Bundaberg to Emerald road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

Bundaberg to Emerald road trip: Blackdown Tableland National Park

Otherwise, turn west along the Capricorn Highway at Gracemere. You’ll pass the junction with the Leichhardt Highway, plus several forests and parks that are set up for conservation rather than visitation. There are no tourist trails in the Duaringa State Forest of Taunton National Park.

Blackdown Tableland National Park is far more accessible, however. The Yaddamen Dhina day use area offers an excellent lookout over the sandstone ranges, and you can reach it with a conventional vehicle.

With a 4WD, you can tackle a loop route that weaves together in walks, lookouts and waterfalls, though.

Keep going west, and Blackwater is the next stop. Here, the Blackwater International Coal Centre tells the tale of coal mining in Central Queensland and further afield in Australia.

The drive from Blackwater to Emerald takes about 54 minutes.

Bundaberg to Emerald drive: Emerald attractions

Emerald is unexpectedly quirky place. The Mosaic Pathway offers… well, a pathway made of mosaic tiling. The town is also home to the world’s biggest (replica) Van Gogh sunflower painting.

For natural beauty, chill out in the Emerald Botanic Gardens or beside Fairbairn Dam.