Outback Queensland

The Outback is part of the fabric of Queensland’s identity and encompasses the vast interior of the state. Covering an area the size of several small European countries it’s a pretty hard place to define.

Gulf country, wetlands and waterholes, lush savannah, pockmarked lunar landscapes, red desert sand dunes and cattle stations so big you’ll need to pack breakfast, lunch and dinner just to visit the neighbours… it’s a big place, full of big characters and big history.

You can follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs, grab a beer in a grand old hotel, or party with the locals at bush races. And there’s always a sense of connection to the history and heritage of a country forged in this intriguing region. It’s a place where the pace of life slows down and you can really connect with the locals. They’ve got the time and they’ve certainly got plenty of stories!

There’s a reason outdoor types love the outback. Superlatives fail when you are confronted by the choice of over 20 National Parks making up landscapes that are beyond conceivable. Sheer cliffs frame gorges filled with water so clear the sky appears trapped in its embrace. Aboriginal rock art that offers the local indigenous people a direct link with a rich culture dating back millennia can still be viewed to this day. See these natural beauties your way.

Camp for days or do a quick trip, go for a short walk and return to your accommodation that night. If you ache after a hard day of roaming around you can always soak away the tension in a mineral rich mud bath or marvel at the healing properties of hot water straight from subterranean artesian springs. As you relax in the healing waters look up above you. One thing people from the city always find hard to comprehend when they make their way to Queensland’s interior is the stars.

While you’re travelling through Queensland’s interior one thing you will notice popping up, is the ever-present Outback pub. Whether the local watering hole is a grand old federation building with a sweeping verandah or a tin shack, you know you will get a cold beer, a big steak and good dose of local gossip. You never know who you’ll meet sitting on the bar stool next to you. It could be the local mayor or a farmer whose family has been on the land for generations.

Discover the different regions of Queensland’s Outback at

South West – (Channel Country)

The South West, or Channel Country, is the epitome of the ‘natural’ Outback. At night the dark cloth of the heavens is scattered with glittering stars and at Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Observatory you can get an even closer look.

It’s not just about the landscape though, it’s the people and the stories. In the town of Cunnamulla on the banks of the Warrego River you can learn about the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’ immortalised in the song made famous by bush legend Slim Dusty. The term ‘Cunnamulla Fella’ is used to describe young ringers and shearers who work hard on the stations during the week and play hard in the Outback’s towns on the weekend. It’s a way of life for many young station hands to this day.

Further to the west, the town of Quilpie is most famous for one thing, brilliant boulder opals. Unique to this part of the world, these rainbow hued beauties are coveted internationally. You can even dig for your own for free just outside of town, or maybe head to the pub and see if you can get any tips on technique from a professional gem fossicker.

If you’re more into the richness and beauty of landscapes rather than striking it rich, the very edge of the Channel Country with its stunning sunsets will make your heart race. Here, Lake Bindegolly National Park offers a spectacular mix of red dessert and thriving wetlands. The landscape changes colour as the sun moves across it during the day and the moon and the stars do the same at night.

Don’t miss:

Cunnamulla - where the handshake’s stronger and the smile lasts longer! Follow the Matilda Highway or Adventure Way right into the heart of Cunnamulla, where you will be greeted by a colourful showing of roses, petunias and a lush green park.

Cunnamulla is a name everyone has heard and it conjures up nostalgic images of stockmen, shearing and days when everyone had time for a yarn. In pride of place, in the town centre, is a bronze statute of the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’ immortalising the larrikin in all Australians, he sits on his swag enjoying the moment.

The Heritage Trail will give you a glimpse of earlier times. There are walking trails along the river bank and through the Cunnamulla bushlands. Collect a map, bird list and plant

list from the Cunnamulla Fella Centre. While you are at the Centre take a look through the art gallery and interpretive displays of local history, opal mining, wool, native vegetation and the Great Artesian Basin.

Outback holidays are all about meeting the locals! There are many events you can enjoy from social bowls and tennis to the Cunnamulla Fella Festival. The Festival is held each year in November and includes country music and the excitement of a professional bull-ride. You don’t have to be born here to be a Cunnamulla Fella - you just have to enjoy being here!

Lake Bindegolly National Park - a remote but accessible park on the edge of Queensland’s Channel Country. This park is a bird and sunset-watcher’s paradise, distinguished by desert landscapes, a string of salt and freshwater lakes, thousands of waterbirds and a rare tree. Camping is permitted on a reserve just outside the park, but not on the park itself.

See swans, pelicans, and (possibly) rare freckled ducks and look for wedge-tailed eagles and Major Mitchell cockatoos. Tiny marsupials seek shelter in the samphire plants at the lake edge. At home in the park are tiny box-patterned geckos, skinks, painted dragons and sand goannas.

Central West – (Matilda Country)

The Central West’s story spans millions of years and its rich tapestry continues to this day. Near the town of Winton, fossil discoveries are being made that were previously unknown to science, in what is being termed a ‘fossil rush’. Join the Queensland Museum teams on a dig as a volunteer and learn more about the areas prehistoric roots.

If you’re more into ballads than bones, Winton is also considered to be the home of Australian bush poetry and the iconic ballad by Banjo Paterson, ‘Waltzing Matilda’. There is even an entire museum (the Matilda Centre) dedicated to the poem. Learn more about how our nation took flight at the Qantas Founders Museum and explore our outback heritage at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.

The Central West allows you to walk in the footsteps of those who shaped the cultural heritage of our nation. The pastoral industry, great Australian innovations and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity are the threads that weave their way through Australian identity to this day.

And as always, a huge part of this story is also the landscape. Bladensburg National Park, just 17km from Winton, offers spectacular views across vast grasslands as you stand on flat-topped mesas.

You can also hide from the heat of the day under the shade of giant gum trees on the banks of the rivers that meander across the plains. After rain, you’ll see wild flowers blossom amongst the spindly Spinifex grass.

Winton - Rich in history, Winton was originally known as Pelican Waterhole and was first settled in 1875. The Outback town is best known as the place that AB (Banjo) Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda in 1895, while staying at Dagworth Station outside Winton. The first performance of the ballad was reported to be at Winton’s North Gregory Hotel on 6 April of the same year. Winton is recognised as the ‘home’ of Australian bush poetry, hosting the annual Bronze Swagman Award, one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards.

Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service (Qantas), Australia’s national airline, was formed in Winton in November 1920 and its first board meeting was held in the Winton Club on 21 February 1921.

Winton is also famous for its water supply which thrusts its way to the earth’s surface from three artesian bores, all around 1,200 metres deep, emerging at a temperature of 83 degrees Celsius. The water is sourced from the Great Artesian Basin, which provides water for most of Australia’s Outback. Winton is in the centre of Matilda Country, a diverse region in which vast Mitchell Grass plains are broken by magnificent coloured gorges, ridges and jump-ups. Visitors to the region will be amazed by the vastness of the plains and the undulating nature of the landscape. There is a wide variety of animal and bird life in the area, generally best seen

around dusk and dawn on minor roads and tracks.

Day trips from Winton take visitors to Opalton, one of the oldest opal fields in Queensland; Combo Waterhole, where the swaggie of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ fame reputedly met his fate; the vintage sandstone homestead of Old Cork Station; and Lark Quarry, where 93 million year-old fossils capture a dinosaur stampede.

Longreach - If you have ever dreamt of visiting Australia’s amazing heartland, now is the time to roll up your swag and go bush! Soak up the history and heritage that surrounds the legendary town of Longreach. Why not meet a few locals and book a room in an old country pub? Camp under the stars and breathe in the fresh night air, or enjoy the comfort of an air-conditioned motel.

Take a sunset river cruise on the Thomson complete with either a three-course dinner or camp oven dinner with entertainment; or an intimate candlelight dinner. Don’t miss the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame - this tribute to Australia’s Outback heroes includes a variety of traditional artefacts, electronic displays, photographs, films and stories of bush life. And make sure you visit Qantas Founders Museum. This world-class attraction commemorates the founders of this great Australian company that grew to become internationally recognised as a leader in world aviation. Join a tour of the decommissioned 747 ‘City of Bunbury’ and the latest addition to the collection is the Boeing 707 jet, the very first passenger jet ever owned by Qantas.

Visit one of the largest classrooms in the world at the Longreach School of Distance Education. Tours include a walk through the school with an explanation of the process of the delivery, as well as observing a lesson.

Discover one of Longreach’s best kept secrets at the Longreach Powerhouse Museum. Unearth the local history with exhibits that include the powerhouse generating equipment, displays of social and commercial history, agricultural and road building machinery and the 1921 swimming baths.

Finally, step aboard a Cobb and Co. coach and

experience life in the old days. Departing from the Station Store the ride takes you through the streets of Longreach and out on a ‘Gallop through the Scrub’. It really gives you a taste of the bygone days.

North West – (Dinosaur, Fossil and Mining Country)

Mining and farming have long been at the heart of Queensland’s story and in Outback Queensland’s North West, you can delve into how these industries have evolved historically right through to present day.

Mt Isa or ‘The Isa’ as it’s known is the city that provides a hub for the North West’s stories, events and adventures. With mining (literally) at its heart, this rough and tumble town gives you a sense of the frontier-like nature of Outback life.

On the flipside, so much here is really accessible. Outback at Isa lets you go underground to experience what conditions are like for miners. The Isa is also home to the annual Mount Isa Rodeo – the biggest in the southern hemisphere. Stepping further back in time, Kronosaurus Korner, about 400km away at Richmond, provides a window into a time 120 million years ago, when Queensland was covered by an inland sea, and underwater giants ruled its interior.

If you feel like travelling further afield and getting away from everyone and everything, the myriad of landscapes of the North West are perfect for doing just that. Jump in your four-wheel drive or take an organised tour to the rock outcrops, waterholes and wildflowers of Lawn Hill (Boodjamulla) National Park and Porcupine Gorge

Porcupine Gorge National Park - In this park, towering sandstone cliffs and lush vine-forest fringing Porcupine Creek provide a striking contrast with surrounding flat plains. Porcupine Gorge is an impressive canyon that has been carved into the landscape by the eroding action of Porcupine Creek, revealing strata of sedimentary rocks spanning hundreds of millions of years. In the wider section of the gorge the creek has also created the Pyramid, an isolated monolith of multi-coloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge, shaped as its name suggests.

The gorge is a great place for viewing wildlife, especially birds. Take the 2.4 kilometre return walk along the track to the base of the gorge, to explore the sculpted sandstone and deep pools of the gorge floor. Enjoy the bird calls and look for wallaroos and red kangaroos. Take an easy walk through sparse open woodland to the Pyramid lookout for scenic views over the gorge. Set up camp in the camping area and enjoy the solitude of the outback.

Charters Towers - A city built on gold, Charters Towers flourished during the bustling gold boom of the late 1800’s. By the turn of the century it had become Queensland’s second largest city, and the honour of having one of the first regional Stock Exchanges built in 1888.

For the visitor wishing to ‘dig’ further into Charters Towers’ mining past, the Ghosts of Gold Heritage Trail is highly

recommended. The self guided trail begins at the Visitor Information Centre with an Orientation Film and then follows on to the Stock Exchange. Next, make your way to the Venus Battery, the largest surviving battery relic. Complete your trail at Towers Hill, with a short drive or hike to the top giving panoramic views of the city. An evening screening of the film ‘Ghosts After Dark’ in the amphitheatre rounds off your Trail.

A golden city with a colourful past, the lively heritage brings Charters Towers to life, and makes this town a must see on any itinerary. It lies 138 kilometres south-west of Townsville, on the Flinders Highway.

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park - One of Queensland’s most scenic national parks. Situated within the remote north-west highlands of Queensland, the park features spectacular gorge country, sandstone ranges and World Heritage fossils. Lawn Hill Gorge is formed by Lawn Hill Creek, which is fed by numerous freshwater springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The magnitude of the sandstone cliffs lining the gorge, its emerald waters and lush vegetation make it a visual splendour. Serving as an oasis, the spring water and surrounding vegetation attract an abundance of wildlife. The Waanyi Aboriginal people have strong cultural ties with the park while pastoralists of European descent have more recent historical connections. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park lies on ancient sandstone of the Constance Range, between the Barkly Tablelands to the south-west and the black soils of the Gulf Savanna Plains to the east. Lawn Hill Creek and the Gregory and O’Shanassy rivers flow all year round, providing a stark contrast to the dry, parched landscape during the dry season.

Julia Creek - Located on the Overlander’s Way, the main route from Townsville that runs west to Mount Isa and on to Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Julia Creek started to grow when the railway line was extended in February 1908. The town was named after the niece of Donald McIntyre, the first European settler in the area.

The district’s main industries are cattle, sheep, and mining at BHP Cannington. Julia Creek is a major stock trucking and cattle sales centre. Its impressive saleyards are fitted with lighting for night loading and unloading. The area is home to a rare and endangered marsupial, the Julia Creek Dunnart. Because of their nocturnal habits and timid natures, glimpses of the dunnart are rare.

Julia Creek has many sporting and social events on its calendar that are a major feature of the town’s lifestyle. The annual Julia Creek Dirt ‘n Dust Festival is held annually in April and includes one of the major triathlon events, the Artesian Express Horse Race (the richest horse race in the north west), at PBR Bullride and Australia’s Best Butt Competition.

While in the area, take the time to visit Punchbowl Waterhole and Sedan Dip. On the Flinders River approximately 45 kilometres north-east of Julia Creek, the Punchbowl is an excellent spot for swimming, fishing and picnicking. Sedan Dip is on the Cloncurry River, on the Beef Road to Normanton, 100 kilometres north of Julia Creek.

Gulf Savannah

The Gulf Savannah is all about wetlands, grasslands and wildlife. In the gulf town of Karumba, the Outback meets the sea and marine wetlands wind their way inland. Summer’s monsoon rains bring in a flurry of birdlife and every time you wet a line a barramundi practically jumps in your boat (at least that’s what you can tell the folks back home).

The nearby town of Normanton fights it out with Karumba for the title of ‘Queensland’s best fishing spot’. Collectively, these frontier towns are known as ‘Outback by the Sea’. As you make your way across the northern tip of Queensland’s Outback you’ll see Aboriginal communities, remote cattle stations and diverse geological wonders and again, Queensland’s rich mineral wealth is evident.