to do and to see

The new Cobar open cut mine just outside Cobar, there is a viewing platform on the hill next to the water treatment works.

The tree of Knowledge (now dead, some #$%^ poisoned it) in Barcaldine. All the streets in Barcaldine are named after trees, FYI.

Stockman's Hall of Fame and Qantas museum in Longreach. All the streets in Longreach are named after birds.

Lark quarry dinosaur tracks out of Winton, Corfield and Fitzmaurice store, Elderslie St Winton, Open air movie theatre. All the streets in Winton are named after the local Stations.

Porcupine Gorge north of Hughenden on the Lynd road, dinosaur stuff there too. Undara Lava tubes around there too (3 hrs north).

Old Gold mining town of Charters Towers, good for a wander around, check in the information centre.

Castle Hill in Townsville, good view from the top, museum of the tropical North.

HTH

Covered most of that area last year - we loved the QLD outback -
the feature for us was the dinosaur triangle (Winton - Richmond - Hughendon)......Lark Quarry out of Winton was fabulous - the bush poet in the The Matilda Country Tourist Park at Winton makes that the only place to stay IMO.
Thoroughly recommend visiting the dinosaur museums at Richmond and Hughenden - ask the staff in those places about where you can fossick for a few fossils of your own - there are some spots where this can be done (but not containing the 'world beating' fossils of course :-o). Re Townsville - highlights for us were the lookout in the middle of the town, the tropical aquarium, the fabulous esplanade playground / leisure park (kilometers long - amazing) - we stayed in a caravan park on the esplanade looking out onto Magnetic Island - also excellent.

Stockman's Hall of Fame and Qantas museum in Longreach also well worth the $ for us.

If you can do dirt roads, recommend detour NW from Bourke through Hungerford to camp in Currawinya Nat park. Kidman's Camp at north Bourke is best place to stay at Bourke i.e. out of town. Opalton, about 120km south of Winton is well worth a visit - can camp (no frills) and fossick for opal in old mullock heaps - the old timers left a lot of good stuff behind.

If you can do dirt roads, recommend detour NW from Bourke through Hungerford to camp in Currawinya Nat park. Kidman's Camp at north Bourke is best place to stay at Bourke i.e. out of town. Opalton, about 120km south of Winton is well worth a visit - can camp (no frills) and fossick for opal in old mullock heaps - the old timers left a lot of good stuff behind.