Trip to canarvan gorge

Sapphire and Rubyvale area great little spots next to each other just west of Emerald. Alphas is a bit further west towards Longreach... make sure you grab a pie and cream bun at the bakery.Ilfracombe is a great alternative for accommodation to Longreach and is only a 10 minute drive away.

Drop in on Jericho, it has the smallest drive in in the southern hemisphere, its quite cute!

Ilfracombe Caravan Park........best happy hour in the country

Ditto to all that Janice...Alpha pies had been our favourites, too...and then we discovered the pies at Barcaldine! Bakery's next to Barcaldine IGA, on the left hand side.
*sigh*now we have to eat pies in both towns! :)
In Sapphire, we sifted through some $20 bags about 8 years ago and had an absolute ball...I got 5 you-beaut sapphires from it, although all dad got was near frostbite (he had the job of sifting it in the water barrel!!) The caravan park was very nice, too, with fire pits for most sites (something that you don't get enough of these days).
There was a beaut little museum and underground mine tour out at Rubyvale, too.
At Jericho, duck into the public loos (the building on your left as you stand at the road). It's a communal loo, and you'll notice that the women would have to walk past the men at the urinal to get to their cubical!! I suppose they're all friends in the country, but I couldn't imagine walking past a male acquaintance relieving himself...!
Quite a strange set-up!
Enjoy. I love that part of Qld.
:)

If you like sunset view, you can enjoy it at the sunshine motorway which is the bridge above the South Maroochy River. Perhaps it is the way you must pass on the trip to sunshine coast.