached by unsealed 4WD roads
Traditional Owners: Gudanji, Yanyuwa, Garrwa and Mara Country
Tour: Lost City Helicopters, roughly a 30-minute flight plus around 1.5 hours walking the formations
Rock Age: Sandstone dating back more than a billion years, among the oldest of its kind on Earth
Facilities: Base yourself at Heartbreak Hotel for fuel, meals, showers and a campsite. No services at the formations themselves
Best Time to Visit: May to September (dry season)
Dog Friendly: No, Zoe sat this one out in the air conditioning at Heartbreak

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

Doorless helicopters: Statistically fine. Emotionally, a lot to ask of a nervous chopper flyer. Follow the pilot’s instructions and keep your limbs inside the imaginary lines.

The heat: Little shade among the towers and no water out there. Carry your own and wear a hat.

Uneven ground: The walking is unmarked and rocky. Watch your footing around the bases of the formations.

The Limmen roads: If you drive to the other Lost Cities instead, the unsealed tracks are remote and unforgiving. Full fuel, full water, and tell someone your plan.

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The cursed road to Heartbreak

Cameron — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:58:10 +0000

Every good adventure needs a curse, and ours started the moment we pointed the moho west out of Mount Isa.

We’d heard about the Lost Cities from a mate, the kind of tip that comes with a look and a lowered voice. “You have to see them. Worth the drive.” Ancient sandstone towers rising out of the scrub near Cape Crawford, so strange and ruined-looking they’ve been named for cities that never existed. We didn’t need much more convincing. We stocked up, aimed the wheels towards Borroloola, and set off chasing them.

What we didn’t know was that the road out there had other ideas. Rain, mud, plagues of insects, and a mysterious affliction visited upon poor Neil. It was all, as you’ll see, somewhat easily explained. But at the time, bouncing along one of the worst roads in the country while everything slowly stopped working, it felt distinctly cursed. Very Indiana Jones. So allow us the melodrama, because the story’s more fun that way.

The First Omen

We spent two days in Mount Isa doing the sensible things, filling the tanks, filling the fridge, filling every gap with the supplies you learn to hoard before heading somewhere remote. Then we turned west toward Barkly Station via Camooweal, feeling well organised and pleased with ourselves.

That was our first mistake.

At our first stop, Camooweal Billabong, the moho was swarmed. Not just the usual mozzie escort…everything. Every winged, crawling, bewildering species the area had to offer found its way inside our home, as though someone had rung a bell and declared the buffet open. We swatted, we sealed, we questioned our life choices. If you’re the superstitious type, you might have called it a sign.

We are not the superstitious type. (We’re now reconsidering.)

Trial by Water

Then came the rain.

June is meant to be the dry season out here; that’s the whole point of travelling then. But the Barkly hadn’t read the brochure. An unusual deluge turned the whole country to mud, flooded the campsite, and pinned us at the Barkly Roadhouse for three days while we waited for the land to firm up enough to travel.

There are worse places to be stranded. Barkly Homestead Roadhouse sits at the junction of the Barkly and Tablelands Highways, a genuine oasis in a vast expanse. Fuel, a bar, hot showers, a pool, powered sites, and hospitality that makes sense when you understand how far it is to anywhere else. We watched the rain come down, let Zoe stretch her legs between showers, and did the slow-travel thing we’re always banging on about: we waited. When the country tells you to stop, you stop. Bogging a five-tonne motorhome to its axles in red sticky mud is not the flex it sounds like.

The Gauntlet

Eventually, the ground dried up, and we committed to the Tablelands Highway.

"Highway" is doing an enormous amount of work in the name of this road. What it actually is: a single lane of bitumen, barely wider than the moho, edged by soft red shoulders just waiting to swallow a tyre. And it threw everything at us. Bone-jarring potholes. Washouts. Cattle on the road, cattle poop on the road, cattle regarding us with open contempt from the road. Emus doing their panicked sideways sprint. Road trains that own the place, which means easing off the bitumen onto the treacherous shoulder and praying while fifty-three metres of cattle truck thunders past.

Six hours. That’s what it took us to cover the 300 kilometres from Barkly to Heartbreak. Do the maths, and you’ll understand how tiring this journey was.

We’d hoped to break it up at one of the free camps marked along the way, but most were so overgrown and inaccessible we couldn’t get the moho in, so we just kept going, and going, until our patience started to fade and we were running on fumes and stubbornness.

The Curse Strikes

And then, at last, Heartbreak Hotel, the roadhouse at Cape Crawford, and yes, that’s its real name.

We limped in tired, dusty and desperate for a hot shower. A hearty meal and that shower did their work, and we started to feel human again, ready to finally go hunting for our Lost Cities in the morning.

The curse had one last card to play.

Our gas and water sensors, all of them, chose that precise moment to mysteriously stop working! So Neil, being Neil, crawled underneath the moho to investigate. He emerged a while later with no diagnosis, covered in red dust and something new: a strange, angry rash spreading across his back. Plant-based, it turned out. Entirely explainable. But in the moment? A man crawls beneath the machine to lift the curse, only to emerge marked by the ancients.

Tell me that’s not straight out of an Indiana Jones film. Stay tuned for our visit to the Lost Cities, which was definitely NOT cursed, especially as we were getting there in a metal tube with a fan strapped to the roof!

Our Travel Dispatch keeps track of where we are and where we’ve been. Sign upHERE

Barkly Homestead Roadhouse

Barkly Homestead sits at the junction of the Barkly and Tablelands Highways. Fuel, a bar and bistro, hot showers, a pool, and powered and unpowered sites make it the natural place to break the run across the Barkly Tableland, or, in our case, to sit out three days of unexpected rain. It’s remote enough that you understand the hospitality the moment you arrive.

Heartbreak Hotel

The roadhouse at Cape Crawford, at the junction of the Carpentaria and Tablelands Highways, is the closest base for visiting the Lost Cities. Meals, fuel, cold drinks, showers, camping, are a welcome sight after the long haul up the Tablelands Highway.

How to Get There

From Mount Isa, head west along the Barkly Highway to Barkly Homestead, a roughly 450-kilometre, fully sealed route to the Barkly Roadhouse.

From there, the Tablelands Highway runs north to Cape Crawford, approximately 300 kilometres of single-lane sealed road that is rough in patches, prone to washouts after rain and shared with road trains and wandering cattle. Allow far more time than the distance suggests. It took us six hours. Fuel up at Barkly Homestead before you commit, as there is nothing in between.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:‍ ‍

Stocked up in Mount Isa before heading remote.
Camped at Barkly Homestead Roadhouse and waited out three days of rain.
Drove the Tablelands Highway north to Cape Crawford.
Based ourselves at Heartbreak Hotel, ready to explore the Lost Cities.

Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

The Lost Cities near Cape Crawford, the sandstone formations that drew us out here (more on those in the next post).
Borroloola and the McArthur River, further north toward the Gulf.
Caranbirini Conservation Reserve, with its own dramatic sandstone spires.

When to Visit

Aim for the dry season, roughly May to September, and then hold that plan loosely. Our June washout is proof that the Barkly region writes its own weather. If rain is in the forecast, add buffer days and don’t be too impatient to sit tight at a roadhouse. The roads out here go from rough but fine to impassable faster than you’d think, and a bogged motorhome or caravan is a very expensive lesson.

Final Thoughts

We made it. Battered, itchy, three days behind schedule and running on the last of our patience, but we made it. And somewhere out past Heartbreak, in the scrub near Cape Crawford, the reason for all of it was waiting. Towers of stone that look for all the world like the ruins of a city that time forgot. Whether the curse was real or just the ordinary chaos of the outback dressed up in an Indiana Jones hat, we’ll let you decide once you’ve seen the photographs, in our next post.

What’s Nearby

We came to Heartbreak via Mount Isa, Camooweal and Barkly Homestead, having spent the previous week chasing the Min Min Lights around Boulia. From here the road runs north to the Lost Cities and on toward Borroloola and the Gulf, which is where we’re headed next.

Our Travel Dispatch keeps track of where we are and where we’ve been. Sign up HERE

Camooweal, QLD

📍 Approx 557km South-East of Heartbreak Hotel 📍 Approx 260km East of Barkly Roadhouse

Camooweal Billabong gave us a calm stop on the edge of the NT border. Wuiet water, steady birdlife and slow days beside the outback floodplain. A simple, peaceful pause after long Queensland miles.

Read the full story →

Mount Isa, QLD

📍 Approx 450km East of Barkly Roadhouse

📍 Approx 830km South-East of Heartbreak Hotel

Mount Isa kept us longer than planned with its underground tours, wartime history and warm community feel. A gritty and fascinating outback city that rewards travellers who give it more than a quick overnight stop.

Read the full story →

Fast Facts

Location: Cape Crawford / Barkly Tableland, Northern Territory
Distance: Barkly Homestead is approx. 450km west of Mount Isa; Cape Crawford is approx. 300km north of Barkly Homestead via the Tablelands Highway
Traditional Owners: Wakaya, Warumungu, Wambaya, Ngandji and Binbinga Country
Access: Sealed throughout; the Tablelands Highway is single-lane and rough, with washouts after rain
Facilities: Fuel, meals, showers and camping at Barkly Homestead and Heartbreak Hotel; nothing in between
Best Time to Visit: May to September (dry season)
Dog Friendly: Yes at both roadhouses (on lead; check individual sites)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

Red sticky mud: The axle-deep, tow-truck-summoning kind. Respect the rain and don’t drive on wet unsealed shoulders.

Road trains: They don’t move over. You do. Ease off, let them pass, and watch for the second and third trailers.

Mystery rashes: Watch what you crawl through under the van. Ask Neil.

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Boulia: A week chasing the Min Min

Cameron — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 22:42:55 +0000

The drive out to Boulia shouldn’t be rushed, and we took that advice very seriously!

We took three days to cover the ground from Longreach, and that was the right call for us. The Kennedy Development Road west of Winton is sealed throughout but single-lane bitumen most of the way, a road that demands attention and is a constant negotiation with oncoming traffic, except for the road trains…they get right of way every time! The country gets progressively drier and more open as you push west, red stony earth, sparse mulga and gidgee, and the occasional dry creek bed crossing. It’s not an empty place; it just reveals its beauty slowly.

Our first overnight was at Poddy Creek, a rest area on the Kennedy Development Road about 90 kilometres west of Winton. (We said we weren’t travelling fast!) It’s a large area with great views over a spinifex-covered landscape, with drop toilets and a picnic table set well back from the road. We were the only ones there. The sunset that evening made us glad we stopped early. The whole sky is turning orange and red over flat country that stretches to the edge of everything. Not a sound except the birds settling in for the night. A perfect outback sunset,

The second day brought us to Middleton, which isn’t so much a town as a pub with a history and a camp area out the back. The Middleton Hotel houses an original Cobb and Co stagecoach, a remarkable piece of outback transport history, albeit slightly crumbling. We’d been crossing paths all day with vehicles heading the other direction, Finke Desert Race visitors making their way home after the races. The pub was busy for a place this remote. We had a hearty outback meal, parked up for the night, and let the road traffic thin out.

Day three brought us to Boulia, which sits 300 kilometres south of Mount Isa at the junction of the Diamantina and Kennedy Development Roads, on the banks of the Burke River, named after explorer Robert O’Hara Burke, who passed through on the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition in 1860. The town was founded in 1879 near a waterhole on the Burke River, and today Boulia is best known for its annual camel races and sightings of the Min Min Light.

We settled into the Boulia Caravan Park, which sits on the riverbank with shady trees and green grass, a genuine oasis after three days of dry-country driving. Over the next couple of days, we caught up on life admin, wandered around town, ate a very good pizza from the pub, and waited for a visit from the Min Min Lights.

We didn’t find them, they didn’t visit us. In that respect, we’re in very good company.

The most well-known account of a Min Min sighting dates to around 1912, shortly after the Min Min Hotel burned down. A stockman riding to Boulia late at night passed close to the hotel’s graveyard when a strange glow appeared in the centre of the cemetery. It grew until it was the size of a large watermelon, began moving toward him, and he rode for Boulia as fast as his horse would carry him.

Proposed scientific explanations include that the lights are a mirage caused by natural gases or the collision of hot and cold air, or that they are bioluminescent birds or insects. Nobody has conclusively solved it. The lights have been reported from the area for over a century, and the town has built a considered tourism offer around the phenomenon.

The Min Min Encounter is a 45-minute animatronic show that takes you through six scenes, each with special effects and accounts of Min Min sightings. One scene recreates the bar of the Min Min Hotel. We went in expecting something a bit gimmicky and came out having genuinely enjoyed it. It’s a bit theatrical, but the stories are real, the local accounts are properly interesting, and the broader complex includes the heritage-listed Stone House Museum, built in 1888, fully furnished as it was over 130 years ago, with an extensive display of marine reptile fossils from the Cretaceous period, when this entire region was an inland sea.

While in town, we also walked to the Corroboree Tree, the last recognised corroboree tree of the Pitta Pitta tribe, a Waddi tree found in only a handful of locations in Australia. It’s a rare and dense timber, extremely difficult to burn, and carries significant cultural importance for the local community.

From Boulia, we headed north toward Mount Isa and found what might be one of the best free camps we’ve come across on the whole trip. Dajarra Dam sits just outside the small outback town of Dajarra, and we had the whole place to ourselves. The views across the water are genuinely beautiful (for a cattle station dam). Cam didn’t want to leave, Neil got bored.

Dajarra itself has an extraordinary history. It was once considered the largest cattle trucking depot in the world. The area trucked more cattle than Texas at its peak. Then came the road trains, and the railway became a memory. The town is quiet now, but the surrounding countryside is vast and beautiful.

From there, north to Mount Isa to stock up on four weeks of supplies before heading into the remote Northern Territory. But that’s a story for the next post.

If remote outback Queensland travel is your kind of thing, our Travel Dispatches have more of it. Sign up HERE

Boulia, Queensland

Boulia is located 300 kilometres south of Mount Isa, and 362 kilometres west of Winton, at the junction of the Diamantina and Kennedy Development Roads. It is a remote western Queensland town and the last Queensland town on the Outback Highway, Australia's longest shortcut from Cairns to Perth.

Min Min Encounter

The Min Min Encounter complex includes the 45-minute animatronic show, the heritage-listed Stone House Museum, built in 1888, Tom Howard's Cottage, housing Indigenous, hospital, and early education displays, and an extensive marine reptile fossil collection from the Cretaceous period, when the region was an inland sea. Entry fees apply. Open daily — check current hours with the visitor information desk on site.

Middleton Hotel

Located on the Kennedy Development Road roughly halfway between Winton and Boulia, the Middleton Hotel is one of outback Queensland’s most remote pubs, offering meals, cold drinks, accommodation and camping.

Dajarra Dam

A free camp just outside the small outback town of Dajarra, on the Boulia to Mount Isa road. Dog friendly, accessible for motorhomes and caravans, with views across the dam that are genuinely worth stopping for. Check conditions before visiting.

How to Get There

From Winton, take the Kennedy Development Road west to Boulia, approximately 360 kilometres, fully sealed but single-lane. The journey from Boulia to Mount Isa is approximately 300 kilometres north along the Boulia to Mount Isa Road, passing through Dajarra, which is again fully sealed but single-lane.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:‍ ‍

Overnighted at Poddy Creek rest area on the Kennedy Development Road.
Stopped for a meal and overnight camp at the Middleton Hotel.
Stayed at the Boulia Caravan Park, Boulia.
Visited the Min Min Encounter complex, including the Stone House Museum and fossil displays.
Walked to the Corroboree Tree of the Pitta Pitta tribe.
Wandered the town and had pizza at the pub.
Overnighted at Dajarra Dam on the way to Mount Isa.

Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

Boulia Camel Races, held annually in July — one of outback Queensland’s great events.
Easter Races and Campdraft, held annually at Easter.
Burke River fishing and birdwatching.
Diamantina National Park, gateway accessible from Boulia.
Urandangi, about 150 kilometres north, with the Georgina River and a historic pioneer cemetery.

When to Visit

Winter and autumn offer the most comfortable temperatures, Boulia summers are extreme. The Min Min Encounter operates year-round but check hours in advance. The Camel Races run in July and the Easter Races at Easter, book accommodation well ahead for both events. The Kennedy Development Road can close after significant rainfall. Check conditions before travelling.

Final Thoughts

We didn’t see the Min Min Lights. Most people don’t. But Boulia earns its visit on everything else. The Min Min Encounter is better than expected, the Stone House Museum and fossil displays are genuinely interesting, and the country between Winton and Boulia is some of the most compelling outback driving in Queensland. Dajarra Dam was an unexpected highlight. A free camp that makes you reconsider your schedule.

The Northern Territory is next. Mount Isa was the last big shop for four weeks.

What's Nearby

We came to Boulia via Winton, which we’ve written about previously HERE. The road continues north to Mount Isa, our next stop and the gateway to the Northern Territory.

The Travel Dispatch keeps track of where we are and where we’ve been. Sign up HERE

Fast Facts

Location: Boulia, Queensland
Distance: 300km south of Mount Isa; 460km west of Longreach
Traditional Owners: Pitta Pitta People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Kennedy Development Road from Winton
Facilities: Burke River Caravan Park; full town facilities; Min Min Encounter complex
Walking Track: Town heritage walk; Corroboree Tree; Burke River access
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Dog Friendly: Yes (caravan park and surrounds; check individual sites)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The Min Min Lights: Legend says anyone who catches the light will never return. We didn’t catch it. Make of that what you will.

The summer heat: Boulia’s summers are not a suggestion. Plan accordingly.

The Kennedy Development Road after rain: Single-lane bitumen through remote country. Check conditions before you leave Winton.

If this post helped, you can support our work here.

Quick View Wide Horizons: Poddy Creek, QLD. | 100 × 50 cm Panorama Photographic Print $450.00

Photographed near Poddy Creek in outback Queensland, this panoramic image captures the last light of day breaking across a sea of clouds, with a red dirt track winding through spinifex country toward the horizon.

Wide Horizons is a panoramic photographic series that steps back from the close, contemplative views of the Looking series to take in the full sweep of sky and land — the kind of view that opens up after hours on a quiet road, with nothing but distance ahead.

Printed in Australia on heavyweight cotton paper, each print is made to order and finished with care. The wide format echoes the horizon itself, letting the sky take centre stage.

This is an open edition photographic print. Print only.
Frame shown for context.

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Things to Do in Longreach: Our Favourites

Cameron — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 21:30:08 +0000

Longreach sits 1,179 kilometres northwest of Brisbane on the Landsborough Highway, and most travellers treat it as a two-night stop before pushing on to Winton. That undersells it considerably. We’ve been back three times now, and every visit has turned up something we hadn’t done before.
Give it at least three days, longer if a tour or two catches your eye. Longreach isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every cent!

Our first stop, as always, is the Longreach Explore Centre.
It’s the local visitor information hub and a booking agent for most tours in the region, so it’s worth calling in early to plan your stay.

Fast Facts

Location: Longreach, Central West Queensland
Distance: 1,179km northwest of Brisbane via Warrego and Landsborough Highways; 108km west of Barcaldine; 178km south-east of Winton
Traditional Owners: Iningai People
Access: Fully sealed via the Landsborough Highway, between Barcaldine and Winton
Facilities: Fuel, pubs, cafes, supermarkets, museums, caravan parks, swimming pool, visitor information centre
Walking Track: Longreach Botanic Walkway, a 2.5km linear garden linking the town centre to the Stockman's Hall of Fame
Dog Friendly: Yes, permitted at most caravan parks and designated public areas (leashed)
Best Time to Visit: April to October for warm days and cool, clear nights

Qantas Founders Museum

Longreach is where Qantas began, and the museum beside the airport doesn’t let you forget it. A guided tour takes you through the original hangar and out onto the tarmac, where a 747, a 707 and a DC-3 sit in the sun, each with its own chapter of the airline’s history attached.

If you want to take it further, the Wing Walk Experience puts you harnessed up on top of the 747 for a view across the outback that very few people ever get. Neil did it on our first visit and still talks about it.

The displays inside cover everything from the earliest mail flights through to the airline’s wartime role, and it’s easy to lose an hour or two among the artefacts without noticing.

We’ve written more about our first visit in our Longreach: Planes, Pioneers and Bucket Lists post.‍ ‍

Visit the Qantas Founders Museum Website

Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame

Just across the road from the Qantas Museum, the Stockman’s Hall of Fame tells the other half of the outback story; the drovers, shearers and stockmen who built livelihoods out of hard work and resilience.

The exhibitions move through early settlement to modern pastoral life, and the live Stockman’s Show in the outdoor arena combines horsemanship, working dogs and storytelling in a way that’s both theatrical and entirely genuine.

It’s an easy half-day, and one of those places that’s worth the entry price purely for how well it’s put together.

Full details in our Longreach: Planes, Pioneers and Bucket Lists post.

Visit the Stockman’s Hall of Fame Website

Great Darr River Run

A vintage rail motor experience, run by Outback Aussie Tours, that gets you out on a stretch of track most travellers never see, with the open-window, dust-in-your-hair feel that no highway drive can replicate.

The friendly tour guides run the tour with the kind of easy authority that comes from genuinely loving what they do.

This was a highlight of our third visit, and exactly the sort of experience that gives a different perspective on travel around Longreach.

Visit the Great Darr River Run Tour Page

Drovers Sunset Cruise, Outback Show and Dinner

An evening cruise on the Thomson River timed perfectly to the sunset, through Outback Aussie Tours provides a perfect end to the day in Longreach.

The river does something genuinely special at golden hour out here, and having tour guides who clearly love the place narrating only adds to the experience.

Upon return from the river cruise, a corrugated-iron venue under gum trees strung with fairy lights, Smithy’s pairs a properly good outback meal with a live show that’s more entertaining than you’d expect from somewhere this small.

It’s a place that doesn’t photograph as well as it feels in person; string lights, campfires, and performers who know exactly how to work the intimate venue

Visit the Drovers Sunset Cruise Tour Page ‍ ‍

Longreach Powerhouse Museum

Until 1985, the entire town of Longreach ran on generators. The Powerhouse Museum tells that story through the original machinery, still largely intact, that kept the lights on for decades before the town was connected to the state grid.

It’s a place that sounds niche until you’re standing in front of the equipment and realising how recent this history actually is. For anyone travelling throughout outback Queensland and staying at stations or remote stops still powered by generators today, it lands with a particular resonance; this is where that story started for Longreach.

It’s also one of the more genuinely pet-friendly museums we’ve come across. Zoe had a very thorough wander and approved wholeheartedly.

Visit the Longreach Powerhouse Museum Page

Longreach FAQs

Allow at least three days. Between the Qantas Founders Museum, the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, river tours and rail adventures, there’s more here than the typical two-night stopover allows for. We’ve been back three times and keep finding new things.
Yes. The guided tour takes you through the original hangar and out onto the tarmac among a 747, 707 and DC-3, and the Wing Walk Experience on the 747 is genuinely unique. Book ahead in peak season.
For most attractions, yes, particularly the Qantas Founders Museum tours, the Stockman’s Hall of Fame show, and river or rail tours with Outback Aussie Tours. Your first stop should be the Longreach Explore Centre, where you can plan and book most of it in one place
Yes. Longreach is fully accessible for caravans and motorhomes, with sealed roads throughout and full town facilities, including several caravan parks.
There are ample RV parking spaces very close to town and the Information Centre, with a Dump Point and water facilities in the main RV car park in town.
Largely, though the major museums don’t allow dogs inside. Most caravan parks and outdoor attractions are dog-friendly on a lead. Check with individual operators on arrival.
Longreach is 1,179 kilometres northwest of Brisbane via the Warrego and Landsborough Highways. Allow around twelve hours of driving time, and most travellers break the journey over several days through towns like Charleville, Tambo and Barcaldine.
Longreach is home to the Qantas Founders Museum and the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. It’s also a hub for outback rail and river tours, and a popular stop on the Matilda Way touring route.

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Longreach: Rail, River and a Town That Waves Back

Cameron — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 22:08:38 +0000

We broke up the run into Longreach with a stop in Barcaldine, pulling into one of our favourite parks, Roses N Things, for a couple of nights. It had been a decent stretch on the road, so we were happy to just chill out, do nothing in particular, and let the dust settle before pushing on. While we were there, we topped up our water tanks. Barcaldine’s water is famously sweet and clean, and with Winton’s notoriously sulphurous bore water waiting up the road, it felt like a sensible thing to do rather than an optional extra.

This was our third visit to Longreach, and it was the first time the town had properly surprised us. Not with anything new on the map, we’d done the big-ticket stuff before, but with the people. Everyone waved. Cars, utes, people on the footpath outside the IGA, the lot. We’ve decided it must be the Jimny. There’s something about a small 4WD trundling through a town built for road trains that seems to bring out the friendliness in people.

We stayed at Muddy Duck, just out of town, which suited us fine. The parks were still quiet when we rolled in, but you could feel the season starting to turn.

Having already covered the Qantas Founders Museum and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame on previous trips, this visit was about doing the things we’d skipped. Top of the list were two tours with Outback Aussie Tours that we’d somehow never gotten around to: the Great Darr River Run and the Drovers Sunset Cruise.

The Great Darr River Run had us out on a vintage rail motor, rattling along a stretch of track most travellers never see, with the kind of open-window, dust-in-your-hair outback rail experience that no highway drive can replicate. Mick and Joe ran the show with great knowledge, and between them, the history of the line came alive in a way that a museum plaque just can’t manage.

Neil, meanwhile, had heard a rumour that the Longreach races were on, and that was that. He disappeared for an entire afternoon, again, returning with tall stories and a few less dollars. Cameron stayed back at Muddy Duck and used the afternoon properly, the kind of life admin that always gets put off on the road until it absolutely cannot be put off any longer. (He had a nap!)

We also decided it was time to update our Akubras in town, and we squeezed in a visit to the Longreach Powerhouse Museum, which turned out to be one of those unexpected highlights that you almost skip, and we’re glad we didn’t. The whole town used to run off generators, right up until 1985, when Longreach was finally connected to the state grid, and the museum tells that story through the original machinery that made it happen. We found it fascinating, given how much of our trip is spent at stations and remote stops still running on generators today, there’s something about standing in front of the equipment that did the same job for an entire outback town for decades. Zoe was a fan too! It’s one of the more pet-friendly museums we’ve come across, and she had a very thorough wander.

The Drovers Sunset Cruise the next evening was a different pace entirely. Out on the water as the light turned golden, with Sam and Sarah looking after everyone with warmth and humour, we slowly floated down the Thomson River. We caught Smithy’s outback show and dinner after the cruise, which delivered on both fronts; the meal was delicious, camp oven cooking, and the show had us laughing more than we expected. Small foreshadowing for a future post: the performer there was Drew Blundell, who we’d cross paths with again a couple of stops up the road. More on that when we get there.

Both tours were excellent, but it was Joe, Mick, Sam and Sarah who turned “good tour” into “an experience we’ll talk about for ages.”

Three visits in, and Longreach still has more to give. This time, it gave us new hats, new memories on rail and river, and a town that made us feel like locals for a few days. From here, we're pushing on to Winton.

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Longreach is part of our growing collection of outback Queensland stops worth slowing down for.

Longreach

Longreach sits on the Landsborough Highway in Central West Queensland, roughly 108 kilometres west of Barcaldine and 178 kilometres south-east of Winton. Roads are sealed throughout and well-suited to caravans and motorhomes. Muddy Duck is located just outside town, an easy run in from the highway.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:‍ ‍

Stopped at Roses N Things in Barcaldine on the way through, topping up water tanks.
Stayed at Muddy Duck, just out of town.
Took the Great Darr River Run rail adventure with Outback Aussie Tours.
Visited the Longreach Powerhouse Museum (dog friendly — Zoe approved).
Joined the Drovers Sunset Cruise on the Thomson River.
Had dinner and a show at Smithy's.
Spent an afternoon at the Longreach Races.
Picked up new Akubras in town.

Other highlights nearby (from previous visits):‍ ‍

Qantas Founders Museum.
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.
Thomson River, around 4.5km north-west of town.

When to Visit

Longreach is accessible year-round, though the cooler months from April to October are by far the most comfortable for touring and outdoor activities. Tour availability with operators like Outback Aussie Tours builds through the season, so it's worth booking ahead once the dry season gets underway. Summer temperatures are extreme and best avoided for anything more than a fuel stop.

Final Thoughts

Three visits in, and Longreach keeps finding new ways to win us over. This time it wasn't the big landmarks — it was the people, the tours we'd been putting off, and a town that waved at us like we belonged there. Sometimes the best version of a place only shows up once you stop rushing through it.

What's Nearby

We came to Longreach via Barcaldine. From here, the road continues north-west to Winton.

Barcaldine, QLD

📍 108km West from Longreach

Barcaldine blends rich history with small-town charm. We stayed at a peaceful local park, visited the famous Tree of Knowledge, admired the mighty Comet windmill, and soaked up the stories that shaped this resilient outback town.

Read the full story ->

Winton, QLD

📍 180km North-West from Longreach

Winton blends dinosaurs, outback history and wide-open landscapes. From fossil labs to the Waltzing Matilda Centre and quiet camps under huge skies, this small Queensland town offers big surprises and plenty of reasons to return.

Read the full story ->

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Fast Facts

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won't)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The Longreach Races: Eskies, tips, and a Neil who doesn’t come back until the last race is run.

The Powerhouse Museum: You will go in for twenty minutes and emerge forty-five minutes later having had a proper conversation about outback electricity infrastructure.

Smithy’s show and dinner: You will laugh more than expected, and eat more than planned.

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Traveller’s Notes: What is the Matilda Way?

Cameron — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:43:40 +0000

The Matilda Way is a 1,900-kilometre touring route that runs from Bourke in outback New South Wales to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. It passes through some of the most iconic country in inland Australia, from artesian springs to dinosaur country and grass plains.

The route takes its name from Banjo Paterson’s "Waltzing Matilda”, which was written near Winton in 1895. That connection to the song runs through the whole drive.

The Matilda Way is fully sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. It carries road train traffic on sections through Queensland, so road conditions and overtaking opportunities are worth thinking about, particularly between Charleville and Cloncurry. That said, it is far less intimidating than it might look on a map.

The route crosses two states and takes in a genuine cross-section of outback Australia. From Bourke, it heads north through Cunnamulla and Charleville before tracking through Augathella and Tambo to Barcaldine, the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party. North of Barcaldine, the landscape opens into real dinosaur country around Longreach and Winton, where the Age of Dinosaurs Museum is a stop well worth taking. Beyond Winton, the road climbs through Kynuna and McKinlay before reaching Cloncurry, one of the real outback centres on the route and well worth a stop. From Cloncurry, the road turns north through Normanton to Karumba, where the Gulf opens wide, and the prawns are fresh off the boat.

We've travelled the full length of the Matilda Way and have written about most of the major stops along the route, including Bourke, Cunnamulla, Charleville, Tambo, Blackall, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, McKinlay, Cloncurry and Karumba.

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Blackall: Wool, Steam and Unbroken Records

Cameron — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:00:15 +0000

The Blackall Woolscour is the only known surviving example of an early 20th-century mechanised woolscour in Australia, and that alone is reason enough to visit. It was opened in 1908, once the artesian bore had been sunk at the site, and it was the last wool scour in Western Queensland to cease operations, finally closing in 1978. In 2002, the local community restored the complex as a cultural tourism facility.

The site sits about four kilometres north-east of town on Evora Road, and from the outside it looks like a collection of large corrugated iron sheds sitting quietly beside the old railway line. Which is exactly what it is, it’s what’s inside that is spectacular.

The tour is run by volunteers, and ours knew the place with the kind of affection that only comes from genuine investment in a story. They walked us through the whole process, from the depot shearing shed where the wool arrived, through the scouring tanks, and on to the drying system at the end of the line.

The machinery is the thing. The slow rotation of the old sprockets and loose chains drive the strange finger-like claws that slowly pull the wool through the cleaning tanks. The specially engineered drying process, using steam heat without moisture, was used in a multi-level drying machine at the end of the scouring line. All of it was powered by steam. All of it is still operational, albeit powered by electric motors for tours.

There’s something about standing next to the working scour that gets to you in a way that a display cabinet in a museum never will. The sound, the smell of oil and old metal. The engineers who designed this system in the early 1900s solved problems with ingenuity and patience that modern manufacturing would otherwise delegate to a computer. The result is a piece of industrial engineering that has run continuously for 70 years and still moves today.

Three things made western Queensland ideal for woolscours: the spread of the railway network into the region, the ample supply of artesian water, and the quality of the wool itself, which was relatively easy to scour because it contained mainly dust and only minimal seed and burr. Blackall had all three, and the Woolscour was the result.

Tours run three times daily at 9.30 am, 11.30 am and 1.30 pm, seven days a week from late March to the end of October. Book ahead if you can, and allow more time than you think you’ll need.

From the Woolscour, we headed back into town and found ‘Jackie Howe’ on Shamrock Street. The statue stands outside the old Universal Hotel and commemorates one of the most remarkable physical achievements in Australian shearing history. On 10 October 1892 at Alice Downs Station outside Blackall, Jackie Howe shore 321 sheep in seven hours and forty minutes using blade shears. It’s a record that still stands today.

Shearing is considered one of the most physically demanding jobs on the human body. One study found that a shearer working in 47-degree heat lost nine litres of sweat in two hours. Howe did it for nearly eight hours straight, with hand shears, and nobody has matched him since. He also set a record of 237 sheep shorn with electric shears, a record that stood for 58 years.

Blackall also played an important part in the history of the Australian Labor Party, and the Australian Labor Federation Memorial in Short Street commemorates the formation of the first shearers’ union in December 1886. The shearers who built that movement were the same men who worked properties like Alice Downs, and the connection between the Woolscour, Jackie Howe, and the labour movement tells a coherent story about this part of Queensland that’s worth exploring.

The river camp on the Barcoo is a good base for all of it. Shaded, peaceful, right on the water. The Barcoo runs quietly here, and the mornings are still enough that you hear the birds before anything else. We didn’t rush.

In 1885, Blackall became the first outback town in Queensland to drill an artesian bore, tapping into the underground waters of the Great Artesian Basin. Those same waters that made the Woolscour possible still flow into the Blackall Aquatic Centre today, where the thermal pool is open to visitors year-round.

If outback Queensland history done well is your kind of travel, the Travel Dispatch has more of it. Sign up HERE.

Blackall, Queensland

Blackall sits on the Landsborough Highway in central-west Queensland, on the banks of the Barcoo River, approximately 1,000 kilometres west of Brisbane. The township dates back to 1864 and grew into a thriving sheep town before becoming the hub of a vast cattle-grazing region. In 1885, it became the first outback town in Queensland to drill an artesian bore into the Great Artesian Basin.

How to Get There

Blackall is approximately 1,000 kilometres west of Brisbane via the Warrego and Landsborough Highways, passing through Roma and Charleville. The road is sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. From Charleville, it's about 300 kilometres north-west on the Landsborough Highway.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Stayed at the Barcoo River free camp in town.
Took a guided tour of the Blackall Historical Woolscour.
Visited the Jackie Howe statue and museum on Shamrock Street.
Walked the heritage trail through town.

Other highlights nearby:

Blackall Aquatic Centre, fed by artesian bore water from the Great Artesian Basin.
Australian Labor Federation Memorial, Short Street, marking the formation of the first shearers’ union in 1886.
The petrified tree stump on Shamrock Street, found on a property near Blackall and estimated to be between one million and 225 million years old. Experiencewinton
Tambo, about 110 kilometres south, with its famous teddy bears and artesian spa.
Barcaldine, about 110 kilometres north-east, home of the Tree of Knowledge.

When to Visit

The Woolscour operates from late March to the end of October. Outside those months, the site is closed to tours. The Barcoo River camp is accessible year-round, though the river can flood after significant rainfall. Autumn through spring offers the most comfortable temperatures.

Final Thoughts

The Woolscour engineering is beautiful, the history is real, and the volunteers who run it clearly love what they’re looking after. Standing next to 115-year-old machinery that still works, in the middle of outback Queensland, that's a long way from ordinary.

What's Nearby

Blackall sits naturally between Charleville to the south-west and Longreach to the north. Barcaldine and its Tree of Knowledge are about 110 kilometres north-east and are worth a stop on the way through.

Fast Facts

Location: Blackall, Queensland
Distance: 1,000km west of Brisbane; 300km north-west of Charleville
Traditional Owners: Bidjara and Iningai People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Landsborough Highway
Facilities: Free camp on Barcoo River; full town facilities; artesian aquatic centre
Walking Track: Heritage trail through town; river walk along the Barcoo
Best Time to Visit: April to October (Woolscour tours March to October only)
Dog Friendly: Yes (including Woolscour tour)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The summer heat: Blackall sits in central-west Queensland. Summer is not a suggestion.

The Woolscour tour: Allow more time than you think. You will not want to leave.

Jackie Howe’s record: 321 sheep in seven hours forty minutes by hand. Do not attempt to replicate this.

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Other updates you may like…

Tambo: Teddies, Chickens and Qantas History

Cameron — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 22:19:50 +0000

We'd been to Tambo before, but this time we decided to try Stubby Bend free camp just out of town. It was a great decision. Quiet, spacious, a short walk into town, and plenty of room to spread out and settle in. That last point needs a small qualification.

There is a lot of space at Stubby Bend. An extraordinary amount of space. There was enough space that when fellow travellers chose to park close enough to borrow a cup of sugar, it raised some genuine questions about spatial awareness.

Tambo is a town that rewards wandering, and we had time to do it properly. Gazetted in 1863, Tambo is the oldest town in Central Western Outback Queensland, sitting on the Barcoo River, and it carries that age lightly. The heritage walk takes you past seventeen historically significant buildings, and the Coolibah Walk follows the river through old native trees. It’s an easy, pleasant way to spend a morning.

But first things first. Neil needed a bear. (yes, you read that right, a bear. Not a beer!)

Tambo Teddies was born in 1992 when wool prices crashed, and the district was severely drought-affected. Three local women decided to use the cheap wool and turn it into something more valuable, handmade teddy bears crafted from 100% woollen sheepskin. What started as a community survival project has become one of the most recognised small-town businesses in outback Australia.

Every single bear is named after a local property across the region. Names like Ercildoune, Jynoomah, Toolmaree and many others are carefully chosen, ensuring every bear carries a genuine link to Tambo's pastoral heritage. Tambo Teddies also records where each bear goes to live, creating a remarkable map of journeys from the outback to homes across Australia and around the world.

Neil took his time. Longer than strictly necessary, by most measures. He worked through the options with the seriousness of a man making a significant life decision. He eventually settled on Jabinda — a coffee-coloured bear, named after Jabinda Station, now the official mascot of the motorhome. She has already been to several places.

The bear naming sent us on an unexpected side quest. Jabinda Station turned out to be only five kilometres from town, which meant there was really no reason not to go and find it. We drove out, located the station, took the obligatory photo of Jabinda at her namesake, and felt entirely justified in the detour.

The chicken races were next, and this is where the afternoon took a turn.

The Tambo chicken races are exactly what they sound like: a local institution, cheerful and absurd, with chooks running around Schnitzel Statium while spectators cheer, heckle and generally lose money on the outcome, all donated to a good cause. Little Windmills is the current charity. Zoe LOVES the chicken races and was watching intently. This was going very well until a wayward chicken somehow knocked the remote control for the course's chase car off the bench. The car, now operating without any human input whatsoever, picked up speed in the direction of a startled Zoe at what can only be described as a staggering rate of knots. The series of events that followed, between the chicken, the car, the dog, and the noise hilarity and chaos ensued. Zoe has since recovered her dignity. Mostly

The next morning, we visited the Qantas crash site, which sits a short drive from town, and is one of those stops that you see differently once you know what you’re looking at.

On 24 March 1927, Qantas’s de Havilland DH.9C, registration G-AUED, was on a regular mail route between Charleville and Mount Isa with Tambo as an intermediate stop. As it approached the claypan that served as Tambo’s airstrip, it was seen to dive suddenly into the ground. The cause was never conclusively determined. It is known that the aircraft had landed at a nearby station to undertake repairs before continuing to Tambo.

Pilot Ian Douglas Davidson and two passengers — A.W.N. Bell, owner of Belmont Station in Winton, and W.R. Donaldson, manager of Rocklands Station in Camooweal — were all killed. All three were buried at the Tambo cemetery. Interestingly, one of those passengers, Donaldson, was the nephew of Robert Philp, the 15th Premier of Queensland.

At the time of the crash, Qantas had been operating for just over six years and had flown more than 450,000 miles without injury to passengers or crew. A press report from the day noted that fact with considerable solemnity. It was Qantas’s first fatal accident, and it remains a sombre footnote to the airline’s otherwise remarkable safety record. A monument marks the site. It’s a quiet stop, and worth making.

We left Tambo with a bear, a story, a slightly rattled Staffy, and a renewed appreciation for what small outback towns quietly contain. From here, we headed north to Blackall and beyond.

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Tambo is part of our growing collection of small towns in Australia worth slowing down for.

Tambo

Tambo is located on the Landsborough Highway, approximately 109 kilometres north of Charleville and 110 kilometres south of Blackall. Roads are sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. Stubby Bend free camp is accessed just off the highway on the edge of town.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Stayed at Stubby Bend free camp.
Visited the Tambo Teddies workshop and selected Jabinda.
Drove out to Jabinda Station, five kilometres from town.
Attended the Tambo chicken races.
Visited the Qantas DH.9C crash site and monument.
Walked the Tambo Heritage Walk through town.

Other highlights nearby:

Tambo Dam, a recreational area with barbecues, nature walks and birdwatching.
Coolibah Walk along the Barcoo River.
Grassland Art Gallery, Tambo's community cultural hub.

When to Visit

Tambo is accessible year-round. The Tambo Teddies workshop is open Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings. The chicken races run every night during the season. Check with the visitor centre on arrival. Summer temperatures are high; autumn through spring is most comfortable.

Final Thoughts

Tambo is a town that delivers more than it advertises. The teddies are the headline, but the crash site, the chicken races, and station side quests are what make a visit here genuinely memorable. And Jabinda, now riding shotgun in the motorhome, is an excellent mascot.

What's Nearby

We came to Tambo from Charleville. The road north leads to Blackall. Both are worth a visit.

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Fast Facts

Location: Tambo, Queensland
Distance: 109km north of Charleville; 110km south of Blackall
Traditional Owners: Bidjara People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Landsborough Highway
Facilities: Stubby Bend free camp (self-contained only); full town facilities
Walking Track: Heritage Walk (17 buildings); Coolibah Walk along the Barcoo
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Dog Friendly: Yes (free camp and surrounds; chicken races)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The chicken races: Wayward poultry. Rogue remote control cars. Bring a calm dog.

The Tambo Teddy selection process: Allow more time than you think. Neil did not.

The Qantas crash site: The cause was never determined. That’s a detail that stays with you on the drive out.

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Charleville: Finding the Hidden Gems

Cameron — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 21:42:23 +0000

What do you do when it’s your fourth time visiting a town? Well, you find all the unexplored hidden gems in the area.

We’ve written about Charleville before, a few times, actually. The Cosmos Centre and its extraordinary night skies, the RFDS Visitor Centre and the stories that come with it, and the Bilby Experience and the quiet work being done to pull one of Australia’s most endearing creatures back from the brink of extinction. If you want the full picture on any of those, we’ve got you covered in our first Charleville post, our second visit, and our Traveller's Notes on the Bilby Experience.

This time we went looking for what we’d missed.

We didn’t get far out of Wyandra before the first stop on the way to Charleville presented itself. About 30 kilometres south of Charleville on the Mitchell Highway, there’s a pull-off area on the banks of Angellala Creek. With interpretive signage, a sealed detour road with a turning circle, and the skeletal remains of a railway bridge that will never be rebuilt, it’s worth stopping for.

On the night of 5 September 2014, a road train carrying 52 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was involved in a single-vehicle accident on the Mitchell Highway at Angellala Creek. The truck was travelling south on a clear night when it left the road and came to rest in the creek bed adjacent to the road bridge and near the railway bridge. During the crash, bags of ammonium nitrate and fuel tanks ruptured, spilling diesel and scattering ammonium nitrate across the site. There was a fire in the vehicle, and the driver was seriously injured but managed to escape the burning vehicle.

The explosion was equivalent to 10-15 tonnes of TNT and was recorded as a seismic event measuring 2.1 on the Richter scale. The road bridge was destroyed, the historic railway bridge sustained major structural damage, and onlookers described the site as looking like a war zone. Debris from the explosion was discovered up to a kilometre from the blast site in all directions. A house approximately six kilometres north sustained damage to its internal walls.

Eight people were injured, including the driver, who had critical burns and was airlifted to Toowoomba. The Charleville firefighters who attended the scene were later recognised by the then Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove for their bravery.

The railway bridge had been heritage-listed since 1992. It will never be rebuilt. The story is told through interpretive signs at the site, and the ruins remain as a quiet monument to what happened that night. It's a stop that you won’t forget quickly, and is worth taking the time to explore

We pulled into Charleville, set up at the Cobb and Co Caravan Park, which suited us just fine, caught up with our mates, and made a few new ones. That’s one of the quiet pleasures of the travelling community.

The architecture in Charleville’s main streets repays a slow walk. The Hotel Corones on Wills Street is the obvious drawcard, and Neil has to explore the bar fully. Built in 1929 by Harry Corones, a Greek immigrant who arrived with next to nothing and built one of Queensland’s finest country hotels, it’s a remarkable building and still worth stepping inside for a look at the pressed tin ceilings, the wide verandahs, and the general sense that this place was built to last. It was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

The morning weather-balloon release was something Cameron had been wanting to see for a while. The Bureau of Meteorology releases a weather balloon automatically at 9.15 am daily from the corner between the Cosmos Centre and the airport. The balloon sends weather data, including temperature, wind direction and speed, back to the weather station, which is then used to forecast the weather for the region. It’s a quick event! Be there a few minutes early, keep your distance from the launcher due to the hydrogen hazard, and watch the balloon climb away into the outback sky. For something that happens every single morning without fanfare, it’s oddly satisfying to witness.

From there, we walked into the Charleville Airfield Museum, which is housed in the historic terminal building at the airport. The museum chronicles the airfield’s evolution from its 1920s beginnings through to its modern role, with memorabilia, interactive exhibits and purpose-built displays curated by dedicated volunteers. Charleville Airport has close historic ties with the birth of commercial aviation in Australia. In 1922, Qantas successfully tendered for a new government mail contract between Charleville and Cloncurry, and the airport was a key node in the early network. The WWII connections run deep, too. From 1942, the airfield was a top-secret US Army Air Force base, and B17 Flying Fortress bombers stationed here were used during the Battle of the Coral Sea. For Cameron, who has a well-established interest in all things aviation, this was a highlight.

The last stop of the visit took us out of town toward the Rock Pool free camp on the Warrego Highway. We were looking for what had been listed as a WWII rock sorter near the site. What we found made perfect sense once you understood the context. The Rock Pool was once a quarry. The source of all the rock used to construct the runways at Charleville airport. The equipment left behind processed and sorted that rock for the job. Given the aviation history we’d spent the morning learning about, standing at the quarry that built the runways was a satisfying circle to close.

We couldn’t resist popping out to see Mark at the Outback Date Farm on the way out of town to pick up some delicious fresh Australian dates, date loaf and sticky date pudding for dessert that night! Make sure you book a tour when you are in town, you might just learn a thing or two about Aussie dates!

Charleville keeps giving. Four visits in and we’re still finding things. That’s not something every town manages.

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Check out our full guide to the best things to do in Charleville! Click HERE

Charleville, Queensland

Charleville sits on the Warrego River in south-west Queensland, approximately 745 kilometres west of Brisbane. It is the largest town in the Shire of Murweh and serves as the regional centre for a vast area of outback Queensland. The town has strong connections to Australian aviation history, WWII, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and the pastoral industry. For a full overview of Charleville's main attractions, see our earlier posts: Charleville, Charleville: Second Visit, and Traveller's Notes: The Bilby Experience.

Angellala Creek Explosion Site

Located 30 kilometres south-west of Charleville on the Mitchell Highway, the Angellala Creek explosion site is signposted and features interpretive displays that tell the story of the 2014 incident. There is a sealed pull-off area suitable for caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers.

How to Get There

Charleville is approximately 745 kilometres west of Brisbane via the Warrego Highway. From Cunnamulla, it is about 200 kilometres north on the Mitchell Highway. Roads are sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. The Angellala Creek explosion site is 30 kilometres south on the Mitchell Highway, well signposted with a dedicated turning area.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:‍ ‍

Stopped at the Angellala Creek explosion site on the way in from Wyandra.
Stayed at Cobb and Co Caravan Park.
Walked the heritage streetscape and visited the Hotel Corones.
Watched the Bureau of Meteorology weather balloon release at 9.15am at the airport.
Visited the Charleville Airfield Museum in the historic terminal building.
Drove out to the Rock Pool and explored the WWII-era rock quarry site.

Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

Cosmos Centre and Gondwana Stars Observatory, for night sky sessions.
RFDS Visitor Centre, Charleville.
Charleville Bilby Experience, Save the Bilby Fund.
WWII Secret Base experience at the Cosmos Centre precinct.
Wyandra, 110 kilometres south on the Mitchell Highway, with its river beach and sunset views.

When to Visit

Charleville is a year-round destination. The Airfield Museum is open during airport operating hours. The weather balloon is released daily at 9.15 am regardless of the season. The Rock Pool free camp is accessible year-round but can flood after heavy rain. Summer temperatures are extreme. Autumn through spring is the most comfortable time to visit.

Final Thoughts

After four visits, Charleville is still producing hidden gems! The Angellala Creek stop alone is worth slowing down for; it's a sobering and remarkable piece of recent Queensland history. Add the aviation museum, the weather balloon, and the quarry that built the runways, and you’ve got a very different day from the one most people have in Charleville.

Go looking for the things that aren’t on the main itinerary. They’re usually worth finding. For everything else, make the information centre your first stop as you can book all tours through them.

What's Nearby

We came from Wyandra, which we’ve written about HERE. The road north from Charleville heads toward Tambo, Blackall and the Landsborough Highway. West from here is Quilpie and the opal country beyond.

Wyandra, QLD

📍 Approx 99km South from Charleville

Stop at Wyandra halfway between Cunnamulla and Charleville. Free camping, outback burgers at the post office, a river beach and some of outback Queensland's best sunsets.

Read the full story ->

Quilpie, QLD

📍 Approx 211km West from Charleville

Quilpie might be a small town, but it delivers big when it comes to outback charm and incredible views.

Read the full story ->

Tambo, QLD

📍 Approx 200km North from Charleville

Visit Tambo, QLD! Pick your Tambo Teddy, watch the chicken races, and find the site of Qantas's first crash in 1927. Free camping at Stubby Bend on the Barcoo River.

Read the full story ->

There’s always more to find. The Travel Dispatch keeps track of it — sign up HERE

Fast Facts

Location: Charleville, Queensland
Distance: 745km west of Brisbane; 200km north of Cunnamulla
Traditional Owners: Bidjara People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Warrego and Mitchell Highways
Facilities: Cobb and Co Caravan Park; full town facilities; free camp at Rock Pool 10km east
Walking Track: Heritage walk through town; river access at Warrego River
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Dog Friendly: Yes (Rock Pool free camp; check individual attractions)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The Angellala Creek site: Stand at that bridge and think about 52 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Then drive carefully.

The weather balloon: Hydrogen hazard. The sign means it. Stay 20 metres back.

A fourth visit to Charleville: You will find more things you haven’t done. Allow extra days.

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Things to Do in Charleville: Slow Down, Stay Longer

Cameron — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:08:48 +0000

Charleville sits 745 kilometres west of Brisbane on the Warrego Highway, and most people treat it as a one-night stop on the way somewhere else. That's a mistake. We’ve been back four times now, and we're still finding things. Give it at least three to four days.

Our first stop, as always, is the Information Centre. Charleville’s hub allows you to plan your visit and book all of your tours in the one spot

Fast Facts

Location: Charleville, Queensland
Distance: 745km west of Brisbane; 200km north of Cunnamulla
Traditional Owners: Bidjara People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Warrego and Mitchell Highways
Facilities: Full town facilities; Accommodation options; free camp at Rock Pool.
Walking Track: Heritage walk through town
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Dog Friendly: Yes (check individual attractions)

The Cosmos Centre

Queensland's largest planetarium runs a full daytime program of films and solar viewing through one of the largest optical telescopes of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

The night sessions are what most people come for; the skies out here are genuinely extraordinary. We’ve done both the day and night sessions, and if you want to experience something really unique, we recommend a day session.

Book ahead, particularly in peak season. The Centre is located near the airport on the edge of town.

We've written more about the Cosmos Centre in our Charleville: Slow and Social post.

Visit the Cosmos Centre Website

The Bilby Experience

The Charleville Bilby Experience is run by the Save the Bilby Fund and gives you a close look at one of Australia's most endangered marsupials.

The bilby sanctuary here was one of the first of its kind, and the conservation work being done is genuinely significant.

It’s a small, unhurried experience, not a theme park, and the guides know the individual animals well. Worth every cent of the entry.

Full details in our Traveller's Notes: Is the Charleville Bilby Experience Worth It?

Visit the Bilby Experience Website

The RFDS Visitor Centre

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been operating from Charleville since its earliest days, and the visitor centre tells that story well.

Past and present medical kits, radio equipment, and an introductory film cover the history of a service that has been keeping remote Australians alive for almost a century.

It’s a straightforward, well-presented stop and shouldn’t be rushed.

More in our Charleville: Slow and Social post.

The WWII Secret Base

From 1942, Charleville’s airport was a top-secret US Air Force base.

Around 3,500 American personnel were stationed here, and B17 Flying Fortress bombers based at Charleville were used during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

The WWII Secret Base experience brings that story to life with immersive displays, a replica B17 fuselage section, and the Norden bombsight, one of the most closely guarded military secrets of the war.

The tag-along tour runs from the WWII Secret Base Museum and is run by passionate local guides.

Visit the WWII Secret Base Website

The Hotel Corones

Built in 1929 by Harry Corones, a Greek immigrant who arrived in outback Queensland with next to nothing and went on to build one of the finest country hotels in the state, the Corones is a heritage-listed landmark on Wills Street.

The pressed tin ceilings, wide verandahs, and the stories embedded in the walls are reason enough to step inside. Neil has a standing arrangement with the bar.

The hotel tours cover the building’s history and its remarkable cast of guests over the decades; aviation pioneers, Hollywood names, and Queensland’s pastoral elite all passed through.

Visit the Hotel Corones Tour Website

The Bureau of Meteorology Weather Balloon

Every morning at 9.15am, the Bureau of Meteorology releases a weather balloon automatically from the station near the airport and Cosmos Centre. The balloon carries a radiosonde that sends temperature, humidity and pressure data back to the ground as it climbs.

It's a quick event — be there a few minutes early, keep 20 metres back from the launcher due to the hydrogen hazard, and watch it go. For something that happens every single morning without fanfare, it's oddly satisfying to be there for it.

The Charleville Airfield Museum

Housed in the historic terminal building at Charleville Airport, the Airfield Museum chronicles the airfield's evolution from its 1920s beginnings through to its modern role. Charleville has deep ties to the birth of commercial aviation in Australia — Qantas won its first government mail contract between Charleville and Cloncurry in 1922, and the original Qantas hangar still stands on the airfield. The museum is curated by volunteers who know the history well. For aviation enthusiasts, this is a highlight.

We wrote about this in detail in our Charleville: Hidden Gems post.

Visit the Charleville Airfield Museum Website

The Outback Date Farm

The Outback Date Farm sits just outside Charleville and is one of those places that defies easy expectation. Rows of date palms, hand-pollinated and coaxed through the extremes of outback heat, producing fruit that tastes nothing like the dried supermarket version. The owners give you the full story of how the operation works. Book a tour when you're in town. Take home the date loaf. You won't regret it.

More in our Charleville: Dates, Dirt and Hidden Caves post.

Visit the Outback Date Farm Website

Tyrone Station Caves

A working cattle property just outside town with an unlikely secret. Limestone caves tucked away in the scrub.

With the owners' permission, you can follow a rough track out to the site and explore pockets of cool air and ancient rock that feel entirely removed from the flat country above.

It's not the kind of thing most travellers know about, which makes it worth seeking out.

Full story in our Charleville: Dates, Dirt and Hidden Caves post.

The Angellala Creek Explosion Site

About 30 kilometres south of Charleville on the Mitchell Highway, the Angellala Creek site marks the location of Australia's most powerful peacetime explosion.

On the night of 5 September 2014, a road train carrying 52 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed into the creek bed and detonated with a force equivalent to 10 to 15 tonnes of TNT, destroying both the road bridge and the heritage-listed 1897 railway bridge.

The railway bridge will never be rebuilt. Interpretive signage tells the full story.

There's a sealed pull-off with a turning circle suitable for caravans. Free to visit and worth the stop.

Full story in our Charleville: Hidden Gems post.

The Rock Pool and WWII Quarry

About 10 kilometres east of Charleville on the Warrego Highway, the Rock Pool is a free camp and swimming hole that most travellers use as an overnight stop without knowing what it is. The pool sits in an old quarry — the source of all the rock used to build the runways at Charleville Airport during WWII. The connection between the quarry and the aviation history in town is a satisfying one to close.

If this kind of travel is your thing, the Travel Dispatch has more of it. Sign up at offthemainroad.com.au/signup.

Charleville FAQs

Allow at least three to four days to do Charleville justice. Between the Cosmos Centre day and night sessions, the Bilby Experience, the WWII Secret Base, the RFDS Visitor Centre, Hotel Corones tour, the Airfield Museum, the Outback Date Farm and the Angellala Creek site, there's more here than most people expect. We've been back four times and we're still finding things.
Yes. Queensland's largest planetarium runs both day and night sessions. The night sessions are what most people come for, but the daytime solar viewing through one of the largest optical telescopes of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere is genuinely impressive. Book ahead, particularly in peak season between April and October.
For most attractions, yes. The Cosmos Centre, Bilby Experience, WWII Secret Base and Hotel Corones tours all benefit from advance booking, particularly during peak season. Your first stop should be the Information Centre in town, where you can plan and book everything in the one place.
Yes. Charleville is fully accessible for caravans and motorhomes, with sealed roads throughout. The Rock Pool free camp about 10 kilometres east of town on the Warrego Highway is a popular overnight stop, and the Angellala Creek pull-off south of town has a turning circle suitable for caravans if you decide to stop.
Yes. The Rock Pool, about 10 kilometres east of town on the Warrego Highway, is a free camp and swimming hole. It's a former WWII quarry — the source of the rock used to build the airport runways — which gives it an unexpected connection to the town's aviation history.
Generally yes, though individual attractions vary. The Rock Pool free camp is a good base for travellers with dogs. Check with the Information Centre on arrival for the current dog policy at specific sites.
Charleville is 745 kilometres west of Brisbane via the Warrego Highway. Allow around eight hours of driving time, though most travellers break the journey at Roma or Cunnamulla.
Charleville is best known for the Cosmos Centre planetarium, the Bilby Experience conservation sanctuary, and its deep ties to Australian aviation history — Qantas won its first government mail contract operating between Charleville and Cloncurry in 1922. The town also has significant WWII history as a top-secret US Air Force base.

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Wyandra: Sunsets and Silence

Cameron — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:00:58 +0000

The Mitchell Highway between Cunnamulla and Charleville is flat, straight, and quiet. Not empty, just unhurried.

Wyandra sits almost exactly halfway, about 110 kilometres north of Cunnamulla and 113 kilometres south of Charleville, and it's easy to drive through without stopping. We didn’t drive through; we stopped at one of our favourite peaceful stops when heading north.

The township was established in 1896 with the Great South Western Railway passing through on its way from Brisbane to Cunnamulla. Wyandra’s proximity to the Warrego River meant it was a major water stop for the steam engines of the era, and like so many outback towns, the railway was the reason it existed at all. In 1898, a school was established with about 60 pupils, roughly the same as today’s total town population of 78!

The last passenger train ran through in 1994. The rail line’s final chapter, though, came twenty years later and about 110 kilometres up the road. But that’s a story for the next time. (Sign up for our travel dispatch to stay up to date)

We set up at the free camp out the back of the school. The Wyandra Post Office and general store is the beating heart of town, where you can pick up a burger and great conversation in the same visit. The burgers are excellent. Proper outback cooking, generous with the fillings.

From there, we walked around the town. It doesn’t take long. A heritage trail guides visitors past old and unusual buildings, with plenty of photographic opportunities. The old buildings have a particular quality to them, weathered but still standing, still carrying the shape of a town that once had bigger expectations.

There aren’t too many places over 1,000 kilometres from the nearest ocean that can boast their very own sandy beach, but Wyandra is one of them. The beach is down on the Warrego River, a sandy bend in the river where the bank flattens out, and the water runs clear enough to invite you in. It’s a popular spot with locals and a good place to sit and watch the afternoon light move across the water.

The sunsets here are something else. The sky opens up wide over the flat country, and when the light goes, it does it slowly and completely, running through every shade of orange and red before dropping away. Cameron photographed one of those sunsets, and it ended up on the cover of the 2026 Paroo Shire Calendar.

We spent time doing very little, which is sometimes exactly the point. The peace at Wyandra is genuine, no highway noise, no crowds, just the sound of the birds in the morning.

And if you're heading north toward Charleville, there’s a stop on the Mitchell Highway about 110 kilometres up the road that’s worth a stop. On the evening of 5 September 2014, one of the largest explosions in Australian history permanently reshaped the landscape. We’ll cover that next time!

If this kind of slow travel is your thing, the Travel Dispatch has more of it. Sign up HERE

Wyandra is part of our growing collection of small towns in Australia worth slowing down for.

Wyandra, Queensland

Located halfway between Cunnamulla and Charleville in the Paroo Shire. The township was established in 1896 with the Great South Western Railway passing through on its way from Brisbane to Cunnamulla. The Warrego River runs through the locality from north to south, and the town sits just to the east of the river and west of the Mitchell Highway.

How to Get There

Wyandra is located on the Mitchell Highway, approximately 110 kilometres north of Cunnamulla and 113 kilometres south of Charleville. The road is sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Stayed at the free camp behind the Wyandra Post Office.
Ate outback burgers at the post office general store.
Walked through town.
Visited the beach on the Warrego River.
Watched the sunset over the flat country.

Other highlights nearby:

Cunnamulla, 110 kilometres south, with hot springs, the All Aboard experience and the Artesian Time Tunnel.
Charleville, 113 kilometres north, with the Cosmos Centre and the historic Hotel Corones.
Angellala Creek explosion site, about 110 kilometres north.

When to Visit

Wyandra is accessible year-round. Autumn through spring offers the most comfortable conditions. Summer temperatures in south-west Queensland are extreme. The Warrego River can flood after significant rainfall, check conditions before travelling.

Final Thoughts

Wyandra is quiet, genuine, and unhurried. The burgers are good, the beach is real, and the sunsets make you put the phone down and just look (or photograph).

What’s Nearby

We came to Wyandra from Cunnamulla, which we've written about HERE. The road north leads to Charleville and, just before it, the Angellala Creek explosion site. one of the most remarkable stops on the Mitchell Highway, and the subject of our next post.

More of this kind of travel in the Travel Dispatch. Sign up HERE

Fast Facts

Location: Wyandra, Queensland
Distance: 110km north of Cunnamulla; 113km south of Charleville
Traditional Owners: Kuungkari People
Access: Sealed road, Mitchell Highway, suitable for caravans and motorhomes
Facilities: Free camp at post office, general store, burgers, toilets
Walking Track: Heritage trail through town; river access at the beach
Best Time to Visit: Autumn to spring
Dog Friendly: Yes

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The silence: It’s louder than you expect once you stop. Give it a minute.

The burgers: Generous. Plan accordingly.

The sunset: Cameron photographed one well enough for a calendar cover. Yours probably won’t make it. Still worth trying.

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Cunnamulla: Rails, Races and Hot Springs

Cameron — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:23:02 +0000

The drive from Bourke to Cunnamulla crosses the border from New South Wales into Queensland somewhere along the Mitchell Highway, and the country doesn’t really change to mark the moment. Flat, wide and pale gold.

We broke the drive at Enngonia, a small community just shy of the Queensland border, with a pub that let us camp out the back for the night. There’s not much to Enngonia. That’s not a criticism. It’s a useful stop between two bigger towns, the kind of place where you pull up, have a meal and a couple of drinks at the pub, and watch the light go out of the sky. We slept well.

Cunnamulla was a different proposition. We’d been through before, but this visit, we gave it proper time, checking into the Warrego Riverside Park and staying long enough to get to know the place a little better.

Our first instinct, as always, was the information centre. The Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Centre on Jane Street turned out to be the right call immediately. The staff sold us an adventure pass, a discounted entry combining the Artesian Time Tunnel, the All Aboard experience at the old railway station, and a day pass for the hot springs. If you’re planning a visit, get one. It pays for itself quickly and provides great structure for your stay.

One piece of advice we’ll pass on: try not to arrive on a weekend if you want to get a proper feel for the town. Like most outback Queensland communities, Cunnamulla quiets right down on Saturday afternoon and is pretty much closed on Sunday. It’s not a problem if you know it’s coming, but it can catch you off guard if you don’t.

We arrived to a happy coincidence. The Cunnamulla races were on that weekend. Neil heard this news with the expression of a man who has just been told he has won a medium-sized prize in the lottery. The weekend plan formed itself almost immediately. Neil at the races. Cameron at the hot springs. Everyone satisfied.

But first, We spent a morning exploring the town.

The Warrego River runs alongside quietly, and the weir is worth the short drive. The Robbers Tree is an easy stop, a heritage-listed cypress pine on Stockyard Street that turns out to have a genuinely good story attached. On the 16th of January 1880, a station hand named Joseph Wells walked into the Queensland National Bank armed with a revolver and demanded money. Things went sideways quickly. A neighbouring storekeeper tried to intervene, was wounded in the scuffle, and Wells fled into the surrounding bush. He might have gotten away entirely, except for a sheep dog that followed his scent and sat barking under the tree where Wells had taken refuge. The police found him in the branches. He was tried in Toowoomba, convicted of armed robbery with wounding, and executed in Brisbane in March 1880. He was the last person in Queensland to hang for that offence. The tree has been on the Queensland Heritage Register since 1992. It’s a cypress pine, well, what’s left of a cypress pine! The story is what makes it worth stopping for.

The afternoon session of All Aboard at the old railway station was a good way to end the day. The Cunnamulla railway arrived in 1898, and the station closed to passengers in 1994, a run of nearly a century at the end of the line. The station itself burned down and was rebuilt in the 1930s. In 2021, the Paroo Progress Association, a volunteer committee, opened a purpose-built theatre inside the weatherboard building, with a 15-metre wide screen, air conditioning, and a holographic station master named Steven Tandy as your host. Tall tales and real stories from locals about the trains and the people who rode them. It runs around 90 minutes and is worth every cent of the entry fee, and is worth supporting.

Race day for Neil was exactly what it sounds like…a day in the sun with the Cunnamulla locals, a few bets, a few drinks, and the particular warmth of a country race crowd who are genuinely happy to have visitors among them. He came home ten dollars ahead, which he considered a solid performance.

Cameron spent the same day at the hot springs, and the day pass turned out to be the key to the whole experience. The Cunnamulla Hot Springs sit alongside the Warrego River, with seven free-flowing mineral pools of different temperatures, fed by the Great Artesian Basin deep beneath the earth, alongside a cold plunge pool, sauna, steam room and relaxation areas. The day pass allows you to come and go as you please across the full day. A morning soak in cool air. An afternoon return when the pools feel different. A sunset session in warm water under a wide outback sky. Three different moods, one pass. The entry fee of $45 (cheaper with the Adventure Pass) does make some travellers balk at a visit, but the value of a day at the springs to wash off the red outback dust cannot be understated! Treat yourself, and you won’t regret it.

It’s a genuinely impressive facility for a town this size, and the artesian water has a mineral quality that’s distinct from anything you’d find in a city day spa. Sitting in a geothermal pool on the banks of the Warrego as the light went gold felt like a reasonable way to spend a Sunday.

We packed a lot into a short stay. Cunnamulla has more going on than most travellers assume, and the adventure pass makes it easy to move through the highlights without overthinking it.

If outback Queensland is your kind of country, the Travel Dispatch keeps track of it. Sign up HERE

Cunnamulla is part of our growing collection of small towns in Australia worth slowing down for.

Cunnamulla, Queensland

Cunnamulla sits on the Warrego River in south-west Queensland, about 787 kilometres west of Brisbane and 120 kilometres north of the New South Wales border. It’s the administrative centre of the Paroo Shire, a vast stretch of outback Queensland covering over 47,000 square kilometres. The name Cunnamulla is widely accepted as an Aboriginal term meaning ’long stretch of water.’

How to Get There

From Bourke (NSW), follow the Mitchell Highway north-west to Cunnamulla, approximately 200 kilometres via Barringun at the Queensland border. Roads are sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. From Brisbane, Cunnamulla is approximately 787 kilometres via the Warrego Highway through Toowoomba and St George.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Overnighted at Eungella pub (camping out the back) on the way from Bourke.
Stayed at Warrego Riverside Park, Cunnamulla.
Visited the Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Centre and purchased adventure passes.
Walked the weir and the Robbers Tree heritage site.
Attended the afternoon session of All Aboard at the old railway station.
Neil spent race day at the Cunnamulla races.
Cameron used a day pass at the Cunnamulla Hot Springs, morning, afternoon and sunset sessions.
Explored the Artesian Time Tunnel at the visitor centre.

Other highlights nearby:

Charlotte Plains Station, 40 minutes east — a working sheep and cattle property with an 1890s artesian bore pond open to visitors.
Eulo Mud Baths, about an hour west — artesian mud baths in a bush setting.
Yowah, about two hours west — opal mining town with artesian bath houses.
Cunnamulla Bushlands, a short drive from town for wildlife spotting and birdwatching.
Cunnamulla Rodeo, held annually in August.

When to Visit

Autumn through spring (April to October) offers the most comfortable temperatures. Summer in south-west Queensland is extreme. The visitor centre operates reduced hours on weekends during peak season and is closed Saturdays and Sundays from November to March, so plan around this. The hot springs and All Aboard both operate year-round, though All Aboard runs daily only from April to September and from Monday to Friday from October to March.

Final Thoughts

Cunnamulla surprised us with how much it had to offer for a town of its size. The adventure pass is genuinely good value, the hot springs are a cut above what you'd expect, and the locals at the races were exactly the kind of people you come to outback Queensland to meet. Get the adventure pass. Stay longer than you planned.

What's Nearby

We came to Cunnamulla from Bourke, which we’ve written about here. The road west opens up into the opal country around Eulo and Yowah — both worth a dedicated stop if you’re continuing that way.

More outback Queensland in the Travel Dispatch. Sign up HERE

Fast Facts

Location: Cunnamulla, Queensland
Distance: 787km west of Brisbane; 200km from Bourke NSW
Traditional Owners: Kuungkari People
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Warrego Highway from Brisbane; Mitchell Highway from Bourke
Facilities: Warrego Riverside Park, full town facilities, visitor centre, hot springs, caravan parks
Walking Track: Warrego River walk; Robbers Tree, Stockyard Street
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Dog Friendly: Yes (riverside park and surrounds; not within hot springs complex)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The summer heat: South-west Queensland in summer is not a suggestion. Plan your visit for cooler months.

The day pass: Three sessions at the hot springs in one day sounds manageable until you’re too relaxed to leave.

The races: Coming home ten dollars up is a victory. Know when to stop.

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Traveller’s Notes: What is the Kidman Way?

Cameron — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:09:38 +0000

The Kidman Way is a 644-kilometre sealed touring route through the heart of New South Wales, running from Jerilderie in the south to Barringun on the Queensland border. It connects the Riverina in the south to outback NSW in the north, passing through Griffith, Hillston, Cobar and Bourke along the way.

The route is named after Sir Sidney Kidman, the pastoralist known as the 'Cattle King', who built one of the world’s largest pastoral empires across inland Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His vision was to open up the country’s vast interior, and the route that bears his name follows much of that spirit.

The Kidman Way is fully sealed and suitable for caravans and motorhomes throughout. It carries far less truck traffic than most inland highways, which makes it a more relaxed drive than comparable routes. The landscape shifts as you travel from irrigated farmland and citrus country around Griffith, to open plains through Hillston and Mount Hope, and then the red country opening up around Cobar and north to Bourke.

It’s not a fast road in the sense that there’s much to stop for. Cobar is the standout town on the route, with a good museum, a strong heritage streetscape, and solid free camping options nearby. Bourke marks the start of the northern end and is worth several days on its own.

We've travelled sections of the Kidman Way on multiple trips and have written about both Cobar and Bourke in more detail.

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Bourke: Where the Darling Tells the Story

Cameron — Mon, 18 May 2026 05:50:35 +0000

We didn’t plan to spend five days in Nyngan.

Lucky Nyngan Weir free camp on the Bogan River is one of our favourite stops in the country! Big trees, shade, water alongside, birdlife in the mornings and a quiet that settles in fast. We’d planned for a night or two before pushing north to Bourke. Then the rain came. Fifty millimetres in a day, which in central NSW is not a gentle shower. It’s rain that turns paddocks into lakes and the free camp into a mud pit for the overconfident.

We watched a few of those travellers from the comfort of our warm, dry moho. There’s a particular blind optimism in the decision to drive a large van through a large body of mud, and a particular expression that follows when it doesn’t work out. (We didn’t need to be able to lipread to work out what was being said!)
We felt for them (a little). We were also very glad we had moved to higher ground at the campsite before the rain.

So we stayed. Life admin got done, trashy television got watched, and the Bogan River rose a little, then settled. By day five, the roads north had dried enough, and we pointed the motorhome toward Bourke.

Bourke sits on the Darling River about 800 kilometres north-west of Sydney, and the river is the whole story here. Not just a backdrop, the actual reason this town exists, and the reason it once mattered enormously to the rest of the country.

In the second half of the 19th century, the Port of Bourke was the centre of the world’s wool industry. Up to 80 riverboats worked the Darling at its peak, carrying bales of wool from stations across western NSW and south-western Queensland down the river to the Murray, then on to Adelaide and Melbourne, and from there by ship to England. At its height, 40,000 bales of wool a year were moving through Bourke’s port. The river was a highway, and Bourke was its busiest junction.

The railway reached Bourke in 1885 and began drawing trade away from the river. The Darling's flow itself was never reliable enough to compete. The last commercial paddlesteamer made its final journey in 1931, and the river highway slowly closed.

You can still get out on the Darling aboard the PV Jandra, a modern diesel paddle vessel built as a replica of a 1894 steam paddle boat. We were there when the river was running high after all the rain upstream, and the cruise gave us a proper sense of the scale of what this waterway once carried. The three-tiered wharf on Sturt Street is a replica of the original 1897 structure, and standing at its edge, with the brown river moving past, it's not hard to picture what it looked like, with boats stacked three deep and wool bales piled to the railing.

We stayed two nights at the Mitchell Caravan Park to properly spend some time around town.

The Bourke Historic Cemetery sits about a kilometre from town and holds more Australian history per square metre than almost anywhere we’ve been. The graves of bushrangers and drovers, riverboatmen and pioneering children, sit beside the Afghan section of the cemetery, where a small corrugated-iron mosque that has stood since the 1880s is housed. It was built in Hope Street by the community of Afghan cameleers who worked the camel transport routes radiating out of Bourke, carrying wool from distant stations to the river. In 1998, it was relocated to the cemetery for safekeeping, still oriented toward Mecca, still sitting close to the graves of those who used it. It’s one of the oldest surviving places of Muslim worship in the country, and it’s easy to walk past without knowing what you’re looking at.

Fred Hollows is buried here, too. The ophthalmologist and social justice campaigner began his work restoring vision among Aboriginal communities in the Bourke area in the 1970s before taking that work around the world. He died in February 1993 and, in keeping with his own wishes, was laid to rest in the Bourke cemetery under a coolabah tree. His grave is marked by a large polished black granite stone, convex and curved so that the light reflects back at you from every angle. It was designed by Austrian sculptor Andreas Buisman and replaced the original headstone in 2006. Fred was buried with his glasses, his pipe, a bottle of whisky, and letters from his children. The Fred Hollows Foundation continues his work today.

The Back O’Bourke Exhibition Centre is Bourke’s main museum, and it's thorough, genuinely comprehensive, well-presented, and packed with the kind of detail that rewards slow visitors. It’s worth saying, honestly, that there's a lot of reading involved, which may not suit everyone, particularly families with younger kids. But for anyone with an interest in outback history, the Darling River era, and the people who shaped this part of the country, it’s worth every minute.

We drove out to the weir and lock on the Darling while we were there. It was the very first lock and weir built on the river, and the water was high and moving well after all the rain upstream. Standing at the lock and looking out at the width of the Darling, it’s easier to understand why this river was once taken seriously as a highway.

If slow travel and proper outback history are your thing, the Travel Dispatch has more of it. Sign up HERE.

Bourke is part of our growing collection of small towns in Australia worth slowing down for.

Bourke, New South Wales

Bourke sits on the Darling River in outback NSW, approximately 800 kilometres north-west of Sydney via the Mitchell and Kamilaroi Highways. It was one of Australia's most important inland ports during the paddlesteamer era of the late 19th century, and the Darling River remains central to the town’s identity and its tourism offer. The town is the northern start of the Darling River Run, a 750-kilometre touring route south to Wentworth, and is considered the gateway to outback NSW.

How to Get There

From Sydney, Bourke is approximately 800 kilometres via the Great Western Highway to Dubbo, then north on the Mitchell Highway. The road is sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and motorhomes. From Nyngan, it's around 200 kilometres north on the Mitchell Highway.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Stayed five nights at Nyngan Weir free camp on the Bogan River (waiting out the rain).
Viewed the Darling River and the PV Jandra paddle vessel.
Visited the North Bourke suspension bridge, the oldest surviving suspension bridge in NSW.
Visited the Bourke Historic Cemetery, including the Afghan mosque and Fred Hollows' grave.
Explored the Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre.
Drove out to the Darling River weir and lock, the first built on the river.

Other highlights nearby:

Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre mud map walking tour of heritage buildings.
Mount Oxley, 65 kilometres north of Bourke, a significant landmark for early explorers.
The Darling River Run south toward Wilcannia and Wentworth.
Brewarrina, about 100 kilometres east, home to the ancient Brewarrina fish traps.

When to Visit

Autumn through spring offers the most comfortable temperatures. Summer in Bourke is extreme; it regularly tops 45 degrees and has recorded some of the highest temperatures in Australia. The Darling River runs best after good rainfall in the catchment; in dry years, the river can drop significantly, and the Jandra may not operate. Check conditions before travelling.

Final Thoughts

Bourke is a town that makes more sense the longer you stay. This river town has a story to tell; the wool, boats, cameleers, missionaries, and drovers, all came through, and the cemetery holds what’s left of the record. Well worth a stop for a few days

What’s Nearby

Nyngan is about 200 kilometres south on the Mitchell Highway and we've written about it here. Brewarrina is 100 kilometres east and worth a dedicated stop. The Darling River Run heads south from Bourke toward Wilcannia and Wentworth, and we’ll be linking those posts as they go live.

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Fast Facts

Location: Bourke, New South Wales
Distance: 800km north-west of Sydney; 200km north of Nyngan
Traditional Owners: Ngemba and Muruwari Peoples
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Mitchell Highway from Sydney via Dubbo
Facilities: Full town facilities; Mitchell Caravan Park; dump point; visitor centre
Walking Track: Heritage Trail walking map available from visitor centre
Best Time to Visit: Autumn to spring
Dog Friendly: Yes (cemetery, river areas, caravan park — check individual sites)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The summer heat: Bourke holds some of Australia’s hottest temperature records. This is not a joke.

Muddy roads after rain: Fifty millimetres in a day turns a lot of NSW into a problem. Wait it out.

The cemetery: Allow more time than you think. You’ll keep finding things.

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Other updates you may like…

Hay: History on the Murrumbidgee

Cameron — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:48:31 +0000

A few months parked up through the Victorian summer had been good…really good. The catching up with family and friends, that life on the road makes harder to come by. But the cool weather had arrived, and so had the familiar pull northward. We stopped in Warrnambool first to catch up with more family and friends, one last round of farewells before pointing the Moho towards the highway.

From Warrnambool, we headed north through St Arnaud for an overnight free camp, then pushed on toward Hay. The roads were noticeably quieter than usual. Whether it was the fuel prices keeping people closer to home or just the time of year, we’re not entirely sure, but the difference was real. Long stretches of highway with almost nothing coming the other way. It made the drive more relaxed than we’d expected.

Hay is always a nice reward after crossing the flat, empty plains to get there. But we were happy to be back in Big Sky Country!

Sandy Point Reserve sits on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, accessed off Brunker Street just over the bridge. Large, shaded by old river red gums, with electric barbecues, clean toilets and a generous sandy riverbank. It’s free, pet-friendly and has a 72-hour maximum stay. We’ve been here before, and we’ll come back again. There’s a particular peace to this spot that’s easy to settle into.

The Murrumbidgee was running well. Zoe approved of the sandy riverbank. We parked up overnight, and as we were racing a massive rain band across the country, we temporarily gave up on slow travel and left early the next day to get farther north of the rain.

Hay is a town with more going on than its size suggests. We’ve visited a few times now, and each time we find something we missed. The Hay Gaol was built in 1878 and has had several lives since: an adult prison, a maternity hospital, a prisoner-of-war detention centre, an institution for girls in the 1960s, and now a museum. Each cell holds a different display, donated by locals from across the region. It’s a strange and fascinating collection: antique windmills, Australia’s oldest known bark canoe, the van that brought troubled girls in under the cover of night. The goal’s history is not always comfortable, and the museum doesn’t pretend any different.

The railway station is worth a look too. It opened in 1882 and closed in 1989, with the last passenger train passing through six years earlier. The brick building has been beautifully restored to its original heritage colours and now houses the local community radio station and the Dunera Museum, a prisoner-of-war interpretive centre housed in two restored train carriages. The Dunera story of over 6,000 German, Italian and Japanese civilian internees and prisoners of war held in camps at Hay during World War II is one of the more remarkable, albeit dark, chapters in the town’s history.

The water tower is hard to miss. Five enormous portraits of veterans painted across the tank, representing all those from the area who have served. It’s striking from a distance and worth getting closer to.

And then there’s Bishop's Lodge, on Moama Street. Built in 1888 by architect John Sulman for the first Anglican Bishop of the Riverina, Sydney Linton, it’s a remarkable iron building, designed specifically to withstand Hay’s extreme summer heat. Sawdust insulation, raised ventilation ridges, and a heritage rose garden surrounding it that’s been tended by volunteers for decades. It sat vacant and deteriorating for years before being restored as part of Hay’s bicentennial project in 1988. The self-guided tour is worth the $5 donation.

Cameron first came to Hay for the Rainbow on the Plains Festival, which has been running since 2018. It started simply enough, with a group of locals wanting to watch the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade together, and grew into a full weekend festival drawing thousands of visitors to this small Riverina town. Street parade, fair day, live entertainment, and an after-party that runs until the early hours. Hay puts on a proper welcome. The festival runs in November each year and has become one of the most genuinely inclusive events in regional NSW.

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Hay, New South Wales

Hay sits on the Murrumbidgee River in the heart of the Riverina, roughly halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide on the Sturt Highway. It's a flat, wide, quietly surprising town with a strong heritage precinct, a well-maintained free camp on the river, and a community that punches well above its weight. The town was gazetted in 1859 and grew as a key crossing point on the Murrumbidgee for stock routes heading to the Victorian goldfields. Its pastoral wealth funded some remarkable buildings in the late 19th century, several of which are still standing and open to visitors.

How to Get There

Hay is approximately 740 kilometres from Melbourne via the Calder and Sturt Highways, and around 750 kilometres from Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The Sturt Highway runs directly through town. Roads are sealed throughout and suitable for caravans and large motorhomes. From Victoria, the route north through St Arnaud and Balranald brings you in on the Western Highway and Sturt Highway combination, a quieter and more interesting drive than the direct freeway route.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:‍ ‍

Camped at Sandy Point Reserve on the Murrumbidgee River.
Walked the riverbank and explored the Heritage Trail through town.
Visited the Hay Gaol Museum.
Explored the Hay Railway Station and Dunera Museum.
Visited Bishop's Lodge Historic House and Heritage Garden.
Took in the water tower veterans' art.

‍ ‍Other highlights nearby:‍ ‍

Shear Outback Museum (Australian Shearers Hall of Fame).
Rainbow on the Plains Festival, held annually in November.
Sunset Viewing Area, 16 kilometres north on the Cobb Highway, with 360-degree views across the plains.
Murrumbidgee Valley Regional Park, 4 kilometres west of town on the Maude Road, with free camping at Wooloondool.
Balranald, about 165 kilometres west along the Sturt Highway.

When to Visit

Hay is a year-round destination, though summer temperatures can be extreme. Autumn through spring offer the most comfortable conditions for camping and exploring on foot. The Rainbow on the Plains Festival runs in November each year. River levels and road conditions around the Murrumbidgee can change quickly after heavy rain.

Final Thoughts

There’s something about arriving in Hay after a long drive across the plains. The town earns its place on the map in its own quiet way. Good free camp, good history, good people. We’ll keep coming back.

What's Nearby

Hay sits naturally on a route between Balranald to the west and Wagga Wagga to the east, and makes a solid base for a few days. We passed through St Arnaud on the way up, and Warrnambool was our last stop before heading north. We'll link those posts here as they go live.

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Fast Facts

Location: Hay, New South Wales
Distance: 740km from Melbourne; 750km from Sydney
Traditional Owners: Nari Nari and Wiradjuri Peoples
Access: Sealed roads throughout; Sandy Point Reserve via Brunker Street off the Sturt Highway
Facilities: Free camp with toilets, electric BBQs, river access; full town facilities
Walking Track: Bidgee Riverside Trail and Heritage Trail through town
Best Time to Visit: Autumn to spring
Dog Friendly: Yes (Sandy Point Reserve and surrounds)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won’t)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

The Hay Plains at dusk: Kangaroos and wallabies cross the road in numbers at dawn and dusk. Take it slow.

The summer heat: Hay’s summers are serious. Bishop’s Lodge was literally engineered to survive them.

The 72-hour limit at Sandy Point: It goes faster than you’d think. Plan accordingly.

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On the Road Again!

Cameron — Sun, 03 May 2026 22:00:40 +0000

A Reflection from the Road

There’s a definite restlessness that arrives with the cool change.

We’ve been parked up through the Victorian summer, catching up with family and friends, doing the things that full-time road life makes harder, such as long lunches and lazy afternoons together. It was good…really good. But somewhere around the point when the mornings started getting sharp and the days shorter, we both felt it. Time to follow the warmth!

The original plan was to spend some more time in South Australia. There are always more places to find, and we’d been looking forward to getting back. But a polar cold snap had other ideas, pushing down through Victoria with the kind of intent that made us reconsider everything south and west.

We looked at the forecast, looked at each other, and pointed the van north instead. That’s one of the best things about living this way: the flexibility to just change our minds at a moment’s notice.

The fuel situation added another layer to our decision-making. The global supply crunch had seen diesel prices climb to the point where we sat still a little longer than planned, watching to see what would happen.

A couple of phone calls to our mates up north, and the decision was made. More free camps and leaning more heavily on the Jimny for day trips and exploring, as it’s a far more economical way to cover ground once the motorhome is parked up, and honestly, it gets us into places the big rig never could.

It’s changed how we think about travel a little. Even slower, more deliberate. Base camp somewhere interesting, explore outward from it, move on when it feels right. Which, looking back, is probably just a variation on how we have been doing it all along.

The hardest part is always the goodbye.

Family pulls hardest when you’re heading off. There’s no clean way to say farewell to people you love, and no amount of video calls quite fills the gap. We’ve learned to live with that rather than try to resolve it. Living on the road gives us a lot, but it doesn’t give us proximity, and honestly, that’s a trade-off worth noting.

But the northern sun was calling, and we’ve never regretted following it.

The Jimny is packed, the motorhome is ready, and somewhere ahead of us, the country is warm and wide and waiting. That's enough, let’s go!

Read about our travel philosophy

Some of our other thoughts

A Slow Day in Warrnambool

Cameron — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:12:22 +0000

Not every day on the road is about covering ground. We’d parked up in Warrnambool for a while and had no real agenda beyond seeing a few things at a pace that suited all of us, Zoe included.

The morning started at the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens, and we weren’t expecting big things. Boy, were we wrong!. Morning fog was still sitting low over the lawns when we arrived, the light soft and a bit otherworldly, and the gardens just opened up before us. Wide curving paths, enormous old trees, a lily pond with a stone bridge, and a fernery tucked into one corner. The whole place was designed by William Guilfoyle in 1877, the same man behind the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, and you can feel that considered hand in the layout. Sweeping and unhurried.

We spent longer than expected just wandering. There’s a Lone Pine near the centre of the gardens, planted in 1934 from a seed brought back from Gallipoli. One of only a handful still standing in Victoria. It’s easy to walk past without noticing it, but once you do, it is worth a moment’s contemplation.

From there, we drove out to Hopkins Falls, about 13 kilometres north-east of town. The Hopkins River had been running strong, and the falls were putting on a proper show. At around 90 metres wide, they’re among the widest in Australia, and when the river is up, they fill the whole rock face. There was a fine mist rising off the base, and the sound was constant and low. We walked down to the lower viewing platform for a closer look. It’s not a long walk, but it gets you right into it.

Worth knowing: the falls are best in winter or after decent rainfall. In a dry summer, they can drop to a trickle. We timed it well.

The afternoon brought a slower gear again. Fletcher Jones Market sits in the old Fletcher Jones clothing factory on the highway into town, fronted by a heritage-listed garden with an oversized silver ball you can spot from a distance. Zoe was coming in with us, leash on, nose going the whole time. The market is dog-friendly throughout, gardens and all, which meant she got to do her own version of browsing.

Inside, it’s two floors of stalls, somewhere around 50 of them, covering antiques and collectables, old books, vinyl records, retro clothing, artwork, coins, furniture and the kind of oddly specific memorabilia that takes a while to identify. We didn’t need anything in particular, which is probably the right way to go in. Zoe paused at a few stalls with great seriousness. We moved on without spending too much.

It was a good day. Quiet, genuinely interesting, and over before the legs gave out.

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Warrnambool Botanic Gardens

The Warrnambool Botanic Gardens cover 20 acres just north of the town centre, designed by William Guilfoyle in 1877. Features include wide curving paths, a lily pond with a stone bridge, a fernery, a band rotunda, and a Lone Pine grown from a seed brought back from Gallipoli. One of Victoria’s earliest provincial botanic gardens, open from sunrise to sunset daily.

Hopkins Falls

Hopkins Falls sit on the Hopkins River about 13 kilometres north-east of Warrnambool, near Allansford. Two elevated viewing platforms sit close to the action, with a path leading down to the base for a closer look. Best visited in winter or after significant rainfall.

Fletcher Jones Market

The Fletcher Jones Market occupies the former Fletcher Jones clothing factory on the Princes Highway, fronted by a heritage-listed garden. Dogs are welcome on leash throughout the market and gardens. Open daily 10am to 5pm.

How to Get There

Warrnambool is approximately 260 kilometres south-west of Melbourne via the Princes Highway, or around 3 hours by road. The Botanic Gardens are a short walk from the town centre. Hopkins Falls is a 15-minute drive north-east via Wangoom Road. Fletcher Jones Market is on the Princes Highway on the eastern approach to town, hard to miss.

What to See / Tours / Activities

What we did:

Walked the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens in the early morning mist.
Visited the Lone Pine, grown from a Gallipoli seed planted in 1934.
Drove out to Hopkins Falls to see the river running at full strength.
Walked down to the lower viewing platform at the base of the falls.
Spent the afternoon browsing Fletcher Jones Market with Zoe.

Other highlights nearby:

Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool's waterfront heritage precinct.
Logan's Beach whale nursery, one of the best land-based whale watching spots in Australia.
Deep Blue Hot Springs, Warrnambool.
Port Fairy, about 30 kilometres west along the coast.
The Great Ocean Road, beginning just east of town.

When to Visit

Warrnambool is a year-round destination. The Botanic Gardens are lovely in any season, but the mist and soft morning light of the cooler months, or an odd cold front in summer, adds something. Hopkins Falls are at their best in winter or after heavy rain. The Fletcher Jones Market runs daily and is a good wet-weather option.

Final Thoughts

Warrnambool is surprising, having visited many times, we always manage to find something new. The gardens alone were worth the stop. The falls were a bonus. And Zoe sniffed her way through two floors of antiques and collectables without missing a thing. Not bad for a lazy day.

What's Nearby

Warrnambool sits at the western end of the Great Ocean Road, which we've covered in our Great Ocean Road Posts (coming soon). Port Fairy is just 30 kilometres west and is worth a night or two if you’re continuing along the coast.

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Fast Facts

Location: Warrnambool, Victoria
Distance: 260km south-west of Melbourne
Traditional Owners: Gunditjmara People
Access: Sealed roads throughout, suitable for caravans and motorhomes
Facilities: Full town facilities, picnic areas at Hopkins Falls, toilets at all sites
Walking Track: Botanic Gardens paths, Hopkins Falls viewing platforms and base track
Best Time to Visit: Year-round, cooler months for falls and gardens
Dog Friendly: Mostly (Botanic Gardens - No, Fletcher Jones Market on leash, Hopkins Falls - Yes)

Things That Could Kill You (Probably Won't)

A semi-serious guide to surviving Australia. Mostly common sense, occasionally luck.

Hopkins Falls in flood: The path to the base is not the place to be when the river is running very high. Read the signs.

The Fletcher Jones Market: You will find something you don't need. Budget accordingly.

The Botanic Gardens Lone Pine: Knowing the story makes it harder to walk past. Allow extra time.

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