Meet colourful outback characters and look to the stars in Outback Queensland’s South West, starting from a six-hour drive from Brisbane. It's where wedge-tail eagles soar, bilbies are born and the sky is painted with stunning sunsets.
Heaven and earth
Spot the Milky Way through a powerful telescope at the Cosmos Centre and Observatory in
Charleville. Slip into a mineral-rich outdoor artesian mud bath in
Eulo or see dinosaur fossils in
Eromanga. Just outside of
Quilpie, you can try your luck and dig for boulder opal gems at the designated fossicking area. Camp beside a waterhole in the
Currawinya National Park, or hike through
Carnarvon National Park, an Outback oasis known for its sandstone cliffs diverse flora and fauna, stunning lookouts and Aboriginal rock art. Visit
Thargomindah, the first town in Australia with electrical street lighting.
Local characters
Have a yarn over a cold ale at the desolate ‘pub without a town’ in
Toompine. Nurture an endangered marsupial at Charleville's Bilby Experience Centre or join the fun and cheer on the sidelines of a local Yabby Race. Check out
Cunnamulla, the home of Slim Dusty's iconic Australian bush character 'Cunnamulla fella'. Experience the early morning action of the biggest sale yards in the Southern Hemisphere with a local in
Roma.
