How to tackle the Great Inland Way road trip in 12 days

Kick off with a coffee from Farmhouse Café, then wander the St George Heritage Trail for a dose of local history.

Follow the red dirt north to Roma, detouring through Surat to explore the Cobb & Co Changing Station museum and riverside parklands.

In Roma, sample small-batch gin, vodka and rum at Western Queensland Spirit before diving into the region’s oil and gas story at The Big Rig. Stick around for the night show’s sound-and-light spectacle, then bed down at Roma Central Motel.

Tip: Roma’s big events, like the races or Easter in the Country, book out fast – secure your stay early.

Best time to visit: Time your visit on a Tuesday to catch Roma’s famous cattle sales; this is Australia’s largest cattle selling centre with over 400,000 cattle passing through each year. 

Spend the rest of the morning exploring the town. Walk along the heritage-listed Heroes' Avenue, planted with more than 100 bottle trees in memory of local ANZAC heroes, including a visit to Roma’s largest bottle tree.

Unique stay: Wallaroo Outback Retreat awaits on a 72,000-acre cattle property in the Carnarvon Ranges. Settle into your glamping tent, wander the bush, try your luck catching yabbies, or sip wine by the fire under the stars.

Nestled in the Central Highlands, Carnarvon Gorge is Mother Nature’s masterpiece: soaring sandstone cliffs, natural amphitheatres and cliff walls adorned with ancient Indigenous engravings and paintings.

Guide to the best walking tracks that follow the edge of Carnarvon Creek and hit up some of the best views in the park, with the 19km Big Bend track the most popular – a full day walk that takes in the main attractions.

Great tour option - Carnarvon Gorge Eco Tours offers guided walks for those who want to better understand the flora and fauna as they wander.

From one prospecting town to another, head north today from Emerald to Charters Towers. The beauty of a Great Inland Way road trip is how small spots you find along the way can make a big impact.

One such place is Peak Range National Park, under two hours’ drive from Emerald. It’s little known but undeniably impressive, with towering volcanic peaks the remnants of eruptions between 29 and 32 million years ago. The park offers a range of walks and lookouts to enjoy.

Wild west: If it already feels like you’re in the Wild West, just wait until your 9am call time at Texas Longhorn Tours: it’s a safari experience like no other. Longhorn safaris run daily, except Wednesdays when guests can explore by horse-drawn wagon.

You’re now entering North West Queensland territory: where the landscape takes on an altogether more dramatic turn. Remote, rugged, and millions of years in the making, the backdrop here is picture-perfect.

Undara experience: This landscape formed approximately 190,000 years ago when a volcanic eruption spewed molten lava down a dry riverbed. The outer layer formed a crust, and when the lava below drained away, a series of long, hollow tubes remained. It’s these tubes that can now be explored on foot with a guide, so join the first Archway Explorer tour of the day at 8am.

Heading north east to the Atherton Tablelands, stop in at Queensland’s highest altitude town, Ravenshoe. It’s better than the average spot for lunch, and the Ravenshoe Hotel makes brag-worthy schnitzels. It’s also home to Millstream Falls, which sits just outside town, and with three walking tracks to choose from, an ideal way to walk off lunch.

Waterfall chasers are in the right neck of the woods, too, with the magnificent waterfall circuit taking in Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Elinjaa Falls in a 100km journey. For a more off-the-beaten-track adventure, hike a lush 6km return circuit trail to Nandroya Falls where you can swim and relax, feeling truly in the middle of the rainforest. Alternatively, you could soak up the sun and cool waters of Lake Eacham in Crater Lakes National Park.

One for the geologists, this 65-metre deep lake is a maar - a volcanic crater formed by massive explosions from the superheating of groundwater - and is home to over 180 bird species and musky rat-kangaroos.

But it’s not just the flora and fauna that make the Atherton Tablelands famous, the region is renowned for its food and drink, making it almost too tempting not to spend a few extra days here. Do it right with this itinerary for grazing your way across the tablelands.

Bucket list experience: Ditch the car this morning, opting to take in sunrise from new heights on a sunrise hot air balloon ride high above the region’s rolling hills and rainforest.

Back on solid ground, make sure to pay a visit to Skybury Cafe and Roastery for breakfast and one of the best cups of coffee you’ll find in our tropical north. Skybury is Australia’s oldest coffee plantation, having grown Arabica beans on the rich soils of the Tablelands since 1987.

Want to know more about the region’s history? Explore the Mareeba Heritage Museum before you head back out into nature.

Head north towards your final destination of Cooktown, along the Mulligan Highway. Pass through the quaint townships of Mount Molloy and Mount Carbine on the edges of Kuranda State Forest and Mount Lewis National Park, then stop at the world famous Lion’s Den Hotel for lunch. Operating since 1875, pubs don’t get more authentic than is old Queensland gal, boasting personality in spades - both the building and the clientele.

Your final day on the Great Inland Way is an easy rider – Cooktown is just a half-an-hour hop up the road.

But take the scenic route and pull over at the lookout on the edge of Kalkajaka National Park. The park itself boasts a deep connection to local Aboriginal culture, with its huge black granite boulders an important meeting place for the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people. This site is the source of many Dreaming stories. Trust us, there’s few places more magical to stretch the legs and take in the views.

Stay a little longer: Once you’ve arrived in town, settle in before figuring out how to extend your stay or prep for an onward journey to Cape York; there’s so much to do in this remote pocket of Queensland. If you have a day to spare, Culture Connect's Normanby Station Aboriginal Rock Art and Rangers tour is one you shouldn't miss.

Visit Grassy Hill Lookout, the and the Cooktown Botanic Gardens, then walk to the Milbi Wall. Overlooking the mouth of the Endeavour River, the Milbi Wall memorial was designed by local Indigenous storytellers, telling of the Guugu Yimithirr people and their experience of Cook’s landing.

Want to soak up views from the infinity pool a little longer? If twelve days on the road along Great Inland Way has got you wanting more, why not:

• Journey further north from Cooktown and tackle epic Cape York
• Go way out west across the Savannah Way to experience Queensland’s gulf
• Head back south and follow the coastal road from Cairns to Brisbane
• Drive to Cairns for a Great Barrier Reef adventure before flying home