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 – said to rival the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach
  • Pick up a map at the Barcaldine Tourist Office and do the driving tour around town.
  • Take a drive around Alpha to look at the many murals painted on the buildings.
  • See the old machinery lining the road at Ilfracombe

There are a couple of good motels in Springsure should you like to break your trip there (Overlander Motel Bar & Restaurant, and Dooleys Motel & Tavern). There’s also the Roadhouse Caravan Park & Cabins.

From Springsure, we take the Gregory Highway (A7) towards Emerald – about a 45-minute drive.

Emerald
Emerald is quite a large town and appears to be thriving. On our return trip from Longreach, we stayed overnight in Emerald (at Villas on Rivergum) and were surprised to see just how big the residential area of the town was.

Of interest in Emerald:

  • Historic heritage-listed Railway Station (on the main street)
  • Van Gogh Sunflower painting – the biggest in the world. You can’t miss it in the middle of Morton Park. It celebrates the Central Highland’s reputation as a major sunflower producer.
  • Fossilised Tree – 250 million years old, located outside the Town Hall.
  • Centenary of Federation Mosaic Pathway, Morton Park.
  • Emerald Botanic Gardens.
  • Lake Maraboon

After filling up with fuel, and a quick lunch at Red Rooster, we take the Capricorn Highway (A4) to Longreach, with still about 4.5 hours of driving ahead of us.

The road is long and straight with big farmlands either side. Not long out of town we see a sign ‘Explore Sapphire Gemfields’. This refers to the towns of Rubyvale, Sapphire, Anakie and Willows Gemfields – for us, another trip altogether!

The scenery is surprisingly beautiful and we make a stop at Drummond Range Lookout, which has good views.

Alpha
At Alpha we love the murals.

Barcaldine
We continue onto Barcaldine, a very attractive little town where the streets are named after trees. You could spend a couple of days in Barcaldine as there is plenty to see and do including:

  • Tree of Knowledge – while this Ghost Gum tree was poisoned and died in 2006, an amazing timber structure has been built and the remains of the tree are inside. It commemorates the site of the Shearers’ Strike in 1891.
  • Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre.
  • Bougainvilleas Heritage Trail.
  • See a movie at the Radio Picture Theatre.
  • Day Tour with Tom Lockie (artesiancountrytours.com.au).
  • Barcaldine & District Historical Museum.
  • Historical Buildings including Masonic Lodge, St Peter’s Anglican Church, Radio Picture Theatre and World War I Memorial Clock & Guns.
  • Morning or afternoon tea at Roses ‘n Things Tea Garden (also a caravan park).

Call in or phone the Barcaldine Tourist Information Centre (Oak Street, telephone 07 4651 1724) for more information. There is plenty of accommodation in Barcaldine – with around 5 motels and 3 caravan parks.

Continuing along National Highway (A2) towards Longreach we are amazed at the number of dead kangaroos along the road.

Ilfracombe
At Ilfracombe (www.ilfracombe.com.au) there are lovely old buildings and we see the famous ‘Machinery Mile’ – have never seen such a display – a good representation of the evolution of machinery used on the land.

It’s worth calling into The Wellshot Hotel for a bite to eat or a cool drink. The hotel is over 100 years old. There is also good quality accommodation available at the hotel.

Longreach
From Ilfracombe it’s just a 20-minute drive to Longreach where we at last arrive around 4.30pm and check into the Longreach Motor Inn. Longreach is an attractive town with a lot to see and do.

We spend our time visiting the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum. For more information have a look at our blog on 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 laid-back lifestyle, a plentiful supply and variety of accommodation (beach houses, apartments, motels, camping). Activities centre on the water and the natural bushland.

Attractions

  • Visit Agnes Water beach and picnic area
  • Take a tour on the LARC (www.1770larctours.com.au)
  • Take a Lady Musgrave Cruise to Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Lagoon
  • Learn to surf or stand up paddle
  • Hire a Kayak and take a Kayak Tour
  • Take a Goolimbil Walkabout tour
  • Visit Joseph Banks Conservation Park for the views and the walks
  • Head to The Marina to see the sunsets

Visit or phone the Agnes Water Visitor Information Centre (71 Springs Road, telephone 07 4902 1533) for more information.

Agnes Water to Childers to Brisbane
From Agnes Water we make our way south towards Brisbane – about a 5 to 6 hour drive. We take some fairly narrow roads to Childers (following GPS directions). The scenery along the way changes from fairly uninteresting bushland to farmlands with sugar cane and tropical fruits. We just overnight in Brisbane and, on this trip, don’t see much of the city.

Childers
Childers is a very attractive town where we stop for a late lunch at The Sugarbush Coffee Shop (84 Churchill Street) – they serve delicious burgers and the service is very friendly.

We bypass Maryborough, and the Bruce Highway takes us through sugar cane crops, and fields of oranges, avocados and pineapples. We pass fruit stalls and a fruit truck selling passionfruit and mangoes. It is very pretty countryside.

We pass through the outskirts of Gympie and a sign tells us we are on the ‘Sunshine Coast’. We continue onto Brisbane, arriving about 6.30pm at Pavilion on Brookes where we have booked an apartment.

Brisbane
Pavilion on Brookes is in the suburb of Bowen Hills and the area appears to be booming with apartments and hotels being built. The apartments are quite close to the city and Fortitude Valley.

Brisbane is an attractive city and we recommend:

  • The “Brisbane Explorer” Hop On Hop Off Tour for an overview of the city.
  • South Bank’s Parklands, Little Stanley Street, Grey Street & River Quay for swimming, walking, eating and culture.
  • For a change of pace, visit bay side suburbs of Manly and Wynnum.
  • Scout Place, Kangaroo Point for beautiful views of the city.

Brisbane to Goondiwindi
We set off to Goondiwindi (about a 4-hour drive) on the Warrego Highway (A2) via Toowoomba. It’s a very scenic drive and we start to climb the Great Dividing Range before arriving in Toowoomba at 1.30pm. Toowoomba is a very large, attractive town (over 100,000 in population) and the main centre for the Darling Downs region.

We stop for a quick lunch at Subway and take the Gore Highway (A39) for the 2.5-hour drive to Goondiwindi.

We have travelled around 3,000 kms on our round trip from Goondiwindi to Longreach, Rockhampton and Brisbane. It is a loop drive that we can highly recommend taking in outback Queensland, the Capricorn Coast, the Discovery Coast and Brisbane. It is a trip that deserves much more time in each place as the small rural Queensland towns have much to offer.

AccommodationGuru.com
October 2015