Goondiwindi – Miles – Roma – Carnarvon Gorge – Longreach – Emerald – Rockhampton – Brisbane –  Goondiwindi

Goondiwindi to Carnarvon Gorge
We leave Goondiwindi at 8.15am for the long drive to Carnarvon Gorge, and estimate it will take about 7.5 hours. We decide to travel via Miles, to see the Miles Historical Village & Museum.

We are in the Western Downs region of Queensland. While the Leichhardt Highway is bitumen and very straight, it is quite bumpy and not the most comfortable of roads to travel on. There is very little traffic and not much in the way of scenery.

Just beyond Condamine we cross a lovely river and come to a T junction with a sign Surat/Roma to the left, and Roma via Miles to the right. We take the right towards Miles, still travelling on the Leichhardt Highway (A5). As we get closer to Miles there are wheat crops, cattle and sheep.

Miles
Miles is a larger town than we had expected. It has a good feel to it. For those staying overnight, there are a number of motels to choose from – we particularly like the look of the Western Down Motor Inn and the Swagman Motor Inn.

Attractions in Miles include:

  • Miles Historical Village & Museum
  • Dogwood Crossing – a community centre that features the John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery, library, IT and social history centre.
  • Dogwood Tree Walking Track
  • Chinaman’s Lagoon to see rare water lilies
  • Beef, Bells & Bottle Tree Festival (every 2 years in September)

Visit or phone the Miles Visitors Information Centre (141 Murilla Street, Miles, Tel 07 4627 1492) for more information.

Miles to Roma
We drive out of Miles, stopping for petrol at the Caltex service station, which is also a good place for clean toilets, food, drinks and an outdoor table under shade. As we leave miles for Roma (140kms away) on the Warrego Highway (A2) we pass a sign ‘Gateway to Outback’. This is a much smoother road – not as many bumps, but more traffic.

We pass through the small towns (some are just a few houses) of Drillham, Dulacca, Jackson, Yuleba and Wallumbilla. Between Dulacca and Jackson we see a sign “Welcome to the Maranoa”. We are starting to see the odd Bottle Tree along the side of the road, and when we pass the huge sale yard complex on our left (site of the biggest cattle sales in Australia), we know we have arrived in Roma.

Roma
Roma is a pretty town with beautiful Bottle Trees lining the main streets. We stop at Bakearoma Bakery & Coffee Lounge on McDowall Street for a quick lunch of delicious pies, sandwiches and pastries (bakearoma.wix.com/bakearoma).

With still have a long drive to Carnarvon Gorge and hoping to arrive there before sunset, we have little time to take in the sights of Roma. We hope to return as there is much to see in Roma including:

  • The Big Rig – Oil & Gas Interpretative Centre and Night Show, Oil Patch, Slab Hut Museum & Visitor Information
  • Roma Saleyards – Tuesday and Thursday mornings
  • Art galleries in Roma Community Arts Centre
  • St Pauls Anglican Church stained glass windows
  • Roma Heritage Trail
  • Hospital Hill Walk
  • Heritage listed Mt Abundance Homestead guided tour
  • El Dorado Farm Tours
  • 100 Bottle Trees on Heroes’ Avenue
  • Harry Redford Show and camp oven dinner

For more information take a look at Roma Revealed website.

Roma is certainly worth an overnight stop – at least.

Roma to Carnarvon Gorge
We leave Roma heading north on the Carnarvon Highway (A7) towards Injune (about 91kms), making our way to Carnarvon Gorge.

This is a good road and the scenery changes to undulating countryside. We stop to fill up with petrol at Injune (as there is no fuel available at Carnarvon Gorge) and we buy milk to have on our cereal for breakfast.

We continue on the A7 towards Rolleston, seeing a sign ‘Welcome to Central Highlands’ just out of Injune. The GPS is telling us we still had 2.5 hours drive (152ms) to Carnarvon Gorge.

About 110kms north of Injune, we see a sign for Carnarvon Gorge and turn left onto Wyseby Road. There is beautiful scenery along this road – cattle are grazing with mountains in the distance. We cross stock grids, and deep causeways with signs “Fast Flowing Stream” but fortunately they are dry on our trip.

At the T Junction we turn left following the sign “22kms to Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge: closest to the Gorge”. The bitumen road soon changes to gravel – and what a rough gravel road it is!

We start to see the odd palm tree in the bush. At the Binalong Station sign the gravel road becomes even rougher. We cross another couple of causeways and see a sign advertising Simon Ling’s Day Tours, Night Tours & Bush Breakfasts in Carnarvon Gorge.

We soon enter Carnarvon Gorge National Park and arrive around 4pm at the Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge. The Lodge had advised us to arrive in daylight hours due to the rough road (occasionally travellers get punctured tyres) and to avoid the kangaroos at dusk.

Carnarvon Gorge
Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge is a little oasis. We love our safari-style accommodation, the informative talk by Simon Ling at 4.30pm, and enjoy a delicious dinner at the restaurant that evening.

Next morning, we set off early for a half-day walk into the Gorge. See our blog on the Carnarvon Gorge for details.

Carnarvon Gorge to Longreach
After two nights and one day at the Gorge, we set off for Longreach – another long drive – about 650kms or 8 hours of driving.

We drive out to join the Carnarvon Highway (A7) again, in the direction of Rolleston. It is about a 2-hour drive from Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge to Rolleston, where we take a left onto the Dawson Highway (A7) towards Springsure.

Springsure
At Springsure we stop at the Tourist Information Office – one of the most interesting little tourist offices we have come across. The building has been built from an historic Federation woolshed originally located on a local sheep property. It was taken apart, transferred into town and rebuilt to become the Tourist Office.

The office is manned by volunteers and houses a small museum. For our trip between Springsure and Longreach, it is recommended that we:

  • Stop in Barcaldine to see the Heritage Centre – s”https://www.reviews.accommodationguru.com/longreach-queensland/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Longreach.

    We have only a day and a half in Longreach – not nearly long enough. We leave at lunchtime, which gives us enough to time to reach Emerald to spend the night.

    We again travel through Ilfracombe, Barcaldine (where we stop for petrol), Jericho and Alpha, arriving in Emerald around 5.30pm.

    Emerald
    While there are about a dozen motels in Emerald to choose from, we choose to stay in self-contained accommodation – Villas on Rivergum – and have a delicious dinner at Le Porte Rosse Italian restaurant in the main street of Emerald. We are fortunate to see the bougainvillea in bloom throughout the town.

    From Emerald it is about a 3-hour drive to Rockhampton. We continue on the Capricorn Highway (A4). It is a good road; the countryside is undulating and quite pretty with hills in the distance. The road follows an electrified train line and we see coal trains travelling between the coalfields and the port at Gladstone.

    Blackwater
    At Blackwater, “Coal Capital of Queensland”, we stop at the Shell garage for petrol and a snack. Next door is the Golden Chain Black Diamond Motel and further down the road is the Blackwater Central Motel, which looks quite new.

    We pass through the small settlements of Bluff, Dingo, Duaringa and Westwood. Eight kilometres from Rockhampton, on our left, we see the enormous Central Queensland Livestock Exchange, formerly known at the Gracemere Saleyards.

    Rockhampton
    Rockhampton is an attractive city on the Capricorn Coast and is known as the Beef Capital of Australia.

    Attractions:

    • Quay Street on the river – fine historic buildings
    • Rockhampton Heritage Village
    • Botanic Gardens
    • Dreamtime Cultural Centre tour
    • Archer Park Rail Museum
    • Drive to Yeppoon and Emu Park beaches
    • Visit Great Keppel Island

    Emu Park
    We take a drive to Emu Park, a very pleasant seaside village. We can recommend the Centenary of Anzac Memorial Walk (a beautiful tribute to the Anzacs), and have a look (and listen) to the Singing Ship sculpture.

    From Emu Park it is a very scenic drive (Tourist Drive 10) along the Capricorn Beaches to Yeppoon.

    Yeppoon
    Having not visited Yeppoon for many years, it is unrecognisable. While still a small seaside town, the beachfront now has many apartment buildings. There are still more apartments being built and waterfront landscaping is underway. It appears to be a prosperous place.

    We head back towards Rockhampton and have a couple hours drive ahead of us as we have booked accommodation in Agnes Water. We take the National Highway (A1) towards Brisbane. At Miriam Vale we turn off the highway and follow the signs to Agnes Water, where we arrive at around 7.30pm.

    Agnes Water & 1770
    We check into our accommodation at Agnes Water Beach Club and have dinner at the local Tavern. There are not too many places open after 8/8.30pm at this time of year.

    Agnes Water and the nearby town of 1770 are located on what is known as the Discovery Coast. Captain Cook, sailing on The Endeavour, landed at 1770 on 24 May 1770.

    It is a beautiful area with unspoilt sandy beaches, a l