Australia has more than 20,000 km of coastline but there is just 200km of that vast coastline on escarpments that combine panoramic views of the hills and the sea. 20kms of that special escarpment is in the Blackall Range, in the hinterland of Queensland s Sunshine Coast. The Range, as it is locally known, was created by 200 million years of constant interaction by volcanoes and water which left behind a mass of hills, valleys and waterfalls. In summer the rainy season fills the rivers and creeks making strong powerful waterfalls.
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Inland from Cairns in Queensland’s far north, the Atherton Tableland is a blend of the best attractions of the wet tropics and the dry outback charm; a combination of nature and lifestyle at its finest. Among the World Heritage listed rainforests, national parks, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls of the tablelands are some of Australia’s richest agricultural lands, cattle country and charming small townships.
The Great Green Way is an area of outstanding natural beauty lying between Townsville and Cairns, Far North Queensland, including two World Heritage listings of the Wet Tropics Rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. The area has over 25 tropical islands off its coast, over 12 mainland National Parks, and it is the closest mainland access in Queensland to the Outer Barrier Reef.
This drive follows the coastal road from Cairns to Cooktown through the only place on the planet where two World Heritage sites, the Wet Tropics of Australia (containing the world’s oldest rainforest) and the Great Barrier Reef, converge. The Daintree Rainforest contains the last remnant of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world. The Great Barrier Reef, covering an area bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland and Switzerland, is the largest World Heritage Area in the world. Together they support the richest biological diversity on the planet.
Too many people visit the Burnett/Fraser coast region and fail to explore the hinterland. If you plan to drive to the Burnett/Fraser region from Brisbane, why not drive up the coast and return via the Burnett Country Highway. You’ll see the Big Orange at Kingaroy; take part in the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll at the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival (every May), Goomeri; check out the Big Mandarin at Mundubbera, the Citrus Capital of Queensland; have fun at the Peanut Festival (every September) at Kingaroy and visit the largest natural Bunya pine forest in the world in the Bunya Mountains.
West of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, the drive incorporates the magnificent Bunya Mountains, freshwater dams, pastoral homesteads and rural towns dotted throughout the Darling Downs and South Burnett. There are wineries, gourmet cafes, heritage museums and country markets waiting to be explored. The Bunya Mountains contain a mix of moist rainforest, dry rainforest, grasslands, open forests and woodlands and is also home to distinct plant and animal communities, with over 30 rare and threatened species. This natural wonderland was formed about 30 million years ago and shelters the largest stand of ancient bunya pines in the world today.
This unsealed road forms the first section of The Savannah Way when travelling from Queensland. It can be accessed from the coast of Far North Queensland from Cairns via Atherton Tablelands and Kennedy Highway, or from Townsville via Charters Towers on the Gregory Development Road. The drive west along the Gulf Developmental Road passes through treeless plains of Mitchell grass to Georgetown (gemstone fossicking), Gilbert River, Croydon (old gold mining town) and on to Normanton and Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The unsealed Kennedy Development Road from Hughenden links to the Overlander’s Way and the fascinating Dinosaur history of central Queensland. Porcupine Gorge is a renowned walking track.
This is a great 2WD bitumen North-South route through central Queensland passing several places of historical significance and some great outback pubs. This fully sealed 1812 kilometre highway stretches from the New South Wales border north of Bourke all the way to Karumba on shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Matilda Highway affords the unique opportunity to see ‘real outback’ and its friendly characters, unique attractions and unspoiled natural sites. Towns visited include Normanton, Cloncurry, McKinlay, Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Charleville and Cunnamulla. McKinlay’s great claim to fame is that the local pub, now known as the Walkabout Creek Hotel, was featured in the original Crocodile Dundee movie as Dundee’s regular drinking spot.
Truly the last frontier in Australia, a trek to the northernmost tip of Australia is the ultimate destination for 4-wheel drive enthusiasts. Cape York Peninsula is a wild and sparsely populated wilderness area that is only accessible during the dry months from April to December. The dusty tracks contrast dramatically with the abundant rivers, crystal clear creeks and spectacular waterfalls in this vast area of unexplored rainforests, magnificent national parks, sacred Aboriginal sites, rugged mountains and swampy marshlands. This is a land of climatic extremes where the creeks are either dry or running three metres high.
