Outback Road Trip through NSW, QLD, NT and SA
Updated: Sep 30
Buying a caravan with a plan to do the lap of Australia, and realising we'd be best doing that trip next year, led to this year's big inland adventure. Contemplating the wide range of possibilities to explore in the outback, the allure of vast open spaces and remote landscapes was calling.
Recalling stories I'd heard about dinosaur sites to visit in Queensland (QLD), led to an itinerary that would take us up through New South Wales (NSW) and outback QLD, into the Northern Territory (NT) to exlore the Top End, before travelling back down through the centre of Australia and South Australia (SA), before returning home.
As we would be heading north during the dry season the timing was perfect, and I was really looking forward to escaping the cold winter temperatures of Southern NSW.
This map gives an overview of where we went and key sights visited.
New South Wales
Leaving Goulburn, NSW in June our first stop moving north was Dubbo where we stayed at the NRMA Holiday Park Dubbo to visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service's visitor experience, and Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
I've known about the Royal Flying Doctor's service for as long as I can remember, but seeing people share their stories about the life-saving service was quite emotional. I was deeply moved reading the organisation's history, learning that the idea was sparked in 1917 by a letter from a young man who later died in the first World War, and the concept was championed for a decade by Reverend John Flynn before the service was able to launch in 1927!
Now operating for almost a century the Royal Flying Doctor's have 81 planes and are a vital lifeline for rural Australia. If you'd like to see what flights are underway they have a live flight tracker, and people wanting to support this organsiation's incredible work can donate on their website.
This was my second visit to Taronga Western Plains Zoo and I love how committed Taronga are to wildlife conservation. With this zoo you can drive around in your own vehicle and decide how long to spend at the different stops. The quality and size of the enclosures is excellent and although I enjoy seeing all the animals, I particularly enjoyed watching the meerkats and lemurs.
Moving on to Bourke we stayed at Mitchell Caravan Park and took a morning tour on the Jandra paddleboat. Unfortunately we had an overcast day for the cruise but it was still a pleasant morning on the water. To get to the boat we drove through another caravan park called Kidman's Camp which we would try if passing through this way again.
I wanted to visit the Warrego Floodplain picnic area (Wariku Pulka) and walking track in Toorale National Park. The National Parks site said it was open but we couldn't get in. We initally followed Google's advice looking for it but after it suggested several invisible roads as viable routes we gave up. We then followed the national parks signs until we reached a fence saying 'private property' and found out later at the information centre that the area was currently closed.
Queensland
The drive from Bourke to Cunnamulla was quite magical. The sun was up, the sky was blue, the outback was greener than normal and some areas had a low lying fog blanketing the ground. Adding to the beautiful scenery I was thrilled to see wild kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and many birds along the way.
I've done a lot of driving across areas of Australia over the years and it saddens me how often the only wildlife we see is roadkill. In contrast, on remote drives like this, to see healthy wildlife whilst travelling is a highlight.
Stopping in Cunnamulla at the Hot Springs was a treat if you love a natural geothermal pool experience. When researching the trip I heard about the Wellness Way and decided to build in a couple of stops as part of the trip, not that I needed a lot of encouragement as I love a hot spring that's safe and easy to access.
Next was a planned detour out to Charlotte Plains. I can't remember when I first saw photos of this location, but when I realised this outback tour created the perfect opportunity to visit, I jumped at the chance.
Charlotte Plains is about 45 minutes from Cunnamulla heading east, so technically out of the way for this trip but well worth the visit. I'd booked to stay for one night which was great, but I'd recommend if you're making the trip, that you stay for at least two nights if possible.
With all outback experiences make sure you check dates when planning your trip as many things only open during the dry season. These places are ideal to visit during the Australian winter, but still keep an eye out for changing weather, as things can be unpredictable, many locations can become inaccessible, and it's critical you prioritise your safety at all times.
Heading north again we did an overnight stop in Charleville staying at the Cobb and Co Caravan park and I found out more about the work of the Save the Bilby Fund.
In Longreach we visited the Qantas Founders Museum (see Qantas post for photos) and had planned to do the Sunset Cruise & Show with Outback Aussie Tours but it was cancelled due to rain. However, we were lucky enough to get to see Lily Lagoon which is a temporary waterhole fed by the Thomson River.
Arriving in Winton we stayed at Winton Wanderers Caravan Park which we loved, and they really do have the amazing sunsets promised.
Winton was the start of the Dinosaur Trail part of the trip encompassing Winton, Hughenden and Richmond (see Dinosaur post for details). Although all experiences were good for different reasons, my favourite was the Age of Dinosaurs Museum including the canyon.
While staying in Hughenden we took the opportunity to visit Porcupine Gorge which is absolutely worth seeing.
Experiences like seeing Galahs coming in for the night at sunset in Lakeview Caravan Park Richmond were some of the beautiful unplanned parts of the trip. I can't get enough of these real 'Australia' moments, seeing life in the wild.
Heading north we drove through Kynuna, stopping to visit the Blue Heeler Pub were I had my closest encounter with a stunning family of Brolgas, and then we stopped for the night at one of the most famous pubs in the country - Walkabout Creek Hotel.
The pub's veranda was a fantastic place to spend an afternoon and it's a thoroughly recommended road trip stop. Originally established in the 1900's as the Federal Hotel the pub has experienced a lot of changes, including changing it's name after the Crocodile Dundee movie bar scenes were filmed there. The original movie made the Australian outback famous and I cannot believe it was released 40 years ago this year!
Travelling through Mt Isa we stayed at Sunset Tourist Park and visited Lake Moondarra.
Northern Territory
We had fantastic overnight stays at Barkly Homestead and Daly Waters Pub and would have been very happy to have stayed another night or so if we'd had more time.
I had good memories from stopping in at Daly Waters during a Northern Territory tour with family over 20 years earlier and it was really lovely to reconnect with many of the locations I'd seen once before, particularly as we moved into the Top End portion of the trip.
I loved visiting Mataranka thermal pool, it was even better than I remembered, warm, deep and relaxing. I also tried Katherine Springs and Bitter Springs for the first time. They were great but Mataranka was my favourite, particularly if you can go early before it gets too busy. Katherine Springs seemed to have more places you can get in but access wasn't quite as easy. Bitter Springs was gently flowing and you really had no choice but to float your way down the springs, which made it the preferred stop for others I spoke with.
Mataranka Homestead and Bitter Springs Camping Ground are both good options for convenient access to the respective springs. In Katherine we stayed at Discovery Parks Katherine River (formerly BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park).
If you are near Katherine, visiting Katherine Gorge is a must. For this trip I booked a sunset cruise with dinner which was a wonderful experience. If you want the best views of the gorge it is probably best to go during the day, but it felt quite magical being there in the quiet of the evening. Only the first gorge was accessible while we were there, but if you can explore further it is highly recommended.
We also visited Edith Falls and there is water you can swim in not far from the car park but you really need to walk uphill (lots of stairs) for about 3kms return to see more of the falls.
Our only visit to Kakadu was for the Yellow Waters Cruise which I loved, and we opted to stay nearby at the Lazy Lizard in Pine Creek. Travelling with an indoor cat we had to stay outside the national park and this caravan park was a great choice.
In the Darwin area we stayed at Oasis Tourist Park which was a lovely shady place but the spaces were quite tight, Tumbling Waters Holiday Park was great, and Dundee Beach which was further out but an excellent location, with their ensuite sites being the best experienced to date.
From Darwin if you want to see more wildlife in the wild I recommend doing a Corroboree Billabong Cruise. I personally preferred the Yellow Waters Cruise but would happily do both again.
If you can visit Berry Springs Nature Park I recommend it, we visited when staying at Tumbling Waters and didn't know what to expect but it become a highlight of the trip! It's not a hot spring but the water temperatures end July were lovely.
Visiting Litchfield National Park is one of the highlights of the Top End and I recommend seeing Tolmer Falls, Florence Falls and Wangi Falls which are also relatively easy to access for views. You can swim at Florence or Wangi Falls, with Wangi being easier for access. Another great spot to cool off is the Buley Rockhole.
As we started to make our way back down through the centre we stayed at Mt Bundy Station which is worth a visit. I'd also recommend as convenient overnight stays Banka Banka West and the Devils Marbles Hotel.
Exploring the Red Centre with limited time we stayed at Discovery Parks Alice Springs and spent a busy but enjoyable day in the West MacDonnell National Park that included seeing Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm.
Staying overnight at Discovery Parks Kings Canyon was fantastic, we did the lower Kings Creek Walk which was better than I'd remembered. We thoroughly enjoyed the Sunset Light Towers experience and the onsite restaurant serves excellent pizza. We arrived late in the afternoon for the walk which worked out very well, as we almost had the canyon to ourselves.
We stayed at Ayers Rock Campground and enjoyed two nights of watching Uluru at sunset.
Heading further south we stayed at Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort where we enjoyed some cheese and wine at their sunset viewing spot, Marla Rest Stop and Stuart Range in Coober Pedy.
We really enjoyed a spontaneous tour in Coober Pedy to see the town, scenery and local opal mines.
Then over the next few days we made our way back to NSW staying at Discovery Parks Port Augusta, Murray Bridge Tourist Park, Balranald Caravan Park and Whitton Malt House. All were good but Whitton Malt House is a stand out. We have stayed at Whitton Malt House in their onsite accommodation and the newer option of a caravan site, and highly recommend both.
From Murray Bridge we visited Monarto Safari Park which are very conservation focused and it is the largest open-range safari experience outside Africa. However, if you are looking for premium accommodation and experiences you may want to consider the Monarto Safari Resort.
It was an incredible 11 weeks of travel where we covered approximately 13,000 kilometres. Adapting to living in the caravan was easier than expected, and I'm really looking forward to tackling 'the big lap' or at least a large portion of it, exploring the Western Australian coast, next year.
