sign in sign up
<<
Home , Harry Redford, Outback

’s FAMILY FRIENDLY DRIVES Emerald – 14 Day Gems of the Outback

Emerald, Queensland

Hughenden 5 HIGHLIGHTS

Fossick for your fortune in Rubyvale

6 7 4 See what happens when wood turns to Winton Muttaburra stone

3 1 Follow the story of a notorious 8 9 Barcaldine Emerald Longreach Alpha Meet Hughie the giant Muttaburrasauras 2 Swim in a pool fed by the Great Artesian Blackall Basin QUEENSLAND 10 13 Carnarvon Watch the entertaining Outback Gorge Augathella ’s Show 11 Glide on the Thomson River at sunset SOUTH 12 Roma Gallop through the scrub on a Cobb & Co Stagecoach ride

DAY 1: EMERALD TO ALPHA the artists’ interpretation of the story at the Crystal Learn about the world’s most primitive (APPROX. 205KM / 2HR 15 MIN) Trumpeters installation in the main street. crocodile Arriving in the Central Highlands hub of Emerald, Next stop is Barcaldine, known as the Garden City Take a guided tour of the historic Blackall measure your height against the world’s biggest of the West. The town’s most famous tree, the Tree Van Gogh sunflower painting at 25 metres high of Knowledge, was a 180-year old ghost gum, Woolscour located in Morton Park. For a contrast of plant celebrated as the site for the 1891 Shearer’s Strike. Witness the birth of a teddy at Tambo life, stop by the 250 million year old fossilized tree Sadly the tree was poisoned in 2006. It has been Teddies outside Emerald’s Town Hall, then stroll through preserved under an eye-catching timber structure, Emerald’s Botanic Gardens. impressive by day, but magnificent when viewed at Visit the largest cattle saleyards in the night when the original tree canopy is recreated by Drive the short distance to the quaint town of clever lighting. Rubyvale where you can fossick for your fortune! Explore spectacular bushwalks in the The digging work is already done, so you can Spend time at the Australian Workers Heritage buy a bucket of wash and start searching straight Centre where the stories of Australia’s working Carnarvon Gorge away. There’s also a walk-in mine tour where history come to life, then test your musical skills on you’ll learn all about the process of underground the large scale outdoor instruments of the Thong-a- sapphire mining. phone and Marimba. Tonight, why not head down to the Radio Picture Theatre with its old style canvas Your overnight destination along the Capricorn seats to see the latest blockbuster movie? Highway is the town of Alpha – claimed by locals as the beginning of the west. The Alpha area has Overnight Barcaldine a rich collection of fossilised wood, also called petrified wood. Did you know that the petrified DAY 3: BARCALDINE TO wood of the Alpha area are claimed to be much MUTTABURRA VIA LAKE DUNN older than the dinosaur bones found near Winton? (APPROX. 290KM / 3HR 45 MIN) Overnight Alpha Today calls for an early start – you’re off to Bushranger country! Travel to Aramac and learn the DAY 2: ALPHA TO BARCALDINE story of how the sale of one white bull led to the (APPROX. 141KM / 1HR 20 MIN) capture of Bushranger Harry Redford, also known as Captain Starlight. Visit Captain Starlight’s Folly, Wind down the windows and feel the freedom of Harry Redford Community Centre and the Tramway the open road as you head west to Jericho, on the Museum for a flashback to yesteryear. banks of the Jordan River, south of Lake . Because of its biblical sounding name, the town Pick up the makings of a country picnic, then follow became connected with the story of Joshua and the Sculpture Trail to Lake Dunn – a freshwater Alpha Visitor Information Centre how he won the Battle of Jericho. You can learn lake 68km northeast of Aramac. Along the way, Fossicking for Gold in Rubyvale

you’ll pass over 20 uniquely crafted sculptures of DAY 5: HUGHENDEN TO WINTON some 95 million years ago, when a huge meat- all shapes and sizes, created using scrap metal and (APPROX. 216KM / 2HR 16 MIN) eating theropod stalked and charged a herd of barbed wire. Keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife smaller dinosaurs gathering to at the lake. Follow the Kennedy Highway to Winton, dubbed including , brolgas and emus too. the ‘Dinosaur Way.’ Call and meet the residents of While at Carisbrooke Station, you’ll follow the At Lake Dunn, spend the afternoon enjoying the Stamford along the way. Once an overnight stop scenic Cory’s Range drive to the Three Sisters rock shoreline, catching Golden Perch or Black Bream, for the Cobb and Co Coaches, this tiny town with formation, see Python Gorge and fossick for opal. swimming or bird watching. Allow plenty of a population of three people, boasts a community Return to Winton late afternoon and relax with a daylight for the one-hour drive to Muttaburra for sports club and a country racetrack. traditional Outback pub meal. your overnight stay. Next stop is Corfield, founded along the railway line Overnight Winton Overnight Muttaburra between Winton and Hughenden, which ceased operation in the late 1990s. Today, there’s only a DAY 7: WINTON TO LONGREACH DAY 4: MUTTABURRA TO pub, a camping ground and a post office, but it’s a Drive 24km south east of Winton to The Australian HUGHENDEN DINOSAUR TRAIL town with a lot of character, particularly when the Age of Dinosaurs, perched high up on a dramatic (APPROX. 211KM / 2HR 50 MIN) popular Corfield Races are held (yes it’s a pun on mesa. See the world’s largest collection of Australian It’s all about dinosaurs today as you hit the Dinosaur the better known Caulfield Races). dinosaur fossils on a guided tour of the laboratory Trail to Hughenden. The trail starts here though, Travel the short distance on to historic Winton, the and collection room. Enjoy lunch in the Cretaceous so after a big day on the road yesterday, take birthplace of both Waltzing Matilda and , Café and make your own pressed dinosaur penny. the time to explore last night’s home away from and millions of years before either were thought In Longreach, be sure to download the Longreach home – the tiny outback community of Muttaburra of, dinosaurs! Winton has now claimed the title of Regional Council App to get a heads up on the and its very own namesake dinosaur replica – Australia’s ‘Dinosaur Capital’ with the discovery of best things to see and do. Make sure that you arrive the Muttaburrasaurus. There’s also a significant several large dinosaurs dating back 98 million years. in town by early afternoon with time to join one collection of public art to be found around town The six biggest dinosaur skeletons in the world have of the popular Thomson River cruise and dinner and a snapshot of life in the early 1900s at A.A. been found here. options, the ’s Sunset Cruise or the Starlight’s Cassimatis Store and Cottage. Overnight Winton Dinner Cruise. With no towns in between, be sure to refuel your car There’s also a number of attraction passes which and stock up on water and snacks, before setting off DAY 6: WINTON offer great value for families planning to experience for Hughenden. When you arrive, visit the Flinders There’s only one place in the world that has a the top Longreach attractions. Call into the Discovery Centre, home to ‘Hughie’, a 7 metre high definitive record of dinosaur stampede behaviour, Longreach Visitor Information Centre when you get Muttaburrasaurus. This life-size skeletal replica was and that’s right here in Winton Shire. Make the most into town for more information and bookings. cast from the original bones of a 110 million year old of today and join a full day tour to the Dinosaur Overnight Longreach dinosaur found in the Shire. Hughenden was once Stampede at Lark Quarry and the spectacular situated on the edge of a prehistoric Inland , so Carisbrooke Station. you are officially in Dinosaur Country! DAY 8: LONGREACH On a guided tour of the Dinosaur Stampede, According to the locals, Qantas was conceived For a birds-eye view of this ancient landscape, discover the inspiration behind the blockbuster in Cloncurry, born in Winton and grew up in nearby Mount Walker is a popular spot, particularly movie Jurassic Park. See more than 3000 fossilised Longreach. Therefore it’s an absolute must at sunset. Make sure you take your camera. footprints and the largest collection of dinosaur when in Longreach to visit the Qantas Founders Overnight Hughenden tracks in the world! Relive this incredible event, from Museum. Here you can join a guided Jets Tour and experience the F35 flight simulator. Allow plenty of afraid though, the large Meat Ant Sculpture won’t DAY 14: CARNARVON GORGE TO time to wander the interactive displays, which tell bite, but it makes a great photo! EMERALD the story of the founding of Qantas. Augathella was once a popular stopover for (APPROX. 240KM / 4 HR 5 MIN) Hear the pounding hooves of the Cobb & Co passing bullock drovers resting their teams. While Depart Carnarvon Gorge at your leisure today for stagecoach horses as they gallop full-tilt along a the bullock teams are long gone, the friendly the drive back to Emerald and the final leg of your stretch of the original Longreach-Windorah mail townsfolk are not. Have a chat with a local and two-week adventure. route then take your seat for the Harry Redford Old enjoy breakfast in town this morning before setting Make a stop in the country town of Rolleston, Time Tent Show, great fun for all the family. off on the road to Roma. once the home of Queensland’s last legendary Tonight at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, If time permits along the way, take a slight detour , the notorious Kenniff Brothers. See watch the entertaining Outback Stockman’s Show, just 13km south of Morven on the Morven- if you can spot Virgin Rock, a few kilometres from a tribute to the Australian Stockman performed by Bollon Road where you’ll find something quite Springsure, named due to its likeness to the image a third generation stockman. The package includes unexpected in this semi-arid area, an attractive of the Virgin Mary and Child. Keep an eye out entry to the museum and the show plus a casual dry rainforest tree dating back to the Ice Ages in for the Staircase Range Cutting, built by Chinese spit roast dinner. Tregole National Park. Who would think to find a immigrants, which pay tribute to the many early Overnight Longreach rainforest in the Outback? wagon teams that stopped overnight in Springsure. Stop for lunch in Mitchell, then roll on to Roma Last stop Emerald. Will this road trip go down as DAY 9: LONGREACH TO BLACKALL where you’ll find the Southern Hemisphere’s largest one of your family’s most epic adventures? That (APPROX. 213KM / 2 HR 10 MIN) saleyards. If you happen to time your visit with sale would be a big YES! Follow the Matilda Highway to Ilfracombe, once day (Tuesday or Thursday), a stop by the yards is a transport hub for Wellshot Station, the largest not to be missed. Head to the Big Rig Show after in the world at the time. Arrive early dark for a light and sound show complete with and catch the 11.30am performance of ‘The Sheep’s pyrotechnics display. Back’. Sit back and be entertained with stories of Overnight Roma the life of a shearer and his wife, followed by smoko with the actors. DAY 12: ROMA TO CARNARVON GORGE Walk The Great Machinery Mile, a graphic timeline of (APPROX. 242KM / 3 HR) the evolution of the pastoral and transport industries This morning, continue following the story of the then cool off with a swim in the Artesian Spa. notorious bushranger Harry Redford, (which began Now here’s a name that will have the kids puzzled in Aramac) with a visit to the original Court House – Isisfordia duncani. Take a wander through opened in 1873 where his trial took place. Isisford’s Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre to learn Next stop is Injune Visitor Information Centre, to more about the world’s most primitive crocodile learn about the longest fence in the world, the that lived almost 100 million years ago. Named Barrier Fence. Injune is surrounded by some after the former Deputy Mayor of Isisford, the first of Queensland’s best National Parks including our fossils were found in the mid-1990s in a dried up next stop, Carnarvon Gorge. Enjoy a complimentary creek bed on the outskirts of the town. tea or coffee at the centre before fuelling up for Waltzing Matilda, Winton Travel on to Blackall, your destination for the your final drive for the day. evening. Carved into the elevated sandstone of Central Overnight Blackall Queensland, Carnarvon Gorge is a natural monument to the power of water, wind and time. DAY 10: BLACKALL TO AUGATHELLA This popular park attracts around 35,000 visitors (APPROX. 218KM / 2HR) a year with its abundance of flora and fauna. Wake up in the home of The and enjoy Boasting some of the world’s best Aboriginal the slow pace of an outback morning. Or if you stencil rock art, dramatic canyons, spectacular bush are feeling energetic, start your day with a swim in walks and culturally significant sites, there is much the Artesian Spa or perhaps a few laps of Blackall’s to see and do. Olympic size pool. Overnight Carnarvon Gorge Many a sheep has been raised on the properties around Blackall – Jackie Howe, Australia’s most DAY 13: CARNARVON GORGE Tambo Teddies famous shearer shore a record of 321 sheep (APPROX. 295KM / 3HR 40 MIN) in 7 hours 40 minutes in 1892 at nearby Alice Pack your day bag with water and snack supplies, Downs Station. Spend time at the Blackall apply the sunscreen, slap on a hat and strap up Woolscour – the only fully intact steam powered your boots, ready for a day exploring the wonders wool-washing plant in Australia and visit the Lost of this National Park. Art Workshop. The kids will feel like they’ve stepped into a Heading south along the Matilda Way you will storybook when they arrive at Moss Garden with its arrive in Tambo, Australia’s Outback Teddy Capital, cool waterfall and green walls. A nearby waterfall and home to the Tambo Teddies. The bears are makes a splendid backdrop for a lunch or smoko made onsite in the workshop by local artisans. All stop. You’ll see a huge deciduous fig growing are individually named and numbered, with each astride a large rock, and are sure to lose count of bear given an official name representing a local the variety of ferns and mosses in this lovely natural property. Call in and watch a bear being made, and garden setting. perhaps meet your new lifelong companion. Carnarvon Gorge National Park Other popular trails include the 5.6km walk to the Tambo offers some tasty lunch options, so allow Aboriginal Rock Art Gallery and the 3km walk to time to either dine in or purchase a picnic to enjoy Baloon Cave. If you want to see the world’s largest before you continue your drive to Augathella. fern, follow the walk to Ward’s Canyon. The best Overnight Augathella place for swimming is the Rock Pool (about 600 metres return from parking areas). Rest in the shade DAY 11: AUGATHELLA TO ROMA of fig and casuarina trees and watch for platypus (APPROX. 295KM / 3HR 40 MIN) and turtles. There is a picnic area with toilets and a gas barbecue. Wake up in the Home of the Meat Ant, a large ant outbackqueensland.com.au that can carry 100 times its own weight. Don’t be Overnight Carnarvon Gorge (07) 4650 1276