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Timeless Landscapes and Endless Sky Adventure

Charleville to Charleville

Duration: 6 days / 1016km

Enjoy the road trip to the south-west in the comfort of your own vehicle, or if you’re shorter on time regular Qantas Link flights operate to Charleville with a range of hire-car options available. All roads are fully sealed, and there are plenty of towns along the way to make your outback trip easy and comfortable.

Timeless Landscapes and Endless Sky Adventure

Itinerary

DAY 1

Charleville

Travel Distance:

200km

Charleville is the perfect outback getaway, you can do as much or as little as you like. Enjoy the diverse attractions, or find a shady spot to enjoy the country serenity. For an appreciation of life in the outback, visit the Charleville School of Distance Education and go for a flight, so to speak, with a visit to the Royal Flying Doctors Service Visitor Centre. The Charleville base which has been around since 1943 and today services approximately 622,000 square kilometres of southwest Queensland - an area almost the size of the United Kingdom. Get up close and personal with the locals at the Bilby experience and at night take in the star studded outback sky at the Cosmos Centre. There are plenty of accommodation choices and fabulous bakeries and butchers in Charleville. Alternatively, catch your own feed of fish in the Ward River. Fishing is popular in Charleville and with the local fishing club restocking the waters you can almost be assured of a catch.
DAY 2

Charleville to Cunnamulla

Travel Distance:

197km

Cunnamulla, meaning 'long stretch of water', sits neatly on the banks of the Warrego River. Feeling the need to stretch your legs, take the Warrego Self-Guided River Walk, go kayaking or drop a line. This is a general service town with all the facilities that a traveller requires. Make the Cunnamulla Fella Information Centre your first stop, take a tour of the jam-packed museum and ask for directions to the Sandhill to take in the sunset. Historical sites range from the Bicente ial Museum and Old Masonic Lodge to the Robber's Tree. The latter was a short-term sanctuary for Joseph Wells, who bungled an attempt to rob the town branch of the Queensland National Bank.
DAY 3

Cunnamulla to Thargomindah

Travel Distance:

195km

On the road to Thargomindah take a well-earned break in Eulo with a relaxing soak in the Artesian Mud Baths. Eulo is famous for the abundant local produce and product, like opal and craft, which can all be purchased in the town. Stop in at the Eulo Queen Hotel and discover the story of its namesake, and enjoy a coffee at the new Eulo Store while you ask the locals about the recent megafauna discoveries - giant wombats, no less! A short detour will deposit you at the opal town of Yowah where the locals are only too willing to share their fossicking tips, or head to the Lake Bindegolly National Park with its walking circuit and observation point. Travel on to Thargomindah, which takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning 'Cloud of Dust'. Discover the historic electrical street lighting story at the Thargomindah Artesian Hydro Power Plant, which is believed to be the oldest working unit in Australia, and possibly the world. The Old Thargomindah Hospital and the Historical Leahy House are other attractions worth visiting.
DAY 4

Thargomindah to Quilpie

Travel Distance:

212km

Turn north today and head for Quilpie, the cultural hub of the south-west. Sit back and enjoy the unique flora and fauna as you travel through the surrounding countryside and be careful not to blink or you'll miss Toompine - the pub without a town. Those ready for action can spend the day fossicking for opals, climb and explore Baldy Top and Table Top Lookouts, or go four-wheel-driving through the endless landscape that is Australia's outback. If you don't strike lucky in your fossicking check out the local offerings for your very own souvenir. Outback Art in Quilpie has taken off faster than the talented artists can keep up with. The Quilpie Gallery at the Visitor Information Centre has a new exhibition every month and showcases local talent as well as artists from all over the country. Be sure to stop and admire the mural and cattle silhouettes along Brolga Street.
DAY 5

Quilpie - Day trip to Eromanga

Travel Distance:

212km

Take the time on your outback adventure to visit Eromanga, the furthest Australian town from the sea! A 106 kilometre drive along sealed roads from Quilpie, Eromanga has plenty to offer - the latest and most exciting of which is the significant paleontological discoveries of Australia's largest dinosaurs. Several dinosaurs have been unearthed and the area is being heralded by scientists as the most exciting and prolific dinosaur site in Australia. The bones and other discoveries will be displayed in the Eromanga Natural History Museum along with megafauna fossils and local indigenous heritage. You can also visit the Eromanga Living History Centre and browse through hundreds of historic photos and stories of the surrounding area. The Centre is unma ed, so collect the key from the Eromanga Royal Hotel which is an original building dating from 1885 and was once a Cobb & Co Staging Post.
DAY 6

Quilpie to Charleville

Drive back to Charleville at your leisure, there is plenty more to see and do before you head home or continue your journey through Queensland's beautiful Outback. Cooladdi on the way is a great spot to stop and drop a line or lay out a picnic lunch to enjoy with all the family.