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  2. Explore Queensland
  3. Outback Queensland
  4. Things to do in Outback Queensland
  5. Drives
Queensland contains some of the most accessible Outback experiences Australia has to offer. We’re talking about the real deal – the true blue, fair dinkum, Aussie way to go bush. You don’t need to be an expert off-roader to explore the legendary Queensland Outback and get a taste for life on the land. 

Hit the road and witness endless blue skies, burnt orange sunsets and rich red deserts as you cruise the Matilda Highway from the New South Wales border all the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria, passing through Charleville, Longreach and Winton. 

If you have little ones in tow, you might prefer a shorter jaunt starting in Brisbane and venturing to the gateway to the west, aka Charleville, before trying your hand at station life in Cunnamulla and your luck at black opal mining in Lightening Ridge. Make one last stop in Goondiwindi before lopping back to the big city.

Dreaming of the ultimate 4WD adventure? Make your way from Brisbane to Birdsville. This route is packed full of opportunities to go off road, visit historic sites, stopover in outback National Parks, and soak in the eye-wateringly vast region.

Follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs on the Channel Country Explorer drive or Ancient Outback tours through Mt Isa.

Combine country and coast on a self-guided drive from white sandy beaches to the red dust of the desert. Try the Overlanders Way, Central Queensland Outback Driveor Warrego Way.

Queensland’s Outback is connected by both sealed roads and dirt tracks. Before you head off, don’t forget to brush up on the basics for a safe and successful Australian road trip.
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Boulia

Boulia, Boulia Area
There are a lot of bush yarns and legends in this Outback country, but the people of Boulia reckon the pick of the bunch are the ones about the mysterious Queensland icon, the Min Min Light. Here is a yarn about the Light they would like to share with you.

Riversleigh World Heritage Site, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park

Mount Isa, Mount Isa Area
Free Entry
The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh and Naracoorte were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1994 for their outstanding representation of the evolution of Australian mammals and the quality of their fossils, which are preserved in limestone.

Betoota

Diamantina Area
Betoota stands alone on a vast gibber plain, 170 kilometres east of Birdsville. While Betoota is mainly a ghost town, it comes alive twice a year for the annual Horse and Motorbike Gymkhana and the Betoota Races.

Big Red

Birdsville, Diamantina Area
Free Entry
Standing at 40 metres in height, and situated just 35km from Birdsville; this famous sand dune provides a challenge for any four wheel drive enthusiast. The first of 1,140 parallel dunes in the Simpson Desert, the spectacular sunsets from the top of Big Red are an experience not to be missed.

Lake Murphy Conservation Park

Taroom, Banana Area
Free Entry
Nestled beneath the low Murphy's Range in the central highlands, Lake Murphy remains largely unchanged from the days when Europeans first passed this way. This perched lake is a seasonal refuge for waterbirds and only fills when nearby Robinson Creek overflows.

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park

Lawn Hill, Burke Area
Free Entry
Boodjamulla is one of Queensland's most exceptional parks, boasting spectacular gorge scenery, diverse wildlife, exhilarating walking and canoeing, and fossils deposits dating back 25 million years. Here, Lawn Hill Gorge carves a serpentine ribbon of green through the dry savannah landscape, creating an oasis in the outback.

Biloela

Biloela, Banana Area
Today, Biloela is a busy commercial and tourist hub, though it still retains that relaxed, country feeling. Along with Queensland Heritage Park, a Regional Art Gallery, the Spirit of the Land Mural and the Heritage Listed Greycliffe Homestead, the town stages an impressive annual program of festivals and events.

Lake Fred Tritton

Richmond, Richmond Area
Free Entry
Lake Fred Tritton has a relaxed, yet energetic vibe and is bursting with activities to excite the whole family. It is perfect for swimming, skiing, canoeing and the fantastic playground's and water park will keep the kids entertained for hours.

Einasleigh

Einasleigh, Etheridge Area
Einasleigh in the 21st century is only a small community - there are no shops however there is a hotel where you can purchase food. You can also top up fuel here or get food from the roadside caravan takeway, under a massive tamarind tree thought to be more than a century old.

Cloncurry

Cloncurry, Cloncurry Area
'The Curry', as Cloncurry is affectionately known by locals, is most famous for being the birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Conceived and launched by the Reverend John Flynn in the 1920s, this flying medical service is just as integral to the people of the outback today as it ever was.
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