The ultimate 4-day Longreach itinerary for families

In the true heart of the Queensland Outback lies Longreach; a town with a legacy built on the back-breaking work of spirited stockmen and a clever crew of aeronautical entrepreneurs whose vision to take Australia to the world on wings became one of our country’s most rousing success stories.

It's the perfect place to take a family holiday that's both adventurous and inspiring. Where red dirt landscapes give way to unique adventures that'll have you and the kids climbing into everything from horse carriages to replica aircraft, as you discover tales that weave deeply into the fabric of our outback. Out here, the characters and fun is on a larger-than-life scale. 

So what are you waiting for? Pack your Akubra and get planning with our four-day guide to visiting Longreach with the family.

Day 1

12pm

Your accommodation is all part of the experience in Longreach, whether you're looking for a slice of history, the chance to soak it all in, or towing the caravan along for the ride. 

One of the newest offerings in the centre of town is The Staging Post, boutique family-run digs inspired by the pioneer era and the stagecoach journeys that connected Longreach to the rest of the world. Settle into the Stables Family Room which sleeps up to five - designed to be reminiscent of where the stagecoach's horses were kept - then head over to The Welcome Home for a light lunch or scones and tea: this is also where you can enjoy a buffet breakfast each morning, or get a taste of the outback for dinner. Part of the Kinnon family's Outback Pioneers offering, you'll have some of the best Longreach experiences at your fingertips and a tour desk to plan your trip. 

Alternatively, make Saltbush Retreat your home base. The perfect balance of rustic meets nouveau, the outdoor clawfoot baths are a major drawcard here. 

If you’ve brought your own tiny home with you, Longreach Tourist Park has spacious powered and unpowered sites on offer and some have private ensuites too. There are Brolgas that dance in the red dirt behind the restaurant, and a well-stocked shop for anything you may have forgotten to pack.

2pm

Start with a story that will uplift your spirit and head over to QANTAS Founders Museum. Here, you’ll learn of the pioneers whose dream became a reality to launch Australia’s first airline. Allow plenty of time to wander around interpretive exhibits, revel in replica aircraft and see the artefacts that tell the story of our country’s favourite brand. Kids will love the chance to test their skills as pilots in the simulator and challenge their detective skills by following the clues to objects in clever disguise that double as passive learning.

Take a tour with a difference on the 747 Wing Walk to get an actual birdseye view, or park yourself in the cockpit to marvel at just how many instruments a pilot has to consider. Kids will need to be 12 or above to do this one, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

5PM

Enjoy an early dinner at Harry’s Restaurant at Longreach Motor Inn, named after local legend Harry Redford, also known as Captain Starlight. But more about this guy later.

And while you might think you’re all air-lined out, after dinner return to the Qantas Founders Museum for their new Luminescent Longreach Show. It’s a short 20 minute spectacular of light, sound and expert storytelling using a massive 747 as a canvas that you just have to see to believe. The kids will love the short punchy format and with action aplenty, there’s not a chance they won’t be enthralled. Check timings as they run the show to time after the sun sets to ensure you get the best viewing experience possible.

Day 2

9am

Start your day with a breakfast burger, pie or pastry and coffee at Merino Bakery, just a short stroll from The Staging Post. Be sure to add a few peach blossoms to the snack box for later (a delicious lamington-style sponge cake dipped in raspberry jelly, rolled in coconut and stuck in the middle with cream). 

Spend the morning at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame where you’ll learn about the Iningai people; the traditional owners of this land with history dating back 40,000 years. There’s five galleries to explore that share the histories of the Royal Flying Doctors, Properties, Pioneers and so much more.

Kids will love  the 'Children’s Discovery Draws’ which invites them to actually touch the exhibits; and don’t forget to take a selfie with the Ringer, the famous bronze statue of a Stockman standing proud. Then take your seat ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for the rousing Outback Stockman’s Show.  You’ll be thrilled by genuine ringers and their incredible animals and livestock as they roll out a rollicking one-of-a-kind show as a rare glimpse into working life on the land. Check showtimes before booking as availabilities change throughout the year. 

1:30pm

You can’t visit the outback without experiencing life on a working station - so why not choose a spot that's also been visited by the royals. Explore Camden Park Station and just like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, you'll be guided by true-blue Aussie Outback Dan and learn about the Walker family’s 18,000 acres where sheep and cattle roam. Be mesmerised by expert storytelling while enjoying a ploughman's lunch in the shearing shed. And if you ask Dan nicely, he might even let you have a sneaky waltz in the outback’s oldest ballroom.

Tonight, settle in for the stonegrill dinner experience at The Welcome Home, or head to The Longreach Tavern for some pub-grub with a dedicated kids menu.

Day 3

9am

Dress to get a little dirty today, and bring your pioneer spirit.

This morning, clamber on board a Cobb and Co stagecoach with Outback Pioneers and set off along the historic Longreach to Windorah mail route. It's an exhilerating peek into the region's history as you rattle your way through the bush - and it's also the only place in Australia where you can gallop in a Cobb and Co stagecoach!

The stagecoach experience itself is around 45 thrilling minutes, but leave enough time in your schedule for the full four hour tour which includes delicious outback smoko (aka morning tea), a classic bush movie in the old theatrette, and the entertaining Harry Redford Old Time Tent Show.

4.30pm

Relax outback-style tonight and hop aboard a paddle wheeler on the Starlight Cruise Experience. The evening begins with taking in the views on a leisurely cruise along the mighty Thomson River, watching the palette of colours shift and transform as sun sets. Back on land, tuck into a two-course dinner around the campfire with a beautiful local rendition of bush poetry before settling in for the Starlights Spectacular Sound and Light Show. This is where you will learn the story of Captain Starlight, known as a notorious cattle thief, but with a side of larrikin that always left the law guessing.

Finish the night with damper and billy tea under the same stars Captain Starlight used to camp out under at Starlight’s Lookout. It was here that he is said to spot the cattle being mustered and if you are to believe local legend, cheekily pinch them right out from underneath their owners’ noses. The whole tour is around 4-5 hours so bring a jacket as evenings can be cold. 

Day 4

8am

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Casey’s Cafe before wandering around the main streets for some shopping where you could pick yourself up a souvenir Akubra (the Stockman is the ridgy-didge style worn by the ringers). Be sure to stop in at Kinnon & Co’s the Station Store which stocks a range of gifts and souvenirs along with an impressive array of outback memorabilia from early pioneer times.

11am

Did someone say Waltzing Matilda?

Hit the road and continue your journey to Winton, a lazy 1.45 hr drive on the Matilda Highway (yes, they love the name Matilda round here). A stop in at the famous Gregory Hotel will take you back to the 1800s when Australia’s most downloaded song, penned by Banjo Patterson, was first tinkled out on the piano. Worth a wander also is the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the only museum in the world dedicated to a song. But there’s plenty of other memorabilia to discover here also, including a glimpse into the geological events that etched Winton into the prehistoric history books as the dinosaur capital of Australia. 

A visit to  the Australian Age of Dinosaurs will inspire budding palaeontologists. Wander the mesa, or take a tour down to its core where the dinosaur canyon will have you in raptures discovering all the species that once roamed these ancient lands. A tour of the facility where they like to dust off newly discovered bones is a worthy inclusion also, to appreciate why science folk seriously dig Winton as one of the world’s most fascinating fossil-filled backyards.

You’ll have worked up an appetite, so enjoy a street side dinner at The Tattersall Hotel. It’s a lesson in history itself as Winton’s oldest standing establishment, and as they serve the regions famed steaks, you’ll get an authentic taste of Winton’s reputation as prime cattle country too.

How to get to Longreach

• Follow the Matilda Way. Longreach is 1200km from Brisbane
• Take a 2hr QantasLink flight across the outback from Brisbane
• Board the Spirit of the Outback, Queensland Rail’s bi-weekly 26hr-long rail service. Travelling 1325 KM from Brisbane to Longreach, you’ll follow in the tracks of the pioneers who brought a connection to Longreach and the prosperity that arrived with it.