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Matilda Highway
This is a great 2WD bitumen North-South route through central Queensland passing several places of historical significance and some great outback pubs.

This trek is located in the Outback Qld region.

Start Finish Distance Min Days Rating
Karumba Cunnamulla 1674 4 Trek rating 0.5 of 5 - Click for details
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Researched By ExplorOz - Michelle Jacka   Latest Update 13 Aug 2007

 Description



The "Matilda Highway" is the name for the connection of highways from Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria to Bourke in country NSW.

From north to south the route passes through the famous Queensland country towns of Normanton, Cloncurry, Longreach, Winton, Barcaldine, Augathella, Cunnamulla where you can then pick up the Kidman Way into central NSW. It's a place where dinosaurs once roamed, the inspiration for our unofficial national anthem Waltzing Matilda was first played and was the birthplace of Qantas. The are a number of highlights along this all-bitumen 1674km route making it one of the more popular treks in Australia.

There are tourist information centres in most towns along the route and each will be able to provide detailed information on bookings and times for local events, shows and attractions. We have outlined the major attractions of each of the main towns along the way.

The route starts in Karumba, a town that lives and breathes fishing and prawning. Just 70km from Normanton, its lies on the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Norman River. Originally a telegraph station in the 1870s, Karumba became a stopover for the flying boats of the Empire Mail Service in the early 1900s.

The discovery of prawns in the Gulf in the 1960s brought Karumba alive and today that industry keeps the town together. The outlaying areas have recently experienced new mineral discoveries and the giant exploration companies have funded massive road works and a giant piping system to run the minerals via a slurry through poly pipes from far inland to the ships waiting in the harbour to export the resource offshore.

Normanton, also on the Norman River. Established in 1868, Normanton boomed during the gold rush of the Croydon gold fields. A wonderful reminder of those early days is the Gulflander train, fully operational today and running weekly tourist trips between the two towns. Today, Normanton supports the surrounding cattle stations and communities and is a good spot for keen barramundi fisherpeople.

Cloncurry is 375km from Normanton and along the way are many interesting and popular attractions, with worthy stops at Burke & Wills Roadhouse, a diversion out to Gregory River or Lawn Hill National Park, Mt Isa and finally Quamby just 43km north of "Clony".

Cloncurry, like Karumba, Normanton and Burketown on the Gulf, traces its European heritage back to the days of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which passed this way in 1861 and named the Cloncurry River. There are a number of monuments to these explorers around the town.

Cloncurry has one of the world's biggest copper mines and visitors can wander around the ruins of the old workings of the Great Australia Mine. Other mines and relics are at Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum. There are 2 museums dedicated to the the RFDS since this important operation was founded in Cloncurry. It's a good base to explore the area and is within distance for a return day trip to Mt Isa.

Winton is another 344km south-east of Cloncurry but again, there are some great spots along the way. From here south, there a number of famous pubs to visit. In the tiny township of McKinlay is the pub better known as Walkabout Creek Hotel and earned its reputation from the Crocodile Dundee movie filmed here. Further down the track in Kyuna is the 100 year old Blue Healer Hotel where Banjo Patterson observed the champagne being handed through the window to end the angry shearers strike of the 1800s.

Kyuna isn't only famous for it's pub, but for being the home of Richard Magoffin and his family who were friends with the Macpherson's whose daughter Christina wrote down the music to what is now Australia's national song, Waltzing Matilda. If you visit Richard at his Matilda Expo in Kyuna you'll quickly get the picture that there's a lot more to this simple song that you've ever imagined.

The turn-off to Paterson's Combo Waterhole is signposted about 20km south of Kyuna. It's a dry-weather only dirt track but many people like to spend a night camped at this historical/folklore location.

Winton is a large metropolis with shops, hotels, restaurants, hotels, and airfield and various attractions. The first performance public performance of Waltzing Matilda took place in Winton's North Gregory Hotel in 1895 and the town's major museum, the Matilda Centre is dedicated to the history surrounding this song and the time and life of the people of the day.

Rodeos and bush poetry competitions are popular annual events in Winton, keeping the bush traditions alive. Qantas' first board meeting also took place in Winton in 1921 so there's a museum called Qantilda Pioneer Place. A special bit of history is kept alive at the open-air Royal Theatre and visitors can enjoy a fun night of old movies, clips and memorabilia with damper and tea weekly.

115km south-west of town is Lark Quarry, where fossilised footprints of dinosaurs are preserved showing a stampede from 100 million years ago. There is no camping here but the adventurous with 4WDs might be able to find the ruins of the Old Cork HS where there's an excellent camp on the banks of the Diamantina River. If you're heading towards Diamantina Lakes NP or to Boulia this is a great spot to spend a night off the bitumen and the jaunt through the dirt tracks makes a good alternative to the main tar from Winton -Boulia, although it joins up near the coloured stacks.

The Landsbourough Highway continues in a south-easterly direction out of Winton towards Longreach on the Thomson River. This is western Queensland's second largest town and gives ample dedication to the pioneers, explorers, stockmen, shearers, pastoralists and everyday folk who helped open up outback Australia. The Stockman's Hall of Fame is the most well-known attraction in Longreach although there is the Qantas Founders' Outback Museum too. For those who like to bush camp, there are 2 rivers that cross the highway coming into Longreach from the North. The river closest to town is the Thomson and there is camping on both sides of the river with good fishing. Further north out of town, the next river has more varied and secluded camping with shallower banks, better for fishing and catching yabbies. All the dirt tracks in this region are black soil and are therefore dry-weather tracks only.

The Matilda Highway continues past Longreach where wide open plains line the road to Barcaldine. Barcaldine was the first town in Australia to discover the underground artesian basin in 1887 and today still enjoys fresh supplies of water nourishing orchards of citrus fruits. Established in 1886, Barcaldine gained a place in Australian history when it became the headquarters of the historic shearers' strike during which over 1000 men camped in town. That confrontation began what is now known as the Australian Labour Party. The Tree of Knowledge, growing in the main street is the celebrated position of the meetings during this time of historic upheaval.

From Barcaldine you could head east along the Capricorn Hwy towards the coast or south-east on the Landsborough Hwy to Blackall, Tambo and the less frequented access into Carnarvon Gorge at Salvator Rosa National Park.

Our Matilda Highway route heads south-east through Tambo and onto Augathella and Charleville. Tambo is a relaxing town with an emphasis on walking. The Tambo Heritage Walk allows visitors to stroll the grounds of the cemetery, Old Post Office Museum, and past century old buildings and historical places. A nature walk along the banks of the great Barcoo River under the shade of river gums is another of the town's delights. A 320km round trip from Tambo called the Wilderness Way Self-Drive Tour is detailed in a brochure available from the Information Centre. This route traces part of the old bullockies through gorges, traverses 3 major river systems and to the top of Queensland's Great Dividing Range and visits places of interest including sites of early European settlement and aboriginal rock engravings.

Augathella, began as a bullock team camp beside the Warrego River but today mainly services the surrounding sheep properties but has basic supplies and facilities for the traveller passing through. The Warrego River provides good catches of Murray Cod, Yellowbelly, Golden Perch and Catfish.

Charleville is a large town in outback Queensland. Settlers arrived here in 1862 but by 1900 was an important service centre for the many nearby sheep stations.Cobb & Co. began building coaches here in 1893 until 1920. Apart from its links with the stagecoach it offers history buffs various museums and landmarks - details can be obtained from the local tourist information office. As with most of the towns mentioned in this part of Queensland, rodeos are popular during Spring so you might like to check local events before planning your trip. These events can really capture the essence of outback Australian life and are an opportunity for stationworkers to test their skills in a public arena, but with the emphasis on fun. You haven't fun until you've seen how country people do it!

The 197km run to Cunnamulla passes a few stores, pubs, homesteads and railway sidings. Nearby diversions could be to Yowah opal fields and the township of Eulo, on the great Paroo River just 67km west of Cunnamulla on the Bulloo Developmental Road.

Cunnamulla also lies on the Warrego River and is 120km north of the NSW border. The town was gazetted in 1868 and a Cobb & Co coaching station was based here. Farmers opened up the country in the 1880s and it is still predominantly sheep grazing land today. The Cunnamulla-Eulo Festival is run late August/early September and is a week-long event.

Travellers can continue south across the NSW border and pick up the Kidman Way, or west to Innamincka along the Adventure Way.

 Preparation

Fuel Supplies

Diesel/Petrol available at Cunnamulla, Charleville, Blackall, Longreach, Winton, McKinlay, Cloncurry, Mt Isa, Normanton, Karumba

Fuel Required

8cyl ULP 227litres - fuel used based on data stored in TrekFuel

Best time to visit

March - November

Permits

None

Supplies/Facilities

Cunnamulla, Charleville, Blackall, Longreach, Winton, McKinlay, Cloncurry, Mt Isa, Normanton, Karumba

 Things to See & Do

Historic Gulflander train, Stockman's Hall of Fame, Waltzing Matilda Centre, Carnarvon Gorge National Park,  Lark Quarry, Blue Heeler Hotel, Walkabout Creek Hotel, Burke & Wills Roadhouse, Lawn Hill National Park and lots more!

 Driving Notes

We need new driving notes for this trek note. See our How to Submit a Trek Note page.

 Related Shop Items

Outback & Regional
1. Queenslands Outback  $8.95 Add the item Queenslands Outback to your Cart
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Scale 1:2,000,000  3rd Edition  
Featuring the outback byways including the Matilda Highway and the Adventure Way plus lots of tourist information such as national park facilities and descriptions, town facilities, and camping areas. Points of interest are noted and an events diary helps you decide when you would like to visit. With numerous photographs and descriptive text, this is the most comprehensive coverage of Outback Queensland ever.
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