Best road trip around incredible Outback Queensland

If you’re looking for a new adventure that takes you beyond the beaten track, then it’s time to head on an outback Queensland road trip. You’ll be able to leave a cloud of red dirt behind you as you take your campervan, motorhome or caravan on the adventure of a lifetime.

Go digging for dinosaur bones, fossick for gems, immerse yourself in Indigenous culture and discover hidden gems along the way! Here are 7 places you can’t miss on your next outback road trip.

Best road trip around Outback Queensland: 7 places you can’t miss

Total distance: about 2,486km | Recommended days: from 10 to 12 days | Best time to do the route: between April and September | See route in Google Maps

1. Cunnamulla

Start your outback Queensland road trip in Cunnamulla. This is where The Matilda Way - a fully sealed 1812km highway from Cunnamulla to Karuma starts. Head to the Cunnamulla Fella to get your tourist photo, which is a tribute to the well-known outback song.

If you’re up for a hike, head to Currawinya National Park where you can explore Lake Wyara and Lake Numalla, and do a little bird spotting in your travels. More than 60 species are living in this area alone.

There’s plenty more adventure to be had at the town’s natural sand dunes, where you can hire a board for a day of thrills. Or head on over to the Artesian Time Tunnel, when you can discover all about the Great Artesian Basin, which is a huge underground river that covers one-fifth of Australia.

2. Charleville

One of the larger rural towns in outback Queensland, you’ll find a population of about 3,000 people here. One of the highlights of your trip is the Cosmos Centre, where you can learn about stars and planets and even view them through some incredible telescopes.

If you love a little wildlife, then get up close and personal to the endangered Bilby, where you will learn all about Charleville’s captive breeding program.

For a little bit of history during your stay, head along to the Charleville Historic House and Museum, which was originally built in 1877 as a bank. It is now home to a range of historical artefacts and photographs from the town.

3. Blackall

This is the perfect spot to immerse yourself into the local way of life, where you will no doubt receive a nice and warm welcome. Blackall has an impressive wool heritage, which you can learn more about at the Historic Blackall Woolscour. This is the last scour in Australia, and you can take a guided tour through the virtual living museum.

Blackall is known as the Arts Capital of the West, with an outdoor gallery or public works that have been created by some talented artists around the area. You can discover wool carvings, hand-painted murals and much more.

Finally, you can’t visit Blackall without checking out The Black Stump. This historic site marks the original Astro station, but has played a large role in rural mythology as a place beyond which was no man’s land, referred to as the area “beyond the black stump”.

4. Longreach

For a relatively small town, there’s plenty to see and do in the area. Start off with a trip to visit the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, where there’s a range of theme galleries featuring artefacts, and presentations that feature the lift of explorers and Indigenous people from the area.

Take a tour of the QANTAS Founders Museum, where you can step back in history and discover the company’s beginnings. You can enjoy a full-scale replica of the first-ever aircraft, along with several other models.

Of course, if you really want to step into the outback, hop on a Cobb and Co Stagecoach that takes you on a 45-minute ride along the original Longreach-Windorah mail route.

5. Winton

Welcome to the home of Waltzing Matilda, dinosaurs and opals. Winton is the home of Banjo Patterson’s ‘Waltzing Matilda’, which was inspired by a shearer’s suicide in 1894 and then performed at the Winton’s North Gregory Hotel in 1895.

The Age of Dinosaurs Museum is where you will find the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils. Fascinatingly, Winton is also home to the world’s only recorded evidence of a dinosaur stampede, known as the Dinosaur Stampede at Lark Quarry Conservation Park. You can even go and visit the 3,000 stampeding footprints in stone just nearby.

Finally, Winton is also home to Boulder opals, which you can purchase in town.

6. Cloncurry

Affectionately known as the ‘Curry’, this amazing place played a huge role in shaping Australia. It’s the birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which has gone on to bring health service access to rural areas since 1928. It is also the destination of the first Qantas flight.

It’s worth taking a stroll through town and checking out the amazing historic buildings, including the Court House and Post Office, which are both heritage listed, along with the Saddle Shop, Prince of Wales Historic restaurant and more.

Head to Cloncurry Unearthed for incredible displays of Cloncurry’s history, as well as an impressive gem and mineral collection. Then take a walk outdoors at the Mary Kathleen Park, with a scenic outlook over the town.

7. Karumba

This is the perfect place to end your outback Queensland road trip. To begin with, it’s one of the best spots in Australia to catch wild Barramundi. You can also enjoy the perfect Gulf sunset sitting at The Point Cafe, or the aptly-named Sunset Tavern.

While you’re there, head on over to Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre, where you can discover everything you ever wanted to know about barramundi. This museum was only opened in 2019 and offers a guided tour of the hatchery and breeding centre. Finish off your trip with a river cruise immersing yourself in some of the nature in the area.

Hire a van for your Outback Queensland road trip

After sorting out campervan hire in Brisbane, it’s time to venture off on an outback Queensland road trip that you’ll never forget! The above itinerary takes you on the Matilda Way - a well-known road trip in the region.

You can either make your way directly back (stopping along the way), or extend your holiday by heading to the coast and venturing to Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton and Sunshine Coast before ending back up in Brisbane. The ideal way to make the most of your road trip and see some amazing sites along the way!

For more travel inspo, check out guide to camping in the Outback and our favourite Australian Outback road trip ideas!

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