Description
From the
outback Queensland town of
Winton in Waltzing Matilda country, the
Winton to
Longreach trek follows mostly gravel roads passing Mitchell grass plains punctuated by stony ranges and mesas known locally as jump-up country. The trek heads past the
Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve and its famous dinosaur tracks to the opal mines and the quaint Aussie general store known as the “
Opalton Outpost” at
Opalton. Then backtracking again towards the ruins of Mayneside homestead it turns east along a minor and sometimes difficult to follow gravel track towards Vergemont Station. Continuing east along the
Longreach Silsoe Road, it eventually meets the Landsborough Highway (Route 66) to the historically significant town of
Longreach.
How to Use this Trek Note
In this trek note, we provide Place to Place distances (see Directions tab), a downloadable plot file, and POI files to enable you to use this as your driving itinerary, or as a base guide to add other side trips. As with all ExplorOz Trek Notes, you can reverse the order of the direction notes by clicking the arrow alongside the words Start/Finish at the very top of the information on this page.
To see the route, click on the Map tab. Then use the Moving Map Control to take a virtual tour of the route. You can also click on the "What to See & Do" & "Where to Stay" tabs to see more about each Place that the route follows. Click each listed item to open a separate page (and download) for each Place for further information to enrich your understanding of the area.
If you use the Print button at the top of the page the text from all sections will be reformatted into one easy to read document (except for detailed Place information – do these separately). If you are an ExplorOz Member, you'll also be able to download any individually selected
Places (or all in one batch download) as POI/waypoint files to use in your GPS (all popular formats available).
Environment
Around
Winton and
Longreach the terrain is predominantly Mitchell grass plains punctuated by stony ranges and mesas known locally as jump-up country. During the summer months the temperatures may reach 45 to 50 degrees C. Travel in the region between October and March is not recommended due to high temperatures and possible flooding.
History
Lark Quarry Environmental Park
Located 110 km from
Winton, the
Lark Quarry Environmental Park with its famous Dinosaur Stampede is an interesting insight into life in western
Queensland some ninety five million years ago. This is the largest group of footprints of running dinosaurs uncovered anywhere in the world. First discovered in the early 1960s it was completely excavated in 1976-77. Three species of dinosaur made the 1200 tracks - a large flesh eating carnosaur and many small coelurosaurs and ornithopods.
The brochure on
Lark Quarry explains the footprints: 'Most of the footprints were made when a carnosaur trapped groups of coelurosaurs and ornithopods on the muddy edge of a lake.' The area is now protected from the weather and clear signs on a 650 metre track explain the
events.
Opalton Fields
The
Opalton fields are a reminder of how things can change in far western
Queensland. Discovered in 1888 they were not worked until 1893. By 1896 there were 500-600 men on the fields but the inevitable problem of water (which had to be carted over 20 km) ensured that when the price of opals dropped the field was abandoned. The township has vanished and all that is left are some ruins and the remains of mullock heaps where miners once fossicked for the precious opals.
Map
Take a virtual tour of this trek using the interactive map below. You can click any feature on the map, or use the Moving Map controls to watch the trek in auto-play from start to finish. As each feature is selected, it will flash green on the map, and a panel will open above the map with more detailed information for that selection.
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Preparation
A 4WD vehicle is only recommended for this trek and you should carry sufficient fuel, water and food. Carry at least one spare tyre AND tyre repair equipment, recovery gear and safety equipment. Taking navigation equipment with the latest updated maps is also wise to prevent you from getting lost. All travellers are recommended to read the 4WDriving Topic for related articles and checklists for preparing your vehicle and ensuring you are aware of the necessary driving skills to tackle a trip of this nature.
All travellers should understand that mobile phones are not a reliable form of communication when driving in this region. We advise that you refer to the Communications Topic for related articles to help you decide what communications devices suit your budget and purpose.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
 | Winton, Longreach |
Diesel | 4cyl 61 litres |
ULP | 4cyl 70 litres |
LPG | 4cyl 86 litres |
|---|
| 6cyl 66 litres | 6cyl 78 litres | 6cyl 76 litres |
| 8cyl 66 litres | 8cyl 57 litres * | |
Best Time To Visit
During the summer months the temperatures may reach 45 to 50 degrees C. Travelling in the region between October and March is not recommended due to high temperatures and possible flooding.
Closest Climatic Station
Winton Airport
Distance from Trek Mid Point 83.97km NW
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
37.3 | 36.5 | 35.1 | 32.4 |
28.2 | 24.5 | 24.8 | 27.6 |
32.1 | 36.0 | 37.5 | 38.6 |
| Mean Min. °C |
23.9 | 22.9 | 20.7 | 17.0 |
12.4 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 9.6 |
14.3 | 18.2 | 21.3 | 23.3 |
| Mean Rain mm |
85.4 | 73.9 | 52.4 | 23.8 |
15.0 | 24.5 | 9.6 | 9.2 |
11.9 | 8.0 | 32.1 | 38.5 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Services & Supplies
The following locations have various services and supplies:
Winton,
Tattersalls Hotel,
Opalton,
LongreachMinor Supply Points-
Opalton Outpost General Store.
What to See
DownloadDownload Trek
Save time and download all digital map data for this trek (all places are included in the trek download).
This list may not be complete for the entire region.
Places listed here are directly located along the plot file associated with this Trek Note. You can locate other nearby
Places by browsing the map or searching
Places.
There are a total of 5 place entries
Winton - QLD 
Winton is a large metropolis with shops, hotels, restaurants, hotels, and airfield and various attractions. The first performance public performance of Waltzing Matilda took ...
Position: -22.38185 143.0424 Altitude: 189m
PlaceID: 31862 Updated: 19 Sep 11 18:44
Lark Quarry - QLD 
Located 110 km from Winton, the Lark Quarry Environmental Park with its famous Dinosaur Stampede is an interesting insight into life in western Queensland some ninety five ...
Position: -23.01659 142.41254 Altitude: 239m
PlaceID: 13698 Updated: 08 Nov 07 11:46
Mayneside Ruins - QLD
Position: -23.50455 142.54944 Altitude: 202m
PlaceID: 13699 Updated: 24 Oct 08 16:13
Opalton - QLD
The Opalton fields are a reminder of how things can change in far western Queensland. Discovered in 1888 they were not worked until 1893....
Position: -23.24812 142.76083 Altitude: 247m
PlaceID: 32023 Updated: 08 Oct 11 15:34
Bessies Castle - QLD
Position: -23.40776 143.18432 Altitude: 263m
PlaceID: 32036 Updated: 28 Feb 06 16:58
Where to Stay
DownloadDownload Trek
Save time and download all digital map data for this trek (all places are included in the trek download).
This list may not be complete for the entire region.
Places listed here are directly located along the plot file associated with this Trek Note. You can locate other nearby
Places by browsing the map or searching
Places.
There are a total of 3 place entries
Winton - QLD
Winton is a large metropolis with shops, hotels, restaurants, hotels, and airfield and various attractions. The first performance public performance of Waltzing Matilda took ...
Position: -22.38185 143.0424 Altitude: 189m
PlaceID: 31862 Updated: 19 Sep 11 18:44
Opalton - QLD
The Opalton fields are a reminder of how things can change in far western Queensland. Discovered in 1888 they were not worked until 1893....
Position: -23.24812 142.76083 Altitude: 247m
PlaceID: 32023 Updated: 08 Oct 11 15:34
Longreach - QLD
The town of Longreach was settled in the 1870s and is now the largest town in the region. The old town from its humble beginnings in the 1870s as a stock route junction on ...
Position: -23.44212 144.24921 Altitude: 193m
PlaceID: 34015 Updated: 04 Apr 12 21:24
Directions
| Locations | Distance | Direction | Time |
|---|
| Winton to Winton Jundah Rd & Landsborough Hwy |
1.01 km |
S |
187° |
2 min |
| Winton Jundah Rd & Landsborough Hwy to Tattersalls Hotel |
0.17 km |
W |
282° |
|
| Tattersalls Hotel to Winton Jundah Rd & Nareen Jump-up Rd |
66.85 km |
SW |
228° |
52 min |
| Winton Jundah Rd & Nareen Jump-up Rd to Winton Jundah Rd & Lark Quarry CP Access |
37.39 km |
SW |
206° |
27 min |
| Winton Jundah Rd & Lark Quarry CP Access to Lark Quarry |
4.92 km |
W |
287° |
5 min |
| Lark Quarry to Winton Jundah Rd & Lark Quarry CP Access |
4.92 km |
E |
107° |
5 min |
| Winton Jundah Rd & Lark Quarry CP Access to Winton Jundah Rd & Jundah Rd |
16.52 km |
SW |
220° |
13 min |
| Winton Jundah Rd & Jundah Rd to Mayneside Ruins |
49.84 km |
SE |
154° |
51 min |
| Mayneside Ruins to Lady Lil Mine & Vergemont Access |
15.37 km |
NE |
44° |
17 min |
| Lady Lil Mine & Vergemont Access to Opalton |
24.58 km |
NE |
33° |
23 min |
| Opalton to Lady Lil Mine & Vergemont Access |
24.58 km |
SW |
213° |
23 min |
| Lady Lil Mine & Vergemont Access to Kerosine Tin Corner |
13.68 km |
SE |
130° |
25 min |
| Kerosine Tin Corner to Vergemont Rd & Vergemont Access |
31.41 km |
E |
99° |
51 min |
| Vergemont Rd & Vergemont Access to Bessies Castle |
23.98 km |
NE |
56° |
22 min |
| Bessies Castle to Silsoe Vergemont Rd & Morella Silsoe Rd |
1.18 km |
SE |
134° |
1 min |
| Silsoe Vergemont Rd & Morella Silsoe Rd to Longreach Silsoe Rd & Gallows Waterhole Access |
44.84 km |
E |
86° |
42 min |
| Longreach Silsoe Rd & Gallows Waterhole Access to Longreach Silsoe Rd & Maneroo Winton Rd |
26.91 km |
E |
77° |
18 min |
| Longreach Silsoe Rd & Maneroo Winton Rd to Longreach Silsoe Rd & Glendulloch Rd |
34.86 km |
E |
101° |
22 min |
| Longreach Silsoe Rd & Glendulloch Rd to Longreach Silsoe Rd & Landsborough Hwy (Route 66) |
0.84 km |
NE |
67° |
|
| Longreach Silsoe Rd & Landsborough Hwy (Route 66) to Landsborough Hwy & Thomas Dev Rd |
7.22 km |
SE |
144° |
7 min |
| Landsborough Hwy & Thomas Dev Rd to Longreach |
1.26 km |
SE |
137° |
2 min |
| Winton to Longreach |
432.34 km |
|
|
7 hr 26 min |
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
Related
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Travel Journals
The following are links to Members' Blogs that contain the words Winton to Longreach. Creating Blogs is restricted to Members only. Not a Member? Join here.
There are a total of 2 matching blog entries. Results based on search "Winton to Longreach"
Our ‘First Big Trip’ Itinerary
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This is the itinerary for our 'First Big Trip' we did in June/July 2000
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