Bourke to Charleville road trip: Distance, time & best stops

The distance from Bourke to Charleville is 453km, with a driving time of 4h49m. The best road trip stop along the way is Cunnamulla.

Planning a Bourke to Charleville road trip

The Bourke to Charleville drive connects two of the more interesting towns in the Australian outback. For most travellers passing along the route, this will be a leg on a much longer journey. The routes from Adelaide to Townsville and Perth to Cairns pass through this way.

For Bourke accommodation, book here.
To find the best Charleville accommodation deals, come this way.

This guide should help you plan your perfect Bourke to Charleville road trip itinerary.

If you need to hire a car, find the best rental deals. And don’t forget to do all your pre-road trip shopping.

Bourke to Charleville distance and driving time

By car along sealed roads, the distance from Bourke to Charleville is 453km. Without stopping, that makes for a Bourke to Charleville driving time of around four hours and 49 minutes.

In Bourke, the star attraction is the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre. This uses interactive technology to tell tales of outback life and the bushrangers. You can also get tickets for Darling River cruises here. The hour-long cruises are aboard the PV Jandra.

Top Bourke accommodation options

There’s not a great array of accommodation in Bourke, but these are the best bets in order of preference:

For great riverside location, gardens and a pool: Bourke Riverside Motel.
For central location: Darling River Motel.
As a last resort: Sunshine Gardens.

Bourke to Charleville drive: Bourke to Cunnamulla section

The next leg is from Bourke to Cunnamulla, which covers a 257km distance along the Mitchell Highway.

There’s not much to keep you interested here. That said, at Barringun just south of the Queensland border, there’s basic accommodation and food at the Bush Tucker Inn and Caravan Park.

Cunnamulla offers sandboarding down the big dunes at the edge of town, a giant water tower mural and lots of kangaroos.

Best Cunnamulla accommodation choices

The best places to stay in Cunnamulla, Queensland, are:

For cheap rooms at the local pub: Cunnamulla Hotel.
For overall quality and – if you want – glamping tents: Club Boutique Cunnamulla.
For family cabins: Cunnamulla Tourist Park.
For a solid hotel with restaurant, bar & free parking: Warrego Hotel Motel.

Bourke to Charleville: Cunnamulla to Charleville

It’s another 199km from Cunnamulla to Charleville, following the railway line. This is one of those stretches where you just hit the accelerator and get it over and done with.

Just south of Charleville, the 2,000 hectare Charleville Botanical Reserve showcases the region’s vegetation. There’s a 30km 4WD driving route around the spinifex, mulga forest and gidgee swamp.

Come in spring, and desert myrtle turns the landscape pink.

The best things to do in Charleville include venturing into the secret World War II air base and exploring the heavens at the Charleville Cosmos Centre and. The Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre and Charleville Historic House are also worth a look.