Outback Queensland

Beyond the Great Dividing Range the sky opens up over tough country that's both relentless and beautiful. Travellers come for the exotic and intimate Australian experience, their restlessness tamed by the sheer size of the place, its luminous colours and its silence. It's a place that echoes with Indigenous stories down through the ages, and tales from Burke and Wills to Waltzing Matilda. Towns like Winton, Longreach and Birdsville in particular capture the essence of this vast place.

In the dry season, endless blue skies hover over stony deserts, matched only by the brilliant velvety clarity of the Milky Way at night. It's a long way between drinks out here, but it's well worth the drive.

Explore Outback Queensland

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Outback Queensland.

  • Historic Site

    Combo Waterhole

    Combo Waterhole, 132km northwest of Winton and 13km south of Kynuna, is widely believed to be the place that inspired Banjo Paterson's famous bush ballad,…

  • National Park

    Diamantina National Park

    The homeland of the Maiawali and Karuwali Indigenous peoples, Diamantina was a cattle station from the 19th century until it became a national park in…

  • Museum

    Waltzing Matilda Centre

    After the original centre burned to the ground in 2015, this hugely impressive rebuilt museum reopened in 2018. The displays on Banjo Paterson's iconic…

  • Museum

    Outback at Isa

    The award-winning Outback at Isa combines the visitor centre and booking office with three of Isa's major attractions. The Hard Times Mine is an authentic…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Charleville Bilby Experience

    This interpretive centre offers a rare opportunity to learn about the native marsupial bilby and the long-running captive breeding and conservation…

  • Museum

    Qantas Founders Outback Museum

    Qantas Founders Outback Museum houses a life-size replica of an Avro 504K, the first aircraft owned by the fledgling airline. Interactive multimedia and…

  • Film Location

    Walkabout Creek Hotel

    It's 30 years since Crocodile Dundee hit the screens but the McKinlay pub, aka Walkabout Creek Hotel, is still trading off its success. Stop in for a cold…

  • Viewpoint

    City Lookout

    Everyone should make the short trip up to the City Lookout for excellent 360-degree views of Mt Isa. The best time is sunset, when the smelter stacks are…

  • Memorial

    Tree of Knowledge Memorial

    This $5-million contemporary art installation outside the train station – labelled an ‘upside down milk crate’ by one disgruntled local – is best seen at…

  • Historic Site

    Hard Times Mine

    Get kitted out in mining attire and a head lamp at the Hard Times Mine. On this 2½-hour tour, often guided by former miners, you descend into a purpose…

  • National Park

    Munga-Thirri National Park

    The waterless Simpson Desert occupies a massive 200,000 sq km of central Australia and stretches across the Queensland, Northern Territory and South…

  • Museum

    Kronosaurus Korner

    Richmond's undisputed highlight is this museum and visitor centre, housing Australia's best collection of marine fossils, most found by local landholders…

  • Museum

    Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum

    This outstanding dinosaur fossil museum, about 15km east of Winton, is set atop a rugged plateau known as the 'Jump Up'. There are two sides to the…

  • National Park

    Bladensburg National Park

    One of the more accessible national parks in Outback Queensland, Bladensburg lies south of Winton and can be visited on a half-day drive from there. Pick…

  • National Park

    Welford National Park

    If your defining image of the outback is red sand dunes, red-rock escarpments, billabongs and spinifex plains, you might be thinking of Welford. West of…

  • Museum

    John Flynn Place

    This outstanding museum celebrates Dr John Flynn’s work setting up the invaluable and groundbreaking Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), which gave hope…

  • National Park

    Lochern National Park

    Classic Outback Queensland scenery is Lochern's signature: grassy plains that turn yellow during drought; gidgee plains as hot and bare as anvils;…

  • Museum

    Dinosaur Stampede National Monument

    About 110km southwest of Winton is the startling Dinosaur Stampede at Lark Quarry, where you’ll see dinosaur footprints fossilised in a prehistoric stream…

  • National Park

    Porcupine Gorge National Park

    Porcupine Gorge National Park is an oasis in the dry country 70km (by sealed road) north of Hughenden. The best spot is Pyramid Lookout; you can camp here…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Outback Queensland.

  • Activities