Comment: Winton to Longreach

No trek Prue, only a couple of hundred km's on the tar, but no servos in between

Apart from where to go and what to see, the best advice I can start with is watch out for the roos.
It's very very dry out there. The only green grass is a tiny sliver along the edge of the road and of course the roos head for it. Over a 30km stretch, I counted over 130 dead roos (some had been there longer than others).

We love western Qld and have stayed at Winton 3x and Longreach 2x on our way through to other destinations. Both times were at the caravan parks and we had good experiences.

Qantas Museum and Stockman's Hall of Fame are both fascinating. I haven't done the Age of Dinosaurs yet. There's stagecoach rides and trips along the river... We could do about 4 days there.

Winton has lost a huge chunk of its tourism dollar with the recent fire in the Waltzing Matilda Centre. Lark Quarry was a bit late re-opening for this season but is now open and worth the drive. Dirt road but a 2WD would do it.
The pub on the corner (forget its name) had damn good meals. The bakers are good too.

Things are very rough in the outback so take your compassion with you and don't fill up too much of your travelling pantry before you leave home. Spend what you can out there and enjoy yourself. You can see the change in the colour of the paddocks as you get further and further past Augathella and it's particularly dry out on that stretch.

:)

Hi Prue,

I have to agree re the roos.
The road kill was so bad about 4 weeks ago, we ended up winding the windows
up to stop the smell. Longreach to Barcaldine was as bad, if not worse.
Otherwise an easy drive.

Prue,

Is this the trek you're thinking of?



Was on the section from about Lark Quarry to Winton, 10 days ago. There's 50-60kms of bitumen in sections, and the remainder is "drive to conditions" type gravel. About 80kph is comfortable, or more if you're happy.

Vergemont road west of Longreach, is a council maintained road, and as such may be quite good. A lot depends on number of road trains that have used it recently. It may be a bit powdered up, and even bull dusty once you reach the red country. Some bitumen sections west of Longreach, but less than 40kms I recall. Haven't been on the western end near Vergemont, for 20 years, so some of my advice is a bit dated. :-)

Many of the local roads are in less than good condition. The road base is too dry to successfully do a full grade, and the use of water trucks depletes the council coffers rapidly. Only extremely bad sections get the full treatment, from what I've been told.

Not sure about the Vergemont - Mayneside section. It might be just a station road, so keep an eye out for washouts, and of course four legged floor rugs.

What station are you caretaking, Prue,

Bob