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Far North Queensland
Qantas Founder’s Museum - Longreach
September 29, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
Spent the day at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, and for anyone interested in aviation history, this is absolutely worth the visit. Qantas was founded in nearby Winton in 1920 before moving operations to Longreach in 1921, and the museum traces the airline’s evolution from outback mail runs to international carrier.

The collection includes several retired aircraft that you can walk through, but the absolute highlight is the Boeing 747 sitting outside on the tarmac. Standing next to this massive aircraft gives you a real sense of the engineering achievement these flying machines represent. There is a DC-3, a Lockheed Constellation, a Boing 707 and a Catalina sea plane that was used to run mail to the UK during WW2.

And then there’s the wingwalk. You can actually climb out onto the wing of the 747 while it’s parked. It’s an extraordinary experience - standing on the wing looking down at the ground far below, getting a real appreciation for the scale of these aircraft. Not for those with height issues, but if you’re comfortable with it, it’s genuinely thrilling and something you won’t get to do anywhere else.

The museum does an excellent job of connecting Qantas’s story to the broader history of Australian aviation and the role flying played in opening up the outback. From those early mail runs connecting remote properties to the development of international routes, it’s a fascinating progression.

The original 1922 hangar is still there, Heritage-listed and part of the museum experience. Walking through it, you can imagine those early days when flying was still a novelty and Qantas was just starting to prove that commercial aviation could work in the harsh conditions of outback Queensland.

Allow several hours - between exploring the aircraft, doing the wingwalk, and taking in the exhibits, there’s plenty to see. The wingwalk alone makes the visit memorable, but the whole museum delivers a comprehensive look at one of Australia’s most iconic companies.Read more
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Far North Queensland
Barcaldine
September 29, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C
Nestled in the heart of Queensland’s outback, Barcaldine might seem an unlikely birthplace for one of the nation’s most significant political movements. Yet this small town of red dust and corrugated iron holds a pivotal place in Australian history, commemorated beautifully at the Australian Workers Heritage Centre.

Spending a couple of hours at the centre offers a powerful journey through Australia’s labor history. The museum brings to life the struggles, triumphs, and daily realities of working-class Australians, with the Great Shearers’ Strike of 1891 taking center stage in the narrative.

The strike erupted in January 1891 when shearers, demanding better wages and working conditions, walked off the job across Queensland. Barcaldine became the strike’s nerve center, with thousands of shearers setting up a massive camp beneath the gum trees that still stand today as the “Tree of Knowledge”—a ghost gum that became the strikers’ meeting place and symbol of their cause.

The pastoralists, backed by the colonial government, responded with force. The government deployed troops and special constables, and strike leaders were arrested and imprisoned. Though the strike ultimately failed in its immediate objectives, with many shearers forced back to work under harsh conditions, it ignited something far more enduring.

From defeat came determination. The brutal suppression of the strike convinced union leaders that workers needed political representation, not just industrial muscle. In 1891, the same year as the strike, the Labour Electoral League was formed in New South Wales, followed quickly by similar organizations in other colonies.

Barcaldine’s role in this transformation was profound. The town witnessed firsthand that direct action alone wasn’t enough—workers needed a voice in parliament. By 1901, these various labor leagues had coalesced into what would become the Australian Labor Party, making it one of the world’s oldest labor parties still in existence.

The Australian Workers Heritage Centre tells this story with authenticity and heart, transforming those couple of hours into an immersive experience that connects past struggles with present-day workers’ rights. It’s a reminder that the conditions many Australians take for granted—fair wages, reasonable hours, workplace safety—were hard-won through the courage of those strikers under the Barcaldine sun.Read more
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Far North Queensland
Emerald
October 1, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Had a couple of days in Emerald and discovered this Central Highlands town has put some effort into its public art scene. The art walk takes you through town past various murals and installations that celebrate local history and the surrounding agricultural landscape.

The Giant Easel is one of those quintessentially Australian attractions - an oversized easel displaying artwork that changes periodically. It's the kind of thing you stop for, take the obligatory photo, and appreciate the effort regional towns put into drawing visitors off the highway.

The real drawcard is Fairbairn Dam, about 20 kilometres from town. This is a proper piece of engineering - one of Queensland's largest dams by surface area, built in the 1960s to support the region's agricultural industries. The scale of it is impressive when you see it in person, all that water stored up in the middle of cattle country.

The dam's popular with locals for fishing and water sports, and there are decent spots around the foreshore for picnics. The views across the water are pleasant, and it's interesting to see how critical this infrastructure is for the region's irrigated agriculture - cotton, grain, and horticulture all depend on that reliable water supply.

Emerald might not be on most tourist itineraries, but if you're passing through on the Capricorn Highway, the art walk and dam make for a decent few hours exploring what makes these regional Queensland towns tick. The combination of agricultural prosperity and community pride in local culture gives you a different perspective on outback Australia than you get in the bigger tourist centres.Read more
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Far North Queensland
Carnarvon Gorge
October 2, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
We'd heard Carnarvon Gorge was special, but nothing quite prepares you for the reality of this place. Three nights gave us enough time to properly explore the main gorge and some of the side canyons, though you could easily spend longer here.

The main walking track follows Carnarvon Creek through towering sandstone cliffs that rise hundreds of metres on either side. The permanent water in the creek creates a microclimate that's dramatically different from the surrounding dry country - lush vegetation, massive ferns, and ancient cycads that give the whole place a prehistoric feel.

Our first walk took us to the Art Gallery and Amphitheatre. The Art Gallery is one of the most significant Aboriginal rock art sites in Queensland, with stencils and ochre paintings that date back thousands of years. Standing there looking at those hand stencils and animal outlines, you get a genuine sense of connection to the people who've been coming to this gorge for millennia. Worth the walk just for this.

The Amphitheatre is extraordinary - a massive natural rock formation where the cliff face curves around creating incredible acoustics. The scale of it is hard to convey until you're standing there dwarfed by those towering walls. The moss-covered rocks and trickling water add to the cathedral-like atmosphere.

We had a swim at the Rock Pool, which was bloody refreshing after walking in the heat. The pool's formed by the creek and surrounded by those massive sandstone cliffs - a perfect spot to cool off and soak up the scenery. The water's surprisingly clear and cold, fed by springs further up the gorge.

Mickey's Gorge was another highlight - a narrow side canyon where you're walking between sheer rock walls that close in overhead.

What struck us about Carnarvon was how well-preserved it is. The walking tracks are maintained but not over-developed, and the accommodation at the gorge keeps visitor numbers manageable. You genuinely feel like you're experiencing something ancient and relatively untouched.

Three nights was about right for seeing the main attractions without rushing, though serious hikers could easily fill a week exploring the more remote sections. The camping facilities are decent, and if you're not into camping, there's proper accommodation available.

Pack good walking shoes - you'll be covering serious distance on rocky tracks. Plenty of water, sun protection, and insect repellent are essential. The gorge stays relatively cool compared to the surrounding country, but it's still Queensland in summer.Read more
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Far North Queensland
Roma
October 5, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Explores what this major cattle and gas town has to offer. It's one of those quintessential outback Queensland centres where agriculture and resource industries keep the place ticking along.

The Big Rig is Roma's signature attraction - a museum dedicated to the oil and gas industry that's been central to the region's economy for decades. The "big rig" itself is an actual drilling rig on display, giving you a sense of the scale of equipment used to extract gas from the fields around Roma.

The giant bottle tree (not related to the Boab Tree of WA) is another of those oversized regional attractions Queenslanders seem to love. These distinctive trees with their bulbous trunks are native to the area, and seeing one blown up to massive proportions makes for the obligatory photo stop. It's the kind of thing that makes you smile even as you're taking the predictable tourist shot.

The outback sculpture exhibit was more interesting than expected. A collection of sculptures dotted around town that blend art with the harsh beauty of the surrounding landscape. Some work better than others, but overall it shows Roma's making an effort to add cultural elements beyond the standard outback town offerings.

Roma's not going to be anyone's primary destination, but if you're travelling through inland Queensland on the Warrego Highway, it's worth a quick stop to stretch the legs and see how these resource towns have developed. The combination of cattle, gas, and attempts at cultural tourism gives you a snapshot of modern outback Queensland economy and identity.Read more
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Far North Queensland
St George & Nindigully Pub
October 6, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
Stopped overnight in St George, a proper outback Queensland town on the banks of the Balonne River. It's cotton and cattle country out here, and the town has that practical, no-nonsense feel of places built around agricultural industry rather than tourism.

But the real reason we were here was to make the pilgrimage to the Nindigully Pub, about 46 kilometres south east of St George. This place has legendary status in outback Queensland - a genuine old-school country pub that's been serving travellers since 1864, making it one of the oldest continuously licensed pubs in the state.

The drive out takes you through flat cattle country on dead-straight roads where you can see for kilometres in every direction. The pub sits on its own near the Moonie River, a low-slung weatherboard building that looks exactly like what you'd expect from a 160-year-old outback watering hole.

Inside, it's all history - the walls covered with memorabilia, old photographs, and the accumulated debris of over a century of serving drovers, truckies, and the occasional curious tourist. The bar's seen generations of locals come through, and you can feel that history in every corner.

The beer's cold, the atmosphere's authentic, and the whole experience is quintessentially outback Queensland. This is the kind of pub that reminds you why these remote drinking establishments became such important social hubs - in country this vast and isolated, places where people could gather became crucial to maintaining community and sanity.

Worth the detour from St George just to say you've had a beer at one of Queensland's most historic pubs. The Nindigully delivers exactly what you'd hope for - genuine outback character without any tourist polish.Read more
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Far North Queensland
Lightning Ridge
October 8, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 33 °C
Spent two nights in Lightning Ridge and discovered this remote opal mining town has a character all its own. It's rough around the edges in that authentic outback way, but there's genuine community pride and some quirky attractions that make it worth the detour.

The Car Door Tours are Lightning Ridge's signature experience - four self-guided driving routes (Green, Blue, Yellow, and Red) marked by coloured car doors from wrecked vehicles, painted with numbers corresponding to attractions around town. It's quintessential outback ingenuity - using what's available to create something useful and distinctive. We did all four tours across the day, with each route taking about 20 minutes driving time, though you can easily spend hours exploring the various stops. The tours take you to opal fields, quirky local attractions, and give you a proper feel for how this mining community has evolved.

We caught an opal cutting demonstration which was fascinating - watching a skilled cutter turn rough opal into polished gems that reveal those incredible colour patterns. The geology and formation of black opal is extraordinary, and seeing the process of how they're extracted, assessed, and cut gives you real appreciation for why quality Lightning Ridge opals command such high prices. The gamble involved in cutting - one wrong move can destroy a valuable stone - adds to the drama.

The hot artesian pools are an absolute must-do. These bore baths are fed by the Great Artesian Basin, with mineral-rich water coming up at around 40°C. There are several pools around town, and soaking in hot water under the outback sky is genuinely relaxing.

The John Murray Gallery showcases his distinctive outback landscape paintings and whimsical wildlife portraits. Murray's a realist painter working in acrylics who moved to Lightning Ridge as a "city artist" and found inspiration in the seeming simplicity of the landscape. His work captures the harsh beauty of the arid country with attention to light and shadow, while also finding humour in the interplay between human, animal, and plant life out here. The gallery displays original canvases and prints, and his ability to find colour and emotion in what appears to be "nothing there" landscape resonates once you've spent time in this country yourself.

Lightning Ridge has that frontier town feel - a place where people come to chase their fortune, live outside conventional society, and create their own version of community. The combination of opal fever, artesian water, and artists finding inspiration in the isolation makes for an experience you won't find anywhere else in Australia.Read more
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Far North Queensland
And that's a wrap
October 10, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
Finally reached home after about 7000km.

It's good to be back at one of Australia's best beaches.
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Trip end
October 12, 2025