Leichhardt Way

Coming from Melbourne, via Dubbo and Moree on the Newell Highway, you’ll enter Queensland and the start of the Leichhardt Way just before Goondiwindi, home of the champion racehorse of the 1970s, the ‘Goondiwindi Grey’, Gunsynd.

The Leichhardt Way follows the tracks of early explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. Next comes Moonie, site of Australia’s first commercial oil field, then Miles and its historical village. Further along the way you’ll visit Taroom with its 300-year-old Leichhardt Tree on which the intrepid explorer carved his initials. North of Taroom do take the short detour to the spectacular Isla Gorge National Park.

Then be sure to visit Theodore where the town owns the pub! The next place to stop awhile is Banana where you will learn that the town and the shire is named not after the fruit, but after a yellow bullock that local stockmen used to herd wild cattle in the 1840s.

The animal is the subject of a statue in the main street. There are great fishing spots along the Dawson River which meanders its way through Banana Shire. The highway then heads through Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia and on to Yeppoon, gateway to the Capricorn Coast and to Great Keppel Island. Or why not come faceto-face with a saltwater crocodile at the Koorana Crocodile Farm?

Places of Interest

MELBOURNE - Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria and the second largest city in Australia. The city has been ranked as the world’s most liveable city for seven years in a row.

GOONDIWINDI - A vibrant town located on the banks of the Macintyre River which separates the Queensland/New South Wales border.

MILES - Originally named ‘Dogwood Crossing’, Miles is a rural town noted for its wildflowers and pioneer history.

TAROOM - Taroom is located on the Dawson River in the shire of Banana with a landmark Steel Wings windmill still in working order.

THEODORE - Named after one of Australia’s politicians E.G Theodore, the rural town of Theodore is almost tropical with its wide palmlined streets.

MOUNT MORGAN - Mount Morgan is a well-preserved historic mining town from the gold rush era, located 38 km south of Rockhampton.

ROCKHAMPTON - Rockhampton, or ‘Rocky’, is the fourth largest city in Queensland known as the Beef Capital of Australia.

YEPPOON - Renowned for its beaches and tropical climate, Yeppoon is a short 25-minute drive from Rockhampton and the gateway to the Capricorn Coast and Southern Great Barrier Reef.