Curious minds and adventurous parents are a must for this epic trip
Experience some of Outback Queensland’s most iconic attractions and destinations as part of this 7 day school holiday adventure. Curious minds and adventurous parents are a must for this epic tour that will see you travel a loop from Longreach to Charleville and back again.
Day 1: Longreach
Arrive in Longreach, the heart of Outback Queensland. Check into your accommodation and collect your hire car if you have flown in.
Start your adventure at the legendary Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, where interactive exhibits bring Australia’s pioneering spirit to life for all ages. Don’t miss the spectacular Outback Stockman’s Live Show, featuring working dogs, horses, and unforgettable storytelling.
As the sun sets, unwind on a peaceful river cruise along the Thomson River with Outback Pioneers or Outback Aussie Tours — a magical introduction to the vast Outback landscape. Both tours offer an evening of stunning scenery, Outback storytelling and entertainment and post-cruise dining.
Overnight in Longreach.
Day 2: Longreach to Windorah
Hit the road towards Stonehenge — affectionately known as the Outback’s “address book,” where travellers leave their mark.
Break up the journey with lunch at the iconic Jundah Pub before continuing to Windorah.
Just west of town, discover the breathtaking sand hills at Ourdel Station known as “Sandos Sandhills”. These epic dunes offer sweeping views and some of the reddest sand you’ll ever see. A favourite with locals and visitors alike, it’s the perfect spot for sunrise or sunset, incredible family photos, and letting the kids roll down the hills.
Overnight in Windorah.
Day 3: Windorah to Eromanga
Travel to Eromanga — Australia’s furthest town from the sea — for a day of prehistoric discovery at the Eromanga Natural History Museum. Watch fossil preparation, see Australia’s largest dinosaurs, and experience hands-on learning that kids will love. The Museum has an onsite café for snacks and coffee.
Don’t miss a fun family photo at Knot-A-Saurus Park.
Tonight you’ll stay onsite at the Museum’s 4 star accommodation – Coopers Country Lodge.
Overnight at Eromanga.
Day 4: Eromganga to Charleville
Head towards Charleville, stopping in Quilpie for coffee and a bite to eat.
On arrival in Charleville, check into your accommodation and visit the Charleville Bilby Experience, where you’ll get up close and personal with this endangered native species.
Enjoy an early dinner at the local Yacht Club for a memorable evening.
Overnight in Charleville.
Day 5. Charleville
Start today day with a fascinating behind the scenes tour at Outback Date Farms – complete with morning tea.
Return to town for lunch and an afternoon exploring the scenic Warrego River Walk and local street art.
After dark, prepare for a spectacular night at the Charleville Cosmos Centre, where powerful telescopes will reveal the brilliance and hidden galaxies of the Outback’s night sky.
Overnight in Charleville.
Day 6: Charleville To Tambo
Spend the morning uncovering hidden wartime history at the Secret WWII Base and tour in Charleville .
Continue to Tambo and stop at Tambo Teddies, home to Australia’s famous handcrafted woollen teddy bears. Learn how these iconic teddies are made and select your very own keepsake for the trip.
Check into the caravan park for the night and then head over to the Royal Carrangarra Hotel, home to Ben’s Chicken Races and the aptly titled Schnitzel Stadium. Here you’ll join a fun evening of chicken racing and entertainment before tucking into a hearty country pub meal. It’s colourful, whacky and wonderful – the kids will love this experience!
Overnight in Tambo.
Day 7: Tambo to Longreach
Begin the return journey to Longreach, stopping in Blackall to visit the historic Blackall Woolscour and see the iconic “Roly Poly” sculpture along the Blackall Art and Sculpture Trail.
Back in Longreach, check into your accommodation, enjoy an early dinner, and finish your outback adventure in style at Luminescent Longreach at the Qantas Founders Museum — a spectacular light and sound experience celebrating Australia’s aviation heritage.
Extend Your Stay For Caravanners
Keen to extend your adventure?
Make your school holiday journey even more memorable by adding a night at Lake Dunn and exploring the famous Lake Dunn Sculpture Trail. Return to Longreach via Muttaburra to visit the Muttaburra Interpretation Centre.
Highlights
Australian Stockman's Hall Of Fame
Celebrate the legends of the land through immersive galleries and interactive storytelling. This award-winning attraction celebrates the people who shaped life on the land — stockmen, drovers, graziers and pioneers. Interactive galleries, artefacts and stories bring bush heritage vividly to life.
Outback Pioneers
Outback Pioneers brings Outback pioneering spirit to life with ingenious and much-loved experiences and holidays including the Cobb and Co Stagecoach Experience, the Starlight’s Cruise Experience and Nogo Station Experience.
Outback Aussie Tours
Outback Aussie Tours is a multi-award winning touring company and Savannah Guides accredited operator. The legends of Australia’s Outback are brought alive by their guides’ storytelling and interpretation. Discover inspiring stories of unforgettable characters; meet multi-generational families on sheep and cattle stations; enjoy exclusive dining experiences; and travel on private bush tracks through stunning country.
Stonehenge Address Book
Just 2km outside Stonehenge lies an address book unlike any other. Started by a stranded post officer years ago, visitors now spell their names out in rocks at this unique site. Join the tradition and lay your name into this Outback canvas that continually grows and changes over time.
Sandos Sandhills
Sando’s Sandhills are located 12 km west of Windorah and offer the ultimate location for watching an Outback sunset where the sands shift to a deeper red. Be sure to bring drinks and snacks for a “sundowner” experience worthy of your bucket list!
Eromanga Natural History Museum
Head to the Eromanga Natural History Museum to meet “Cooper” – a titanosaur that once shook the ground over 95 million years ago. Get close to the action at the museum’s fossil preparation lab, carefully brushing away ancient dust to reveal the bones of giants or see their technicians at work in the onsite lab.
Charleville Bilby Experience
Discover one of Outback Queensland’s most heartwarming wildlife encounters at the Charleville Bilby Experience and go behind the scenes of vital conservation work protecting this endangered native species. Meet these elusive nocturnal icons up close, learn their remarkable survival story, and support a program helping bring the bilby back from the brink.
Charleville’s Cosmos Centre
Experience the universe like never before at the Charleville Cosmos Centre. Beneath some of Australia’s clearest night skies, explore distant galaxies through powerful telescopes, join immersive planetarium shows and uncover the secrets of the solar system with both their daytime and night time experiences.
Outback Date Farms
Just outside of Charleville, the Outback Date Farms offers a sweet stopover where visitors can tour the plantation, sample harvested dates and even enjoy a home-cooked date loaf for morning tea. The farm offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at food production in Australia’s arid zone.
WWII Secret Base
Uncover a hidden chapter of Australian history at Charleville WWII Secret Base. This must-do experience invites you to “enlist” and explore state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions featuring classified missions, wartime romances and the secret lives of the 3,500 United States Army Force personnel that were stationed in secrecy in the town during the 1940s.
Tambo Teddies
Tambo Teddies have become an icon of the Outback. Visit their workshop in Tambo to see the making of these cuddly companions, crafted from Australia wool.
Ben's Chicken Racing
Head to the aptly titled Schnitzel Stadium at the Royal Carrangarra Hotel for Ben’s Chicken Races where feathers and fun prevail. Locals and travellers gather to place their bets as “thoroughbred” hens, sporting tiny colourful silks, sprint for the finish line. It’s high-stakes hilarity that raises vital funds for local charities.
Blackall Woolscour
A visit to the Blackall Historical Woolscour is a unique experience where the original wool scouring (cleaning) machinery can be seen in operation. The ingenuity from over a century ago is there for you to see in action as passionate tour guides offer insights into the lives of our rural forefathers involved in the wool industry around the time of the industrial revolution.
Blackall Sculptural Trail
If you like your art alfresco, then you’ll love the Blackall Sculpture Trail.
There is an incredible amount of public art and sculpture in the streets and landscape of Blackall. Each sculpture along the trail is unique and bears some significance to the town’s cultural or natural history. It’s definitely worth a look!
Maps of the Art and Sculpture Trail are available at the Blackall Visitor Information Centre.
Luminescent Longreach
Prepare to be moved by Luminescent Longreach, a spectacular 3D light show at the Qantas Founders Museum. Here, a Boeing 747 is transformed in a glowing canvas that celebrates the 100-year history of Qantas, founded in Outback Queensland in 1920.
Lake Dunn Sculptural Trail
The Lake Dunn Sculpture Trail is a 200km Outback art trail in Queensland that features over 40 large sculptures made from recycled materials by local artist Milynda Rogers. You can begin the Lake Dunn Sculpture Trail at either Aramac or Jericho by getting a Lake Dunn Sculpture trail map from the local Information Centre.