Great Inland Way

This route takes you from Sydney through Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Gilgandra, Coonamble, Walgett and Lightning Ridge to Hebel, just over the Queensland border.

From there you’ll travel north to St George, famous for its fishing and cotton crops and on to Surat where the last Cobb and Co stagecoach service began.

Travelling north you’ll visit Roma, home of the gas and oil industry and the Big Rig, continue on to Injune, gateway to the Carnarvon Gorge National Park, where you can see the fascinating ancient rock art galleries deep inside the gorge.

You then travel on to Emerald, where you can find the world’s largest copy of Van Gogh’s Sunflower painting. On to Capella with its Pioneer Village, you’ll be passing through coal mining country. Next along the way is Clermont where you can walk along the Hoods Lagoon boardwalk or take a look at the Theresa Creek Dam. Then on to Charters Towers, which was Australia’s second largest city during the gold rush of the 1870s.

Heading further north you’ll reach the Undara Volcanic National Park, world famous for its unique lava tubes. Moving on, next is Ravenshoe, the highest town in Queensland and entrance to the Atherton Tablelands, a tropical paradise with lakes, waterfalls and rainforest. Next comes Mareeba, at the heart of a coffee growing region. Then you are soon in Cairns and from there you travel on to the end of the highway at Cooktown.

Places of Interest

SYDNEY - Sydney, state capital of New South Wales, has the largest population of any city in Australia and Oceania and is ranked one of the most livable cities in the world.

ST GEORGE - The rural town of St George is perched on the banks of the Balonne River, a reputable location for excellent fishing.

ROMA - A hub for cattle and all things rural, Roma is one of the primary service centres in south west Queensland.

INJUNE - Located 89km north of Roma, Injune is a small country town full of character, history and spectacular natural landscapes.

EMERALD - Emerald is the regional hub of the Central Highlands and gateway to the largest sapphire gemfields in the southern hemisphere.

CHARTERS TOWERS - Inland from Townsville, this gold mining region offers great fishing and 4WD adventures.

RAVENSHOE - The highest town in Queensland at 920 metres, Ravenshoe is a lush region of mountain pastures and rainforest.

KURANDA - Kuranda is a mountain village near Cairns, known for the Kuranda Scenic Railway which winds through forested hillside.

CAIRNS - The only place on the planet where two World Heritage Wonders sit side by side. Here, the world’s largest reef – The Great Barrier Reef meets the Daintree Rainforest.